# 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

The 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9, 1968, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Los Angeles, California. A total of 27 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.
UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won the national title with a 78–55 victory in the final game over North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith. Lew Alcindor of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second of three consecutive years. This UCLA team, composed of three All-Americans, Player of the Year Alcindor, Lucius Allen, and Mike Warren, along with dead eye pure shooter Lynn Shackleford (most of his shots would be 3 pointers today) and burly senior power forward Mike Lynn is considered to be one of the greatest teams in college basketball history.
The NCAA semi-final match between the Houston Cougars and UCLA Bruins was a re-match of the college basketball Game of the Century held in January at the Astrodome, in the Cougars' home city. The match was historic, the first nationally syndicated college basketball game and the first to play in a domed stadium before more than 52,000 fans. It was UCLA's only loss in two years, a two-pointer, to the then-#2 Houston, but with UCLA's dominating center Alcindor playing with an eye injury that limited his effectiveness after being hospitalized the week before. The loss broke a 47-game winning streak for UCLA. In the March NCAA Tournament Final 4, the Bruins at full strength avenged that loss with a 101–69 drubbing of that same Houston team, now ranked #1, in UCLA's home city at the Memorial Sports Arena. UCLA limited Houston's Elvin Hayes, who was averaging 37.7 points per game but was held to only 10. Bruins coach John Wooden credited his assistant, Jerry Norman, for devising the diamond-and-one defense that contained Hayes.

## Locations

| Round | Region | Site | Venue | Host |
| First Round | East | College Park, Maryland | Cole Field House | Maryland |
| First Round | East | Kingston, Rhode Island | Keaney Gymnasium | Rhode Island |
| First Round | Mideast | Kent, Ohio | Memorial Gymnasium | Kent State |
| First Round | Midwest & West | Salt Lake City, Utah | Nielsen Fieldhouse | Utah |
| Regionals | East | Raleigh, North Carolina | Reynolds Coliseum | North Carolina State |
| Regionals | Mideast | Lexington, Kentucky | Memorial Coliseum | Kentucky |
| Regionals | Midwest | Wichita, Kansas | WSU Field House | Wichita State |
| Regionals | West | Albuquerque, New Mexico | University Arena ("The Pit") | New Mexico |
| Final Four | Final Four | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Southern California |

## Teams

| Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
| East |||||||
| East | Boston College | Bob Cousy | Independent | First round | St. Bonaventure | L 102–93 |
| East | Columbia | John Rohan | Ivy League | Regional third place | St. Bonaventure | W 95–75 |
| East | Davidson | Lefty Driesell | Southern | Regional Runner-up | North Carolina | L 70–66 |
| East | La Salle | Jim Harding | Middle Atlantic | First round | Columbia | L 83–69 |
| East | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast | Runner Up | UCLA | L 78–55 |
| East | St. Bonaventure | Larry Weise | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Columbia | L 95–75 |
| East | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | First round | Davidson | L 79–70 |
| Mideast |||||||
| Mideast | Bowling Green | Bill Fitch | Mid-American | First round | Marquette | L 72–71 |
| Mideast | East Tennessee State | J. Madison Brooks | Ohio Valley | Regional Fourth Place | Marquette | L 69–57 |
| Mideast | Florida State | Hugh Durham | Independent | First round | East Tennessee State | L 79–69 |
| Mideast | Kentucky | Adolph Rupp | Southeastern | Regional Runner-up | Ohio State | L 82–81 |
| Mideast | Marquette | Al McGuire | Independent | Regional third place | East Tennessee State | W 69–57 |
| Mideast | Ohio State | Fred Taylor | Big Ten | Third Place | Houston | W 89–85 |
| Midwest |||||||
| Midwest | Houston | Guy Lewis | Independent | Fourth Place | Ohio State | L 89–85 |
| Midwest | Kansas State | Tex Winter | Big Eight | Regional Fourth Place | Louisville | L 93–63 |
| Midwest | Louisville | John Dromo | Missouri Valley | Regional third place | Kansas State | W 93–63 |
| Midwest | Loyola–Chicago | George Ireland | Independent | First round | Houston | L 94–76 |
| Midwest | TCU | Johnny Swaim | Southwest | Regional Runner-up | Houston | L 103–68 |
| West |||||||
| West | New Mexico | Bob King | Western Athletic | Regional Fourth Place | New Mexico State | L 62–58 |
| West | New Mexico State | Lou Henson | Independent | Regional third place | New Mexico | W 62–58 |
| West | Santa Clara | Dick Garibaldi | West Coast Athletic | Regional Runner-up | UCLA | L 87–66 |
| West | UCLA | John Wooden | AAWU | Champion | North Carolina | W 78–55 |
| West | Weber State | Dick Motta | Big Sky | First round | New Mexico State | L 68–57 |

## Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

### East region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| | | North Carolina | 91 | | |
| | | St. Bonaventure | 72 | | |
| St. Bonaventure | 102 | St. Bonaventure | 72 | | |
| Boston College | 93 | | | | |
| Boston College | 93 | | | North Carolina | 70 |
| | | | | Davidson | 66 |
| Davidson | 79 | | | | | Davidson | 66 |
| St. John's | 70 | | | | |
| St. John's | 70 | Davidson | 61 | | |
| | | Columbia | 59* | | |
| Columbia | 83 | Columbia | 59* | | |
| La Salle | 69 | | | | |

### Mideast region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| | | Ohio State | 79 | | |
| | | East Tennessee State | 72 | | |
| East Tennessee State | 79 | East Tennessee State | 72 | | |
| Florida State | 69 | | | | |
| Florida State | 69 | | | Ohio State | 82 |
| | | | | Kentucky | 81 |
| | | Kentucky | 107 | | |
| | | Marquette | 89 | | |
| Marquette | 72 | Marquette | 89 | | |
| Bowling Green | 71 | | | | |

### Midwest region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| | | TCU | 77 | | |
| | | Kansas State | 72 | | |
| | | | | TCU | 68 |
| | | | | Houston | 103 |
| | | Louisville | 75 | | |
| | | Houston | 91 | | |
| Houston | 94 | Houston | 91 | | |
| Loyola–Chicago | 76 | | | | |

### West region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| | | Santa Clara | 86 | | |
| | | New Mexico | 73 | | |
| | | | | Santa Clara | 66 |
| | | | | UCLA | 87 |
| | | UCLA | 58 | | |
| | | New Mexico State | 49 | | |
| New Mexico State | 68 | New Mexico State | 49 | | |
| Weber State | 57 | | | | |

### Final Four

| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Championship Game | National Championship Game | National Championship Game |
| E | North Carolina | 80 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 66 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 66 | E | North Carolina | 55 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 78 |
| MW | Houston | 69 | W | UCLA | 78 |
| W | UCLA | 101 | | | |

### National third-place game

| National third-place game | National third-place game | National third-place game |
| ME | Ohio State | 89 |
| MW | Houston | 85 |

### Regional third-place games

| East Regional third place | East Regional third place | East Regional third place |
| Columbia | Columbia | 95 |
| St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure | 75 |
| Mideast Regional third place | Mideast Regional third place | Mideast Regional third place |
| Marquette | Marquette | 69 |
| East Tennessee State | East Tennessee State | 57 |
| Midwest Regional third place | Midwest Regional third place | Midwest Regional third place |
| Louisville | Louisville | 93 |
| Kansas State | Kansas State | 63 |
| West Regional third place | West Regional third place | West Regional third place |
| New Mexico State | New Mexico State | 62 |
| New Mexico | New Mexico | 58 |