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.

1998 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament

Season	1997–98
Teams	64
Finals site	Alamodome San Antonio, Texas
Champions	Kentucky Wildcats (7th title, 10th title game, 13th Final Four)
Runner-up	Utah Utes (2nd title game, 4th Final Four)
Semifinalists	North Carolina Tar Heels (14th Final Four) Stanford Cardinal (2nd Final Four)
Winning coach	Tubby Smith (1st title)
MOP	Jeff Sheppard (Kentucky)
Attendance	663,876
Top scorer	Michael Doleac (Utah) (115 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments «1997 1999»

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.^[1]

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

 

 

Sacramento

 

Boise

 

Oklahoma City

 

Chicago

 

Lexington

 

Atlanta

 

Washington, D.C.

 

Hartford

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1998 first and second rounds

 

 

Anaheim

 

St. Louis

 

St. Petersburg

 

Greensboro

 

San Antonio

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1998 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1998 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

• March 12 and 14
  • East Region
    • Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
    • MCI Center, Washington, D.C. (Host: George Mason University)
  • West Region
    • BSU Pavilion, Boise, Idaho (Host: Boise State University)
    • ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California (Host: University of the Pacific)
• March 13 and 15
  • Midwest Region
    • United Center, Chicago, Illinois (Host: Big Ten Conference)
    • Myriad Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Host: University of Oklahoma)
  • South Region
    • Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Tech)
    • Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky)

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 19 and 21
  • East Regional, Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference)
  • West Regional, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Anaheim, California (Host: Big West Conference)
• March 20 and 22
  • Midwest Regional, Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)
  • South Regional, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida (Host: University of South Florida)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

• March 28 and 30
  • Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas (Host: University of Texas at San Antonio)

Teams

There were 30 automatic bids awarded to the tournament - of these, 28 were given to the winners of their conference's tournament, while two were awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in their conference (Ivy League and Pac-10).

Three conference champions made their first NCAA tournament appearances: Northern Arizona (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), and Prairie View A&M (SWAC). Additionally, UIC received an at-large bid for its first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Automatic qualifiers

Automatic qualifiers

Conference	Team	Appearance	Last bid
ACC	North Carolina	32nd	1997
America East	Delaware	3rd	1993
Atlantic 10	Xavier	12th	1997
Big 12	Kansas	27th	1997
Big East	Connecticut	19th	1995
Big Sky	Northern Arizona	1st	Never
Big South	Radford	1st	Never
Big Ten	Michigan (vacated)	–	1995
Big West	Utah State	12th	1988
CAA	Richmond	6th	1991
Conference USA	Cincinnati	17th	1997
Ivy League	Princeton	21st	1997
MAAC	Iona	4th	1985
MAC	Eastern Michigan	4th	1996
MCC	Butler	3rd	1997
MEAC	South Carolina State	3rd	1996
Mid-Continent	Valparaiso	3rd	1997
Missouri Valley	Illinois State	6th	1997
NEC	Fairleigh Dickinson	3rd	1988
Ohio Valley	Murray State	9th	1997
Pac-10	Arizona	17th	1997
Patriot	Navy	11th	1997
SEC	Kentucky	39th	1997
Southern	Davidson	6th	1986
Southland	Nicholls State	2nd	1995
SWAC	Prairie View A&M	1st	Never
Sun Belt	South Alabama	6th	1997
TAAC	College of Charleston	3rd	1997
WAC	UNLV	13th	1991
West Coast	San Francisco	16th	1982

Tournament seeds

East Regional – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina Seed School Conference Record Berth type 1 North Carolina ACC 30–3 Automatic 2 Connecticut Big East 29–4 Automatic 3 South Carolina SEC 22–6 At-Large 4 Michigan State Big Ten 20–7 At-Large 5 Princeton Ivy League 26–1 Automatic 6 Xavier Atlantic 10 22–7 Automatic 7 Indiana Big Ten 19–11 At-Large 8 UNC Charlotte Conference USA 19–10 At-Large 9 UIC MCC 22–5 At-Large 10 Oklahoma Big 12 22–10 At-Large 11 Washington Pac-10 18–9 At-Large 12 UNLV WAC 20–12 Automatic 13 Eastern Michigan MAC 20–9 Automatic 14 Richmond CAA 22–7 Automatic 15 Fairleigh Dickinson NEC 23–6 Automatic 16 Navy Patriot 19–10 Automatic

South Regional – Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida Seed School Conference Record Berth type 1 Duke ACC 29–3 At-Large 2 Kentucky SEC 29–4 Automatic 3 Michigan (vacated) Big Ten 24–8 Automatic 4 New Mexico WAC 23–7 At-Large 5 Syracuse Big East 24–8 At-Large 6 UCLA Pac-10 22–8 At-Large 7 UMass Atlantic 10 21–10 At-Large 8 Oklahoma State Big 12 21–7 At-Large 9 George Washington Atlantic 10 24–8 At-Large 10 Saint Louis Conference USA 21–10 At-Large 11 Miami (FL) Big East 18–9 At-Large 12 Iona MAAC 27–5 Automatic 13 Butler MCC 22–10 Automatic 14 Davidson Southern 20–9 Automatic 15 South Carolina State MEAC 22–7 Automatic 16 Radford Big South 20–9 Automatic

West Regional – Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Anaheim, California Seed School Conference Record Berth type 1 Arizona Pac-10 27–4 Automatic 2 Cincinnati Conference USA 26–5 Automatic 3 Utah WAC 25–3 At-Large 4 Maryland ACC 19–10 At-Large 5 Illinois Big Ten 22–9 At-Large 6 Arkansas SEC 23–8 At-Large 7 Temple Atlantic 10 21–8 At-Large 8 Tennessee SEC 20–8 At-Large 9 Illinois State Missouri Valley 24–5 Automatic 10 West Virginia Big East 22–8 At-Large 11 Nebraska Big 12 20–11 At-Large 12 South Alabama Sun Belt 21–6 Automatic 13 Utah State Big West 25–7 Automatic 14 San Francisco West Coast 19–10 Automatic 15 Northern Arizona Big Sky 21–7 Automatic 16 Nicholls State Southland 19–9 Automatic

Midwest Regional – Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri Seed School Conference Record Berth type 1 Kansas Big 12 34–3 Automatic 2 Purdue Big Ten 26–7 At-Large 3 Stanford Pac-10 26–4 At-Large 4 Ole Miss SEC 22–6 At-Large 5 TCU WAC 27–5 At-Large 6 Clemson ACC 18–13 At-Large 7 St. John's Big East 22–9 At-Large 8 Rhode Island Atlantic 10 22–8 At-Large 9 Murray State Ohio Valley 29–3 Automatic 10 Detroit MCC 24–5 At-Large 11 Western Michigan Mid-American 20–7 At-Large 12 Florida State ACC 17–13 At-Large 13 Valparaiso Mid-Continent 21–9 Automatic 14 College of Charleston TAAC 24–5 Automatic 15 Delaware America East 20–9 Automatic 16 Prairie View A&M SWAC 13–16 Automatic

Bids by conference

Bids by Conference
Bids	Conference(s)
5	Atlantic 10, ACC, Big Ten, Big East, SEC
4	Big 12, Pac-10, WAC
3	C-USA, MCC (Horizon League)
2	MAC
1	19 others

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Greensboro, North Carolina

	First round					Second Round					Regional semifinals					Regional Final
	1	North Carolina	88
	16	Navy	52
						1	North Carolina	93*
	Hartford
						8	Charlotte	83
	8	Charlotte	77
	9	UIC	62
											1	North Carolina	73
											4	Michigan State	58
	5	Princeton	69
	12	UNLV	57
						5	Princeton	56
	Hartford
						4	Michigan State	63
	4	Michigan State	83
	13	Eastern Michigan	71
																1	North Carolina	75
																2	Connecticut	64
	6	Xavier	68
	11	Washington	69
						11	Washington	81
	Washington, D.C.
						14	Richmond	66
	3	South Carolina	61
	14	Richmond	62
											11	Washington	74
											2	Connecticut	75
	7	Indiana	94*
	10	Oklahoma	87
						7	Indiana	68
	Washington, D.C.
						2	Connecticut	78
	2	Connecticut	93
	15	Fairleigh Dickinson	85

