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»

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.

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

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

1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament is located in the United States
Charlotte
Charlotte
Austin
Austin
El Paso
El Paso
Dayton
Dayton
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Providence
Providence
Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa
Wichita
Wichita
1981 sites for first and second round games
1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament is located in the United States
Atlanta
Atlanta
New Orleans
New Orleans
Bloomington
Bloomington
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
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

RegionSeedTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
East1VirginiaTerry HollandAtlantic CoastThird Place1 LSUW 78–74
East2Notre DameDigger PhelpsIndependentSweet Sixteen6 BYUL 51–50
East3UCLALarry BrownPacific-10Round of 326 BYUL 78–55
East4TennesseeDon DeVoeSoutheasternSweet Sixteen1 VirginiaL 62–48
East5VCUJ. D. BarnettSun BeltRound of 324 TennesseeL 58–56
East6BYUFrank ArnoldWestern AthleticRegional Runner-up1 VirginiaL 74–60
East7GeorgetownJohn ThompsonBig EastRound of 4810 James MadisonL 61–55
East8HoustonGuy LewisSouthwestRound of 489 VillanovaL 90–72
East9VillanovaRollie MassiminoBig EastRound of 321 VirginiaL 54–50
East10James MadisonLou CampanelliECAC SouthRound of 322 Notre DameL 54–45
East11PrincetonPete CarrilIvy LeagueRound of 486 BYUL 60–51
East12Long IslandPaul LizzoECAC MetroRound of 485 VCUL 85–69
Mideast
Mideast1DePaulRay MeyerIndependentRound of 329 Saint Joseph'sL 49–48
Mideast2KentuckyJoe B. HallSoutheasternRound of 327 UABL 69–62
Mideast3IndianaBob KnightBig TenChampion2 North CarolinaW 63–50
Mideast4Wake ForestCarl TacyAtlantic CoastRound of 325 Boston CollegeL 67–64
Mideast5Boston CollegeTom DavisBig EastSweet Sixteen9 Saint Joseph'sL 42–41
Mideast6MarylandLefty DriesellAtlantic CoastRound of 323 IndianaL 99–64
Mideast7UABGene BartowSun BeltSweet Sixteen3 IndianaL 87–72
Mideast8CreightonTom ApkeMissouri ValleyRound of 489 Saint Joseph'sL 59–57
Mideast9Saint Joseph'sJim LynamEast CoastRegional Runner-up3 IndianaL 78–46
Mideast10Western KentuckyClem HaskinsOhio ValleyRound of 487 UABL 93–68
Mideast11ChattanoogaMurray ArnoldSouthernRound of 486 MarylandL 81–69
Mideast12Ball StateSteve YoderMid-AmericanRound of 485 Boston CollegeL 93–90
Midwest
Midwest1LSUDale BrownSoutheasternFourth Place1 VirginiaL 78–74
Midwest2Arizona StateNed WulkPacific-10Round of 327 KansasL 88–71
Midwest3IowaLute OlsonBig TenRound of 326 Wichita StateL 60–56
Midwest4LouisvilleDenny CrumMetroRound of 325 ArkansasL 74–73
Midwest5ArkansasEddie SuttonSouthwestSweet Sixteen1 LSUL 72–56
Midwest6Wichita StateGene SmithsonMissouri ValleyRegional Runner-up1 LSUL 96–85
Midwest7KansasTed OwensBig EightSweet Sixteen6 Wichita StateL 66–65
Midwest8LamarPat FosterSouthlandRound of 321 LSUL 100–78
Midwest9MissouriNorm StewartBig EightRound of 488 LamarL 71–67
Midwest10Ole MissBob WeltlichSoutheasternRound of 487 KansasL 69–66
Midwest11SouthernCarl StewartSouthwest AthleticRound of 486 Wichita StateL 95–70
Midwest12MercerBill BibbTrans AmericaRound of 485 ArkansasL 73–67
West
West1Oregon StateRalph MillerPacific-10Round of 328 Kansas StateL 50–48
West2North CarolinaDean SmithAtlantic CoastRunner Up3 IndianaL 63–50
West3UtahJerry PimmWestern AthleticSweet Sixteen2 North CarolinaL 61–56
West4IllinoisLou HensonBig TenSweet Sixteen8 Kansas StateL 57–52
West5WyomingJim BrandenburgWestern AthleticRound of 324 IllinoisL 67–65
West6Fresno StateBoyd GrantPacific CoastRound of 4811 NortheasternL 55–53
West7IdahoDon MonsonBig SkyRound of 4810 PittsburghL 70–69
West8Kansas StateJack HartmanBig EightRegional Runner-up2 North CarolinaL 82–68
West9San FranciscoPeter BarryWest CoastRound of 488 Kansas StateL 64–60
West10PittsburghRoy ChipmanEasternRound of 322 North CarolinaL 74–57
West11NortheasternJim CalhounECAC NorthRound of 323 UtahL 94–69
West12HowardA.B. WilliamsonMid-EasternRound of 485 WyomingL 78–43

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East region

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

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

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

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

National semifinals National Finals
      
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

  • 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 2023, 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)

  • 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

References

  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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