1995 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1995 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 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. This Final Four would be the last time that the Final Four was hosted in the Western United States until the 2017 edition of the tournament where Glendale, Arizona was the host. A total of 63 games were played.

1995 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1994–95
Teams64
Finals siteKingdome
Seattle, Washington
ChampionsUCLA Bruins (11th title, 12th title game,
15th Final Four)
Runner-upArkansas Razorbacks (2nd title game,
6th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJim Harrick (1st title)
MOPEd O'Bannon (UCLA)
Attendance540,101
Top scorerCorliss Williamson (Arkansas)
(125 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1994 1996»

The Final Four consisted of UCLA, making their fifteenth appearance and first since the 1980 team that eventually saw their appearance vacated, Oklahoma State, making their fifth appearance and first since 1951, North Carolina, making their twelfth appearance and second in three years, and Arkansas, the defending national champions.

The championship game saw UCLA win their eleventh national championship and first (and only) national title under Jim Harrick by defeating Arkansas 89–78, foiling the Razorbacks' hopes of back to back national titles.

UCLA's Ed O'Bannon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Schedule and venues

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Albany
Baltimore
Dayton
Tallahassee
Memphis
Austin
Salt Lake City
Boise
1995 first and second rounds
 
Oakland
Kansas City
Birmingham
E. Rutherford
Seattle
1995 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1995 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

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There were 29 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 26 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while three were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Big Ten, Ivy League and Pac-10).

Four conferences, the American West Conference,[1] Big South Conference,[2] Great Midwest Conference,[3] and Mid-Continent Conference,[4] did not receive automatic bids to the tournament.

Five conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances: Colgate (Patriot), FIU (TAAC), Gonzaga (West Coast), Mount St. Mary's (NEC), and Nicholls State (Southland).

Automatic qualifiers

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Automatic qualifiers
Conference Team Appearance Last bid
ACC Wake Forest 13th 1994
Atlantic 10 UMass 5th 1994
Big East Villanova 21st 1991
Big Eight Oklahoma State 14th 1994
Big Sky Weber State 11th 1983
Big Ten Purdue 14th 1994
Big West Long Beach State 4th 1993
CAA Old Dominion 6th 1992
Ivy League Penn 16th 1994
MAAC Saint Peter's 2nd 1991
MAC Ball State 6th 1993
MCC Green Bay 3rd 1994
MEAC North Carolina A&T 9th 1994
Metro Louisville 25th 1994
Missouri Valley Southern Illinois 4th 1994
NAC Drexel 3rd 1994
NEC Mount St. Mary's 1st Never
Ohio Valley Murray State 7th 1992
Pac-10 UCLA 30th 1994
Patriot Colgate 1st Never
SEC Kentucky 36th 1994
Southern Chattanooga 7th 1994
Southland Nicholls State 1st Never
Sun Belt Western Kentucky 15th 1994
SWAC Texas Southern 3rd 1994
SWC Texas 14th 1994
TAAC FIU 1st Never
WAC Utah 17th 1993
West Coast Gonzaga 1st Never

Tournament seeds

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East Regional – Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Wake Forest ACC 24–5 Automatic
2 UMass Atlantic 10 26–4 Automatic
3 Villanova Big East 25–7 Automatic
4 Oklahoma State Big Eight 23–9 Automatic
5 Alabama SEC 22–9 At-Large
6 Tulsa Missouri Valley 22–7 At-Large
7 UNC Charlotte Metro 19–8 At-Large
8 Minnesota (vacated) Big Ten 19–11 At-Large
9 Saint Louis Great Midwest 22–7 At-Large
10 Stanford Pac-10 19–8 At-Large
11 Illinois Big Ten 19–11 At-Large
12 Penn Ivy League 22–5 Automatic
13 Drexel NAC 22–7 Automatic
14 Old Dominion CAA 20–11 Automatic
15 Saint Peter's MAAC 19–10 Automatic
16 North Carolina A&T MEAC 15–14 Automatic
Southeast Regional – BJCC Coliseum, Birmingham, Alabama
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Kentucky SEC 25–4 Automatic
2 North Carolina ACC 24–5 At-Large
3 Michigan State Big Ten 22–5 At-Large
4 Oklahoma Big Eight 23–8 At-Large
5 Arizona State (vacated) Pac-10 22–8 At-Large
6 Georgetown Big East 19–9 At-Large
7 Iowa State Big Eight 22–10 At-Large
8 BYU WAC 22–9 At-Large
9 Tulane Metro 22–9 At-Large
10 Florida SEC 17–12 At-Large
11 Xavier MCC 23–4 At-Large
12 Ball State MAC 19–10 Automatic
13 Manhattan MAAC 25–4 At-Large
14 Weber State Big Sky 20–8 Automatic
15 Murray State Ohio Valley 21–8 Automatic
16 Mount St. Mary's NEC 17–12 Automatic
West Regional – Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 UCLA Pac-10 25–2 Automatic
2 Connecticut Big East 25–4 At-Large
3 Maryland ACC 24–7 At-Large
4 Utah WAC 27–5 Automatic
5 Mississippi State SEC 20–7 At-Large
6 Oregon Pac-10 19–8 At-Large
7 Cincinnati Great Midwest 21–11 At-Large
8 Missouri Big Eight 19–8 At-Large
9 Indiana Big Ten 19–11 At-Large
10 Temple Atlantic 10 19–10 At-Large
11 Texas SWC 22–6 Automatic
12 Santa Clara West Coast 21–6 At-Large
13 Long Beach State Big West 20–9 Automatic
14 Gonzaga West Coast 21–8 Automatic
15 Chattanooga Southern 19–10 Automatic
16 FIU TAAC 11–18 Automatic
Midwest Regional – Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Kansas Big Eight 23–5 At-Large
2 Arkansas SEC 27–6 At-Large
3 Purdue Big Ten 24–6 Automatic
4 Virginia ACC 22–8 At-Large
5 Arizona Pac-10 23–7 At-Large
6 Memphis Great Midwest 22–9 At-Large
7 Syracuse Big East 19–9 At-Large
8 Western Kentucky Sun Belt 26–3 Automatic
9 Michigan Big Ten 17–13 At-Large
10 Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 23–8 Automatic
11 Louisville Metro 19–13 Automatic
12 Miami (OH) MAC 22–6 At-Large
13 Nicholls State Southland 24–5 Automatic
14 Green Bay MCC 22–7 Automatic
15 Texas Southern SWAC 22–6 Automatic
16 Colgate Patriot 17–12 Automatic

Bracket

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East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Wake Forest 79
16 North Carolina A&T 47
1 Wake Forest 64
Baltimore
9 Saint Louis 59
8 Minnesota# 61
9 Saint Louis 64OT
1 Wake Forest 66
4 Oklahoma State 71
5 Alabama 91
12 Penn 85
5 Alabama 52
Baltimore
4 Oklahoma State 66
4 Oklahoma State 73
13 Drexel 49
4 Oklahoma State 68
2 Massachusetts 54
6 Tulsa 68
11 Illinois 62
6 Tulsa 64
Albany
14 Old Dominion 52
3 Villanova 81
14 Old Dominion 893OT
6 Tulsa 51
2 Massachusetts 76
7 UNC Charlotte 68
10 Stanford 70
10 Stanford 53
Albany
2 Massachusetts 75
2 Massachusetts 68
15 Saint Peter's 51

# Minnesota vacated its NCAA Tournament appearance from the 1994–95 season due to an academic fraud scandal.

Game summaries

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East first round

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At Albany, New York
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CBS
Friday, March 17
12:30 pm EST
#10 Stanford Cardinal 70, #7 North Carolina-Charlotte 49ers 68
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
CBS
Friday, March 17
approx. 3:00 pm EST
#2 Massachusetts Minutemen 68, #15 Saint Peter's Peacocks 51
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
CBS
Friday, March 17
7:40 pm EST
#14 Old Dominion Monarchs 89, #3 Villanova Wildcats 81 (3OT)
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
Referees: Scott Thornley, Lonnie Dixon, Paul Janssen
CBS
Friday, March 17
approx. 10:10 pm EST
#6 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 68, #11 Illinois Fighting Illini 62
Pts: S. Seals – 22
Rebs: R. Poindexter – 12
Asts: A. Williamson – 4
Pts: K. Garwis – 24
Rebs: S. Clark – 12
Asts: J. Hester, R. Keene – 2
Halftime Score: Illinois, 34–27
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
Referees: David Libbey, Richie Ballesteros, Larry Ware

