Dates 15 Mar 1975 – 31 Mar 1975 Attendance 183,857 | Teams 32 Finals site Valley View Casino Center | |
Champions UCLA (10th title, 10th title game,
12th Final Four) Runner-up Kentucky (6th title game,
7th Final Four) Semifinalists Louisville (3rd Final Four)
Syracuse (1st Final Four) Winning coach John Wooden (10th title) MOP Richard Washington UCLA Top scorer Jim Lee Syracuse
(119 points) Champion UCLA Bruins men's basketball Similar 1973 NCAA Men's Div, 1977 NCAA Men's Div, 1981 NCAA Men's Div | ||
The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. A total of 36 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
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UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won his 10th and last national title with a 92–85 victory in the final game over Kentucky, coached by Joe B. Hall. Richard Washington of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Bruins again had an advantage by playing the Final Four in their home state. It marked the last time a team won the national championship playing in its home state.
Memorable games
There were two memorable games in the 1975 tournament. Number 2 ranked Kentucky upset previously unbeaten Indiana 92-90 in their regional final. The Hoosiers, coached by Bob Knight, were undefeated and the number one team in the nation, when leading scorer Scott May suffered a broken arm in a win over arch-rival Purdue. This was the only loss Indiana would suffer between March 1974 and December 1976. In the national semifinals, UCLA defeated Louisville, coached by former Wooden assistant Denny Crum, 75-74 in overtime, rallying late in regulation to force overtime and coming from behind in overtime to win on a last second shot by Richard Washington.
Both games made USA Today's list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time, with the former at #8 and the latter at #28.
Bracket
* – Denotes overtime period