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The 1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in
single-elimination A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
play to determine the national champion of men's
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
. It was the first tournament to be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member schools had been divided into the "University Division" and "College Division". The NCAA created its current three-division setup, effective with the 1973–74 academic year, by moving all of its University Division schools to Division I and splitting the College Division members into Division II (fewer
scholarships A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need, research ...
) and Division III (no athletic scholarships allowed). Previous tournaments would retroactively be considered Division I championships. The tournament began on March 9, 1974, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
. Until
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, when
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
defeated Texas Tech, it was the last tournament in which neither school had previously appeared in any national championship game at any level. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. North Carolina State, coached by Norm Sloan, won the national title with a 76–64 victory in the final game over Marquette, coached by
Al McGuire Alfred James McGuire (September 7, 1928 – January 26, 2001) was an American college basketball coach and broadcaster, the head coach at Marquette University from 1964 to 1977. He won a national championship in his final season at Marquette, an ...
. This result ended UCLA's record streak of seven consecutive titles. David Thompson of North Carolina State was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. This was the final year that only conference champions and independents could participate in the tournament. During the same time in 1974, the Collegiate Commissioners' Association held a tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. They invited the second-place teams from eight conferences to participate. In 1975, the NCAA would expand the field to include at-large bids for conference runners-up.


UCLA-North Carolina State semifinal

The
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
North Carolina State semifinal game made ''
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''s 2002 list of the greatest NCAA tournament games of all time at #13. NC State won the tap to start the second overtime. The Wolfpack looked to score first and then possibly apply the four corners stall offense, but they missed their first three shots, were unable to get an offensive rebound, and committed a goaltending. UCLA scored on its first three possessions, with
Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (November 5, 1952 – May 27, 2024) was an American basketball player and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. He played college basketball, collegiately for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins an ...
's four points on two free throws and a turnaround jumper, and Keith Wilkes' layin, which became a three-point play, off a perfect bounce feed from Tommy Curtis. With 3:27 remaining, the Bruins led 74–67, by 7 points, and seemed to have the game won. But State's pesky, diminutive point guard,
Monte Towe Monte Corwin Towe (born September 27, 1953) is an American basketball coach and retired basketball player. He was a starting point guard on the 1973-74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team, 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack ...
, began to create havoc, and with it started a wave of momentum which swung in the direction of the Pack, along with a supportive Greensboro crowd. He dribbled quickly into the front court, then stopped on a dime, and was fouled by Curtis from behind. With his usual style of not bouncing the ball at the line, Towe converted both shots, a quick start of a rally for his team. He then fouled Curtis, who made the first of the one and one, but missed the second, UCLA's first miss from the line in the game. Tim Stoddard rebounded, then David Thompson drove through the lane and tapped in the rebound of his own miss off the glass. In the backcourt, Towe immediately drew another foul on Curtis, an offensive foul and turnover. After a rebound,
John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...
called a timeout, but it may have backfired. The Wolfpack tightened the backcourt pressure and Curtis threw it back to Greg Lee who, trapped, made an errant throw past half court which was lost by Dave Meyers out of bounds. Then State's towering 7'4" center,
Tom Burleson Tom Loren Burleson (born February 24, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7′2″ center, Burleson played for North Carolina State University's 1974 NCAA national championship team. Early life Burleson is a nati ...
, rose high above and behind Walton for a rebound putback, and UCLA's lead was two. A Walton forced pass into the paint was stolen by Moe Rivers off a deflection. Burleson was fouled with 1:38 to play and made the first before missing the second. State missed two shot attempts to take the lead, then Stoddard fouled out. The future major league baseball pitcher and World Series winner was disconsolate on the bench, but his teammates would respond. Meyers missed the front end of the 1&1, and Thompson jumped high for the rebound. Then, from the left of the free throw circle, he drifted right, then drove left on Wilkes and banked in his shot behind a Burleson screen. NC State now led, 76–75, with under a minute to go. Lee missed an outside jumper and Wilkes, called for pushing off on the rebound, fouled out. Thompson converted both ends of a 1&1 with 34 seconds left. A Lee long inbounds pass was knocked away by Burleson, for another Rivers steal. Curtis fouled out with 12 seconds to go and Towe hit both free throws. Walton's jumper in the final seconds was too little, too late.YouTube
1974 NCAA final 4 semi final UCLA-NC State
asketball VHS archives
Walton later called the 80–77 semifinal game the most disappointing outcome of his entire basketball career, given how UCLA lost a 5-point lead late in regulation and a 7-point lead in the 2nd overtime, before NC State rallied to win. The game, played in Greensboro, was like a home game for the Wolfpack; UCLA had defeated NC State by 18 points in a neutral site game in St. Louis (where UCLA defeated Memphis State the previous March to win its seventh consecutive national championship) earlier in the season.


Tournament notes

The Wolfpack became the fifth team in history to win the national championship playing in its home state. CCNY won the 1950 NCAA championship (as well as the NIT championship) at
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in New York City,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
won the 1958 championship at Freedom Hall in
Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
, and UCLA won both the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
and 1972 championships at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. UCLA also would win the 1975 championship in its home state, at the San Diego Sports Arena. No team has accomplished the feat since then, although the
Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...
won the 1988 championship in nearby
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, at
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, which is closer to the KU campus in
Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...
than Greensboro is to Raleigh. This was the last Sweet Sixteen appearance for Creighton and
Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...
until the
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tournament, when both teams returned for the first time in 47 years.


Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1974 tournament: First round *March 9 **East Region *** Alumni Hall,
Jamaica, New York Jamaica is a neighborhood in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, Queens, Hollis, ...
(Host: St. John's University) *** WVU Coliseum,
Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...
(Host:
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
) *** The Palestra,
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(Hosts:
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
,
Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...
) **Mideast Region ***
Hulman Center The Hulman Center is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.
,
Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...
(Host:
Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...
) **Midwest Region *** UNT Coliseum,
Denton, Texas Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the List of cities in Texas by population, 20th-most populous city in Texas, the List of Un ...
(Host:
North Texas State University The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...
) **West Region *** ASISU Minidome,
Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, Idaho, Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, Idaho, Power County, containing the city's airport. It is t ...
(Hosts:
Idaho State University Idaho State University (ISU) is a Public university, public research university in Pocatello, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, Idaho State offers more than 250 programs at its main campus in Pocatello and locations ...
,
Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I with college football, football competing in the Football Cha ...
) Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) *March 14 and 16 **East Regional, Reynolds Coliseum,
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
(Host:
North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
) **Mideast Regional, Memorial Coliseum,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
(Host: University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa) **Midwest Regional, Mabee Center,
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
(Host:
Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...
) **West Regional, McKale Center,
Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
(Host:
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
) National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship) *March 23 and 25 ** Greensboro Memorial Coliseum,
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...
(Host:
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
)


Teams


Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period


East region


Mideast region


Midwest region


West region


Final Four


Announcers

Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, Charlie Jones, and Ross Porter - First Round at Terre Haute, Indiana (Marquette-Ohio, Notre Dame-Austin Peay)); Mideast Regional Final at Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Final Four at Greensboro, North Carolina; Jones was used as a sideline reporter for the first round and Porter was used for the Final Four. * Charlie Jones and Ross Porter - West Regional Final at Tucson, Arizona * Jay Randolph and Pat Hernon - Midwest Regional Final at Tulsa, Oklahoma * Bill O'Donnell and Billy Packer - East Regional Final at Raleigh, North Carolina


See also

* 1974 NCAA Division II basketball tournament * 1974 National Invitation Tournament * 1974 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament * 1974 National Women's Invitation Tournament


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Ncaa The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Basketball in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...