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 Division I. It began on March 7 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
Season1965–66
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
«19651967»

Third-ranked Texas Western (now UTEP), coached by Don Haskins, won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final over top-ranked Kentucky, led by head coach Adolph Rupp. 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. Their tournament games against fourth-ranked Kansas and Kentucky are depicted in the film.

The tournament is also significant in that it was the last tournament until 2021, and one of two since the league's official founding, that the Ivy League did not send a representative to the tournament. The league champion, Penn, refused to comply with an NCAA edict that all teams must certify a 1.6 GPA for all student-athletes; the Ivy League and the university did not believe that the NCAA had the power to dictate such things, and as such the team was banned. They would have played Syracuse in the East regional at Blacksburg.[1]

This was the only NCAA tournament between 1961 and 1982 which did not include UCLA.

Locations

RoundRegionSiteVenueHost
First RoundEastBlacksburg, VirginiaCassell ColiseumVirginia Tech
MideastKent, OhioMemorial GymnasiumKent State
Midwest
& West
Wichita, KansasWSU Field HouseWichita State
RegionalsEastRaleigh, North CarolinaReynolds ColiseumN.C. State
MideastIowa City, IowaIowa Field HouseIowa
MidwestLubbock, TexasLubbock Municipal ColiseumTexas Tech
WestLos Angeles, CaliforniaPauley PavilionUCLA
Final FourCollege Park, MarylandCole Field HouseMaryland

Teams

RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastDavidsonLefty DriesellSouthernRegional Fourth PlaceSaint Joseph'sL 92-76
EastDukeVic BubasAtlantic CoastThird PlaceUtahW 79–77
EastProvidenceJoe MullaneyIndependentFirst roundSaint Joseph'sL 65–48
EastRhode IslandErnie CalverleyYankeeFirst roundDavidsonL 95–65
EastSaint Joseph'sJack RamsayMiddle AtlanticRegional third placeDavidsonW 92–76
EastSyracuseFred LewisIndependentRegional Runner-upDukeL 91–81
Mideast
MideastDaytonDon DonoherIndependentRegional Fourth PlaceWestern KentuckyL 82–62
MideastKentuckyAdolph RuppSoutheasternRunner UpTexas WesternL 72–65
MideastLoyola–ChicagoGeorge IrelandIndependentFirst roundWestern KentuckyL 105–86
MideastMiami (OH)Dick ShriderMid-AmericanFirst roundDaytonL 58–51
MideastMichiganDave StrackBig TenRegional Runner-upKentuckyL 84–77
MideastWestern KentuckyJohnny OldhamOhio ValleyRegional third placeDaytonW 82–62
Midwest
MidwestCincinnatiTay BakerMissouri ValleyRegional Fourth PlaceSMUL 89–84
MidwestKansasTed OwensBig EightRegional Runner-upTexas WesternL 81–80
MidwestOklahoma CityAbe LemonsIndependentFirst roundTexas WesternL 89–74
MidwestSMUDoc HayesSouthwestRegional third placeCincinnatiW 89–84
MidwestTexas WesternDon HaskinsIndependentChampionKentuckyW 72–65
West
WestColorado StateJim WilliamsIndependentFirst roundHoustonL 82–76
WestHoustonGuy LewisIndependentRegional third placePacificW 102–91
WestOregon StatePaul ValentiAAWURegional Runner-upUtahL 70–64
WestPacificDick EdwardsWest Coast AthleticRegional Fourth PlaceHoustonL 102–91
WestUtahJack GardnerWestern AthleticFourth PlaceDukeL 79–77

Bracket

East region

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
         
Duke76
 Saint Joseph's74
 Saint Joseph's65
 Providence48
 Duke91
 Syracuse81
Syracuse94
 Davidson78
 Davidson96
 Rhode Island65

Mideast region

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
         
 Kentucky86
 Dayton79
 Dayton58
 Miami (OH)51
 Kentucky84
 Michigan77
 Michigan80
 Western Kentucky79
 Western Kentucky105
 Loyola–Chicago86

Midwest region

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
         
 Kansas76
 SMU70
 Kansas80**
 Texas Western81
 Cincinnati76*
 Texas Western78
 Texas Western89
 Oklahoma City74

West region

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
         
 Utah83
 Pacific74
 Utah70
 Oregon State64
 Oregon State63
 Houston60
 Houston82
 Colorado State76

Final Four

National SemifinalsNational Championship Game
      
EDuke79
MEKentucky83
MEKentucky65
MWTexas Western 72
MWTexas Western85
WUtah78

National Third Place Game

National Third Place Game [2]
   
EDuke79
WUtah77

Regional third place games

Mideast Regional third place
   
Western Kentucky82
Dayton62

West Regional third place
   
Houston102
Pacific91

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.[3]

Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the Fall of 1963.[4] This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the Southeast.[5] 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.[6]

See also

References