# 1984 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1984 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle. A total of 52 games were played. This was the last tournament in which some teams earned first-round byes as the field expanded to 64 teams beginning in the 1985 tournament when each team played in the first round. It was also the second year with a preliminary round; preliminary games would not be played again until 2001.
Georgetown, coached by John Thompson, won the national title with an 84–75 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis. Patrick Ewing of Georgetown was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Thompson became the first African-American head coach to lead his team to any NCAA Division I title.
Georgetown reached the Final Four for the third time in school history and second time in three years to face Kentucky, a team that had never lost a national semifinal game and was led by the "Twin Towers", Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin. Bowie and Turpin managed to get Ewing into foul trouble early, and with him on the bench and Reggie Williams shooting only 1-for-7 (14.3%) from the field during the game, the Wildcats raced out to a 27–15 lead with 3:06 left in the first half. After that, however, the Hoyas made a defensive stand still unequalled in college basketball: Kentucky scored only two more points in the first half; the Wildcats also did not score in the first 9 minutes 55 seconds of the second half, missing their first 12 shots and after that shooting 3-for-21 (14.3%) during the remainder of the game. Overall, Kentucky shot 3-for-33 (9.1 percent) from the field during the second half. Although he played for only 17 minutes and suffered a season-ending foot injury in the second half, Gene Smith had one of the best defensive games of his career. Bowie and Turpin finished the game a combined 5-for-21, Wingate scored 12 points and held Kentucky's Jim Master to 2-for-7 (28.6%) shooting from the field, Michael Jackson scored 12 points and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, and Georgetown won 53–40 to advance to the national final for the third time in school history and second time in three years.
In the first national semifinal, Houston, playing in its third consecutive Final Four, edged Virginia, which reached the Final Four as a No. 7 seed in the East region, 49–47. The Cavaliers reached the national semifinals despite the graduation of four-time All-American Ralph Sampson the previous season. Coincidentally, Houston's All-America center, Akeem Olajuwon, would soon become Sampson's teammate with the Houston Rockets.
In the NCAA final, Georgetown faced Houston on April 2. Reggie Williams demonstrated his true potential for the first time, putting in a strong defensive performance and shooting 9-for-18 (50.0%) from the field with 19 points and seven rebounds in the game, while David Wingate scored 16 points and Ewing managed 10 points and nine rebounds. Jackson scored 11 points and had six assists, two of which set up Ewing and Michael Graham for decisive baskets late in the game. The game was decided well before the final whistle, and the Hoyas won the school's first national championship 84–75. Late in the game, with Georgetown enjoying a comfortable lead, Thompson began to pull starters out and give bench players some time on the court; the game's enduring image came when senior guard Fred Brown came out of the game. Two years earlier, Brown had mistakenly passed the ball to North Carolina's James Worthy in the last seconds of the 1982 championship game, ruining Georgetown's chances for a final game-winning shot and allowing North Carolina to take the national championship, and cameras had captured Thompson consoling a devastated Brown with a hug as the Tar Heels celebrated. As Brown left the 1984 championship game, cameras caught Brown and Thompson again embracing on the sideline, this time to celebrate a victory.

## Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1984 tournament, and their host(s):
Opening Round
* March 13
** East/West Regions
*** Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Temple University)
** Mideast/Midwest Regions
*** University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
First/Second Rounds
* March 15 and 17
** East Region
*** Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
** Mideast Region
*** BJCC Coliseum, Birmingham, Alabama (Host: Southeastern Conference)
** Midwest Region
*** Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee (Host: Memphis State University)
** West Region
*** Special Events Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah)
* March 16 and 18
** East Region
*** Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey (Host: Seton Hall University)
** Mideast Region
*** MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Hosts: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University)
** Midwest Region
*** Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, Nebraska (Host: University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
** West Region
*** Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Washington (Host: Washington State University)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight)
* March 22 and 24
** East Regional, Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Tech)
** Mideast Regional, Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky)
* March 23 and 25
** Midwest Regional, St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)
** West Regional, Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: UCLA)
National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)
* March 31 and April 2
** Kingdome, Seattle, Washington (Host: University of Washington)

## Teams

| Region | Seed | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
| East ||||||||
| East | 1 | North Carolina | Dean Smith | ACC | Sweet Sixteen | 4 Indiana | L 72–68 |
| East | 2 | Arkansas | Eddie Sutton | Southwest | Round of 32 | 7 Virginia | L 53–51 |
| East | 3 | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim | Big East | Sweet Sixteen | 7 Virginia | L 63–55 |
| East | 4 | Indiana | Bob Knight | Big Ten | Regional Runner-up | 7 Virginia | L 50–48 |
| East | 5 | Auburn | Sonny Smith | SEC | Round of 48 | 12 Richmond | L 72–71 |
| East | 6 | VCU | J. D. Barnett | Sun Belt | Round of 32 | 3 Syracuse | L 78–63 |
| East | 7 | Virginia | Terry Holland | ACC | National semifinals | 2 Houston | L 49–47 |
| East | 8 | Temple | John Chaney | Atlantic 10 | Round of 32 | 1 North Carolina | L 77–66 |
| East | 9 | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Big East | Round of 48 | 8 Temple | L 65–63 |
| East | 10 | Iona | Pat Kennedy | MAAC | Round of 48 | 7 Virginia | L 58–57 |
| East | 11 | Long Island | Paul Lizzo | ECAC Metro | Preliminary Round | 11 Northeastern | L 90–87 |
| East | 11 | Northeastern | Jim Calhoun | ECAC North | Round of 48 | 6 VCU | L 70–69 |
| East | 12 | Richmond | Dick Tarrant | ECAC South | Round of 32 | 4 Indiana | L 75–67 |
| East | 12 | Rider | John Carpenter | East Coast | Preliminary Round | 12 Richmond | L 89–65 |
| Mideast ||||||||
| Mideast | 1 | Kentucky | Joe B. Hall | SEC | National semifinals | 1 Georgetown | L 53–40 |
| Mideast | 2 | Illinois | Lou Henson | Big Ten | Regional Runner-up | 1 Kentucky | L 54–51 |
| Mideast | 3 | Maryland | Lefty Driesell | ACC | Sweet Sixteen | 2 Illinois | L 72–70 |
| Mideast | 4 | Tulsa | Nolan Richardson | Missouri Valley | Round of 32 | 5 Louisville | L 69–67 |
| Mideast | 5 | Louisville | Denny Crum | Metro | Sweet Sixteen | 1 Kentucky | L 72–67 |
| Mideast | 6 | Oregon State | Ralph Miller | Pacific-10 | Round of 48 | 11 West Virginia | L 64–62 |
| Mideast | 7 | Villanova | Rollie Massimino | Big East | Round of 32 | 2 Illinois | L 64–56 |
| Mideast | 8 | BYU | LaDell Andersen | WAC | Round of 32 | 1 Kentucky | L 93–68 |
| Mideast | 9 | UAB | Gene Bartow | Sun Belt | Round of 48 | 8 BYU | L 84–68 |
| Mideast | 10 | Marshall | Rick Huckabay | Southern | Round of 48 | 7 Villanova | L 84–72 |
| Mideast | 11 | West Virginia | Gale Catlett | Atlantic 10 | Round of 32 | 3 Maryland | L 102–77 |
| Mideast | 12 | Morehead State | Wayne Martin | Ohio Valley | Round of 48 | 5 Louisville | L 72–59 |
