2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was the 67th edition of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, featuring 65 teams from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and organized by the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Committee. The tournament began on March 17, 2005, and concluded with the Championship Game on April 4, 2005, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament was broadcast by CBS Sports and ESPN, with Jim Nantz, Billy Packer, and Clark Kellogg serving as commentators. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Tar Heels team, led by Roy Williams, won the championship title, defeating the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Fighting Illini team, led by Bruce Weber, in the final game.

● Overview

The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament featured a single-elimination format, with teams competing in a bracket of 65 teams, including 31 automatic qualifiers and 34 at-large bids. The tournament was organized into four regions: Chicago Regional, Albuquerque Regional, Syracuse Regional, and Austin Regional. The top four teams in each region were seeded 1 through 4, while the remaining teams were seeded 5 through 16. The tournament included notable teams such as the University of Kentucky Wildcats, University of Louisville Cardinals, University of Michigan Wolverines, and University of Arizona Wildcats. The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) were also held concurrently with the NCAA tournament.

● Qualifying Teams

A total of 65 teams qualified for the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, including 31 automatic qualifiers from the America East Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Conference USA (C-USA), Horizon League, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), Northeast Conference (NEC), Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), Pac-10 Conference, Patriot League, Southeastern Conference (SEC), Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), The Summit League, Sun Belt Conference, West Coast Conference (WCC), and Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The remaining 34 teams received at-large bids, including the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns, University of Oklahoma Sooners, and University of Connecticut Huskies.

● Tournament Bracket

The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bracket featured several notable matchups, including the University of Duke Blue Devils versus the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens and the University of Gonzaga Bulldogs versus the University of Winthrop Eagles. The tournament also included several upsets, such as the University of Milwaukee Panthers defeating the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels defeating the University of Georgia Bulldogs. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini emerged as the top two teams in the tournament, advancing to the Championship Game.

● Regional Finals

The regional finals of the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament featured four games, with the winners advancing to the Final Four. The Chicago Regional final was played between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini and the University of Arizona Wildcats, with the Fighting Illini winning 90-89 in overtime. The Albuquerque Regional final was played between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the University of West Virginia Mountaineers, with the Cardinals winning 93-85 in overtime. The Syracuse Regional final was played between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers, with the Tar Heels winning 88-82. The Austin Regional final was played between the University of Michigan State Spartans and the University of Kentucky Wildcats, with the Spartans winning 94-88 in double overtime.

● Final Four

The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four was held at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri, featuring the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini, the University of Louisville Cardinals, and the University of Michigan State Spartans. The National Semifinals were played on April 2, 2005, with the Tar Heels defeating the Spartans 87-71 and the Fighting Illini defeating the Cardinals 72-57. The winners advanced to the Championship Game, which was played on April 4, 2005.

● Championship Game

The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game was played between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fighting Illini at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Tar Heels, led by Roy Williams, won the championship title, defeating the Fighting Illini 75-70. The Most Outstanding Player award was given to Sean May, a forward for the Tar Heels. The championship marked the fourth NCAA title for the Tar Heels and the first for Roy Williams as a head coach. The game was broadcast by CBS Sports and watched by a large audience, including fans of the University of Kansas Jayhawks, University of UCLA Bruins, and University of Indiana Hoosiers.

Category:2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament