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2005 Ncaa Men's Division I Basketball Tournament




The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I College Basketball . It began on March 15 , 2005 , and ended with the Championship Game on April 4 from Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis .

North Carolina won its fourth national title with a 75-70 win in the final game over Illinois . Under coach Roy Williams , North Carolina – which previously won titles in 1957 under coach Frank McGuire and in 1982 and 1993 under coach Dean Smith – became the second Division I school to win titles under three coaches, joining Kentucky (4). Carolina's Sean May was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player .


TOURNAMENT PROCEDURE


A total of 65 teams entered the tournament. Thirty of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their Conference tournaments. The automatic bid of the Ivy League , which does not conduct a postseason tournament, went to its regular-season champion. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.

Two teams played an opening-round game, popularly called the " Play-in Game "; the winner of that game advanced to the main draw of the tournament and plays a top seed in one of the regionals. This game has been played at the University Of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio since its inception in 2001 .

All 64 teams were seeded 1 to 16 within their regionals; the winner of the play-in game automatically received a 16 seed. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65.

The four regionals are officially named after their four host cities, a practice which also began in 2004. The 2005 regionals, along with their top seeds, are listed below.
  • '''; top overall seed)

  • '''; fourth overall seed)

  • '''; second overall seed)

  • '''; third overall seed)


Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four , held from April 2-4 in St. Louis.


OPENING ROUND



FIRST ROUND


Chicago Regional



Albuquerque Regional



Syracuse Regional



Austin Regional

  • March 18, Charlotte Coliseum , Charlotte

  • --- Duke (1) 57, Delaware State (16) 46

  • ---:Duke prevailed in this offensive struggle against the MEAC champion as Shelden Williams scored 14.

  • --- Mississippi State (9) 93, Stanford (8) 70

  • ---:Mississippi State, only up one at halftime, pulled away from Stanford with a strong second half, led by Lawrence Roberts ' 23 points and Winsome Frazier's 20.

  • March 18, DCU Center , Worcester

  • --- Michigan State (5) 89, Old Dominion (12) 81

  • ---:The Spartans of Michigan State rallied from a five-point halftime deficit and pulled away from Old Dominion. Alan Anderson had 15 for Michigan State, Paul Davis added 14, and both Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager had 13 apiece.

  • --- Vermont (13) 60, Syracuse (4) 57 (OT)

  • ---:The Catamounts of Vermont registered a stunning overtime victory over Big East powerhouse Syracuse. Germain Mopa Njila led Vermont with 20 points, and his three-pointer, along with another three-pointer by T.J. Sorrentine, who had 17, 48 seconds later, sealed the victory. Tyler Coppenrath added 16 for Vermont.

  • March 17, McKale Center , Tucson

  • --- Utah (6) 60, UTEP (11) 54

  • ---:Despite many UTEP fans making the trip from El Paso to Tuscon, Utah managed to prevail and advance to the second round. Andrew Bogut scored 24 to lead Utah.

  • --- Oklahoma (3) 84, Niagara (14) 67

  • ---:Oklahoma dispatched the MAAC champion easily, getting big efforts from Drew Lavender, who had 17, and five other Sooners in double figures.

  • March 17, RCA Dome , Indianapolis

  • --- Cincinnati (7) 76, Iowa (10) 64

  • ---:Cincinnati's first-round victory over Iowa saw Jason Maxiell score 22 points, including his first two three-pointers of his college career. James White added 15 for Cincinnati.

  • --- Kentucky (2) 72, Eastern Kentucky (15) 64

  • ---:The higher-seeded Kentucky team prevailed in this intrastate matchup, with Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes both scoring 16.



SECOND ROUND


Chicago Regional



Albuquerque Regional

  • March 19, Taco Bell Arena , Boise

  • --- Washington (1) 97, Pacific (8) 79

  • ---:Washington advanced behind 23 points from Nate Robinson , 19 from Bobby Jones, 15 from Tre Simmons, and 14 off the bench from Brandon Roy .

  • March 20, Gaylord Entertainment Center , Nashville

  • --- Louisville (4) 76, Georgia Tech (5) 54

  • ---:Louisville played strong defense in eliminating the defending runners-up. Francisco Garcia scored 21, Larry O'Bannon 16, and Taquan Dean 14.

  • March 19, McKale Center, Tucson

  • --- Texas Tech (6) 71, Gonzaga (3) 69

  • ---:Texas Tech edged Gonzaga to earn a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Ronald Ross led Texas Tech with 24, and Jarrius Jackson added 18.

  • March 19, Wolstein Center, Cleveland

  • --- West Virginia (7) 111, Wake Forest (2) 105 (2 OT)

  • ---:West Virginia continued their upset run to the Sweet Sixteen with a double-overtime shootout win, erasing a thirteen-point halftime deficit. Mike Gansey led West Virginia with 29, with Tyrone Sally, the hero of the first-round victory over Creighton, scoring 21, and D'or Fischer scoring 15 off the bench.



Syracuse Regional



Austin Regional



REGIONALS


Chicago Regional

At Allstate Arena , Rosemont, Illinois

Semifinals

  • March 24

  • --- Illinois (1) 77, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (12) 63

  • ---:Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who had knocked off powerhouses Alabama and Boston College in the last week, had their Cinderella run come to an abrupt end against the tournament's top-seeded team. Wisconsin-Milwaukee stayed with Illinois for most of the first half, only trailing 29-26 with 3:38 to play in the half, but then Illinois reeled off a 7-0 run to push the lead to ten, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee never recovered, never getting closer than seven points for the rest of the game.

  • --- Arizona (3) 79, Oklahoma State (2) 78

  • ---:In the other and more climactic Chicago Regional semifinal, Arizona squeaked by Oklahoma State when put Oklahoma State back up by one with eighteen seconds to play, Stoudamire nailed his game-winner to send Arizona to the Elite Eight.



Final

  • March 26

  • --- Illinois (1) 90, Arizona (3) 89 (OT)

  • ---:In one of the most thrilling regional finals in recent memory, Illinois pulled off an improbable comeback to break the hearts of Wildcats fans everywhere. After a close first half, Arizona came out gunning in the second half, opening up a 75-60 lead with 4:04 to play. Illinois then closed the half on a 20-5 run to force overtime using a stingy defense, layups, and three-pointers, the last of which by Deron Williams tied the game at 80-80 with 39 seconds to play. The run broke down Arizona completely, and Illinois opened up a 90-84 lead in overtime before Arizona scored five straight to cut the lead to one, but Hassan Adams missed a three at the buzzer to give Illinois the win and a berth in the Final Four.



Albuquerque Regional

At University Arena , Albuquerque

Semifinals

  • March 24

  • --- Louisville (4) 93, Washington (1) 79

  • ---:Louisville dominated top-seeded Washington, using a big spurt late in the first half and then cruising from there. After an evenly matched sixteen minutes that saw Washington lead 30-29, Louisville went on an 18-5 run to close the first half, with the big shots coming from Francisco Garcia , who nailed two three-pointers during that stretch to extend the lead. Washington tried a second-half comeback, cutting Louisville's lead to 67-61 with 8:41 left, but Louisville had enough to pull away.

  • --- West Virginia (7) 65, Texas Tech (6) 60

  • ---:Seventh-seeded West Virginia continued to roll onto the Elite Eight, engaging in a close battle with Texas Tech before pulling away in the second half. West Virginia took the lead for good when Kevin Pittsnogle drained a three with 6:14 to play, and held it from there, with Pittsnogle sinking two huge free throws with seventeen seconds left and West Virginia up by two to put the game out of reach.



Final

  • March 26

  • --- Louisville (4) 93, West Virginia (7) 85 (OT)

  • ---:In another Regional Final overtime game, West Virginia opened up the game at a blistering pace, using five three-pointers to jump out to a 19-5 lead. When Johannes Herber made a three, West Virginia had a 32-13 lead with 5:30 to play in the first half. West Virginia led by thirteen at halftime, but Louisville finally went to a zone defense coming out of the half, and West Virginia began to go cold. Louisville cut the lead to three nine minutes into the second half, but Kevin Pittsnogle extended the West Virginia lead to ten with six minutes to play with a three. But West Virginia missed their last four field goals and Louisville tied the game with 38 seconds to play on Larry O'Bannon's layup. Louisville had grabbed the momentum and scored sixteen points in overtime to secure a berth in the Final Four.



Syracuse Regional

At Carrier Dome , Syracuse

Semifinals

  • March 25

  • --- North Carolina (1) 67, Villanova (5) 66

  • ---:In a tight Sweet Sixteen contest, the top-seeded Tar Heels moved on to the Elite Eight. Fifth-seeded Villanova stuck with UNC despite falling behind 64-54 with 3:45 left in the game. The Wildcats stormed back to cut the lead to 66-63, and Allan Ray drove the lane and appeared to have scored along with a foul. Surprisingly, Ray was whistled for traveling, nullifying the basket and giving UNC possession. After Rashad McCants made a free throw, Villanova's Kyle Lowry hit a three to cut the lead to one. Lowry then intercepted Sean May 's inbounds pass, but his desperation three-point attempt was wide and UNC moved on.

  • --- Wisconsin (6) 65, N.C. State (10) 56

  • ---:After upsetting two higher-seeded teams, including the defending national champion, N.C. State took a nine-point halftime lead against sixth-seeded Wisconsin before the Badgers woke up, using a 13-0 second-half run to turn a three-point deficit into a ten-point lead. N.C. State hung in, cutting the Wisconsin to 53-49 with 5:03 to play, and then only trailed 59-54 with 1:50 to play, but N.C. State ran out of miracles and energy and their Cinderella run ended.



Final

  • March 27

  • --- North Carolina (1) 88, Wisconsin (6) 82

  • ---:The only Regional Final not to go in overtime nonetheless saw a closely-played affair. The two teams were knotted 44-44 at halftime, but the top-seeded UNC Tar Heels had a little bit more. UNC opened up the second half on a 14-5 run to take a 58-49 lead before Wisconsin came back. They trailed by only one point three more times during the second half, but the go-ahead basket eluded them each and every time as UNC came up with the defensive stop and/or key basket. The game was put out of reach when Raymond Felton nailed a three-pointer with 1:09 left for an 81-75 lead, and Felton made six free throws in the next minute to keep UNC in the lead.



Austin Regional

At Frank Erwin Center , Austin

Semifinals

  • March 25

  • --- Michigan State (5) 78, Duke (1) 68

  • ---:The Spartans of Michigan State continued on to the Elite Eight by outplaying Duke in the second half and breaking a 32-32 halftime tie. Michigan State came out in the second half and secured the momentum in slowly, but surely, pulling away from Duke. The Spartans got out to a nine-point lead, allowed Duke to get within two, but then, scoring their last ten points of the game on free throws, moved on to the Elite Eight.

  • --- Kentucky (2) 62, Utah (6) 52

  • ---:After playing Kentucky well in the first half, only trailing by five at halftime, Utah ran out of steam. Utah's last chance to win the game came after Andrew Bogut missed a free throw with Utah down 38-35 with 12:17 to play. Kentucky gradually pulled away to meet Michigan State in the Elite Eight.



Final

  • March 27

  • --- Michigan State (5) 94, Kentucky (2) 88 (2 OT)

  • ---:With two of the three earlier Regional Finals going into overtime and the other not decided until the final minute, the Austin Regional was hard-pressed to outdo the other Regionals, but it happened in this double-overtime, controversial thriller. Kentucky started out well and led Michigan State by four at halftime, but Michigan State caught up in the second half, actually leading 70-62 with 5:43 to play, but Kentucky rallied back, cutting the lead to one when .



FINAL FOUR

At Edward Jones Dome , St. Louis

National Semifinals

  • April 2

  • --- Illinois (Chi 1) 72, Louisville (Alb 4) 57

  • :In the battle between Chicago Regional champion Illinois and Albuquerque Regional champion Louisville, fourth-seeded Louisville gave the overall top-seeded Fighting Illini all they could handle, trailing only by three at halftime, but Illinois used an early second-half run to pull away from the Cardinals and earn a bid in the championship game.

  • --- North Carolina (Syr 1) 87, Michigan State (Aus 5) 71

  • :In the battle between Syracuse Regional champion UNC and Austin Regional champion Michigan State, UNC used a 54-point second half to erase a five-point halftime deficit and down the Spartans, who were making their fourth appearance in the Final Four under coach Tom Izzo .



Championship Game

  • April 4

  • --- North Carolina (Syr 1) 75, Illinois (Chi 1) 70

  • :In an ideal battle of top-seeded tournament teams, UNC and Illinois engaged in a close battle during most of the first half before UNC went on a 13-2 run to close the half with a 40-27 halftime lead. Illinois came storming back to cut the lead to 49-45 by using four three-pointers, and when Roger Powell Jr. made a layup with 12 minutes to go, Illinois only trailed 52-50. Illinois stayed with UNC, closing to within one, 68-67, when Deron Williams sank a jumper, and tied the game, 70-70, when Luther Head made a three-pointer with three minutes to play. But Marvin Williams scored a tip-in off Rashad McCants ' miss, and Raymond Felton , who iced the game with critical free throws against Wisconsin in the Elite Eight, sank two free throws with ten seconds left for a 75-70 lead and the icing. When Head's desperation three-pointer was off, UNC had the national championship and a title for coach Roy Williams .



BRACKET

  • next to a score indicates that the game went to overtime; multiple stars indicate multiple overtimes.



Chicago Regional

  RD1-team01 '''Illinois'''
  RD1-score01 '''67'''
  RD1-team02 Fairleigh Dickinson
  RD1-score02 55
  RD1-team03 Texas
  RD1-score03 57
  RD1-team04 '''Nevada'''
  RD1-score04 '''61'''
  RD1-team05 Alabama
  RD1-score05 73
  RD1-team06 '''Wisconsin-Milwaukee'''
  RD1-score06 '''83'''
  RD1-team07 '''Boston College'''
  RD1-score07 '''85'''
  RD1-team08 Pennsylvania
  RD1-score08 65
  RD1-team09 LSU
  RD1-score09 68
  RD1-team10 '''UAB'''
  RD1-score10 '''82'''
  RD1-team11 '''Arizona'''
  RD1-score11 '''66'''
  RD1-team12 Utah State
  RD1-score12 53
  RD1-team13 '''Southern Illinois'''
  RD1-score13 '''65'''
  RD1-team14 St Mary's
  RD1-score14 56
  RD1-team15 '''Oklahoma State'''&nbsp
  RD1-score15 '''63'''
  RD1-team16 SE Louisiana
  RD1-score16 50
  RD2-seed01 '''1'''
  RD2-team01 '''Illinois'''
  RD2-score01 '''71'''
  RD2-seed02 9
  RD2-team02 Nevada
  RD2-score02 59
  RD2-seed03 '''12'''
  RD2-team03 '''Wisconsin-Milwaukee'''
  RD2-score03 '''83'''
  RD2-seed04 4
  RD2-team04 Boston College
  RD2-score04 75
  RD2-seed05 11
  RD2-team05 UAB
  RD2-score05 63
  RD2-seed06 '''3'''
  RD2-team06 '''Arizona'''
  RD2-score06 '''85'''
  RD2-seed07 7
  RD2-team07 Southern Illinois
  RD2-score07 77
  RD2-seed08 '''2'''
  RD2-team08 '''Oklahoma State'''&nbsp
  RD2-score08 '''85'''
  RD3-seed01 '''1'''
  RD3-team01 '''Illinois'''
  RD3-score01 '''77'''
  RD3-seed02 12
  RD3-team02 Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  RD3-score02 63
  RD3-seed03 '''3'''
  RD3-team03 '''Arizona'''
  RD3-score03 '''79'''
  RD3-seed04 2
  RD3-team04 Oklahoma State&nbsp
  RD3-score04 78
  RD4-seed01 '''1'''
  RD4-team01 '''Illinois'''&nbsp
  RD4-score01 '''90'''
  RD4-seed02 3
  RD4-team02 Arizona
  RD4-score02 89




