1966 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 22 | ||||
| Finals site |
Cole Field House College Park, Maryland |
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| Champions |
Texas Western (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) |
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| Runner-up |
Kentucky (5th title game, 6th Final Four) |
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| Semifinalists | |||||
| Winning coach | Don Haskins (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Jerry Chambers Utah | ||||
| Attendance | 140,925 | ||||
| Top scorer | Jerry Chambers Utah (143 points) |
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The 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national men's basketball champion of the NCAA University Division, now known as NCAA Division I. It began on March 7, 1966, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in College Park, Maryland. A total of 26 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Texas Western, coached by Don Haskins, won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final game over Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp. Coach Haskins started five black players for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Jerry Chambers of Utah was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The 2006 film Glory Road is based on the story of the 1966 Texas Western team.
The Tournament is most remembered as for the all-black starting five of Texas Western defeating an all-white starting five for Kentucky in the championship game. In the 1963 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Loyola started four African-Americans and Cincinnati started three. That was the first time that a majority of African-Americans participated in the championship game.
Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the Fall of 1963. This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the Southeast. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers were 2 points away from defeating Michigan and meeting the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the Mideast regional final. A controversial foul called against Smith during a jump ball put Cazzie Russell on the free throw line for Michigan, where he scored the tying and winning baskets.
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