1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 January 2022 1966 UTEP 1966 basketball.jpg Texas Western, national champions 22 Cole Field House College Park, Maryland Texas Western Miners 1st 1st 1st Kentucky Wildcats 5th 6th Duke Blue Devils 3rd Utah Redskins 3rd Don Haskins 1st Jerry Chambers Utah 140,925 Jerry Chambers Utah 143 The 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national men's basketball champion of the NCAA University Division, now Division I. The 28th annual edition of the tournament began on March 7, and ended with the championship game on March 19, at Cole Field House, located on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. A total of 26 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game. Third-ranked Texas Western (now UTEP), coached by Don Haskins, won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final over top-ranked Kentucky, led by head coach Adolph Rupp. Haskins started five black players for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Jerry Chambers of Utah was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The 2006 film Glory Road is based on the story of the 1966 Texas Western team. Their tournament games against fourth-ranked Kansas and Kentucky are depicted in the film. The tournament is also significant in that it was the last tournament until 2021, and one of two since the league's official founding, that the Ivy League did not send a representative to the tournament. The league champion, Penn, refused to comply with an NCAA edict that all teams must certify a 1.6 GPA for all student-athletes; the Ivy League and the university did not believe that the NCAA had the power to dictate such things, and as such the team was banned. They would have played Syracuse in the East regional at Blacksburg.Fifty years ago, Penn was banned from the NCAA tournament because of...grades?, Justin Feil, Philly Voice, March 10, 2016, last accessed April 17, 2022 This was the only NCAA tournament between 1961 and 1982 which did not include UCLA. Locations Round Region Site Venue Host First RoundEastBlacksburg, VirginiaCassell ColiseumVirginia Tech MideastKent, OhioMemorial GymnasiumKent State Midwest& WestWichita, KansasWSU Field HouseWichita State Regionals EastRaleigh, North CarolinaReynolds ColiseumN.C. State MideastIowa City, IowaIowa Field HouseIowaMidwestLubbock, TexasLubbock Municipal ColiseumTexas Tech WestLos Angeles, CaliforniaPauley PavilionUCLA Final FourCollege Park, MarylandCole Field HouseMaryland Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score EastEast Davidson Lefty Driesell Southern Regional Fourth PlaceSaint Joseph'sL 92–76East Duke Vic Bubas Atlantic Coast Third Place Utah W 79–77East Providence Joe Mullaney Independent First roundSaint Joseph'sL 65–48East Rhode Island Ernie Calverley Yankee First roundDavidsonL 95–65East Saint Joseph's Jack Ramsay Middle Atlantic Regional third placeDavidsonW 92–76East Syracuse Fred Lewis Independent Regional Runner-upDukeL 91–81 MideastMideast Dayton Don Donoher Independent Regional Fourth PlaceWestern KentuckyL 82–62Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Runner Up Texas Western L 72–65Mideast Loyola–Chicago George Ireland Independent First roundWestern KentuckyL 105–86Mideast Miami (OH) Dick Shrider Mid-American First roundDaytonL 58–51Mideast Michigan Dave Strack Big Ten Regional Runner-up KentuckyL 84–77Mideast Western Kentucky Johnny Oldham Ohio Valley Regional third place DaytonW 82–62 MidwestMidwest Cincinnati Tay Baker Missouri Valley Regional Fourth PlaceSMUL 89–84Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Regional Runner-upTexas WesternL 81–80Midwest Oklahoma City Abe Lemons Independent First roundTexas WesternL 89–74Midwest SMU Doc Hayes Southwest Regional third placeCincinnatiW 89–84Midwest Texas Western Don Haskins Independent ChampionKentuckyW 72–65 WestWest Colorado State Jim Williams Independent First roundHoustonL 82–76West Houston Guy Lewis Independent Regional third placePacificW 102–91West Oregon State Paul Valenti AAWU Regional Runner-upUtahL 70–64West Pacific Dick Edwards West Coast Athletic Regional Fourth PlaceHoustonL 102–91West Utah Jack Gardner Western Athletic Fourth PlaceDukeL 79–77 Bracket East region 1 y   1965 men Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Joseph's 65   1965 men Providence Friars Providence 48   1965 men Davidson Wildcats Davidson 96   1965 men Rhode Island Rams Rhode Island 65 Duke 76   Saint Joseph's 74 1965 none Syracuse Orangemen Syracuse 94   Davidson 78   Duke 91   Syracuse 81 Mideast region 1 y   1965 men Dayton Flyers Dayton 58   1965 men Miami Redskins Miami (OH) 51   1965 men Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Western Kentucky 105   1965 men Loyola Ramblers Loyola–Chicago 86   Kentucky 86   Dayton 79   Michigan 80   Western Kentucky 79   Kentucky 84   Michigan 77 Midwest region 1 y   Texas Western 89   1965 men Oklahoma City Chiefs Oklahoma City 74   Kansas 76   1965 men SMU Mustangs SMU 70   1965 men Cincinnati Cincinnati 76*   Texas Western 78   Kansas 80**   Texas Western 81 West region 1 y   Houston 82   1965 men Colorado State Colorado State 76   Utah 83   1965 men Pacific Tigers Pacific 74   1965 men Oregon State Oregon State 63   Houston 60   Utah 70   Oregon State 64 Final Four thumb|A moment of the final, with Nevil Shed (33) shooting National Semifinals National Championship Game E Duke 79 ME Kentucky 83 MW Texas Western 85 W Utah 78 ME Kentucky 65 MW Texas Western 72 National Third Place Game National Third Place Game http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1954 1954 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket October 14, 2011 E Duke 79 W Utah 77 Regional third place games auto East Regional third place Saint Joseph's 92 Davidson 76 Mideast Regional third place Western Kentucky 82 Dayton 62 auto Midwest Regional third place SMU 89 Cincinnati 84 West Regional third place Houston 102 Pacific 91 Game summaries The Tournament is most remembered for the all-black starting five of Texas Western defeating an all-white starting five for Kentucky in the championship game.Fitzpatrick, Frank - Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy. ESPN Classic, November 19, 2003 Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the Fall of 1963.Hilltopper Legend Dwight Smith Hilltopper Haven. Accessed 2009-06-24. Archived 2009-07-21. This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the Southeast.Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem - My thoughts on UCLA in the Final Four Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2008. Western Kentucky was the forefront of the fight to integrate college basketball in the 1960s and early '70s. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were 2 points away from defeating Michigan and meeting the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the Mideast regional final. A controversial foul called against Smith during a jump ball put Cazzie Russell on the free throw line for Michigan, where he scored the tying and winning baskets.O'Donnell, Chuck - Cazzie Russell: converting two free throws with no time left advanced Michigan in the 1966 NCAA Tournament - The Game I'll Never Forget - University of Michigan versus Western Kentucky University. Basketball Digest, January/February 2004 issue See also 1966 NCAA College Division basketball tournament 1966 National Invitation Tournament 1966 NAIA basketball tournament 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game Black participation in college basketball References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa Category:College basketball tournaments in Maryland NCAA University Division basketball tournament NCAA University Division basketball tournament Category:Sports competitions in College Park, Maryland