The Final Four consisted of top seed Illinois, in their first Final Four appearance since 1989, Louisville, making their first appearance since winning the national championship in 1986, North Carolina, reaching their first Final Four since their 2000 Cinderella run, and Michigan State, back in the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
North Carolina emerged as the national champion for a fourth time, defeating Illinois in the final 75–70.[1] North Carolina's Sean May was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.[1] It was coach Roy Williams's first national championship.[1]
For the first time since 1999, when Weber State defeated North Carolina, a #14 seed defeated a #3 seed when Bucknell upset Kansas.[2] A #13 seed, Vermont, advanced by defeating Syracuse in the first round[3] and a #12 seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the Chicago region.[4][5]
A total of 65 teams entered the tournament, thirty having 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 play an opening-round game, popularly called the "play-in game," the winner of which advances to the main draw of the tournament and plays a top seed in one of the regionals. Since its inception in 2001, this game has been played at the University of Dayton ArenainDayton, Ohio.
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 2005 regionals, along with their top seeds, are listed below.
Chicago Regional (top seed: Illinois; top overall seed)
The following teams were automatic qualifiers for the 2005 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament (except for the Ivy League, whose regular-season champion received the automatic bid).
Boston College steamrolled Ivy League champion Penn with a balanced attack, getting 18 points from Jared Dudley, 15 points from Craig Smith, and 14 points from Sean Marshall.[11]
Pacific nearly squandered a 15-point lead, letting Pittsburgh get within 5, but hung on to advance behind 17 from Christian Maraker and 15 from Mike Webb.[17]
The Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech easily defeated George Washington, using a balanced attack of Jarrett Jack (20 points), Will Bynum (17 points), and B. J. Elder (15 points).[18]
Louisville broke a tie with 3:43 left and defeated the Ragin' Cajuns behind 27 points from Francisco García, who went 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the last 1:57.[19]
With the game tied 61–61 with under five seconds left, West Virginia's Tyrone Sally blocked Nate Funk's three-point attempt and then dunked off the fast break with 2.9 seconds to play to send the Mountaineers to the second round.[22]
North Carolina crushed play-in winner Oakland, racing out to a 59–33 halftime lead. Marvin Williams scored 20, Sean May scored 19, and Rashad McCants added 15. Cortney Scott led all scorers with 21 for Oakland and Rawle Marshall added 16.[24]
Iowa State used a 10-point halftime lead and a balanced attack to win, with Curtis Stinson scoring 18, with Rahshon Clark and Jared Homan scoring 14 apiece.[25]
Villanova's stifling defense, which limited New Mexico to eleven first-half points due to New Mexico's missing many open looks, vanished in the second half. Mike Nardi scored 15 and Randy Foye had 14.[26]
Florida got out to a 20-point lead, but had to hang on for the victory over the Mid-American champion Ohio. Matt Walsh scored 18 and Al Horford added 14.[27]
Patriot League champion Bucknell pulled off the stunner of the tournament, edging Kansas when Chris McNaughton scored on a bank shot with 10.5 seconds left, followed by Kansas' Wayne Simien missing an open 15-footer as time expired. This completely unexpected act earned Bucknell University an ESPY award for Greatest Upset.[2]
N.C. State fell into a 14-point hole just five minutes into the game, but closed the game on a 16–4 burst to win. Julius Hodge scored 19 for the Wolfpack, and Andrew Brackman added 16.[29]
The defending champion Connecticut Huskies survived a scare from Atlantic Sun champion Central Florida, who trimmed a 19-point deficit down to four. Charlie Villanueva scored 22 to lead UConn and Rudy Gay chipped in 17.[30]
After a 1-point lead at halftime, Mississippi State pulled away from Stanford with a strong second half, led by Lawrence Roberts' 23 points and Winsome Frazier's 20.[32]
The Spartans of Michigan State rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to beat Old Dominion. Alan Anderson had 15 for Michigan State, Paul Davis added 14, and both Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager had 13 apiece.[33]
The Catamounts of Vermont upset Syracuse with an overtime victory. Vermont prevented point guard Gerry McNamara and senior forward Hakim Warrick from having big days. With 10 seconds left in a tie game, Germian Mopa Njila drove to the baseline and scored, but was ruled out of bounds because he stepped on the baseline. In overtime Njila (team lead 20 points) scored a three-pointer with two minutes left to put Vermont ahead. Then 48 seconds later after a steal by Njila, T. J. Sorrentine (17 points) scored a deep three-pointer to put them up by 4 with just over a minute remaining, to essentially seal the victory. This was the first-ever NCAA Tournament win for the University of Vermont.[3]
A large number of UTEP fans made the trip from El Paso to Tucson to support their team; however, Utah won the game, advancing to the second round. Andrew Bogut scored 24 to lead Utah.[34]
Cincinnati's first-round victory over Iowa saw Jason Maxiell score 22 points, including the first two three-pointers of his college career. James White added 15 for Cincinnati.[36]
The higher-seeded Kentucky team prevailed in this intrastate matchup (the schools are separated by only 30 miles), with Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes both scoring 16.[37]
Illinois used a balanced attack of James Augustine, who had 23, Deron Williams, who had 15, and Luther Head, who had 14, to defeat the Wolf Pack and advance to the Sweet 16.