East second round

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At Albany, New York
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CBS
Sunday, March 19
12:25 pm EST
#2 Massachusetts Minutemen 75, #10 Stanford Cardinal 53
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
CBS
Sunday, March 19
approx. 2:55 pm EST
#6 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 64, #14 Old Dominion Monarchs 52
Knickerbocker Arena – Albany, New York
Attendance: 15,100
Referees: David Libbey, Scott Thornley, Paul Janssen

West Regional – Oakland, California

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 UCLA 92
16 FIU 56
1 UCLA 75
Boise
8 Missouri 74
8 Missouri 65
9 Indiana 60
1 UCLA 86
5 Mississippi State 67
5 Mississippi State 75
12 Santa Clara 67
5 Mississippi State 78
Boise
4 Utah 64
4 Utah 76
13 Long Beach State 64
1 UCLA 102
2 Connecticut 96
6 Oregon 73
11 Texas 90
11 Texas 68
Salt Lake City
3 Maryland 82
3 Maryland 87
14 Gonzaga 63
3 Maryland 89
2 Connecticut 99
7 Cincinnati 77
10 Temple 71
7 Cincinnati 91
Salt Lake City
2 Connecticut 96
2 Connecticut 100
15 Chattanooga 71

Southeast Regional – Birmingham, Alabama

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kentucky 113
16 Mount St. Mary's 67
1 Kentucky 82
Memphis
9 Tulane 60
8 BYU 70
9 Tulane 76
1 Kentucky 97
5 Arizona State 73
5 Arizona State 81
12 Ball State 66
5 Arizona State 64
Memphis
13 Manhattan 54
4 Oklahoma 67
13 Manhattan 77
1 Kentucky 61
2 North Carolina 74
6 Georgetown 68
11 Xavier 63
6 Georgetown 53
Tallahassee
14 Weber State 51
3 Michigan State 72
14 Weber State 79
6 Georgetown 64
2 North Carolina 74
7 Iowa State 64
10 Florida 61
7 Iowa State 51
Tallahassee
2 North Carolina 73
2 North Carolina 80
15 Murray State 70

Midwest Regional – Kansas City, Missouri

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kansas 82
16 Colgate 68
1 Kansas 75
Dayton
8 Western Kentucky 70
8 Western Kentucky 82OT
9 Michigan 76
1 Kansas 58
4 Virginia 67
5 Arizona 62
12 Miami (OH) 71
12 Miami (OH) 54
Dayton
4 Virginia 60OT
4 Virginia 96
13 Nicholls State 72
4 Virginia 61
2 Arkansas 68
6 Memphis 77
11 Louisville 56
6 Memphis 75
Austin
3 Purdue 73
3 Purdue 49
14 UW–Green Bay 48
6 Memphis 91
2 Arkansas 96OT
7 Syracuse 96
10 Southern Illinois 92
7 Syracuse 94
Austin
2 Arkansas 96OT
2 Arkansas 79
15 Texas Southern 78

Final Four - Seattle, Washington

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National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E4 Oklahoma State 61
W1 UCLA 74
W1 UCLA 89
MW2 Arkansas 78
SE2 North Carolina 68
MW2 Arkansas 75