| Mideast | 12 | North Carolina A&T | Don Corbett | MEAC | Preliminary Round | 12 Morehead State | L 70–69 |
| Midwest ||||||||
| Midwest | 1 | DePaul | Ray Meyer | Independent | Sweet Sixteen | 4 Wake Forest | L 73–71 |
| Midwest | 2 | Houston | Guy Lewis | Southwest | Runner Up | 1 Georgetown | L 84–75 |
| Midwest | 3 | Purdue | Gene Keady | Big Ten | Round of 32 | 6 Memphis State | L 66–48 |
| Midwest | 4 | Wake Forest | Carl Tacy | ACC | Regional Runner-up | 2 Houston | L 68–63 |
| Midwest | 5 | Kansas | Larry Brown | Big Eight | Round of 32 | 4 Wake Forest | L 69–59 |
| Midwest | 6 | Memphis State (Vacated) | Dana Kirk | Metro | Sweet Sixteen | 2 Houston | L 78–71 |
| Midwest | 7 | Fresno State | Boyd Grant | Pacific Coast | Round of 48 | 10 Louisiana Tech | L 66–56 |
| Midwest | 8 | Illinois State | Bob Donewald | Missouri Valley | Round of 32 | 1 DePaul | L 75–61 |
| Midwest | 9 | Alabama | Wimp Sanderson | SEC | Round of 48 | 8 Illinois State | L 49–48 |
| Midwest | 10 | Louisiana Tech | Andy Russo | Southland | Round of 32 | 2 Houston | L 77–69 |
| Midwest | 11 | Oral Roberts | Dick Acres | Midwestern City | Round of 48 | 6 Memphis State | L 92–83 |
| Midwest | 12 | Alcorn State | Davey Whitney | SWAC | Round of 48 | 5 Kansas | L 57–56 |
| Midwest | 12 | Houston Baptist | Gene Iba | Trans America | Preliminary Round | 12 Alcorn State | L 79–60 |
| West ||||||||
| West | 1 | Georgetown | John Thompson | Big East | Champion | 2 Houston | W 84–75 |
| West | 2 | Oklahoma | Billy Tubbs | Big Eight | Round of 32 | 10 Dayton | L 89–85 |
| West | 3 | Duke | Mike Krzyzewski | ACC | Round of 32 | 6 Washington | L 80–78 |
| West | 4 | UTEP | Don Haskins | WAC | Round of 32 | 5 UNLV | L 73–60 |
| West | 5 | UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian | Pacific Coast | Sweet Sixteen | 1 Georgetown | L 62–48 |
| West | 6 | Washington | Marv Harshman | Pacific-10 | Sweet Sixteen | 10 Dayton | L 64–58 |
| West | 7 | LSU | Dale Brown | SEC | Round of 48 | 10 Dayton | L 74–66 |
| West | 8 | Miami (OH) | Darrell Hedric | MAC | Round of 48 | 9 SMU | L 83–69 |
| West | 9 | SMU | Dave Bliss | Southwest | Round of 32 | 1 Georgetown | L 37–36 |
| West | 10 | Dayton | Don Donoher | Independent | Regional Runner-up | 1 Georgetown | L 61–49 |
| West | 11 | Nevada | Sonny Allen | Big Sky | Round of 48 | 6 Washington | L 64–54 |
| West | 12 | Princeton | Pete Carril | Ivy League | Round of 48 | 5 UNLV | L 68–56 |
| West | 12 | San Diego | Jim Brovelli | West Coast | Preliminary Round | 12 Princeton | L 65–56 |

## Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

### Preliminary round

| East #11 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | East #11 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | East #11 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 11 | Northeastern | 90 |
| 11 | Long Island | 87 |
| East #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | East #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | East #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 12 | Richmond | 89 |
| 12 | Rider | 65 |
| Mideast #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio | Mideast #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio | Mideast #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio |
| 12 | Morehead State | 70 |
| 12 | North Carolina A&T | 69 |
| Midwest #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio | Midwest #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio | Midwest #12 Seed – Dayton, Ohio |
| 12 | Alcorn State | 79 |
| 12 | Houston Baptist | 60 |
| West #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | West #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | West #12 Seed – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| 12 | Princeton | 65 |
| 12 | San Diego | 56 |

### East Regional – Atlanta, Georgia

| First round | First round | First round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals |
| 8 | Temple | 65 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | St. John's | 63 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | St. John's | 63 | 8 | Temple | 66 | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | North Carolina | 77 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | North Carolina | 68 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Indiana | 72 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Indiana | 75 | | | | | | |
| | | | 12 | Richmond | 67 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Auburn | 71 | 12 | Richmond | 67 | | | | | | |
| 12 | Richmond | 72 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Richmond | 72 | | | | | | | 4 | Indiana | 48 |
| | | | | | | | | | 7 | Virginia | 50 |
| 6 | VCU | 70 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Virginia | 50 |
| 11 | Northeastern | 69 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Northeastern | 69 | 6 | VCU | 63 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Syracuse | 78 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Syracuse | 55 | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Virginia | 63 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Arkansas | 51* | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Virginia | 53 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Virginia | 58 | 7 | Virginia | 53 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Iona | 57 | | | | | | | | | |

### Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri

| First round | First round | First round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals |
| 8 | Illinois State | 49 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Alabama | 48 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Alabama | 48 | 8 | Illinois State | 61 | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | DePaul | 75 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | DePaul | 71* | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Wake Forest | 73 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Wake Forest | 69 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Kansas | 59 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Kansas | 57 | 5 | Kansas | 59 | | | | | | |
| 12 | Alcorn State | 56 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Alcorn State | 56 | | | | | | | 4 | Wake Forest | 63 |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Houston | 68 |
| 6 | Memphis State# | 92 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Houston | 68 |
| 11 | Oral Roberts | 83 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Oral Roberts | 83 | 6 | Memphis State# | 66 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Purdue | 48 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Memphis State# | 71 | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Houston | 78 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Houston | 77 | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Louisiana Tech | 70 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Fresno State | 56 | 10 | Louisiana Tech | 70 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Louisiana Tech | 66 | | | | | | | | | |
# - Memphis State was forced to vacate its NCAA tournament appearance after a massive gambling scandal and criminal investigation into head coach Dana Kirk. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Memphis removing the wins from its own record.

### Mideast Regional – Lexington, Kentucky

| First round | First round | First round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals |
| 8 | BYU | 84 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | UAB | 68 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | UAB | 68 | 8 | BYU | 68 | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Kentucky | 93 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | Kentucky | 72 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | Louisville | 67 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Tulsa | 67 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Louisville | 69 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Louisville | 72 | 5 | Louisville | 69 | | | | | | |
| 12 | Morehead State | 59 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Morehead State | 59 | | | | | | | 1 | Kentucky | 54 |
| | | | | | | | | | 2 | Illinois | 51 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 62 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Illinois | 51 |
| 11 | West Virginia | 64 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | West Virginia | 64 | 11 | West Virginia | 77 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Maryland | 102 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Maryland | 70 | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Illinois | 72 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Illinois | 64 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Villanova | 56 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Villanova | 84 | 7 | Villanova | 56 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Marshall | 72 | | | | | | | | | |

### West Regional – Los Angeles

| First round | First round | First round | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional semifinals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals | Regional Finals |
| 8 | Miami (OH) | 69 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | SMU | 83 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | SMU | 83 | 9 | SMU | 36 | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Georgetown | 37 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | Georgetown | 62 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | UNLV | 48 | | | |
| | | | 4 | UTEP | 60 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | UNLV | 73 | | | | | | |
| 5 | UNLV | 68 | 5 | UNLV | 73 | | | | | | |
| 12 | Princeton | 56 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Princeton | 56 | | | | | | | 1 | Georgetown | 61 |
| | | | | | | | | | 10 | Dayton | 49 |
| 6 | Washington | 64 | | | | | | | | | | 10 | Dayton | 49 |
| 11 | Nevada | 54 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Nevada | 54 | 6 | Washington | 80 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Duke | 78 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Washington | 58 | | | |
| | | | | | | 10 | Dayton | 64 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Oklahoma | 85 | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Dayton | 89 | | | | | | |
| 7 | LSU | 66 | 10 | Dayton | 89 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Dayton | 74 | | | | | | | | | |

### Final Four

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National Championship Game | National Championship Game | National Championship Game |
| E7 | Virginia | 47* | | | |
| MW2 | Houston | 49 | | | |
| MW2 | Houston | 49 | W1 | Georgetown | 84 |
| | | | MW2 | Houston | 75 |
| ME1 | Kentucky | 40 | MW2 | Houston | 75 |
| W1 | Georgetown | 53 | | | |