The Panthers made a surprise appearance in the Sweet Sixteen just two days after knocking off SEC contender Alabama. Joah Tucker and Ed McCants continued their strong tournament play, scoring 23 and 18, respectively. Adrian Tigert added 16.
Arizona refused to be upset the same way Kentucky was last year against UAB in the second round, coming out strong and opening it up in the second half. Salim Stoudamire scored 20 and Hassan Adams added 16.
Ivan McFarlin again powered Oklahoma State to the win, scoring 31 and igniting a 10–2 run that help the Cowboys pull away from the Salukis, who had a seven-point halftime lead.
Louisville played strong defense in eliminating the defending runner-up Yellow Jackets. Francisco García scored 21, Larry O'Bannon 16, and Taquan Dean 14.
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 including 19 in the overtime periods, with Tyrone Sally, the hero of the first-round victory over Creighton, scoring 21, and D'or Fischer scoring 15 off the bench.
Villanova secured their first berth in the Sweet Sixteen since 1988 as they got 21 bench points from Jason Fraser, 18 from Randy Foye, and 15 from Kyle Lowry.
Wisconsin ended the brief Cinderella run of Bucknell, which stunned Kansas in the first round. Mike Wilkinson scored 23 for Wisconsin, with Alando Tucker scoring 17 and Zach Morley adding 15.
The tenth-seeded Wolfpack of N.C. State pulled the upset, knocking the defending champions out in the second round. Julius Hodge scored 17 for the Wolfpack including the game-winning layup and ensuing free throw, while Cameron Bennerman scored 15.
Duke struggled again, but still managed to knock off the Bulldogs and advance to the Sweet 16. Daniel Ewing led Duke with 22 and JJ Redick added 16.[38]
The Spartans of Michigan State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Maurice Ager scored 19 for Michigan State, with Kelvin Torbert adding 14 off the bench.[39]
Utah advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over the Sooners of Oklahoma. Justin Hawkins scored 20 for Utah, while Marc Jackson scored 17, and Bryant Markson scored 16.[40]
Kentucky moved on to the Sweet Sixteen behind 17 points from Kelenna Azubuike, and 16 from Rajon Rondo. Three other Wildcats scored in double figures.[41]
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. 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 Milwaukee never recovered, never getting closer than seven points for the rest of the game. Following this impressive run, Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl accepted a job as the head basketball coach at the University of Tennessee.
In the other and more climactic Midwest Regional semifinal, Arizona squeaked by Oklahoma State when Salim Stoudamire canned a jumper with 2.8 seconds remaining. The game had been back-and-forth all night long, with Arizona leading by three at halftime but then letting up, allowing Oklahoma State to take a five-point lead at 72–67 with 4:29 remaining. Arizona and Oklahoma State then traded baskets, and Stoudamire sliced the Oklahoma State lead to 76–75 with 1:58 left on a three-pointer. After Joey Graham put Oklahoma State back up by one with eighteen seconds to play, Stoudamire nailed his game-winner to send Arizona to the Regional Finals.
In one of the most thrilling NCAA basketball games ever, 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 only four minutes left in the second half. 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 in regulation. 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.
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 García, 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.
Seventh-seeded West Virginia continued to roll onto the Regional Finals, 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.
In another Regional Final overtime game (and a preview of a future Big East rivalry), West Virginia opened up the game at a blistering pace, using five three-pointers to jump out to a 19–5 lead. When Joe 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.