Albuquerque Regional

  RD1-team01 '''Washington'''
  RD1-score01 '''88'''
  RD1-team02 Montana
  RD1-score02 77
  RD1-team03 '''Pacific'''
  RD1-score03 79
  RD1-team04 Pittsburgh
  RD1-score04 71
  RD1-team05 '''Georgia Tech'''&nbsp
  RD1-score05 '''80'''
  RD1-team06 George Washington
  RD1-score06 68
  RD1-team07 '''Louisville'''
  RD1-score07 '''68'''
  RD1-team08 Louisiana-Lafayette
  RD1-score08 62
  RD1-team09 '''Texas Tech'''
  RD1-score09 '''78'''
  RD1-team10 UCLA
  RD1-score10 66
  RD1-team11 '''Gonzaga'''
  RD1-score11 '''74'''
  RD1-team12 Winthrop
  RD1-score12 64
  RD1-team13 '''West Virginia'''
  RD1-score13 '''63'''
  RD1-team14 Creighton
  RD1-score14 61
  RD1-team15 '''Wake Forest'''
  RD1-score15 '''70'''
  RD1-team16 UT-Chattanooga
  RD1-score16 54
  RD2-seed01 '''1'''
  RD2-team01 '''Washington'''
  RD2-score01 '''97'''
  RD2-seed02 8
  RD2-team02 Pacific
  RD2-score02 79
  RD2-seed03 5
  RD2-team03 Georgia Tech
  RD2-score03 54
  RD2-seed04 '''4'''
  RD2-team04 '''Louisville'''
  RD2-score04 '''76'''
  RD2-seed05 '''6'''
  RD2-team05 '''Texas Tech'''
  RD2-score05 '''71'''
  RD2-seed06 3
  RD2-team06 Gonzaga
  RD2-score06 69
  RD2-seed07 '''7'''
  RD2-team07 '''West Virginia'''&nbsp
  RD2-score07 '''111'''
  RD2-seed08 '''2'''
  RD2-team08 Wake Forest
  RD2-score08 105
  RD3-seed01 1
  RD3-team01 Washington
  RD3-score01 79
  RD3-seed02 '''4'''
  RD3-team02 '''Louisville'''
  RD3-score02 '''93'''
  RD3-seed03 6
  RD3-team03 Texas Tech
  RD3-score03 60
  RD3-seed04 '''7'''
  RD3-team04 '''West Virginia'''&nbsp
  RD3-score04 '''65'''
  RD4-seed01 '''4'''
  RD4-team01 '''Louisville'''
  RD4-score01 '''93'''
  RD4-seed02 7
  RD4-team02 West Virginia&nbsp
  RD4-score02 85




Syracuse Regional

  RD1-team01 '''North Carolina'''
  RD1-score01 '''96'''
  RD1-team02 Oakland
  RD1-score02 68
  RD1-team03 Minnesota
  RD1-score03 53
  RD1-team04 '''Iowa State'''
  RD1-score04 '''64'''
  RD1-team05 '''Villanova'''
  RD1-score05 '''55'''
  RD1-team06 New Mexico
  RD1-score06 47
  RD1-team07 '''Florida'''
  RD1-score07 '''67'''
  RD1-team08 Ohio
  RD1-score08 62
  RD1-team09 '''Wisconsin'''
  RD1-score09 '''57'''
  RD1-team10 Northern Iowa
  RD1-score10 52
  RD1-team11 Kansas
  RD1-score11 63
  RD1-team12 '''Bucknell'''
  RD1-score12 '''64'''
  RD1-team13 Charlotte
  RD1-score13 63
  RD1-team14 '''NC State'''&nbsp
  RD1-score14 '''75'''
  RD1-team15 '''UConn'''
  RD1-score15 '''77'''
  RD1-team16 UCF
  RD1-score16 71
  RD2-seed01 '''1'''
  RD2-team01 '''North Carolina'''
  RD2-score01 '''92'''
  RD2-seed02 9
  RD2-team02 Iowa State
  RD2-score02 65
  RD2-seed03 '''5'''
  RD2-team03 '''Villanova'''
  RD2-score03 '''76'''
  RD2-seed04 4
  RD2-team04 Florida
  RD2-score04 65
  RD2-seed05 '''6'''
  RD2-team05 '''Wisconsin'''
  RD2-score05 '''71'''
  RD2-seed06 14
  RD2-team06 Bucknell
  RD2-score06 62
  RD2-seed07 '''10'''
  RD2-team07 '''NC State'''&nbsp
  RD2-score07 '''65'''
  RD2-seed08 2
  RD2-team08 UConn
  RD2-score08 62
  RD3-seed01 '''1'''
  RD3-team01 '''North Carolina'''
  RD3-score01 '''67'''
  RD3-seed02 5
  RD3-team02 Villanova
  RD3-score02 66
  RD3-seed03 '''6'''
  RD3-team03 '''Wisconsin'''
  RD3-score03 '''65'''
  RD3-seed04 10
  RD3-team04 NC State&nbsp
  RD3-score04 56
  RD4-seed01 '''1'''
  RD4-team01 '''North Carolina'''&nbsp
  RD4-score01 '''88'''
  RD4-seed02 6
  RD4-team02 Wisconsin
  RD4-score02 82