#### Championship game

* CBS
* April 2
* Box Score
Houston 75, Georgetown 84 :
| Scoring by half: 30–40, 45–44 |||
| Pts: Franklin 21 Rebs: Olajuwon 9 Asts: Franklin 9 | Pts: Williams 19 Rebs: Ewing 9 Asts: Jackson 6 |
* Attendance: 38,471

## Broadcast information
### Television

CBS Sports
* Brent Musburger served as Studio Host
* Gary Bender and Billy Packer – first round (Dayton-LSU) at Salt Lake City, Utah; Second Round at Charlotte, North Carolina (North Carolina–Temple, Indiana–Richmond) and Lincoln, Nebraska (DePaul–Illinois State, Wake Forest–Kansas); East Regional semifinal (North Carolina–Indiana) and Regional Final at Atlanta, Georgia; West Regional Final at Los Angeles, California; Final Four at Seattle, Washington
* Verne Lundquist and Steve Grote – second round at Memphis, Tennessee (Houston–Louisiana Tech, Memphis State–Purdue) and Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Tulsa–Louisville, Illinois–Villanova); Midwest Regional semifinal (DePaul–Wake Forest) and Regional Final at St. Louis, Missouri
* Frank Glieber and Larry Conley – first (Miami of Ohio–SMU) and second (Georgetown–SMU, Duke–Washington) rounds at Pullman, Washington; Mideast Regional Final at Lexington, Kentucky
* Dick Stockton and Bill Raftery – second round at East Rutherford, New Jersey (Arkansas–Virginia, Syracuse–VCU); West Regional semifinal (Georgetown–UNLV) at Los Angeles, California
* Frank Herzog and James Brown – second round at Birmingham, Alabama (Kentucky–Brigham Young, Maryland–West Virginia)
* Tim Ryan and Lynn Shackelford – second round at Salt Lake City, Utah (Oklahoma–Dayton, UTEP–UNLV)
ESPN/NCAA Productions
* Bob Ley served as Studio host and Dick Vitale as Studio analyst
* Jim Thacker and Irv Brown – East Regional semifinal (Syracuse–Virginia) at Atlanta, Georgia
* Tom Hammond and Larry Conley – preliminary round at Dayton, Ohio; Mideast Regional semifinals at Lexington, Kentucky
* Fred White and Gary Thompson – Midwest Regional semifinal (Houston–Memphis State) at St. Louis, Missouri
* Mike Walden and Bill Raftery – West Regional semifinal (Washington–Dayton) at Los Angeles, California
* Jim Thacker and Jeff Mullins – first round at Charlotte, North Carolina (Temple–St. John's, Auburn–Richmond)
* Jim Thacker and Bill Raftery – first round at East Rutherford, New Jersey (VCU–Northeastern, Virginia–Iona)
* Fred White and Irv Brown – first round at Birmingham, Alabama (Oregon State–West Virginia, Brigham Young–UAB)
* Tom Hammond and Wayne Larrivee – first round at Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Louisville–Morehead State, Villanova–Marshall)
* John Sanders and Joe Dean – first round at Memphis, Tennessee (Fresno State–Louisiana Tech, Memphis State–Oral Roberts)
* Frank Fallon and Gary Thompson – first round at Lincoln, Nebraska (Illinois State–Alabama, Kansas–Alcorn State)
* Mike Walden and Larry Conley – first round at Pullman, Washington (Washington–Nevada)
* John Sanders and Bill Raftery – preliminary round at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

### Local radio

| Teams | Flagship station | Play-by-play announcer | Color analyst(s) |
| Georgetown | WWDC (Georgetown) | Rich Chvotkin | John Blake |
| Kansas | KLWN-AM (Lawrence) | Max Falkenstein | Bob Davis |
| Kentucky | WHAS-AM (Louisville) | Cawood Ledford | |
| LSU | WWL-AM (New Orleans) | Jim Hawthorne | |