The 1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1976, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Philadelphia. A total of 32 games were played, including a national third-place game.
Indiana, coached by Bob Knight, won the national title with an 86–68 victory in the final game over Michigan, coached by Johnny Orr. Kent Benson of Indiana was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Notably, this was the first time that two teams from the same conference (the Big Ten) played in the title game. Also, this was the last men's Division I tournament to date to feature two unbeaten teams, as both Indiana and Rutgers entered the tournament unbeaten. To date, Indiana is the last team to go the entire season undefeated at 32–0. Both advanced to the Final Four, with Indiana winning the title and Rutgers losing to Michigan in the semifinals and UCLA in the third-place game. This had been the last tournament both Duke and Kentucky missed in the same year until 2021.
This tournament was also the first since the creation of the NCAA men's tournament in 1939 in which no regional third-place games were played. In the first two NCAA tournaments (1939 and 1940), the West Regional held a third-place game, but the East (the only other regional of that day) did not. The East began holding its own third-place game in 1941, and from that point through 1975 each regional held a third-place game. This was the second year of the 32-team field, and the NCAA announced the selections several days prior to the end of the regular
As site of the Continental Congress and signing of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia also served as host for the 1976 NBA All-Star Game, the 1976 National Hockey League All-Star Game, and the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at which President Ford threw out the first pitch. The 1976 Pro Bowl was an exception and was played in New Orleans, likely due to weather concerns.
Schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1976 tournament:
First round
March 13
East Region
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte) Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College) Mideast Region University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton) Athletic & Convocation Center, South Bend, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame) Midwest Region UNT Coliseum, Denton, Texas (Host: North Texas State University) Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas (Host: University of Kansas) West Region McArthur Court, Eugene, Oregon (Host: University of Oregon) ASU Activity Center, Tempe, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 18 and 20 East Regional, Greensboro Memorial Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference) Mideast Regional, LSU Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana State University) Midwest Regional, Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville) West Regional, Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: UCLA)
National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship) March 27 and 29 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: The Philadelphia Big 5 - Villanova University, Temple University, La Salle University, Saint Joseph's University, University of Pennsylvania)
Teams
Bracket
* – Denotes overtime period
East region – Greensboro, North Carolina
Midwest region – Louisville, Kentucky
Mideast region – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
West region – Los Angeles
Final Four – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Announcers
Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, and Billy Packer - Final Four at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dick Enberg and Billy Packer called the first game while Packer teamed with Curt Gowdy for the second game. For the Championship Game, Dick Enberg and Curt Gowdy called it while NBC used Billy Packer as a studio analyst. Dick Enberg and Billy Packer - First Round at Lawrence, Kansas (Notre Dame-Cincinnati); Mideast Regional Final at Baton Rouge, Louisiana Curt Gowdy and John Wooden - First Round at South Bend, Indiana (Indiana-St. John's); West Regional Final at Los Angeles, California Jim Simpson (sportscaster) and Tom Hawkins (basketball)- First Round at Dayton, Ohio (Alabama-North Carolina); Midwest Regional Final at Louisville, Kentucky