UCLA collected its 11th NCAA crown - and first since 1975 - as it beat Arkansas 89-78 with legendary John Wooden in the stands and point guard Tyus Edney on the bench. Arkansas came up one win short of repeating its title. And Ed O'Bannon was named the Most Outstanding Player.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the 10th consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 16 to April 3, 1995 with the Final Four being played in the Kingdom in Seattle, Washington.
UCLA No. 1 Seed In West
Coach Jim Harrick's UCLA were given the No. 1 seed in the West. And the Bruins' tournament started in convincing fashion with a 92-56 victory over Florida International. But in the second round, UCLA needed Tyus Edney to streak down the length of the court in less than five seconds and swoop in a banked layup for a 75-74 win over No. 8 seed Missouri. Harrick's men made sure things were less exciting in the Sweet Sixteen with a 96-67 victory over Mississippi State. And then a 102-96 win over Connecticut pushed the Bruins into the Final Four.
First Final Four Since 1976
The former collegiate powerhouse UCLA finally returned to the national semifinals for the first time since 1976. The Bruins reached the Final Four in 1980 but the results were vacated due to violations.
Arkansas, UNC, Oklahoma State Join UCLA
Joining UCLA in the Final Four were defending champion Arkansas - the Midwest No. 2 seed; Southeast No. 2 seed North Carolina - making its 12th Final Four; and East fourth seeded Oklahoma State - returning to the national semifinals for the first time since 1951. The Cowboys and Bryant Reeves beat Tim Duncan and Wake Forest in the East semis and then Marcus Camby and Massachusetts in the East final.
UCLA And Arkansas Into Final
In the national semifinals, UCLA and center George Zidek made sure Reeves and Oklahoma State would not take another scalp in winning 74-61. The game did see Missouri game hero Edney go down with a sprained right wrist, which would keep him out of the final. The defending champion Arkansas, which needed overtime twice as well as a one-point victory to reach the Final Four, cruised into the final with a 75-68 win over North Carolina.
Senior O'Bannon, Freshman Bailey Bring Trophy Back To Westwood
In the final with legendary coach John Wooden in the stands, Ed O'Bannon had an outstanding game with 30 points, 17 rebounds and three steals in guiding UCLA to a comfortable 89-78 victory. The freshman Toby Bailey came up with a huge game as well with 26 points and nine rebounds. And Cameron Dollar filled in brilliantly for Edney with eight assists. And Zidek again took care of the opposing big man, holding Corliss Williamson to just 3 of 16 shooting.
Harrick Finally Brings Westwood A Title Again
The victory for Harrick's team brought UCLA finally back to the top of the college basketball world. And the 1995 crown joins the hardware from 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975.
