The Maryland Terrapins returned to the Final Four for the second straight time but this time left as champions, capturing its first NCAA crown with a 64-52 win over Indiana - making its first Final Four appearance in the post-Bob Knight era. But it was Maryland coach Gary Williams cutting down the net and Juan Dixon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
65 Teams Again, Introduction Of Pod System
The NCAA retained its 65-team system with a play-in game between the 64th and 65th teams. New to the tournament, however, was the so-called pod system in which eight first- and second-round sites were distributed around the four regionals. Schools were then assigned to first round spots to help minimize travel for as many teams as possible. The tournament ran from March 11 to April 1 with the Final Four being played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
Maryland No. 1 Seed In East
Maryland coach Gary Williams brought back the core of the team that lost to Duke in the national semifinals the previous year. And the Terrapins were given the No. 1 seed in the East. Maryland had a comfortable road to the Final Four, beating Siena 85-70 in the first round and then Wisconsin 87-57 in the second round. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Terps knocked off Kentucky 78-68 and then held off second seeded Connecticut 90-82 to return the Final Four.
Upsets In South, West
While the East and Midwest regions went pretty much according to seeding - save for No. 11 Southern Illinois's upset of 3 seed Georgia in the second round - the tournament saw plenty of surprises in the South and West regions. The South's No. 10 seed Kent State upset second seed Alabama in the second round and then beat No. 3 Pittsburg in overtime to reach the Elite Eight. But Kent State's run ended in the South region final where No. 5 Indiana won after knocking off top seed and defending champion Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
In the West, No. 12 Missouri beat No. 5 Miami (Fla) and No. 4 Ohio State in the first two rounds and then upset No. 8 UCLA - second round winner over No. 1 seed Cincinnati - to reach the Elite Eight. But No. 2 seed Oklahoma ended Missouri's dreams to reach the Final Four.
Kansas, Indiana, Oklahoma Advance To Semifinals
Joining Maryland in the Atlanta semifinals were Midwest No. 1 seed Kansas, Indiana - in its first Final Four in the post-Bob Knight era; and Oklahoma, appearing in its fourth Final Four and first since losing in the final against Kansas in 1988.
Maryland, Indiana Move Into Monday Championship Game
In the national semifinals, Maryland fell behind early to Kansas 13-2 and led by seven points at halftime before leading by 20 points - 83-63- with six minutes left. But the Jayhawks fought back to within four points with under a minute left. The Terrapins survived 97-88 to reach its first-ever NCAA title game. Juan Dixon led Maryland with 33 points. Indiana continued its Cinderella ride by knocking off Oklahoma 73-64 with a 13-4 run late. Jeff Newton led the way with 19 points for Indiana.
Maryland Grabs Title
Maryland and Indiana competed in one of the most poorly played championship games in recent history. But that didn't matter to Terps coach Gary Williams and his men, who finished the game on a 22-8 run for a 64-52 victory. Indiana point guard Tom Coverdale was not fully healthy for the game.
No McDonald's All-Americans
The Terrapins became the first team to win the national title without a McDonald's High School All-American since the honor was began in 1978.
Sampson Later Coached Indiana
Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson would a few years later succeed Mike Davis as the coach at Indiana.
