1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. A total of 63 games were played.

1998 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1997–98
Teams64
Finals siteAlamodome
San Antonio, Texas
ChampionsKentucky Wildcats (7th title, 10th title game,
13th Final Four)
Runner-upUtah Utes (2nd title game,
4th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachTubby Smith (1st title)
MOPJeff Sheppard (Kentucky)
Attendance663,876
Top scorerMichael Doleac (Utah)
(115 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1997 1999»

The Final Four consisted of Kentucky, making their third consecutive Final Four, Stanford, making their first appearance since their initial Final Four run in 1942, Utah, making their fourth Final Four and first since 1966, and North Carolina, who returned for a fourteenth overall time and third in four seasons.

Kentucky won the national title, its second in three seasons and seventh overall, by defeating Utah 78–69 in the championship game.

Jeff Sheppard of Kentucky was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Kentucky came back from double-digit deficits in each of its last three games in the tournament, including a 17-point second half comeback against the Duke Blue Devils, leading to the school's fans dubbing the team the "Comeback Cats". This was Kentucky's third straight championship game appearance.

Bryce Drew led the 13th-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders to the Sweet Sixteen, including a memorable play that remains part of March Madness lore.[1]

For the second consecutive season, a #14 seed advanced from the first round; Richmond, coached by John Beilein, upset South Carolina.

For the second time in three years, a top seeded team failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. That distinction belonged to Midwest Region #1 seed Kansas, who was defeated by #8 seed Rhode Island.

Schedule and venues
1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Sacramento
Sacramento
Boise
Boise
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Chicago
Chicago
Lexington
Lexington
Atlanta
Atlanta
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Hartford
Hartford
1998 first and second rounds
1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Anaheim
Anaheim
St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg
Greensboro
Greensboro
San Antonio
San Antonio
1998 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1998 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

There were 30 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 28 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while two were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Ivy League and Pac-10).

Three conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances: Northern Arizona (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), and Prairie View A&M (SWAC). Additionally, UIC received an at-large bid for its first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Automatic qualifiers
Automatic qualifiers
Conference Team Appearance Last bid
ACC North Carolina 32nd 1997
America East Delaware 3rd 1993
Atlantic 10 Xavier 12th 1997
Big 12 Kansas 27th 1997
Big East Connecticut 19th 1995
Big Sky Northern Arizona 1st Never
Big South Radford 1st Never
Big Ten Michigan (vacated) – 1995
Big West Utah State 12th 1988
CAA Richmond 6th 1991
Conference USA Cincinnati 17th 1997
Ivy League Princeton 21st 1997
MAAC Iona 4th 1985
MAC Eastern Michigan 4th 1996
MCC Butler 3rd 1997
MEAC South Carolina State 3rd 1996
Mid-Continent Valparaiso 3rd 1997
Missouri Valley Illinois State 6th 1997
NEC Fairleigh Dickinson 3rd 1988
Ohio Valley Murray State 9th 1997
Pac-10 Arizona 17th 1997
Patriot Navy 11th 1997
SEC Kentucky 39th 1997
Southern Davidson 6th 1986
Southland Nicholls State 2nd 1995
SWAC Prairie View A&M 1st Never
Sun Belt South Alabama 6th 1997
TAAC College of Charleston 3rd 1997
WAC UNLV 13th 1991
West Coast San Francisco 16th 1982

Tournament seeds
East Regional – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 North Carolina ACC 30–3 Automatic
2 Connecticut Big East 29–4 Automatic
3 South Carolina SEC 22–6 At-Large
4 Michigan State Big Ten 20–7 At-Large
5 Princeton Ivy League 26–1 Automatic
6 Xavier Atlantic 10 22–7 Automatic
7 Indiana Big Ten 19–11 At-Large
8 UNC Charlotte Conference USA 19–10 At-Large
9 UIC MCC 22–5 At-Large
10 Oklahoma Big 12 22–10 At-Large
11 Washington Pac-10 18–9 At-Large
12 UNLV WAC 20–12 Automatic
13 Eastern Michigan MAC 20–9 Automatic
14 Richmond CAA 22–7 Automatic
15 Fairleigh Dickinson NEC 23–6 Automatic
16 Navy Patriot 19–10 Automatic
South Regional – Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Duke ACC 29–3 At-Large
2 Kentucky SEC 29–4 Automatic
3 Michigan (vacated) Big Ten 24–8 Automatic
4 New Mexico WAC 23–7 At-Large
5 Syracuse Big East 24–8 At-Large
6 UCLA Pac-10 22–8 At-Large
7 UMass Atlantic 10 21–10 At-Large
8 Oklahoma State Big 12 21–7 At-Large
9 George Washington Atlantic 10 24–8 At-Large
10 Saint Louis Conference USA 21–10 At-Large
11 Miami (FL) Big East 18–9 At-Large
12 Iona MAAC 27–5 Automatic
13 Butler MCC 22–10 Automatic
14 Davidson Southern 20–9 Automatic
15 South Carolina State MEAC 22–7 Automatic
16 Radford Big South 20–9 Automatic
West Regional – Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Arizona Pac-10 27–4 Automatic
2 Cincinnati Conference USA 26–5 Automatic
3 Utah WAC 25–3 At-Large
4 Maryland ACC 19–10 At-Large
5 Illinois Big Ten 22–9 At-Large
6 Arkansas SEC 23–8 At-Large
7 Temple Atlantic 10 21–8 At-Large
8 Tennessee SEC 20–8 At-Large
9 Illinois State Missouri Valley 24–5 Automatic
10 West Virginia Big East 22–8 At-Large
11 Nebraska Big 12 20–11 At-Large
12 South Alabama Sun Belt 21–6 Automatic
13 Utah State Big West 25–7 Automatic
14 San Francisco West Coast 19–10 Automatic
15 Northern Arizona Big Sky 21–7 Automatic
16 Nicholls State Southland 19–9 Automatic
Midwest Regional – Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Kansas Big 12 34–3 Automatic
2 Purdue Big Ten 26–7 At-Large
3 Stanford Pac-10 26–4 At-Large
4 Ole Miss SEC 22–6 At-Large
5 TCU WAC 27–5 At-Large
6 Clemson ACC 18–13 At-Large
7 St. John's Big East 22–9 At-Large
8 Rhode Island Atlantic 10 22–8 At-Large
9 Murray State Ohio Valley 29–3 Automatic
10 Detroit MCC 24–5 At-Large
11 Western Michigan Mid-American 20–7 At-Large
12 Florida State ACC 17–13 At-Large
13 Valparaiso Mid-Continent 21–9 Automatic
14 College of Charleston TAAC 24–5 Automatic
15 Delaware America East 20–9 Automatic
16 Prairie View A&M SWAC 13–16 Automatic

Bids by conference
Bids by Conference
Bids Conference(s)
5 Atlantic 10, ACC, Big Ten, Big East, SEC
4 Big 12, Pac-10, WAC
3 C-USA, MCC (Horizon League)
2 MAC
1 19 others

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Greensboro, North Carolina
First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 North Carolina 88
16 Navy 52
1 North Carolina 93*
Hartford
8 Charlotte 83
8 Charlotte 77
9 UIC 62
1 North Carolina 73
4 Michigan State 58
5 Princeton 69
12 UNLV 57
5 Princeton 56
Hartford
4 Michigan State 63
4 Michigan State 83
13 Eastern Michigan 71
1 North Carolina 75
2 Connecticut 64
6 Xavier 68
11 Washington 69
11 Washington 81
Washington, D.C.
14 Richmond 66
3 South Carolina 61
14 Richmond 62
11 Washington 74
2 Connecticut 75
7 Indiana 94*
10 Oklahoma 87
7 Indiana 68
Washington, D.C.
2 Connecticut 78
2 Connecticut 93
15 Fairleigh Dickinson 85

Regional Final Summary
CBS
Saturday, March 21
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels 75, #2 Connecticut Huskies 64
Scoring by half: 36–32, 39–32
Pts: A. Jamison – 20
Rebs: A. Jamison – 11
Asts: E. Cota – 9		 Pts: K. El-Amin – 24
Rebs: K. Freeman – 7
Asts: M. Hardnett – 4
Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, NC
Attendance: 23,235
Referees: Mark Reischling, Eddie Jackson, Dick Cartmell

West Regional – Anaheim, California
First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Arizona 99
16 Nicholls State 60
1 Arizona 82
Sacramento
9 Illinois State 49
8 Tennessee 81
9 Illinois State 82*
1 Arizona 87
4 Maryland 79
5 Illinois 64
12 South Alabama 51
5 Illinois 61
Sacramento
4 Maryland 67
4 Maryland 82
13 Utah State 68
1 Arizona 51
3 Utah 76
6 Arkansas 74
11 Nebraska 65
6 Arkansas 69
Boise
3 Utah 75
3 Utah 85
14 San Francisco 68
3 Utah 65
10 West Virginia 62
7 Temple 52
10 West Virginia 82
10 West Virginia 75
Boise
2 Cincinnati 74
2 Cincinnati 65
15 Northern Arizona 62

Regional Final Summary
CBS
Saturday, March 21
#3 Utah Utes 76, #1 Arizona Wildcats 51
Scoring by half: 29–20, 47–31
Pts: A. Miller – 18
Rebs: A. Miller – 14
Asts: A. Miller – 13		 Pts: J. Terry – 16
Rebs: B. Davison – 10
Asts: M. Simon – 4
Arrowhead Pond – Anaheim, CA
Attendance: 17,851
Referees: Gerald Boudreaux, Tony Greene, Tom Rucker

