1998 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. A total of 63 games were played. The Final Four consisted of Kentucky, making their third consecutive Final Four, Stanford, making their first appearance since their initial Final Four run in 1942, Utah, making their fourth Final Four and first since  1966, and North Carolina, who returned for a fourteenth overall time and third in four seasons. Kentucky won the national title, its second in three seasons and seventh overall, by defeating Utah 78–69 in the championship game. Jeff Sheppard of Kentucky was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Kentucky came back from double-digit deficits in each of its last three games in the tournament, including a 17-point second half comeback against the Duke Blue Devils, leading to the school's fans dubbing the team the "Comeback Cats". This was Kentucky's third straight championship game appearance. Bryce  Drew led the 13th-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders to the Sweet Sixteen, including a memorable play that remains part of March Madness lore. For the second consecutive season, a #14 seed advanced from the first round; Richmond, coached by John Beilein, upset South Carolina. For the second time in three years, a top seeded team failed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. That distinction belonged to Midwest Region #1 seed Kansas, who was defeated by #8 seed Rhode Island. Schedule and venues. The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1998 tournament: First and Second  Rounds Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship) San Antonio became the 26th host city, and the Alamodome the 31st host venue, for the Final Four. The 1998 tournament saw two new cities and two new venues. For the first time ever, the tournament was held within Washington's city limits, at the new MCI Center (now Capital One Arena) downtown; all previous games in the region had been either at Cole Field House on the University of Maryland campus or at the USAir Arena in suburban Landover. The tournament  also came to Orange County, California for the first time, at the Arrowhead Pond, home to the NHL's Mighty Ducks. The tournament returned to St. Louis in 1998, playing at the Kiel Center, successor venue to both Kiel Auditorium (whose site it was built on) and the St. Louis Arena. And for the first time in 45 years, the tournament was held within Chicago city limits at the United Center, successor venue to the old Chicago Stadium, which was across the street from the new venue. The tournament also marked the last appearance of the Myriad Convention Center in  Oklahoma City, with future games held at the Paycom Arena directly across the street. Bracket. <nowiki>*</nowiki> – Denotes overtime period