Game summaries

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CBS
Saturday, April 1
#1 UCLA Bruins 74, #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys 61
Pts: T. Edney 21
Rebs: E. O'Bannon 8
Asts: Tyus Edney 5
Pts: B. Reeves 25
Rebs: B. Reeves 9
Asts: A. Owens 9
Halftime Score: 37–37
Kingdome – Seattle
Attendance: 38,540
CBS
Saturday, April 1
#2 Arkansas Razorbacks 75, #2 North Carolina Tar Heels 68
Pts: C. Williamson 21
Rebs: C. Williamson 10
Asts: C. Beck 10
Pts: D. Williams 19
Rebs: R. Wallace 10
Asts: D. Calabria 9
Halftime Score: North Carolina, 38–34
Kingdome – Seattle
Attendance: 38,540

National Championship

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CBS
Monday, April 3
8:40 pm
#1 UCLA Bruins 89, #2 Arkansas Razorbacks 78
Pts: E. O'Bannon 30
Rebs: Ed O'Bannon 17
Asts: C. Dollar 8
Pts: C. McDaniel 16
Rebs: D. Stewart 5
Asts: C. Williamson 6
Halftime Score: UCLA, 40–39
Kingdome – Seattle
Attendance: 38,540
Final Four All-Tournament Team[5]
Player Team
Ed O'Bannon* UCLA
Toby Bailey UCLA
Corliss Williamson Arkansas
Clint McDaniel Arkansas
Bryant Reeves Oklahoma State

*Named Most Outstanding Player

See also

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Notes

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  • March 19, 1995 – A final shot in the second round at The Boise State Pavilion is one of the most memorable moments in NCAA history. UCLA's Tyus Edney dashed the length of the 94-foot court in just over 4 seconds to make a layup that gave the Bruins a 75–74 win over Missouri, which sustained UCLA's run to a national title that year.[6]
  • April 3, 1995 – Ed O'Bannon scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and is named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player as the Bruins win the championship 89–78 over Arkansas.[7] Cameron Dollar played 36 minutes and contributed eight assists and four steals while filling in for an injured Edney, who did not return after leaving with 17:23 left in the first half.[8] The Bruins enjoyed the biggest lead 34–26 in the first half, but led only by a point at halftime 40–39.
  • To date, this is the last NCAA men's basketball tournament in which no team seeded lower than #6 reached the Sweet Sixteen.
  • Five teams - Colgate, FIU, Gonzaga, Mount St. Mary's and Nicholls State - made their debut in this tournament, all as conference winners. Only FIU has failed to return to the tournament since; Gonzaga would miss the next three tournaments before starting their current streak of making every tournament since 1999.
  • The 1995 tournament was the last to feature teams from the Metro and Great Midwest Conferences, as the two would merge later that year to form Conference USA.
    • Tulane, a charter member of the Metro (expelled from the conference from 1985 to 1989 when the Green Wave shuttered their men's basketball program in the wake of a point shaving scandal), has not returned to the NCAA tournament since.

Announcers

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Television

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Once again, CBS served as broadcasters on television for the tournament.

Radio

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CBS Radio was once again the radio home for the tournament.

First and second rounds

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Regionals

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Final Four

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References

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  1. ^ Hiserman, Mike (March 10, 1995). "Tournament Is Academic, Off-Season Is Automatic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. ^ Atkinson, Charlie (February 24, 1994). "MAYBE BIG SOUTH HASN'T SEEN THE LAST OF CAMPBELL ONE COACH PRIVATELY QUESTIONS MOVE TO NEW LEAGUE". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "BASKETBALL; If It's Tournament Time, Then It's Time for Duke". The New York Times. March 10, 1995. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Jankowski, Paul (March 2, 2012). "1995 men's hoops championship initiated years of success at Valparaiso University". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "NCAA All-Tournament Teams". FoxNews.com. Associated Press. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  6. ^ Friend, Tom (March 20, 1995). "N.C.A.A. TOURNAMENT: WEST; U.C.L.A. Dash Knocks Wind Out of Missouri". New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. U.C.L.A.'s Tyus Edney ran a 94-foot dash in 4.7 seconds today. That he also managed to toss in a swooping layup left Missouri with its hands over its face
  7. ^ Penner, Mike (April 4, 1995). "Sweetness in Seattle". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012.
  8. ^ Dufresne, Chris (April 4, 1995). "A Big Return From Dollar". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012.