1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

See also: 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1996–97 season. The game was played on March 31, 1997, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana and featured the West Regional Champion, #1-seeded Kentucky versus the Southeast Regional Champion, #4-seeded Arizona.

1997 NCAA Tournament Championship Game

National championship game
Arizona Wildcats Kentucky Wildcats Pac-10 SEC (24–9) (35–4) 84 79 Head coach: Lute Olson Head coach: Rick Pitino
AP: 15 Coaches: 13 AP: 5 Coaches: 4
1st half 2nd half OT Total Arizona Wildcats 33 41 10 84 Kentucky Wildcats 32 42 5 79
Date	March 31, 1997
Venue	RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
MVP	Miles Simon, Arizona
Favorite	Kentucky by 7
Referees	Tim Higgins, Ted Valentine, and Tom O'Neil
Attendance	47,028
United States TV coverage
Network	CBS
Announcers	Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Billy Packer (color) Michele Tafoya and Andrea Joyce (sideline)
← 1996 1998 →

To date, this remains the last national championship won by the now-Pac-12 Conference.

Participating teams

Arizona

Main article: 1996–97 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team

• Southeast
  • Arizona (#4 seed) 65, South Alabama (#13 Seed) 57
  • Arizona 73, College of Charleston (#12 Seed) 69
  • Arizona 85, Kansas (#1 seed) 82
  • Arizona 96, Providence (#10 seed) 92
• Final Four
  • Arizona 66, North Carolina (#1 seed) 58

^[1]

Kentucky

Main article: 1996–97 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

• West
  • Kentucky (#1 seed) 92, Montana (#16 seed) 58
  • Kentucky 75, Iowa (#8 seed) 69
  • Kentucky 83, Saint Joseph's (#12 seed) 68
  • Kentucky 72, Utah (#2 seed) 59
• Final Four
  • Kentucky 78, Minnesota (#1 seed) 69

Starting lineups

Arizona	Position		Kentucky
Mike Bibby	G		Wayne Turner
Miles Simon	G		Anthony Epps
Bennett Davison	F		† Ron Mercer 1
Michael Dickerson	F		Scott Padgett
A. J. Bramlett	C		Jamaal Magloire
† 1997 Consensus First Team All-American
Players selected in the 1997 NBA draft  (number indicates round)

Source

Game summary

CBS

Monday, March 31

Box score

#4 Arizona Wildcats 84, #1 Kentucky Wildcats 79
Pts: M. Simon 30 Rebs: M. Bibby 9 Asts: J. Terry 5		Pts: S. Padgett 17 Rebs: N. Mohammed 11 Asts: R. Mercer 6 Halftime Score: Arizona, 33–32 After Regulation: 74–74

RCA Dome – Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 47,028 Referees: Tim Higgins, Ted Valentine and Tom O'Neil

References

1. "RotoWire Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball and More".