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1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament

See also: 1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game

The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia. A total of 48 games were played, including a national third-place game (the last in the NCAA tournament). It was also the last tournament to be televised on NBC, before CBS took over the following year. Additionally, it was the last season in which the NCAA sponsored championships only in men's sports; the first Division I women's tournament would be played the following year.

1981 NCAA Division I
basketball tournament
Season1980–81
Teams48
Finals siteThe Spectrum
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ChampionsIndiana Hoosiers (4th title, 4th title game,
5th Final Four)
Runner-upNorth Carolina Tar Heels (5th title game,
8th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachBob Knight (2nd title)
MOPIsiah Thomas (Indiana)
Attendance347,414
Top scorerAl Wood (North Carolina)
(109 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1980 1982»

Indiana, coached by Bob Knight, won the national title with a 63–50 victory over North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith. Isiah Thomas of Indiana was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The March 14 upsets

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The date of Saturday, March 14, 1981, resulted in three major second round tournament upsets which were decided by last-second baskets.

 
Bob Kearney and Tony Costner of Saint Joseph's celebrate after their upset win over DePaul

St. Joseph's trailed No. 1 seed DePaul by seven at about the midway point of the second half, in an early afternoon Mideast Region game from Dayton, Ohio. However, with under a minute left, the Hawks had rallied to within one point, 48–47. Blue Demons guard Skip Dillard was fouled with 13 seconds left. Dillard was known as 'Money' for his superb free throw shooting, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, and St. Joseph's got the rebound, then quickly passed the ball to the front court without calling a timeout. Guard Bryan Warrick got the ball to freshman Lonnie McFarlan who was wide open in the right corner. McFarlan began to shoot until forward John Smith yelled "Please!" to him. McFarlan passed to Smith, who was open underneath the basket. Smith's layup with two seconds left enabled the Hawks of coach Jim Lynam to stun the Blue Demons of Ray Meyer, 49–48.

Later in the afternoon in Austin, Texas, Arkansas coach Eddie Sutton called timeout with 5 seconds left after falling behind Louisville in the Midwest Region, 73–72 on a jumper by guard Derek Smith. Sutton told his team to get the ball to U.S. Reed. The Razorbacks' guard dribbled to near half court, then launched a 49-foot shot that beat the buzzer and swished through the net, as Arkansas dethroned the defending national champion Cardinals of Denny Crum, 74–73. Sutton told the media, "Champions die hard."

Only moments after the Razorbacks' upset, the season ended for another #1 seed in the West Region in Los Angeles. Oregon State led Kansas State by as much as 11 points in the second half. Coach Ralph Miller and center Steve Johnson had led the Beavers to a two-year record of 52–4. Then Rolando Blackman led the Wildcats back with a 16–6 run to tie the game, 48–48 with 3:23 left. Johnson then fouled out, and both teams stalled with the ball until Oregon State missed the front end of a one-and-one from the foul line. K-State then held for the last shot. With two seconds left, Blackman, double-teamed, drilled a fall-away 17 footer from the right baseline for a 50–48 upset by the Wildcats of Jack Hartman.

In another second round Mideast Region upset, UAB defeated Kentucky 69–62. A semifinal in the East Region saw Danny Ainge dribble the length of the court and drive all the way in for a layup and another buzzer-beating winner, lifting BYU over Notre Dame 51–50.

Greg Johnson of NCAA.com, in a March 9, 2011 article, indicated that March 14, 1981 was a date which defined March Madness.[1]

Schedule and venues

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Charlotte
 
Austin
 
El Paso
 
Dayton
 
Los Angeles
 
Providence
 
Tuscaloosa
 
Wichita
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1981 sites for first and second round games
 
 
Atlanta
 
New Orleans
 
Bloomington
 
Salt Lake City
 
Philadelphia
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1981 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1981 tournament:

First and Second rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

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Region Seed Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score
East
East 1 Virginia Terry Holland ACC Third Place 1 LSU W 78–74
East 2 Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Sweet Sixteen 6 BYU L 51–50
East 3 UCLA Larry Brown Pacific-10 Round of 32 6 BYU L 78–55
East 4 Tennessee Don DeVoe SEC Sweet Sixteen 1 Virginia L 62–48
East 5 VCU J. D. Barnett Sun Belt Round of 32 4 Tennessee L 58–56
East 6 BYU Frank Arnold WAC Regional Runner-up 1 Virginia L 74–60
East 7 Georgetown John Thompson Big East Round of 48 10 James Madison L 61–55
East 8 Houston Guy Lewis Southwest Round of 48 9 Villanova L 90–72
East 9 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big East Round of 32 1 Virginia L 54–50
East 10 James Madison Lou Campanelli ECAC South Round of 32 2 Notre Dame L 54–45
East 11 Princeton Pete Carril Ivy League Round of 48 6 BYU L 60–51
East 12 Long Island Paul Lizzo ECAC Metro Round of 48 5 VCU L 85–69
Mideast
Mideast 1 DePaul Ray Meyer Independent Round of 32 9 Saint Joseph's L 49–48
Mideast 2 Kentucky Joe B. Hall SEC Round of 32 7 UAB L 69–62
Mideast 3 Indiana Bob Knight Big Ten Champion 2 North Carolina W 63–50
Mideast 4 Wake Forest Carl Tacy ACC Round of 32 5 Boston College L 67–64
Mideast 5 Boston College Tom Davis Big East Sweet Sixteen 9 Saint Joseph's L 42–41
Mideast 6 Maryland Lefty Driesell ACC Round of 32 3 Indiana L 99–64
Mideast 7 UAB Gene Bartow Sun Belt Sweet Sixteen 3 Indiana L 87–72
Mideast 8 Creighton Tom Apke Missouri Valley Round of 48 9 Saint Joseph's L 59–57
Mideast 9 Saint Joseph's Jim Lynam East Coast Regional Runner-up 3 Indiana L 78–46
Mideast 10 Western Kentucky Clem Haskins Ohio Valley Round of 48 7 UAB L 93–68
Mideast 11 Chattanooga Murray Arnold Southern Round of 48 6 Maryland L 81–69
Mideast 12 Ball State Steve Yoder MAC Round of 48 5 Boston College L 93–90
Midwest
Midwest 1 LSU Dale Brown SEC Fourth Place 1 Virginia L 78–74
Midwest 2 Arizona State Ned Wulk Pacific-10 Round of 32 7 Kansas L 88–71
Midwest 3 Iowa Lute Olson Big Ten Round of 32 6 Wichita State L 60–56
Midwest 4 Louisville Denny Crum Metro Round of 32 5 Arkansas L 74–73
Midwest 5 Arkansas Eddie Sutton Southwest Sweet Sixteen 1 LSU L 72–56
Midwest 6 Wichita State Gene Smithson Missouri Valley Regional Runner-up 1 LSU L 96–85
Midwest 7 Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Sweet Sixteen 6 Wichita State L 66–65
Midwest 8 Lamar Pat Foster Southland Round of 32 1 LSU L 100–78
Midwest 9 Missouri Norm Stewart Big Eight Round of 48 8 Lamar L 71–67
Midwest 10 Ole Miss Bob Weltlich SEC Round of 48 7 Kansas L 69–66
Midwest 11 Southern Carl Stewart SWAC Round of 48 6 Wichita State L 95–70
Midwest 12 Mercer Bill Bibb Trans America Round of 48 5 Arkansas L 73–67
West
West 1 Oregon State Ralph Miller Pacific-10 Round of 32 8 Kansas State L 50–48
West 2 North Carolina Dean Smith ACC Runner Up 3 Indiana L 63–50
West 3 Utah Jerry Pimm WAC Sweet Sixteen 2 North Carolina L 61–56
West 4 Illinois Lou Henson Big Ten Sweet Sixteen 8 Kansas State L 57–52
West 5 Wyoming Jim Brandenburg WAC Round of 32 4 Illinois L 67–65
West 6 Fresno State Boyd Grant Pacific Coast Round of 48 11 Northeastern L 55–53
West 7 Idaho Don Monson Big Sky Round of 48 10 Pittsburgh L 70–69
West 8 Kansas State Jack Hartman Big Eight Regional Runner-up 2 North Carolina L 82–68
West 9 San Francisco Peter Barry West Coast Round of 48 8 Kansas State L 64–60
West 10 Pittsburgh Roy Chipman Eastern Round of 32 2 North Carolina L 74–57
West 11 Northeastern Jim Calhoun ECAC North Round of 32 3 Utah L 94–69
West 12 Howard A.B. Williamson MEAC Round of 48 5 Wyoming L 78–43

Bracket

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* – Denotes overtime period

East region

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Houston 72
9 Villanova 90
9 Villanova 50
1 Virginia 54
1 Virginia 62
4 Tennessee 48
4 Tennessee 58
5 VCU 56*
5 VCU 85
12 Long Island 69
1 Virginia 74
6 BYU 60
6 BYU 60
11 Princeton 51
6 BYU 78
3 UCLA 55
6 BYU 51
2 Notre Dame 50
2 Notre Dame 54
10 James Madison 45
7 Georgetown 55
10 James Madison 61

