1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament March 2026 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game August 2023 January 2022 1968 23 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, California UCLA Bruins 4th 4th 5th North Carolina Tar Heels 3rd 4th Houston Cougars 2nd Ohio State Buckeyes 8th John Wooden 4th Lew Alcindor UCLA 160,888 Elvin Hayes Houston 167 The 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 30th annual edition of the tournament began on March 9, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23, at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. A total of 27 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won the national title with a 78–55 victory in the final game over North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith. Lew Alcindor of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second of three consecutive years. This UCLA team, led by All-Americans Lew Alcindor and Lucius Allen, was named the greatest college basketball team of all time by The Sporting News.SN 140: Ranking the greatest college basketball teams of all time, from UCLA to Kentucky https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/sn-140-ranking-greatest-college-basketball-teams-all-time-ucla-kentucky/d57493d38f5081a3406901e8 2026-06-07 sportingnews.com 2026-03-31 The NCAA semi-final match between the Houston Cougars and UCLA Bruins was a re-match of the college basketball Game of the Century held in January at the Astrodome, in the Cougars' home city. The match was historic, the first nationally syndicated college basketball game and the first to play in a domed stadium before more than 52,000 fans. It was UCLA's only loss in two years, a two-pointer, to the then-#2 Houston, but with UCLA's dominating center Alcindor playing with an eye injury that limited his effectiveness after being hospitalized the week before. The loss broke a 47-game winning streak for UCLA. In the March NCAA Tournament Final 4, the Bruins at full strength avenged that loss with a 101–69 drubbing of that same Houston team, now ranked #1, in UCLA's home city at the Memorial Sports Arena. UCLA limited Houston's Elvin Hayes, who was averaging 37.7 points per game but was held to only 10. Bruins coach John Wooden credited his assistant, Jerry Norman, for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes.Esper Dwain Bruins Hope Norman Stays March 25, 1968 The Independent Pasadena, California 15 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2860094/ Newspapers.com July 22, 2015Gasaway John John Wooden's Century June 7, 2010 Basketball Prospectus http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=798 https://web.archive.org/web/20150723062332/http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=798 2015-07-23 dead 2015-07-23 Locations Round Region Site Venue Host First RoundEastCollege Park, MarylandCole Field HouseMaryland East Kingston, Rhode Island Keaney Gymnasium Rhode Island MideastKent, OhioMemorial GymnasiumKent State Midwest& WestSalt Lake City, UtahNielsen FieldhouseUtah Regionals EastRaleigh, North CarolinaReynolds ColiseumNorth Carolina State MideastLexington, KentuckyMemorial ColiseumKentucky MidwestWichita, KansasWSU Field HouseWichita State WestAlbuquerque, New MexicoUniversity Arena ("The Pit")New Mexico Final FourLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles Memorial Sports ArenaSouthern California Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Boston College Bob Cousy Independent First roundSt. BonaventureL 102–93 East Columbia John Rohan Ivy League Regional third placeSt. BonaventureW 95–75 East Davidson Lefty Driesell Southern Regional Runner-upNorth CarolinaL 70–66 East La Salle Jim Harding Middle Atlantic First roundColumbiaL 83–69 East North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic Coast Runner UpUCLAL 78–55 East St. Bonaventure Larry Weise Independent Regional Fourth PlaceColumbiaL 95–75 East St. John's Lou Carnesecca Independent First roundDavidsonL 79–70 Mideast Mideast Bowling Green Bill Fitch Mid-American First roundMarquetteL 72–71 Mideast East Tennessee State J. Madison Brooks Ohio Valley Regional Fourth PlaceMarquetteL 69–57 Mideast Florida State Hugh Durham Independent First roundEast Tennessee StateL 79–69 Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Regional Runner-upOhio StateL 82–81 Mideast Marquette Al McGuire Independent Regional third placeEast Tennessee StateW 69–57 Mideast Ohio State Fred Taylor Big Ten Third PlaceHoustonW 89–85 Midwest Midwest Houston Guy Lewis Independent Fourth PlaceOhio StateL 89–85 Midwest Kansas State Tex Winter Big Eight Regional Fourth Place Louisville L 93–63 Midwest Louisville John Dromo Missouri Valley Regional third placeKansas StateW 93–63 Midwest Loyola–Chicago George Ireland Independent First roundHoustonL 94–76 Midwest TCU Johnny Swaim Southwest Regional Runner-upHoustonL 103–68 West West New Mexico Bob King Western Athletic Regional Fourth PlaceNew Mexico StateL 62–58 West New Mexico State Lou Henson Independent Regional third placeNew MexicoW 62–58 West Santa Clara Dick Garibaldi West Coast Athletic Regional Runner-upUCLAL 87–66 West UCLA John Wooden AAWU ChampionNorth CarolinaW 78–55 West Weber State Dick Motta Big Sky First roundNew Mexico StateL 68–57 Bracket thumb|right|upright=1.4|The 1968 tournament bracket as depicted in NCAA's monthly press newsletter * – Denotes overtime period East region 1 y   St. Bonaventure 102   Boston College 93   Davidson 79   St. John's 70   Columbia 83   La Salle 69   North Carolina 91   St. Bonaventure 72   Davidson 61   Columbia 59*   North Carolina 70   Davidson 66 Mideast region 1 y   East Tennessee State 79   Florida State 69   Marquette 72   Bowling Green 71   Ohio State 79   East Tennessee State 72   Kentucky 107   Marquette 89   Ohio State 82   Kentucky 81 Midwest region 1 y   Houston 94   Loyola–Chicago 76   TCU 77   Kansas State 72   Louisville 75   Houston 91   TCU 68   Houston 103 West region 1 y   New Mexico State 68   Weber State 57   Santa Clara 86   New Mexico 73   UCLA 58   New Mexico State 49   Santa Clara 66   UCLA 87 Final Four National Semifinals National Championship Game E North Carolina 80 ME Ohio State 66 MW Houston 69 W UCLA 101 E North Carolina 55 W UCLA 78 National third-place game National third-place game ME Ohio State 89 MW Houston 85 Regional third-place games auto East Regional third place Columbia 95 St. Bonaventure 75 Mideast Regional third place Marquette 69 East Tennessee State 57 auto Midwest Regional third place Louisville 93 Kansas State 63 West Regional third place New Mexico State 62 New Mexico 58 See also 1968 NCAA College Division basketball tournament 1968 National Invitation Tournament 1968 NAIA basketball tournament Notes This would be the last year of the 23 team field, as the field would stay at 25 teams for the next six seasons until the expansion of the field to 32 teams in the 1975 tournament. Four teams - East Tennessee State, Florida State, New Mexico and Weber State - made their tournament debuts. Weber State would return to the tournament for five consecutive seasons; Florida State and New Mexico would not return until 1972 and 1974, respectively; and East Tennessee State would not return for 21 seasons, until 1989. Two teams - Bowling Green and Columbia - made their most recent tournament appearances in this tournament. They are tied for the third longest active drought behind Tennessee Tech (1963) and Dartmouth (1959), and are currently tied for the fourth longest drought all-time, after Tennessee Tech, Dartmouth and Harvard (1946–2012, 66 years). References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament