1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Infobox NCAA Basketball Tournament
Year=1981


ImageSize=
Caption=
Teams=48
FinalFourArena=The Spectrum
FinalFourCity=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Champions=Indiana
TitleCount=4th
RunnerUp=North Carolina
GameCount=5th
Semifinal1=LSU
FinalFourCount=2nd
Semifinal2=Virginia
FinalFourCount2=1st
Coach=Bob Knight
CoachCount=2nd
MOP=Isiah Thomas
MOPTeam=Indiana
Attendance=347,414
OneTopScorer=*
TwoTopScorers=
TopScorer=Al Wood
TopScorerTeam=North Carolina
Points=109The 1981 NCAA Men's 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, Pennsylvania. A total of 48 games were played, including a national third place game (the last in the NCAA tournament).

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

Locations

St. Joseph's, the smallest Division 1-A school, upset #1-ranked overall DePaul in the round of 32, which was DePaul's first game.

The Blue Demons were 27-1 that year. This was the last time a #1 seed lost their first game. DePaul had a few guys who became more famous in the NBA starting for them: National Player of Year Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings. The Hawks won on a last-second layup with no time left on the clock.http://www.suntimes.com/century/m1981.html

'With just 12 seconds remaining in the game, and the Blue Demons clinging to a 48-47 lead, St. Joe's fouled DePaul guard Skip 'Money' Dillard. Dillard was the team's top free-throw shooter, shooting 85 percent. But as fate had it, Dillard missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and the Hawks Brian Warrick pulled down the rebound.

Warrick dribbled down the court, weaving through the Demon defense only to find freshman sub Lonnie McFarland alone in the right corner. McFarland left the ground for what appeared to be an attempted shot but found teammate John Smith wide open under the basket, who sank in the game-winner in what was probably the easiest shot of his career. In his final game for the Blue Demons, Aguirre had failed to score in double-digits for the first time in his career. Aguirre was distraught. He walked up the Arena ramp and into the parking lot, threw his jersey onto the pavement, and walked back to the Blue Demon's downtown hotel. '

Teams

Bracket

East region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=8
RD1-team01=Houston
RD1-score01=72
RD1-seed02=9
RD1-team02=Villanova
RD1-score02=90
RD1-seed07=5
RD1-team07=Virginia Commonwealth
RD1-score07=85
RD1-seed08=12
RD1-team08=Long Island
RD1-score08=69
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=BYU
RD1-score09=60
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Princeton
RD1-score10=51
RD1-seed15=7
RD1-team15=Georgetown
RD1-score15=55
RD1-seed16=10
RD1-team16=James Madison
RD1-score16=61
RD2-seed01=9
RD2-team01=Villanova
RD2-score01=50
RD2-seed02=1
RD2-team02=Virginia
RD2-score02=54
RD2-seed03=4
RD2-team03=Tennessee
RD2-score03=58
RD2-seed04=5
RD2-team04=Virginia Commonwealth
RD2-score04=56*
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=BYU
RD2-score05=78
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=UCLA
RD2-score06=55
RD2-seed07=2
RD2-team07=Notre Dame
RD2-score07=54
RD2-seed08=10
RD2-team08=James Madison
RD2-score08=45
RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=Virginia
RD3-score01=62
RD3-seed02=4
RD3-team02=Tennessee
RD3-score02=48
RD3-seed03=6
RD3-team03=BYU
RD3-score03=51
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Notre Dame
RD3-score04=50
RD4-seed01=1
RD4-team01=Virginia
RD4-score01=74
RD4-seed02=6
RD4-team02=BYU
RD4-score02=60

West region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=8
RD1-team01=Kansas State
RD1-score01=64
RD1-seed02=9
RD1-team02=San Francisco
RD1-score02=60
RD1-seed07=5
RD1-team07=Wyoming
RD1-score07=78
RD1-seed08=12
RD1-team08=Howard
RD1-score08=43
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Fresno State
RD1-score09=53
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Northeastern
RD1-score10=55
RD1-seed15=7
RD1-team15=Idaho
RD1-score15=69*
RD1-seed16=10
RD1-team16=Pittsburgh
RD1-score16=70
RD2-seed01=8
RD2-team01=Kansas State
RD2-score01=50
RD2-seed02=1
RD2-team02=Oregon State
RD2-score02=48
RD2-seed03=4
RD2-team03=Illinois
RD2-score03=67
RD2-seed04=5
RD2-team04=Wyoming
RD2-score04=65
RD2-seed05=11
RD2-team05=Northeastern
RD2-score05=69
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Utah
RD2-score06=94
RD2-seed07=2
RD2-team07=North Carolina
RD2-score07=74
RD2-seed08=10
RD2-team08=Pittsburgh
RD2-score08=57
RD3-seed01=8
RD3-team01=Kansas State
RD3-score01=57
RD3-seed02=4
RD3-team02=Illinois
RD3-score02=52
RD3-seed03=3
RD3-team03=Utah
RD3-score03=56
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=North Carolina
RD3-score04=61
RD4-seed01=8
RD4-team01=Kansas State
RD4-score01=68
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02=North Carolina
RD4-score02=82

Mideast region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=8
RD1-team01=Creighton
RD1-score01=57
RD1-seed02=9
RD1-team02=St. Joseph's
RD1-score02=59
RD1-seed07=5
RD1-team07=Boston College
RD1-score07=93
RD1-seed08=12
RD1-team08=Ball State
RD1-score08=90
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Maryland
RD1-score09=81
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Tennessee-Chattanooga
RD1-score10=69
RD1-seed15=7
RD1-team15=UAB
RD1-score15=93
RD1-seed16=10
RD1-team16=Western Kentucky
RD1-score16=68
RD2-seed01=9
RD2-team01=St. Joseph's
RD2-score01=49
RD2-seed02=1
RD2-team02=DePaul
RD2-score02=48
RD2-seed03=4
RD2-team03=Wake Forest
RD2-score03=64
RD2-seed04=5
RD2-team04=Boston College
RD2-score04=67
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=Maryland
RD2-score05=64
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Indiana
RD2-score06=99
RD2-seed07=2
RD2-team07=Kentucky
RD2-score07=62
RD2-seed08=7
RD2-team08=UAB
RD2-score08=69
RD3-seed01=9
RD3-team01=St. Joseph's
RD3-score01=42
RD3-seed02=5
RD3-team02=Boston College
RD3-score02=41
RD3-seed03=3
RD3-team03=Indiana
RD3-score03=87
RD3-seed04=7
RD3-team04=UAB
RD3-score04=72
RD4-seed01=9
RD4-team01=St. Joseph's
RD4-score01=46
RD4-seed02=3
RD4-team02=Indiana
RD4-score02=78

Midwest region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=8
RD1-team01=Lamar
RD1-score01=71
RD1-seed02=9
RD1-team02=Missouri
RD1-score02=67
RD1-seed07=5
RD1-team07=Arkansas
RD1-score07=73
RD1-seed08=12
RD1-team08=Mercer
RD1-score08=67
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Wichita State
RD1-score09=95
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Southern-BR
RD1-score10=70
RD1-seed15=7
RD1-team15=Kansas
RD1-score15=69
RD1-seed16=10
RD1-team16=Mississippi
RD1-score16=66
RD2-seed01=8
RD2-team01=Lamar
RD2-score01=78
RD2-seed02=1
RD2-team02=LSU
RD2-score02=100
RD2-seed03=4
RD2-team03=Louisville
RD2-score03=73
RD2-seed04=5
RD2-team04=Arkansas
RD2-score04=74
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=Wichita State
RD2-score05=60
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Iowa
RD2-score06=56
RD2-seed07=2
RD2-team07=Arizona State
RD2-score07=71
RD2-seed08=7
RD2-team08=Kansas
RD2-score08=88
RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=LSU
RD3-score01=72
RD3-seed02=5
RD3-team02=Arkansas
RD3-score02=56
RD3-seed03=6
RD3-team03=Wichita State
RD3-score03=66
RD3-seed04=7
RD3-team04=Kansas
RD3-score04=65
RD4-seed01=1
RD4-team01=LSU
RD4-score01=96
RD4-seed02=6
RD4-team02=Wichita State
RD4-score02=85

Final Four

4TeamBracket | RD1=National Semifinals | RD2=National Finals
RD1-seed1=E1
RD1-team1=Virginia
RD1-score1=65
RD1-seed2=W2
RD1-team2=North Carolina
RD1-score2=78
RD1-seed3=ME3
RD1-team3=Indiana
RD1-score3=67
RD1-seed4=MW1
RD1-team4=LSU
RD1-score4=49
RD2-seed1=W2
RD2-team1=North Carolina
RD2-score1=50
RD2-seed2=ME3
RD2-team2=Indiana
RD2-score2=63

ee also

* 1981 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

External links

* [http://www.shrpsports.com/collbask/1981.htm 1981 NCAA Basketball Tournament] on Shrp Sports (source for the bracket)
* [http://www.hoopstournament.net/index.html HoopsTournament.Net] , source for much of the information on this page.