West region

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Kansas State 64
9 San Francisco 60
8 Kansas State 50
1 Oregon State 48
8 Kansas State 57
4 Illinois 52
4 Illinois 67
5 Wyoming 65
5 Wyoming 78
12 Howard 43
8 Kansas State 68
2 North Carolina 82
6 Fresno State 53
11 Northeastern 55
11 Northeastern 69
3 Utah 94
3 Utah 56
2 North Carolina 61
2 North Carolina 74
10 Pittsburgh 57
7 Idaho 69*
10 Pittsburgh 70

Mideast region

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Creighton 57
9 Saint Joseph's 59
9 Saint Joseph's 49
1 DePaul 48
9 Saint Joseph's 42
5 Boston College 41
4 Wake Forest 64
5 Boston College 67
5 Boston College 93
12 Ball State 90
9 Saint Joseph's 46
3 Indiana 78
6 Maryland 81
11 Chattanooga 69
6 Maryland 64
3 Indiana 99
3 Indiana 87
7 UAB 72
2 Kentucky 62
7 UAB 69
7 UAB 93
10 Western Kentucky 68

Midwest region

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
8 Lamar 71
9 Missouri 67
8 Lamar 78
1 LSU 100
1 LSU 72
5 Arkansas 56
4 Louisville 73
5 Arkansas 74
5 Arkansas 73
12 Mercer 67
1 LSU 96
6 Wichita State 85
6 Wichita State 95
11 Southern 70
6 Wichita State 60
3 Iowa 56
6 Wichita State 66
7 Kansas 65
2 Arizona State 71
7 Kansas 88
7 Kansas 69
10 Ole Miss 66

Final Four

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National semifinals
Saturday, March 28 		National Final
Monday, March 30
      
E1 Virginia 65
W2 North Carolina 78
W2 North Carolina 50
ME3 Indiana 63
ME3 Indiana 67
MW1 LSU 49 National third-place game
E1 Virginia 78
MW1 LSU 74

Notes

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  • This was the last tournament that a third-place game was staged prior to the national championship; every prior championship since 1946 had featured the game.
  • The 1981 tournament holds the record for the most first-time participants. Twelve teams – UAB, Ball State, Chattanooga, Fresno State, Howard, Idaho, James Madison, LIU, Mercer, Mississippi, Northeastern, and Southern – appeared in their first tournament. UAB, coached by Gene Bartow, made it the furthest, reaching the Sweet Sixteen before falling to eventual champion Indiana. The twelve teams beat the previous record of eleven set in 1955. Half of the first time teams would return in 1982, with the longest drought before their second appearance being sixteen years for the Ole Miss Rebels.
  • As of 2024, this is the only time all three Division I schools from Kansas—Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State—have advanced to the Sweet 16.
  • As of 2023, all forty-eight teams in the 1981 tournament have returned to the tournament at least once. This would happen five more times in the 1980s, but has not happened again since 1989.

Announcers (NBC and NCAA Productions)

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  • Dick Enberg, Billy Packer and Al McGuire – Second round at Providence, Rhode Island (UCLA–Brigham Young, Notre Dame–James Madison); Second round at Charlotte, North Carolina (Virginia–Villanova, Tennessee–VCU); East Regional Final at Atlanta, Georgia; Midwest Regional Final at New Orleans, Louisiana; Final Four at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Marv Albert and Steve Grote – Mideast Regional Final at Bloomington, Indiana
  • Don Criqui and Gary Thompson – Second round at Dayton, Ohio (DePaul–St. Joseph's, Indiana–Maryland); West Regional Final at Salt Lake City, Utah (Kansas State-North Carolina)
  • Bill O'Donnell and Jeff Mullins – East Regional semifinals at Atlanta, Georgia
  • Jim Thacker and Steve Grote – Mideast Regional semifinals at Bloomington, Indiana
  • Fred White and Larry Conley – Midwest Regional semifinals at New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Bob Costas and Gary Thompson – Second round at Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Kentucky–UAB, Wake Forest–Boston College)
  • Marv Albert and Bucky Waters – Second round at Austin, Texas (LSU–Lamar, Louisville–Arkansas)
  • Charlie Jones and Lynn Shackelford – Second round at Wichita, Kansas (Iowa–Wichita State, Arizona State–Kansas)
  • Jay Randolph and Steve Grote – Second round at Los Angeles, California (Oregon State–Kansas State, Illinois–Wyoming)
  • Merle Harmon and Matt Guokas – Second round at El Paso, Texas (Utah–Northeastern, North Carolina–Pittsburgh)
  • Tom Hammond and Larry Conley – First round at Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Boston College–Ball State, UAB–Western Kentucky)
  • Tom Hammond and Gary Thompson-West Regional Semifinals at Salt Lake City, Utah

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "March Madness defining moment?". ncaa.com. March 9, 2011. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
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