Austin Regional

  RD1-team01 '''Duke'''
  RD1-score01 '''57'''
  RD1-team02 Delaware State
  RD1-score02 46
  RD1-team03 Stanford
  RD1-score03 70
  RD1-team04 '''Mississippi State'''&nbsp
  RD1-score04 '''93'''
  RD1-team05 '''Michigan State'''
  RD1-score05 '''89'''
  RD1-team06 Old Dominion
  RD1-score06 81
  RD1-team07 Syracuse
  RD1-score07 57
  RD1-team08 '''Vermont'''
  RD1-score08 '''60'''
  RD1-team09 '''Utah'''
  RD1-score09 '''60'''
  RD1-team10 UTEP
  RD1-score10 54
  RD1-team11 '''Oklahoma'''
  RD1-score11 '''84'''
  RD1-team12 Niagara
  RD1-score12 67
  RD1-team13 '''Cincinnati'''
  RD1-score13 '''76'''
  RD1-team14 Iowa
  RD1-score14 64
  RD1-team15 '''Kentucky'''
  RD1-score15 '''72'''
  RD1-team16 Eastern Kentucky
  RD1-score16 64
  RD2-seed01 '''1'''
  RD2-team01 '''Duke'''
  RD2-score01 '''63'''
  RD2-seed02 9
  RD2-team02 Mississippi State&nbsp
  RD2-score02 55
  RD2-seed03 '''5'''
  RD2-team03 '''Michigan State'''&nbsp
  RD2-score03 '''72'''
  RD2-seed04 13
  RD2-team04 Vermont
  RD2-score04 61
  RD2-seed05 '''6'''
  RD2-team05 '''Utah'''
  RD2-score05 '''67'''
  RD2-seed06 3
  RD2-team06 Oklahoma
  RD2-score06 58
  RD2-seed07 7
  RD2-team07 Cincinnati
  RD2-score07 60
  RD2-seed08 '''2'''
  RD2-team08 '''Kentucky'''
  RD2-score08 '''69'''
  RD3-seed01 1
  RD3-team01 Duke
  RD3-score01 68
  RD3-seed02 '''5'''
  RD3-team02 '''Michigan State'''&nbsp
  RD3-score02 '''78'''
  RD3-seed03 6
  RD3-team03 Utah
  RD3-score03 52
  RD3-seed04 '''2'''
  RD3-team04 '''Kentucky'''
  RD3-score04 '''62'''
  RD4-seed01 '''5'''
  RD4-team01 '''Michigan State'''&nbsp
  RD4-score01 '''94'''
  RD4-seed02 2
  RD4-team02 Kentucky
  RD4-score02 88




Final Four

  RD2 National Championship
  RD1-seed1 '''C1'''
  RD1-team1 '''Illinois'''
  RD1-score1 '''72'''
  RD1-seed2 Al4
  RD1-team2 Louisville
  RD1-score2 57
  RD1-seed3 '''S1'''
  RD1-team3 '''North Carolina'''
  RD1-score3 '''87'''
  RD1-seed4 Au5
  RD1-team4 Michigan State
  RD1-score4 71
  RD2-seed1 C1
  RD2-team1 Illinois
  RD2-score1 70
  RD2-seed2 '''S1'''
  RD2-team2 '''North Carolina'''
  RD2-score2 '''75'''




SEE ALSO