# 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1982 and ended with the Final Four in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 4, 1983. The NC State Wolfpack won their second NCAA national championship with a 54–52 victory over the No. 1-ranked and heavily favored Houston Cougars.

## Season headlines

* After expanding its membership from eight to ten schools, the Eastern Athletic Association, informally known as the "Eastern 8," renamed itself the Atlantic 10 Conference.
* The NCAA Tournament expanded from 48 to 52 teams.
* Jim Valvano led the NC State Wolfpack on an improbable run through the NCAA tournament. The team upset Houston's famed and high flying Phi Slama Jama in the championship game. Were it not for winning the ACC tournament, the Wolfpack likely would not have been in the NCAA Tournament.
* The Georgia Bulldogs advanced to the Final Four in the men's NCAA tournament and the Georgia Lady Bulldogs reached the Final Four of the NCAA women's tournament. It was the first time the men's and women's teams from the same school reached their respective Final Fours in the same year.
* Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma became the first player to be named a consensus all-American during his freshman season.

## Major rule changes

The penalty for a player violating the five-second "closely guarded" count was changed from a jump ball to a turnover, with the defense getting the ball at the out-of-bounds spot closest to where the violation occurred.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP and UPI (Coaches) Polls during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Virginia |
| 2 | Georgetown |
| 3 | North Carolina |
| 4 | Kentucky |
| 5 | Villanova |
| 6 | Memphis State |
| 7 | UCLA |
| 8 | Louisville |
| 9 | Indiana |
| 10 | Oregon State |
| 11 | Iowa |
| 12 | Alabama |
| 13 | Tennessee |
| 14 | Houston |
| 15 | Missouri |
| 16 | NC State |
| 17 | Arkansas |
| 18 | Marquette |
| 19 | St. John's |
| 20 | UNLV |
| 20 | Oklahoma |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Virginia |
| 2 | North Carolina |
| 3 | Georgetown |
| 4 | Kentucky |
| 5 | Louisville |
| 6 | UCLA |
| 7 | Indiana |
| 7 | Villanova |
| 9 | Memphis State |
| 10 | Oregon State |
| 11 | Houston |
| 12 | Iowa |
| 13 | Alabama |
| 14 | Missouri |
| 15 | Tennessee |
| 16 | Marquette |
| 17 | DePaul |
| 18 | Oklahoma |
| 19 | St. John's |
| 20 | Arkansas |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Alabama State Hornets | Non-major program | Southwest Athletic Conference |
| Cleveland State Vikings | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| Eastern Illinois Panthers | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| Green Bay Phoenix | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| Illinois Chicago Flames | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| UNLV Runnin' Rebels | Division I independent | Pacific Coast Athletic Conference |
| Nicholls State Colonels | Division I independent | Trans America Athletic Conference (provisional) |
| North Texas State Mean Green | Division I independent | Southland Conference |
| Northeast Louisiana Indians | Division I independent | Southland Conference |
| Old Dominion Monarchs | ECAC South Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) | Big East Conference |
| Saint Joseph's Hawks | East Coast Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Saint Louis Billikens | Metro Conference | Midwestern City Conference |
| Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| Southwest Missouri State Bears | Non-major program | AMCU-8 |
| Temple Owls | East Coast Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Towson State Tigers | ECAC South Conference | East Coast Conference |
| Valparaiso Crusaders | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| Western Illinois Leathernecks | Division I independent | AMCU-8 |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | Ohio Valley Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
NOTE: Nicholls State began a two-season stint as a provisional member of the Trans America Athletic Conference, during which it played no conference games.

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference Coach of the Year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| AMCU–8 | Western Illinois | Joe Dykstra, Western Illinois | Jack Margenthaler, Western Illinois | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Rutgers (East) St. Bonaventure & West Virginia (West) | Roy Hinson, Rutgers & Greg Jones, West Virginia | Jim O'Brien, St. Bonaventure & Jim Satalin, Duquesne | 1983 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament | The Spectrum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | West Virginia |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina & Virginia | Ralph Sampson, Virginia | Bobby Cremins, Georgia Tech | 1983 ACC men's basketball tournament | Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, Georgia) | NC State |
| Big East Conference | Boston College, St. John's & Villanova | Chris Mullin, St. John's | Lou Carnesecca, St. John's | 1983 Big East men's basketball tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) | St. John's |
| Big Eight Conference | Missouri | Steve Stipanovich, Missouri & Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma | Norm Stewart, Missouri | 1983 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals) | Oklahoma State |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | Derrick Pope, Montana | Neil McCarthy, Weber State | 1983 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Centennial Coliseum (Reno, Nevada) | Weber State |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None Selected | Eldon Miller, Ohio State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | Rider (West) American, Hofstra & La Salle (East) | David Taylor, Hofstra | Dick Berg, Hofstra | 1983 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pennsylvania) | La Salle |
| ECAC Metro | Robert Morris | Steve Smith, Marist | Matt Furjanic, Robert Morris | 1983 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament | John Jay Center (Moon Township, Pennsylvania) | Robert Morris |
| ECAC North | Boston University & New Hampshire | Jeff Cross, Maine | Gerry Friel, New Hampshire | 1983 ECAC North men's basketball tournament | Case Gym (Boston, Massachusetts) | Boston University |
| ECAC South | William & Mary | Dan Ruland, James Madison & Carlos Yates, George Mason | Bruce Parkhill, William & Mary | 1983 ECAC South men's basketball tournament | Robins Center (Richmond, Virginia) | James Madison |
| Ivy League | Princeton | Craig Robinson, Princeton | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Iona | Steve Burtt, Iona | Gordon Chiesa, Manhattan | 1983 MAAC men's basketball tournament | Meadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) | Fordham |
| Metro Conference | Louisville | Rodney McCray, Louisville | Denny Crum, Louisville | 1983 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Louisville |
| Mid-American Conference | Bowling Green | Ray McCallum, Ball State | Danny Nee, Ohio | 1983 MAC men's basketball tournament | Anderson Arena (Bowling Green, Ohio) | Bowling Green |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Howard | Joe Binion, North Carolina A&T | | 1983 MEAC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina A&T |
| Midwestern City Conference | Loyola (IL) | Mark Acres, Oral Roberts & Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola (IL) | Gene Sullivan, Loyola (IL) | 1983 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament | Roberts Municipal Stadium (Evansville, Indiana) | Xavier |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Wichita State | Antoine Carr, Wichita State | Weldon Drew, New Mexico State | 1983 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Horton Field House (Normal, Illinois) | Illinois State |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State | Glen Green, Murray State & Joe Jakubick, Akron | Ron Greene, Murray State | 1983 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Racer Arena (Murray, Kentucky) | Morehead State |
| Pacific-10 Conference | UCLA | Kenny Fields, UCLA | George Raveling, Washington State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | UNLV | Sidney Green, UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV | 1983 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | The Forum (Inglewood, California) | UNLV |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Dale Ellis, Tennessee (AP) & Jeff Malone, Mississippi State (UPI) | Joe B. Hall, Kentucky & Lee Hunt, Ole Miss | 1983 SEC men's basketball tournament | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama) | Georgia |
| Southern Conference | Tennessee–Chattanooga | Troy Lee Mikell, East Tennessee State | Murray Arnold, Tennessee–Chattanooga | 1983 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Charleston Civic Center (Charleston, West Virginia) | Tennessee–Chattanooga |
| Southland Conference | Lamar | Karl Malone, Louisiana Tech | Andy Russo, Louisiana Tech | 1983 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament | Beaumont Civic Center (Beaumont, Texas) | Lamar |
| Southwest Conference | Houston | Clyde Drexler, Houston & Darrell Walker, Arkansas | Guy Lewis, Houston | 1983 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas) | Houston |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Alabama State & Texas Southern | Harry Kelly, Texas Southern | James Oliver, Alabama State | 1983 SWAC men's basketball tournament | | Alcorn State |
| Sun Belt Conference | Old Dominion & VCU | Charlie Bradley, South Florida & Calvin Duncan, VCU | J. D. Barnett, VCU | 1983 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama) | UAB |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Arkansas–Little Rock | Willie Jackson, Centenary | Frank Kerns, Georgia Southern | 1983 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Barton Coliseum (Little Rock, Arkansas) | Georgia Southern |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pepperdine | Orlando Phillips, Pepperdine & Dane Suttle, Pepperdine | Jim Harrick, Pepperdine | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | BYU, Utah & UTEP | Michael Cage, San Diego State, Devin Durrant, BYU & Pace Mannion, Utah | Don Haskins, UTEP | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1982–83 AMCU-8 Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1982–83 AMCU-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Illinois9–3 .75020–11  .645 Eastern Illinois8–4 .66713–18  .419 Southwest Missouri State6–3 .66713–15  .464 UIC7–4 .63616–12  .571 Northern Iowa6–5 .54513–18  .419 Valparaiso4–9 .30813–15  .464 Cleveland State1–4 .2008–20  .286 Green Bay2–11 .1549–19  .321 Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Rutgers11–3 .78623–8  .742 Saint Joseph's8–6 .57115–13  .536 Temple5–9 .35714–15  .483 UMass4–10 .2869–20  .310 Rhode Island3–11 .2149–19  .321 West West Virginia †10–4 .71423–8  .742 St. Bonaventure10–4 .71420–10  .667 Penn State9–5 .64317–11  .607 Duquesne6–8 .42912–16  .429 George Washington4–10 .28614–15  .483 † 1983 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 North Carolina12–2 .85728–8  .778 No. 4 Virginia12–2 .85729–5  .853 Maryland8–6 .57120–10  .667 No. 16 NC State †8–6 .57126–10  .722 Wake Forest7–7 .50020–10  .667 Georgia Tech4–10 .28613–15  .464 Duke3–11 .21411–17  .393 Clemson2–12 .14311–20  .355 † 1983 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1982–83 Big East men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 11 Boston College12–4 .75025–7  .781 No. 13 Villanova12–4 .75024–8  .750 No. 3 St. John's†12–4 .75028–5  .848 No. 20 Georgetown11–5 .68822–10  .688 Syracuse9–7 .56321–10  .677 Pittsburgh6–10 .37513–15  .464 Connecticut5–11 .31312–16  .429 Providence4–12 .25012–19  .387 Seton Hall1–15 .0636–23  .207 † 1983 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Missouri12–2 .85726–8  .765 Oklahoma10–4 .71424–9  .727 No. 19 Oklahoma State †9–5 .64324–7  .774 Nebraska9–5 .64322–10  .688 Iowa State5–9 .35713–15  .464 Kansas State4–10 .28612–16  .429 Kansas4–10 .28613–16  .448 Colorado3–11 .21413–15  .464 † 1983 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Big Sky Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State †10–4 .71423–8  .742 Nevada10–4 .71418–11  .621 Montana9–5 .64321–8  .724 Idaho9–5 .64320–9  .690 Idaho State7–7 .50010–17  .370 Boise State5–9 .35710–17  .370 Northern Arizona3–11 .21410–16  .385 Montana State3–11 .21410–17  .370 † 1983 Big Sky tournament winner |
| 1982–83 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Indiana13–5 .72224–6  .800 Purdue11–7 .61121–9  .700 Ohio State11–7 .61120–10  .667 Illinois11–7 .61121–11  .656 Iowa10–8 .55621–10  .677 Minnesota9–9 .50018–11  .621 Michigan State9–9 .50017–13  .567 Northwestern7–11 .38917–13  .567 Michigan6–12 .33315–13  .536 Wisconsin3–15 .1678–20  .286 Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East American7–2 .77820–10  .667 Hofstra7–2 .77818–9  .667 La Salle †7–2 .77818–14  .563 Drexel5–4 .55614–15  .483 Towson2–7 .2227–21  .250 West Rider10–3 .76920–9  .690 Bucknell8–5 .61517–11  .607 Delaware4–9 .30811–14  .440 Lafayette3–10 .2317–21  .250 Lehigh2–11 .15410–16  .385 † 1983 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1982–83 ECAC Metro men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Long Island11–3 .78620–9  .690 Fairleigh Dickinson9–5 .64317–12  .586 St. Francis (NY)7–7 .50010–18  .357 Marist7–7 .50014–15  .483 Siena6–8 .42912–16  .429 Wagner2–12 .14310–18  .357 South Robert Morris †12–2 .85723–8  .742 Saint Francis (PA)7–7 .50012–17  .414 Baltimore4–10 .28610–18  .357 Loyola (MD)3–11 .2144–24  .143 † 1983 ECAC Metro tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 ECAC North men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Boston University †8–2 .80021–10  .677 New Hampshire8–2 .80016–12  .571 Holy Cross5–3 .62517–13  .567 Maine6–4 .60012–14  .462 Niagara5–4 .55611–18  .379 Northeastern4–6 .40013–15  .464 Canisius3–6 .33311–17  .393 Vermont3–7 .30010–19  .345 Colgate0–8 .0003–24  .111 † 1983 ECAC North tournament winner | 1982–83 ECAC South men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT William & Mary9–0 1.00020–9  .690 James Madison †6–3 .66720–11  .645 Navy3–3 .50018–11  .621 George Mason3–6 .33315–12  .556 East Carolina3–7 .30016–13  .552 Richmond2–7 .22212–16  .429 † 1983 ECAC South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton12–2 .85720–9  .690 Penn11–3 .78617–9  .654 Yale7–7 .50012–14  .462 Columbia7–7 .50010–16  .385 Cornell6–8 .42910–16  .385 Brown6–8 .4299–17  .346 Harvard4–10 .28612–14  .462 Dartmouth3–11 .2147–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Louisville †12–0 1.00032–4  .889 Virginia Tech7–5 .58323–11  .676 Tulane7–5 .58319–12  .613 No. 17 Memphis State6–6 .50023–8  .742 Florida State5–7 .41714–14  .500 Southern Miss3–9 .25014–14  .500 Cincinnati1–11 .08311–17  .393 † 1983 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 MAAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Iona8–2 .80022–9  .710 Fordham †7–3 .70019–11  .633 Saint Peter's7–3 .70022–5  .815 Manhattan4–6 .40015–13  .536 Army2–8 .20011–18  .379 Fairfield2–8 .20013–15  .464 † 1983 MAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Bowling Green15–3 .83321–9  .700 Ohio†12–6 .66723–9  .719 Toledo10–8 .55617–12  .586 Ball State10–8 .55617–12  .586 Miami10–8 .55613–15  .464 Kent State9–9 .50015–13  .536 Eastern Michigan8–10 .44412–16  .429 Northern Illinois8–10 .44411–16  .407 Central Michigan5–13 .27810–17  .370 Western Michigan3–15 .1675–23  .179 † Mid-American Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 MEAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Howard11–1 .91718–8  .692 North Carolina A&T †9–3 .75023–8  .742 South Carolina State5–7 .41713–15  .464 Maryland Eastern Shore5–7 .41710–19  .345 Delaware State5–7 .4178–19  .296 Florida A&M4–8 .3337–21  .250 Bethune–Cookman3–9 .2505–21  .192 † 1983 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Loyola-Chicago12–2 .85719–10  .655 Xavier †10–4 .71422–8  .733 Oral Roberts10–4 .71414–14  .500 Butler9–5 .64315–13  .536 Evansville6–8 .42913–16  .448 Detroit6–8 .42912–17  .414 Saint Louis2–12 .1435–23  .179 Oklahoma City1–13 .0714–22  .154 † 1983 MCC tournament winner | 1982–83 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Wichita State17–1 .94425–3  .893 Illinois State †13–5 .72224–7  .774 New Mexico State11–7 .61118–11  .621 Tulsa11–7 .61119–12  .613 Bradley10–8 .55616–13  .552 Drake9–9 .50013–15  .464 Indiana State5–13 .2789–19  .321 West Texas State5–13 .2788–20  .286 Southern Illinois5–13 .2789–19  .321 Creighton4–14 .2228–19  .296 † 1983 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Murray State11–3 .78621–8  .724 Morehead State †10–4 .71419–11  .633 Tennessee Tech9–5 .64316–12  .571 Akron7–7 .50014–15  .483 Eastern Kentucky7–7 .50010–17  .370 Youngstown State5–9 .35715–12  .556 Austin Peay4–10 .28611–16  .407 Middle Tennessee3–11 .2147–20  .259 † OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 UNLV †15–1 .93828–3  .903 Cal State Fullerton12–4 .75021–8  .724 Utah State10–6 .62520–9  .690 Fresno State9–7 .56325–10  .714 UC Irvine8–8 .50016–12  .571 San Jose State7–9 .43814–15  .483 Long Beach State6–10 .37513–16  .448 Pacific4–12 .2507–21  .250 UC Santa Barbara1–15 .0637–20  .259 † 1983 PCAA tournament winner | 1982–83 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 UCLA15–3 .83323–6  .793 Washington State14–4 .77823–7  .767 Oregon