In a tight Sweet Sixteen contest, the top-seeded Tar Heels barely made it to the Regional Finals. The entire game was officiated closely—the first television timeout came after Villanova garnered its fifth personal foul, and two fouls led to the disqualification from the game of North Carolina star Raymond Felton with under five minutes left. 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. With eleven seconds left Allan Ray drove the lane, received contact as he made a basket, but was called for a travel on the play. On the ensuing possession, Villanova immediately fouled. Rashad McCants then made a free throw to seal the North Carolina victory.
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 lead 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, denying them a matchup with their most hated rival for a trip to St. Louis.
The third regional final matched up the top seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and the sixth seeded Badgers from Wisconsin. The Tar Heels started off hot in this one as Sean May and Rashad McCants scored at will. When point guard Raymond Felton garnered his second foul, head coach Roy Williams decided to pull him to prevent further foul trouble. Up 11 at the time, it seemed to be the right move. Wisconsin would prove Williams wrong as they finished the half on an 11–0 run, tying the game at 44 heading into the half. The Tar Heels struggled to start the second half as hot as the first and trailed for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Sparked by May's 29 points and 11 boards and Felton's clutch free throws, they outlasted the Badgers and won the game by six in regulation.
The Spartans of Michigan State continued on to the Regional Finals 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 Regional Finals.
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 Regional Finals.
In this double-overtime 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. Kentucky rallied back, however, cutting the lead to one when Kelenna Azubuike drained a three with 1:19 to play. After Patrick Sparks missed the front end of a one-and-one with 41 seconds to play, Michigan State's Shannon Brown appeared to ice the game with two free throws with 20 seconds to play. But with time expiring, Sparks put up a prayer from three, and the ball bounced around the rim four times before falling in. After the referees spent nearly ten minutes reviewing the play, they upheld that Sparks' shot was a three pointer, sending the game into overtime. In the first overtime, neither team relented, and Brown hit a key three-point basket for Michigan State to keep them in the game. Kentucky's Azubuike missed a three as time expired to send the game into double overtime. In the second overtime, Michigan State's mettle finally won the game for them, as they scored 11 of their 13 points from the free throw line to finally seal the game and send them to the Final Four for the fourth time under coach Tom Izzo.
In a packed Edwards Jones Dome, the battle between Chicago Regional Champions Illinois and Albuquerque Regional Champions Louisville took place. Although nearly three-fourths of the crowd were Illini fans, the fourth-seeded Louisville Cardinals were not fazed and 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 national championship game.
In the battle between Syracuse Regional Champions North Carolina and Austin Regional Champions Michigan State, North Carolina 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.
North Carolina was looking for its 4th National Championship, while Illinois was playing in its first. It was a tight contest for much of the first half before an 8–0 run by North Carolina allowed them to take a 35–25 lead. Eventually they would take a 40–27 lead into halftime. North Carolina increased its lead to 15 at one point in the second half. But Illinois began a furious charge: at one point, they would hit seven consecutive shots from the floor to turn a fifteen-point lead back to four. Unfazed, North Carolina would push the lead back up to ten before a 10–0 run by the Illini tied the game at 65-65. Illinois would tie the game at 70–70 on a three by Luther Head. But North Carolina would fight back as freshman Marvin Williams tapped back a Rashad McCants missed shot to put North Carolina back in front. Illinois would get several cracks to take the lead but were unable to convert. Eventually, Raymond Felton was able to steal the ball from Head, forcing Deron Williams to foul. However, Felton converted on 1 of 2 free throws, giving Illinois one last chance. But Luther Head's three pointer bounced high and out. Eventually it went into the hands of Felton who this time connected on both free throws to give North Carolina a 75–70 victory. For North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, it was his first national championship. Illinois was denied a chance to set the NCAA record for most wins in a season, instead tying it at 37. Sean May scored 26 points as he took the MOP of the Final Four.
CBS Sports carried the remaining 63 games. They were carried on a regional basis until the Elite Eight, at which point all games were shown nationally.
Jim Nantz and Billy Packer – First & Second Round at Charlotte, North Carolina; Austin Regional at Austin, Texas; Final Four at St. Louis, Missouri
Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas – First & Second Round at Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago Regional at Chicago, Illinois
Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery – First & Second Round at Nashville, Tennessee; Syracuse Regional at Syracuse, New York
Gus Johnson and Len Elmore – First & Second Round at Worcester, Massachusetts; Albuquerque Regional at Albuquerque, New Mexico