South Regional – St. Petersburg, Florida
First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Duke 99
16 Radford 63
1 Duke 79
Lexington
8 Oklahoma State 73
8 Oklahoma State 74
9 George Washington 59
1 Duke 80
5 Syracuse 67
5 Syracuse 63
12 Iona 61
5 Syracuse 56
Lexington
4 New Mexico 46
4 New Mexico 79
13 Butler 62
1 Duke 84
2 Kentucky 86
6 UCLA 65
11 Miami (FL) 62
6 UCLA 85
Atlanta
3 Michigan 82
3 Michigan 80
14 Davidson 61
6 UCLA 68
2 Kentucky 94
7 Massachusetts 46
10 Saint Louis 51
10 Saint Louis 61
Atlanta
2 Kentucky 88
2 Kentucky 82
15 South Carolina State 67

Regional Final Summary
CBS
Sunday, March 22
#2 Kentucky Wildcats 86, #1 Duke Blue Devils 84
Scoring by half: 39–49, 47–35
Pts: J. Sheppard – 18
Rebs: H. Evans, J. Sheppard – 11
Asts: W. Turner – 8		 Pts: R. McLeod – 19
Rebs: R. McLeod, S. Battier – 8
Asts: S. Wojciechowski, T. Langdon – 4
Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL
Attendance: 40,589
Referees: Tom Harrington, Mike Sanzere, Curtis Shaw

Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri
First round Second Round Regional semifinals Regional Final
            
1 Kansas 110
16 Prairie View A&M 52
1 Kansas 75
Oklahoma City
8 Rhode Island 80
8 Rhode Island 97
9 Murray State 74
8 Rhode Island 74
13 Valparaiso 68
5 TCU 87
12 Florida State 96
12 Florida State 77
Oklahoma City
13 Valparaiso 83*
4 Ole Miss 69
13 Valparaiso 70
8 Rhode Island 77
3 Stanford 79
6 Clemson 72
11 Western Michigan 75
11 Western Michigan 65
Chicago
3 Stanford 83
3 Stanford 67
14 College of Charleston 57
3 Stanford 67
2 Purdue 59
7 St. John's 64
10 Detroit 66
10 Detroit 65
Chicago
2 Purdue 80
2 Purdue 95
15 Delaware 56

Regional Final Summary
CBS
Sunday, March 22
#3 Stanford Cardinal 79, #8 Rhode Island 77
Scoring by half: 38–38, 41–39
Pts: A. Lee – 26
Rebs: T. Young – 12
Asts: A. Lee – 7		 Pts: T. Wheeler – 24
Rebs: A. Reynolds-Dean – 10
Asts: T. Wheeler – 5
Kiel Center – St. Louis, MO
Attendance: 22,172
Referees: Frank Scagliotta, Mike Kitts, Larry Rose

Final Four – San Antonio, Texas
National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E1 North Carolina 59
W3 Utah 65
W3 Utah 69
S2 Kentucky 78
S2 Kentucky 86*
M3 Stanford 85

Game summaries
CBS
Saturday, March 28
#2 Kentucky Wildcats 86, #3 Stanford Cardinal 85 (OT)
Scoring by half: 32–37, 41–36 Overtime: 13–12
Pts: J. Sheppard – 27
Rebs: J.Sheppard, H. Evans, S. Padgett – 6
Asts: J. Sheppard, W. Turner – 4		 Pts: A. Lee – 26
Rebs: M. Madsen – 16
Asts: A. Lee – 5
Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 40,509[2]
Referees: Tim Higgins, Bob Donato, Larry Rose
CBS
Saturday, March, 28
#3 Utah Utes 65, #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 59
Scoring by half: 35–22, 30–37
Pts: M. Doleac, A. Miller – 16
Rebs: A. Miller – 14
Asts: A. Miller – 7		 Pts: V. Carter – 21
Rebs: A. Jamison – 12
Asts: E. Cota – 7
Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 40,590[3]
Referees: John Clougherty, Andre Pattillo, Don Rutledge

National Championship
Main article: 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
CBS
Monday, March 30
#2 Kentucky Wildcats 78, #3 Utah Utes 69
Scoring by half: 31–41, 47–28
Pts: S. Padgett – 17
Rebs: H. Evans – 6
Asts: A. Edwards – 5		 Pts: A. Miller – 16
Rebs: M. Doleac – 10
Asts: A. Miller – 5
Alamodome – San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 40,509[4]
Referees: Jim Burr, Donnie Gray, Mike Sanzere

Announcers

See also

References
  1. "NCAA honors all-time greats as part of 75 years of March Madness celebration". NCAA. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  2. "Kentucky 86, Stanford 85 (OT)". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 29, 1998. p. C13. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Utah 65, North Carolina 59". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 29, 1998. p. C12. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Kentucky 78, Utah 69". Democrat and Chronicle. April 1, 1998. p. 2D. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.