State12–6 .66720–11  .645 Arizona State12–6 .66719–14  .576 USC11–7 .61117–11  .607 Washington7–11 .38916–15  .516 California7–11 .38914–14  .500 Stanford6–12 .33314–14  .500 Oregon5–13 .2789–18  .333 Arizona1–17 .0564–24  .143 As of April 15, 1983 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 Kentucky13–5 .72223–8  .742 LSU10–8 .55619–13  .594 Ole Miss10–8 .55619–12  .613 Vanderbilt9–9 .50019–14  .576 Mississippi State9–9 .50017–12  .586 No. 18 Georgia †9–9 .50024–10  .706 Tennessee9–9 .50020–12  .625 Auburn8–10 .44415–13  .536 Alabama8–10 .44420–12  .625 Florida5–13 .27813–18  .419 † 1983 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Chattanooga †15–1 .93826–4  .867 Marshall13–3 .81320–8  .714 East Tennessee State12–4 .75022–9  .710 Western Carolina9–7 .56317–12  .586 Davidson8–8 .50013–15  .464 The Citadel7–9 .43812–16  .429 Furman4–12 .2509–20  .310 Appalachian State3–13 .1886–21  .222 VMI1–15 .0632–25  .074 † 1983 Southern tournament winner As of April 30, 1983 Rankings from AP poll | 1982–83 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lamar †9–3 .75023–8  .742 Louisiana Tech8–4 .66719–9  .679 McNeese State6–6 .50016–13  .552 Louisiana-Monroe6–6 .50014–14  .500 Arkansas State5–7 .41717–12  .586 North Texas State5–7 .41715–15  .500 Texas-Arlington3–9 .2509–19  .321 † 1983 Southland tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1982–83 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Houston †16–0 1.00031–3  .912 No. 9 Arkansas14–2 .87526–4  .867 Texas A&M10–6 .62517–14  .548 TCU9–7 .56323–11  .676 SMU9–7 .56319–11  .633 Texas Tech7–9 .43811–20  .355 Baylor4–12 .25012–16  .429 Rice2–14 .1258–20  .286 Texas1–15 .0636–22  .214 † 1983 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1982–83 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Southern12–2 .85722–7  .759 Alabama State12–2 .85722–6  .786 Alcorn State †10–4 .71422–10  .688 Southern7–7 .50016–14  .533 Mississippi Valley State6–8 .42911–17  .393 Jackson State4–10 .2866–24  .200 Grambling State3–11 .2146–22  .214 Prairie View A&M2–12 .1434–22  .154 † 1983 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Old Dominion12–2 .85719–10  .655 VCU12–2 .85724–7  .774 UAB †9–5 .64319–14  .576 South Florida8–6 .57122–10  .688 South Alabama6–8 .42916–12  .571 UNC Charlotte5–9 .3578–20  .286 Western Kentucky4–10 .28612–16  .429 Jacksonville0–14 .0007–22  .241 † 1983 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1982–83 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Arkansas–Little Rock12–2 .85723–6  .793 Houston Baptist10–4 .71420–9  .690 Georgia Southern †8–6 .57118–12  .600 Centenary8–6 .57116–13  .552 Mercer6–8 .42913–15  .464 Samford6–8 .42913–15  .464 Northwestern State5–9 .3579–19  .321 Hardin–Simmons1–13 .0713–25  .107 Nicholls State*0–0 –16–12  .571 † 1983 TAAC tournament winner *Provisional member; played no conference games. Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pepperdine10–2 .83320–9  .690 Santa Clara9–3 .75021–7  .750 Saint Mary's7–5 .58314–12  .538 San Diego5–7 .41711–15  .423 Gonzaga5–7 .41713–14  .481 Portland4–8 .33310–18  .357 Loyola Marymount2–10 .1679–18  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1982–83 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UTEP11–5 .68819–10  .655 Utah11–5 .68818–14  .563 BYU11–5 .68815–14  .517 Hawaii9–7 .56317–11  .607 San Diego State8–8 .50018–10  .643 Wyoming8–8 .50016–13  .552 New Mexico6–10 .37514–15  .483 Colorado State6–10 .37511–17  .393 Air Force2–14 .12510–17  .370 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 19 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, New Orleans (23–7) had both the best winning percentage (.767) and the most wins.
1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* New Orleans– –23–7
* .767
* Southwestern Louisiana– –22–7
* .759
* South Carolina– –22–9
* .710
* Stetson– –19–9
* .679
* Southeastern Louisiana– –18–9
* .667
* Marquette– –19–10
* .655
* Notre Dame– –19–10
* .655
* Dayton– –18–10
* .643
* DePaul– –21–12
* .636
* Baptist– –13–14
* .481
* Utica– –11–15
* .423
* Tennessee State– –11–16
* .407
* UNC Wilmington– –11–16
* .407
* Brooklyn– –11–17
* .393
* Campbell– –11–17
* .393
* UTSA– –10–17
* .370
* Georgia State– –9–19
* .321
* Texas–Pan American– –7–21
* .250
* U.S. International– –3–25
* .107
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Villanova | John Pinone, Villanova |
Villanova finished with a 3–1 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