Regional Final Summary

CBS

Saturday, March 21

#1 North Carolina Tar Heels 75, #2 Connecticut Huskies 64
Scoring by half: 36–32, 39–32
Pts: A. Jamison – 20 Rebs: A. Jamison – 11 Asts: E. Cota – 9		Pts: K. El-Amin – 24 Rebs: K. Freeman – 7 Asts: M. Hardnett – 4

Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, NC Attendance: 23,235 Referees: Mark Reischling, Eddie Jackson, Dick Cartmell

West Regional – Anaheim, California

	First round					Second Round					Regional semifinals					Regional Final
	1	Arizona	99
	16	Nicholls State	60
						1	Arizona	82
	Sacramento
						9	Illinois State	49
	8	Tennessee	81
	9	Illinois State	82*
											1	Arizona	87
											4	Maryland	79
	5	Illinois	64
	12	South Alabama	51
						5	Illinois	61
	Sacramento
						4	Maryland	67
	4	Maryland	82
	13	Utah State	68
																1	Arizona	51
																3	Utah	76
	6	Arkansas	74
	11	Nebraska	65
						6	Arkansas	69
	Boise
						3	Utah	75
	3	Utah	85
	14	San Francisco	68
											3	Utah	65
											10	West Virginia	62
	7	Temple	52
	10	West Virginia	82
						10	West Virginia	75
	Boise
						2	Cincinnati	74
	2	Cincinnati	65
	15	Northern Arizona	62

Regional Final Summary

CBS

Saturday, March 21

box score

#3 Utah Utes 76, #1 Arizona Wildcats 51
Scoring by half: 29–20, 47–31
Pts: A. Miller – 18 Rebs: A. Miller – 14 Asts: A. Miller – 13		Pts: J. Terry – 16 Rebs: B. Davison – 10 Asts: M. Simon – 4

Arrowhead Pond – Anaheim, CA Attendance: 17,851 Referees: Gerald Boudreaux, Tony Greene, Tom Rucker

South Regional – St. Petersburg, Florida

	First round					Second Round					Regional semifinals					Regional Final
	1	Duke	99
	16	Radford	63
						1	Duke	79
	Lexington
						8	Oklahoma State	73
	8	Oklahoma State	74
	9	George Washington	59
											1	Duke	80
											5	Syracuse	67
	5	Syracuse	63
	12	Iona	61
						5	Syracuse	56
	Lexington
						4	New Mexico	46
	4	New Mexico	79
	13	Butler	62
																1	Duke	84
																2	Kentucky	86
	6	UCLA	65
	11	Miami (FL)	62
						6	UCLA	85
	Atlanta
						3	Michigan	82
	3	Michigan	80
	14	Davidson	61
											6	UCLA	68
											2	Kentucky	94
	7	Massachusetts	46
	10	Saint Louis	51
						10	Saint Louis	61
	Atlanta
						2	Kentucky	88
	2	Kentucky	82
	15	South Carolina State	67

Regional Final Summary

CBS

Sunday, March 22

box score

#2 Kentucky Wildcats 86, #1 Duke Blue Devils 84
Scoring by half: 39–49, 47–35
Pts: J. Sheppard – 18 Rebs: H. Evans, J. Sheppard – 11 Asts: W. Turner – 8		Pts: R. McLeod – 19 Rebs: R. McLeod, S. Battier – 8 Asts: S. Wojciechowski, T. Langdon – 4

Tropicana Field – St. Petersburg, FL Attendance: 40,589 Referees: Tom Harrington, Mike Sanzere, Curtis Shaw

Midwest Regional – St. Louis, Missouri

	First round					Second Round					Regional semifinals					Regional Final
	1	Kansas	110
	16	Prairie View A&M	52
						1	Kansas	75
	Oklahoma City
						8	Rhode Island	80
	8	Rhode Island	97
	9	Murray State	74
											8	Rhode Island	74
											13	Valparaiso	68
	5	TCU	87
	12	Florida State	96
						12	Florida State	77
	Oklahoma City
						13	Valparaiso	83*
	4	Ole Miss	69
	13	Valparaiso	70
																8	Rhode Island	77
																3	Stanford	79
	6	Clemson	72
	11	Western Michigan	75
						11	Western Michigan	65
	Chicago
						3	Stanford	83
	3	Stanford	67
	14	College of Charleston	57
											3	Stanford	67
											2	Purdue	59
	7	St. John's	64
	10	Detroit	66
						10	Detroit	65
	Chicago
						2	Purdue	80
	2	Purdue	95
	15	Delaware	56

Regional Final Summary

CBS

Sunday, March 22

box score

#3 Stanford Cardinal 79, #8 Rhode Island 77
Scoring by half: 38–38, 41–39
Pts: A. Lee – 26 Rebs: T. Young – 12 Asts: A. Lee – 7		Pts: T. Wheeler – 24 Rebs: A. Reynolds-Dean – 10 Asts: T. Wheeler – 5

Kiel Center – St. Louis, MO Attendance: 22,172 Referees: Frank Scagliotta, Mike Kitts, Larry Rose

Final Four – San Antonio, Texas

	National semifinals					National Championship Game
	E1	North Carolina	59
	W3	Utah	65
						W3	Utah	69
						S2	Kentucky	78
	S2	Kentucky	86*
	M3	Stanford	85

Game summaries

CBS

Saturday, March 28

box score

#2 Kentucky Wildcats 86, #3 Stanford Cardinal 85 (OT)
Scoring by half: 32–37, 41–36 Overtime: 13–12
Pts: J. Sheppard – 27 Rebs: J.Sheppard, H. Evans, S. Padgett – 6 Asts: J. Sheppard, W. Turner – 4		Pts: A. Lee – 26 Rebs: M. Madsen – 16 Asts: A. Lee – 5

Alamodome – San Antonio, TX Attendance: 40,509^[2] Referees: Tim Higgins, Bob Donato, Larry Rose

CBS

Saturday, March, 28

box score

#3 Utah Utes 65, #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 59
Scoring by half: 35–22, 30–37
Pts: M. Doleac, A. Miller – 16 Rebs: A. Miller – 14 Asts: A. Miller – 7		Pts: V. Carter – 21 Rebs: A. Jamison – 12 Asts: E. Cota – 7

Alamodome – San Antonio, TX Attendance: 40,590^[3] Referees: John Clougherty, Andre Pattillo, Don Rutledge

National Championship

Main article: 1998 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game

CBS

Monday, March 30

Box score

#2 Kentucky Wildcats 78, #3 Utah Utes 69
Scoring by half: 31–41, 47–28
Pts: S. Padgett – 17 Rebs: H. Evans – 6 Asts: A. Edwards – 5		Pts: A. Miller – 16 Rebs: M. Doleac – 10 Asts: A. Miller – 5

Alamodome – San Antonio, TX Attendance: 40,509^[4] Referees: Jim Burr, Donnie Gray, Mike Sanzere

Announcers

• Jim Nantz/Billy Packer/Michele Tafoya – First & Second Round at Atlanta, Georgia; South Regional at St. Petersburg, Florida; Final Four at San Antonio, Texas
• Sean McDonough/Bill Raftery/Andrea Joyce – First & Second Round at Washington, D.C.; East Regional at Greensboro, North Carolina
• Gus Johnson/Jon Sundvold/Armen Keteyian – First & Second Round at Hartford, Connecticut; West Regional at Anaheim, California
• Tim Brando/Al McGuire/Craig James – First & Second Round at Lexington, Kentucky; Midwest Regional at St. Louis, Missouri
• Ted Robinson/Rolando Blackman/Beth Mowins – First & Second Round at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Jim Durham and Greg Kelser – First & Second Round at Boise, Idaho
• Tim Ryan and Dan Bonner – First & Second Round at Chicago, Illinois
• Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel – First & Second Round at Sacramento, California

See also

• 1998 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament
• 1998 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
• 1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
• 1998 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
• 1998 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
• 1998 National Invitation Tournament
• 1998 Women's National Invitation Tournament
• 1998 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 1998 NAIA Division II men's basketball tournament
• 1998 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament
• 1998 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament

References

1. . NCAA. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
2. "Kentucky 86, Stanford 85 (OT)". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 29, 1998. p. C13. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Utah 65, North Carolina 59". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. March 29, 1998. p. C12. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Kentucky 78, Utah 69". Democrat and Chronicle. April 1, 1998. p. 2D. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.