1997 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1997 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament |
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1997 Final Four logo
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| Teams | 64 | ||||
| Finals site |
RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Champions |
Arizona (1st title, 1st title game, 3rd Final Four) |
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| Runner-up |
Kentucky (9th title game, 12th Final Four) |
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| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Lute Olson (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Miles Simon Arizona | ||||
| Attendance | 646,531 | ||||
| Top scorer | Miles Simon Arizona (132 points) |
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The 1997 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 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the RCA Dome. A total of 63 games were played.
The Final Four consisted of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, who entered the tournament as the defending national champions, Minnesota, making their first Final Four appearance, Arizona, making their third Final Four appearance and first since 1994, and North Carolina, making their thirteenth Final Four appearance and first since 1995.
In the national championship game, Arizona defeated Kentucky in overtime 84-79 to win their first national championship. For the second time in the last three seasons, the defending national champions reached the final game and lost.
Miles Simon of Arizona was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Several years later, Minnesota was stripped of its Final Four appearance following the discovery of NCAA academic rule violations. In addition, the Gophers were stripped of their Big Ten title they had also won.
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