1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

The 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division (now Division I, created later in 1973) college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 10, and ended with the championship game on Monday, March 26, in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.

1973 NCAA University Division
basketball tournament
NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979
Teams25
Finals siteSt. Louis Arena
St. Louis, Missouri
ChampionsUCLA Bruins (9th title, 9th title game,
10th Final Four)
Runner-upMemphis State Tigers (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJohn Wooden (9th title)
MOPBill Walton (UCLA)
Attendance163,160
Top scorerErnie DiGregorio (Providence)
(128 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1972 1974»

Led by longtime head coach John Wooden, the UCLA Bruins won their seventh consecutive national title with an 87–66 victory in the final game over Memphis State, coached by Gene Bartow, a future head coach at UCLA. Junior center Bill Walton of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

This was the first year that the championship game was held on a Monday night, with Saturday semifinals. Previously, the championship game was on Saturday, with the semifinals on either Thursday or Friday. Also, this was the first year matchups in the semifinals rotated; previously, it was East vs. Mideast and West vs. Midwest every year.

Tournament notes

The UCLA–Memphis State championship game made USA Today′s list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time at #18.[1] Bill Walton set a championship game record, hitting 21 of 22 shots and scoring 44 points.

This tournament marked the first appearance of Bob Knight as coach of Indiana University.

The participation for this tournament, as well as the previous tournament, for Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) was vacated on August 5, 1973, when the NCAA Committee on Infractions ruled the university guilty of over 100 violations, including impermissible benefits and doctoring high school transcripts of players. USL's program was shut down for the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons, all other Ragin Cajun' athletic programs were placed on three years' probation and banned from postseason participation, and the university was stripped of voting rights at the NCAA convention until 1977 (the NCAA originally planned to expel USL from the organization, but that sanction was downgraded in January 1974).

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1973 tournament:

First round

Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams
RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastFurmanJoe WilliamsSouthernFirst roundSyracuseL 83–82
EastMarylandLefty DriesellAtlantic CoastRegional Runner-upProvidenceL 103–89
EastPennChuck DalyIvy LeagueRegional Fourth PlaceSyracuseL 69–68
EastProvidenceDave GavittIndependentFourth PlaceIndianaL 97–79
EastSt. John'sFrank MulzoffIndependentFirst roundPennL 62–61
EastSaint Joseph'sJack McKinneyMiddle AtlanticFirst roundProvidenceL 89–76
EastSyracuseRoy DanforthIndependentRegional third placePennW 69–68
Mideast
MideastAustin PeayLake KellyOhio ValleyRegional Fourth PlaceMarquetteL 88–73
MideastIndianaBob KnightBig TenThird PlaceProvidenceW 97–79
MideastJacksonvilleTom WasdinIndependentFirst roundAustin PeayL 77–75
MideastKentuckyJoe B. HallSoutheasternRegional Runner-upIndianaL 72–65
MideastMarquetteAl McGuireIndependentRegional third placeAustin PeayW 88–73
MideastMiami (OH)Darrell HedricMid-AmericanFirst roundMarquetteL 77–62
Midwest
MidwestHoustonGuy LewisIndependentFirst roundSouthwestern LouisianaL 102–89
MidwestKansas StateJack HartmanBig EightRegional Runner-upMemphis StateL 92–72
MidwestSouthwestern Louisiana (Vacated)Beryl ShipleySouthlandRegional Fourth PlaceSouth CarolinaL 90–85
MidwestMemphis StateGene BartowMissouri ValleyRunner UpUCLAL 87–66
MidwestSouth CarolinaFrank McGuireIndependentRegional third placeSouthwestern LouisianaW 90–85
MidwestTexas TechGerald MyersSouthwestFirst roundSouth CarolinaL 78–70
West
WestArizona StateNed WulkWestern AthleticRegional Fourth PlaceLong Beach StateL 84–80
WestLong Beach StateJerry TarkanianPacific CoastRegional third placeArizona StateW 84–80
WestOklahoma CityAbe LemonsIndependentFirst roundArizona StateL 103–78
WestSan FranciscoBob GaillardWest CoastRegional Runner-upUCLAL 54–39
WestUCLAJohn WoodenPacific-8ChampionMemphis StateW 87–66
WestWeber StateGene VisscherBig SkyFirst roundLong Beach StateL 88–75

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Maryland 91
Syracuse 75
Syracuse 83
Furman 82
Maryland 89
Providence 103
Penn 62
St. John's 61
Penn 65 East Regional third place
Providence 87
Providence 89 Syracuse 69
Saint Joseph's 76 Penn 68

Mideast region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Indiana 75
Marquette 69
Marquette 77
Miami (OH) 62
Indiana 72
Kentucky 65
Kentucky 106 Mideast Regional third place
Austin Peay 100*
Austin Peay 77 Marquette 88
Jacksonville 75 Austin Peay 73

Midwest region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Memphis State 90
South Carolina 76
South Carolina 78
Texas Tech 70
Memphis State 92
Kansas State 72
Kansas State 66 Midwest Regional third place
Southwestern Louisiana 63
Southwestern Louisiana 102 South Carolina 90
Houston 89 Southwestern Louisiana 85

West region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
UCLA 98
Arizona State 81
Arizona State 103
Oklahoma City 78
UCLA 54
San Francisco 39
San Francisco 77 West Regional third place
Long Beach State 67
Long Beach State 88 Arizona State 80
Weber State 75 Long Beach State 84

Final Four
UCLA won its seventh consecutive championship and ninth in ten seasons
National Semifinals
Saturday, March 24 		National Championship Game
Monday, March 26
      
E Providence 85
MW Memphis State 98
MW Memphis State 66
W UCLA 87
ME Indiana 59
W UCLA 70 National third-place game
ME Indiana 97
E Providence 79

Aftermath

The 1973 NC State Wolfpack team averaged 93 points per game (ppg), led the nation in win margin (21.8 ppg), and posted a 27–0 record, but was ineligible for postseason play because of NCAA probation. David Thompson, a two-time national Player of the Year, and All-America Tom Burleson, led NC State to a 30–1 record the following season, losing only to seven-time defending champion UCLA. The Wolfpack avenged its only loss during the two-year period by defeating UCLA in the 1974 Final Four and winning the title.

Gene Bartow, the Memphis State coach, would be John Wooden's successor at UCLA after the 1974–1975 season.

The tournament marked the last appearance of the Oklahoma City Chiefs, whose 11 tournament appearances are the most among teams no longer in Division I. The school would transition to the NAIA in 1985.

Announcers

Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, and Jim Simpson (Final Four only) - East Regional Final at Charlotte, North Carolina; Final Four at St. Louis, Missouri

See also

References
  1. Mike Douchant – Greatest 63 games in NCAA Tournament history. The Sports Xchange, published in USA Today, March 25, 2002
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