1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament

The 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national men's basketball champion of the NCAA University Division, now known as NCAA Division I. It began on March 7, 1966, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in College Park, Maryland. A total of 26 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.

1966 NCAA University Division
Basketball Tournament
Teams22
Finals siteCole Field House
College Park, Maryland
ChampionsTexas Western Miners (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upKentucky Wildcats (5th title game,
6th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachDon Haskins (1st title)
MOPJerry Chambers (Utah)
Attendance140,925
Top scorerJerry Chambers Utah
(143 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
«1965 1967»

Texas Western, coached by Don Haskins, won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final game over Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp. Coach Haskins started five black players for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Jerry Chambers of Utah was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The 2006 film Glory Road is based on the story of the 1966 Texas Western team. Texas Western’s tournament games against Kansas and Kentucky are depicted in the film.

Locations
RoundRegionSiteVenue
First Round East Blacksburg, Virginia Cassell Coliseum
Mideast Kent, Ohio Memorial Gymnasium
Midwest
& West		 Wichita, Kansas WSU Field House
Regionals East Raleigh, North Carolina Reynolds Coliseum
Mideast Iowa City, Iowa Iowa Field House
Midwest Lubbock, Texas Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
West Los Angeles, California Pauley Pavilion
Final Four College Park, Maryland Cole Field House

The Washington metropolitan area and College Park became the ninth host city, and Cole Field House the tenth host venue, of the Final Four. It was the first time since 1956 that the Final Four was held on a college campus. For the first time ever, the tournament was held entirely on college campuses, something that would only happen once more in the tournament's history. There were three new venues used in the 1966 tournament. The tournament made its first-ever appearance in Los Angeles when Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA hosted the West regional rounds. The first round in the East was held in the state of Virginia for the first time, at Cassell Coliseum on the campus of Virginia Tech. The Mideast first round was also held in a new arena, at Memorial Gym on the campus of Kent State University. For the second straight year, the Midwest & West first rounds were combined into one venue, this time at the WSU Field House in Wichita. The 1966 tournament would mark the final time the tournament would be held at the University of Iowa; the tournament would return to Ames and Iowa State University in 1972, and Des Moines in 2016 (in games hosted by Drake University).

Teams
RegionTeamCoachFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastDavidsonLefty DriesellRegional Fourth PlaceSaint Joseph'sL 92-76
EastDukeVic BubasThird PlaceUtahW 79–77
EastProvidenceJoe MullaneyFirst roundSaint Joseph'sL 65–48
EastRhode IslandErnie CalverleyFirst roundDavidsonL 95–65
EastSaint Joseph'sJack RamsayRegional Third PlaceDavidsonW 92–76
EastSyracuseFred LewisRegional Runner-upDukeL 91–81
Mideast
MideastDaytonDon DonoherRegional Fourth PlaceWestern KentuckyL 82–62
MideastKentuckyAdolph RuppRunner UpTexas WesternL 72–65
MideastLoyola–ChicagoGeorge IrelandFirst roundWestern KentuckyL 105–86
MideastMiami (OH)Dick ShriderFirst roundDaytonL 58–51
MideastMichiganDave StrackRegional Runner-upKentuckyL 84–77
MideastWestern KentuckyJohnny OldhamRegional Third PlaceDaytonW 82–62
Midwest
MidwestCincinnatiTay BakerRegional Fourth PlaceSMUL 89–84
MidwestKansasTed OwensRegional Runner-upTexas WesternL 81–80
MidwestOklahoma CityAbe LemonsFirst roundTexas WesternL 89–74
MidwestSMUDoc HayesRegional Third PlaceCincinnatiW 89–84
MidwestTexas WesternDon HaskinsChampionKentuckyW 72–65
West
WestColorado StateJim WilliamsFirst roundHoustonL 82–76
WestHoustonGuy LewisRegional Third PlacePacificW 102–91
WestOregon StatePaul ValentiRegional Runner-upUtahL 70–64
WestPacificDick EdwardsRegional Fourth PlaceHoustonL 102–91
WestUtahJack GardnerFourth PlaceDukeL 79–77

Bracket

East region
  Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                           
       
    Duke 76  
      Saint Joseph's 74  
  Saint Joseph's 65
    Providence 48  
      Duke 91
    Syracuse 81
         
       
  Syracuse 94
      Davidson 78  
  Davidson 96
    Rhode Island 65  

Mideast region
  Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                           
       
    Kentucky 86  
      Dayton 79  
  Dayton 58
    Miami (OH) 51  
      Kentucky 84
    Michigan 77
         
       
  Michigan 80
      Western Kentucky 79  
  Western Kentucky 105
    Loyola–Chicago 86  

Midwest region
  Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                           
       
    Kansas 76  
      SMU 70  
     
         
      Kansas 80**
    Texas Western 81
         
       
  Cincinnati 76*
      Texas Western 78  
  Texas Western 89
    Oklahoma City 74  

West region
  Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                           
       
    Utah 83  
      Pacific 74  
     
         
      Utah 70
    Oregon State 64
         
       
  Oregon State 63
      Houston 60  
  Houston 82
    Colorado State 76  

Final Four
National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E Duke 79
ME Kentucky 83
ME Kentucky 65
MW Texas Western 72
MW Texas Western 85
W Utah 78

National Third Place Game
National Third Place Game [1]
   
E Duke 79
W Utah 77

Regional Third Place Games

Game summaries

The Tournament is most remembered for the all-black starting five of Texas Western defeating an all-white starting five for Kentucky in the championship game.[2]

Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the Fall of 1963.[3] This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the Southeast.[4] The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were 2 points away from defeating Michigan and meeting the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the Mideast regional final. A controversial foul called against Smith during a jump ball put Cazzie Russell on the free throw line for Michigan, where he scored the tying and winning baskets.[5]

See also

References
  1. "1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  2. Fitzpatrick, Frank - Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy. ESPN Classic, November 19, 2003
  3. Hilltopper Legend Dwight Smith Hilltopper Haven. Accessed 2009-06-24. Archived 2009-07-21.
  4. Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem - My thoughts on UCLA in the Final Four Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2008. Western Kentucky was the forefront of the fight to integrate college basketball in the 1960s and early '70s.
  5. O'Donnell, Chuck - Cazzie Russell: converting two free throws with no time left advanced Michigan in the 1966 NCAA Tournament - The Game I'll Never Forget - University of Michigan versus Western Kentucky University. Basketball Digest, January/February 2004 issue
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.