Indiana Hoosiers Win NCAA Championship

On March 30, 1981, Indiana beats North Carolina 63-50 for the NCAA tournament championship.

Indiana, coached by Bob Knight, won the national title in the final game over North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith. Isiah Thomas of Indiana was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

A young Bobby Knight riding on the shoulders of his 1981 NCAA Champion Indiana Hoosiers team.

This was the last year the NCAA tournament in which the national third-place game would be played. The final third place game pitted up Virginia and LSU. Virginia would win in their first Final Four appearance.

The Indiana Hoosiers have amassed five NCAA Tournament Championships in 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981 and 1987. The Hoosiers have also finished NCAA Tournament runner-up once, in 2002. Indiana has reached the Final Four a total of eight times including once from every decade starting in the 70s through the 2000s. The Hoosiers have made the Elite Eight a total of 11 times, including back-to-back appearances in 1975-1976 and 1992-1993. Indiana has been to the Sweet 16 a total of 21 times, including four consecutive appearances from 1991-1994, and now back-to-back appearances from 2012 and 2013. The Hoosiers have been invited to 37 NCAA Tournaments, including 18-straight appearances from 1986-2003.

The Indiana Hoosiers have appeared in 95 NCAA Tournament games, good enough for seventh all-time behind only Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Duke and Louisville. Their record of 64-31 is the ninth best winning percentage, .673, of all time. But it is seventh among all teams with more than 13 NCAA Tournament games played. Their 64-wins in the NCAA Tournament is also tied for seventh all-time behind Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Duke and Louisville

Indiana missed out on the NCAA Tournament this year and will look to next season to add onto their historic legacy.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have amassed five NCAA Tournament Championships in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005 and 2009. The Tar Heels were the runner-up four times in 1946, 1968, 1977 and 1981. North Carolina has been in the Final Four a total of 18 times, including three consecutive appearances from 1967-1969. The Tar Heels have reached the Elite Eight 26 times, including three-consecutive times twice, in 1967-1969 and 2007-2009. North Carolina has played in the Sweet 16 a total of 31 times, including 13-straight years from 1981-1993. The Tar Heels have been invited to the NCAA Tournament a total of 45 times, including 27-consecutive years from 1975-2001.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have appeared in 153 NCAA Tournament games, well enough for second all-time behind only Kentucky. Their record of 110-43 is good enough for fourth all-time in winning percentage, .718, behind only Florida Gulf Coast, Duke and UCLA. However, they are third all-time with teams playing with more than three games. Their 110-wins in the NCAA Tournament is good enough for second most all-time behind only Kentucky’s 114.

North Carolina had to give up their dream of adding onto their five NCAA Tournament championships when they lost to Iowa State in the third round.

Marquette Golden Eagles Win The NCAA Championship

On March 28, 1977, the Marquette Golden Eagles won the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament.  They would defeat Dean Smith’s North Carolina Tar Heels by a score of 67-59 in the finals, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Al McGuire (left) with NCAA Men's Player of the Year Butch Lee (right).

The win gave the Golden Eagles their first ever men’s basketball title, and till this day it remains their only championship.  At the time, the tournament consisted of only 32 teams.  Marquette began the tournament in the Midwest Region and beat out Cincinnati, Kansas State and Wake Forest on their way to the Final Four.  They would then beat Charlotte in their semi-final match-up to earn a date with UNC in the finals.  Their point guard, Butch Lee, would be named the tournament’s MVP.

The 1977 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions, the Marquette Golden Eagles.

The NCAA Tournament Championship for the Marquette Golden Eagles was the schools only NCAA Tournament Championship. Although the school also has one tournament runner up in 1974.

The Golden Eagles reached the Final Four three times including 1974, 1977 and most recently 2003. They have reached the Elite Eight a total of six times, including back-to-back appearances in 1976 and 1977. The Golden Eagles reached the Sweet 16 a total of 16 times, including four straight appearances from 1971-1974, and are currently on a three-year streak with appearances in the Sweet 16 from 2011-2013. The Golden Eagles have reached NCAA Tournament play 31 times, including 10 consecutive trips from 1971-1980 and are currently on their second longest streak of eight consecutive appearances make the NCAA Tournament every year from 2006-2013.

The Golden Eagles have appeared in 30 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined tournament record is 38–31.

Marquette is the only university to spurn an NCAA invite and did so due to an unjustified low seeding and having to travel. They were ranked 8th in the country at the time and were one of the favorites to win the NCAA championship. They were invited to the NIT, which they won. Then NCAA was so incensed at being spurn by Marquette that they instituted an NCAA rule which forbid an NCAA Division I level men's basketball team from spurning an NCAA bid for an 1970 National Invitation Tournament bid. An antitrust case by the NIT ensued over this issue, and the NCAA caved and settled out of court. The basis of the case was an antitrust issue against the NCAA for forcing an NCAA Division I men's basketball team to accept an NCAA bid over a better NIT bid (home court advantage, opportunity to play more games, and finally an opportunity to win a National Invitation Tournament Championship.