### Statistical leaders

| Points per game | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw percentage |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Harry Kelly | Texas Southern | 28.8 | Xavier McDaniel | Wichita St. | 14.4 | Troy Lee Mikell | E. Tennessee St. | 67.5 | Rob Gonzalez | Colorado | 91.5 |
| Jeff Malone | Mississippi St. | 26.8 | Franklin Giles | S. Carolina St. | 12.9 | Orlando Phillips | Pepperdine | 66.0 | Charles Fisher | James Madison | 91.3 |
| Carlos Yates | George Mason | 26.8 | Michael Cage | San Diego St. | 12.6 | Eugene McDowell | Florida | 64.6 | Mike Waitkus | Brown | 89.8 |
| Charlie Bradley | S. Florida | 26.7 | Mark Halsel | Northeastern | 12.5 | Charles Barkley | Auburn | 64.4 | Phil Cox | Vanderbilt | 89.7 |
| Joe Jakubick | Akron | 26.7 | Jeff Cross | Maine | 11.9 | Tommy Best | Saint Peter's | 64.2 | William Hobdy | Grambling St. | 89.7 |
| | | | Sidney Green | UNLV | 11.9 | | | | | | |

## Postseason tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four - The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National championship game | National championship game | National championship game |
| E4 | Georgia | 60 | | | |
| W6 | NC State | 67 | | | |
| W6 | NC State | 67 | W6 | NC State | 54 |
| | | | MW1 | Houston | 52 |
| ME1 | Louisville | 81 | MW1 | Houston | 52 |
| MW1 | Houston | 94 | | | |

### National Invitation tournament
#### NIT Semifinals and Final

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Wake Forest | Wake Forest | 62 | | | |
| Fresno State | Fresno State | 86 | | | |
| Fresno State | Fresno State | 86 | Fresno State | Fresno State | 69 |
| | | | DePaul | DePaul | 60 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | 58 | DePaul | DePaul | 60 |
| DePaul | DePaul | 68 | | | |

## Award winners
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Dale Ellis | F | Senior | Tennessee |
| Patrick Ewing | C | Sophomore | Georgetown |
| Michael Jordan | G | Sophomore | North Carolina |
| Keith Lee | F/C | Sophomore | Memphis State |
| Sam Perkins | F | Junior | North Carolina |
| Ralph Sampson | C | Senior | Virginia |
| Wayman Tisdale | F | Freshman | Oklahoma |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Clyde Drexler | G/F | Junior | Houston |
| Sidney Green | F/C | Senior | UNLV |
| John Paxson | G | Senior | Notre Dame |
| Steve Stipanovich | C | Senior | Missouri |
| Jon Sundvold | G | Senior | Missouri |
| Darrell Walker | G | Senior | Arkansas |
| Randy Wittman | F/G | Senior | Indiana |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Helms Player of the Year: Akeem Olajuwon, Houston
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* NABC Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Michael Jordan, North Carolina

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Guy Lewis, Houston
* UPI Coach of the Year: Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
* NABC Coach of the Year: Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
* CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Denny Crum, Louisville

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Ray McCallum, Ball State
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): John Pinone, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Chris Mullin, St. John's

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Arizona | Ben Lindsey | Lute Olson |
| Hardin–Simmons | Jim Hatfield | Dick Danford |
| Kansas | Ted Owens | Larry Brown |
| Iowa | Lute Olson | George Raveling |
| Marshall | Bob Zuffelato | Rick Huckabay |
| Washington State | George Raveling | Len Stevens |