Head coach Rick Pitino helped Kentucky end its 18-year NCAA title drought by collecting the sixth crown in school history with a 76-67 victory over Syracuse. With the Final Four returning to the Greater New York area for the first time in nearly half a century, Kentucky guard Tony Delk was named the Most Outstanding Player.
64-Team Field
The NCAA field included 64 teams for the 11th consecutive year. The tournament ran from March 14 to April 1, 1996 with the Final Four being played in the Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the first time the college basketball highlight was in the Greater New York area since 1950 and last time since then.
Kentucky No. 1 Seed In Midwest
Rick Pitino's Kentucky was seeded No. 1 in Midwest. And the Wildcats absolutely cruised to the Final Four. They beat San Jose State 110-72 in the first round, Virginia Tech 84-60 in the second round, Utah 101-70 in the Sweet Sixteen and second seed Wake Forest 83-63 in the Elite Eight.
Massachusetts, Mississippi State, Syracuse Into Final Four
Joining Kentucky in the Final Four were East No. 1 seed Massachusetts; No. 5 seed Mississippi State, which beat third-ranked Connecticut in the Elite Eight and then No. 7 Cincinnati in the Southeast region final to reach its first Final Four; and fourth-seeded Syracuse, which knocked off fourth-ranked and No. 2 seed Kansas to win the West.
Kentucky Knocks Off Massachusetts, Syracuse Advances
In the national semifinals, Kentucky and Massachusetts were matched up as a showdown of the two top teams in the country. And Pitino's Wildcats - which featured future NBA first-rounders Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer and Derek Anderson - had too much firepower and overcame UMass 81-74. In the other semifinal, John Wallace and Syracuse knocked off Mississippi State 77-69 to reach its second NCAA title game - following its loss against Keith Smart and Indiana in 1987.
Wildcats Defense Gives Syracuse Nightmares
In the title game, Pitino's defense caused problems for Syracuse, which turned the ball over 24 times in losing 76-67. Tony Delk knocked down 7 of 12 three-pointers in scoring 24 points and freshman Ron Mercer added a career-high 20 points. Kentucky, however, shot a dismal 38.4 percent - the lowest percentage for a title-game winner in 33 years.
Pitino Third Coach To Lead Kentucky To Promised Land
The NCAA crown was Kentucky's sixth in school history and Pitino was the third coach to bring a title back to Lexington. Adolph Rupp won in 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1958 and Joe B. Hall guided the Wildcats to the crown in 1978.
