1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Infobox NCAA Basketball Tournament
Year=1996


ImageSize=150px
Caption=1996 Final Four logo
Teams=64
FinalFourArena=Continental Airlines Arena
FinalFourCity=East Rutherford, New Jersey
Champions=Kentucky
TitleCount=6th
RunnerUp=Syracuse
GameCount=2nd
Semifinal1=Mississippi State
FinalFourCount=1st
Semifinal2=UMass
FinalFourCount2=1st
Coach=Rick Pitino
CoachCount=1st
MOP=Tony Delk
MOPTeam=Kentucky
Attendance=631,834
OneTopScorer=*
TwoTopScorers=
TopScorer=John Wallace
TopScorerTeam=Syracuse
Points=131The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I 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 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A total of 63 games were played.

The Final Four venue was notable for two reasons:
* This marked the first time that the NCAA finals had been held in Greater New York since 1950.
* This was also the last (men's) Final Four to be held in a basketball/hockey-specific facility. Every Final Four since has been held in a domed stadium (usually built for football) because of NCAA venue capacity requirements. Therefore, this was also the last time the NCAA finals have been held in the Greater New York area.

Kentucky, coached by Rick Pitino, won the national title with a 76-67 victory in the final game over Syracuse, coached by Jim Boeheim. Tony Delk of Kentucky was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Kentucky's run to the championship was one of the most dominant in NCAA tournament history, as the Wildcats won each of their first four games by at least 20 points and won every game by at least 7 points.

The committee that put together the bracket in 1996 was criticized for placing what clearly seemed to be the best two teams in college basketball - UMass and Kentucky - on the same side of the bracket so that they faced each other in the national semifinal - not the final game itself.

Locations

Teams

Bracket

East region

16TeamBracket | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=Massachusetts
RD1-score01=92
RD1-seed02=16
RD1-team02=Central Florida
RD1-score02=70
RD1-seed03=8
RD1-team03=Bradley
RD1-score03=58
RD1-seed04=9
RD1-team04=Stanford
RD1-score04=66
RD1-seed05=5
RD1-team05=Penn St.
RD1-score05=80
RD1-seed06=12
RD1-team06=Arkansas
RD1-score06=86
RD1-seed07=4
RD1-team07=Marquette
RD1-score07=68
RD1-seed08=13
RD1-team08=Monmouth
RD1-score08=44
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=North Carolina
RD1-score09=83
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=New Orleans
RD1-score10=62
RD1-seed11=3
RD1-team11=Texas Tech
RD1-score11=74
RD1-seed12=14
RD1-team12=Northern Illinois
RD1-score12=73
RD1-seed13=7
RD1-team13=New Mexico
RD1-score13=69
RD1-seed14=10
RD1-team14=Kansas St.
RD1-score14=48
RD1-seed15=2
RD1-team15=Georgetown
RD1-score15=93
RD1-seed16=15
RD1-team16=Mississippi Valley St.
RD1-score16=56
RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Massachusetts
RD2-score01=79
RD2-seed02=9
RD2-team02=Stanford
RD2-score02=74
RD2-seed03=12
RD2-team03=Arkansas
RD2-score03=65
RD2-seed04=4
RD2-team04=Marquette
RD2-score04=56
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=North Carolina
RD2-score05=73
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Texas Tech
RD2-score06=92
RD2-seed07=7
RD2-team07=New Mexico
RD2-score07=65
RD2-seed08=2
RD2-team08=Georgetown
RD2-score08=75
RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=Massachusetts
RD3-score01=77
RD3-seed02=12
RD3-team02=Arkansas
RD3-score02=63
RD3-seed03=3
RD3-team03=Texas Tech
RD3-score03=90
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Georgetown
RD3-score04=98
RD4-seed01=1
RD4-team01=Massachusetts
RD4-score01=86
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02=Georgetown
RD4-score02=62

Midwest region

16TeamBracket | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=Kentucky
RD1-score01=110
RD1-seed02=16
RD1-team02=San Jose St.
RD1-score02=72
RD1-seed03=8
RD1-team03=UW-Green Bay
RD1-score03=49
RD1-seed04=9
RD1-team04=Virginia Tech
RD1-score04=61
RD1-seed05=5
RD1-team05=Iowa St.
RD1-score05=74
RD1-seed06=12
RD1-team06=California
RD1-score06=64
RD1-seed07=4
RD1-team07=Utah
RD1-score07=72
RD1-seed08=13
RD1-team08=Canisius
RD1-score08=43
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Louisville
RD1-score09=82
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Tulsa
RD1-score10=80*
RD1-seed11=3
RD1-team11=Villanova
RD1-score11=92
RD1-seed12=14
RD1-team12=Portland
RD1-score12=58
RD1-seed13=7
RD1-team13=Michigan
RD1-score13=76
RD1-seed14=10
RD1-team14=Texas
RD1-score14=80
RD1-seed15=2
RD1-team15=Wake Forest
RD1-score15=64
RD1-seed16=15
RD1-team16=Northeast Louisiana
RD1-score16=50
RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Kentucky
RD2-score01=84
RD2-seed02=9
RD2-team02=Virginia Tech
RD2-score02=60
RD2-seed03=5
RD2-team03=Iowa St.
RD2-score03=67
RD2-seed04=4
RD2-team04=Utah
RD2-score04=73
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=Louisville
RD2-score05=68
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Villanova
RD2-score06=64
RD2-seed07=10
RD2-team07=Texas
RD2-score07=62
RD2-seed08=2
RD2-team08=Wake Forest
RD2-score08=65
RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=Kentucky
RD3-score01=101
RD3-seed02=4
RD3-team02=Utah
RD3-score02=70
RD3-seed03=6
RD3-team03=Louisville
RD3-score03=59
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Wake Forest
RD3-score04=60
RD4-seed01=1
RD4-team01=Kentucky
RD4-score01=83
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02=Wake Forest
RD4-score02=63

outheast region

16TeamBracket | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=Connecticut
RD1-score01=68
RD1-seed02=16
RD1-team02=Colgate
RD1-score02=59
RD1-seed03=8
RD1-team03=Duke
RD1-score03=60
RD1-seed04=9
RD1-team04=Eastern Michigan
RD1-score04=75
RD1-seed05=5
RD1-team05=Mississippi St.
RD1-score05=58
RD1-seed06=12
RD1-team06=Virginia Commonwealth
RD1-score06=51
RD1-seed07=4
RD1-team07=UCLA
RD1-score07=41
RD1-seed08=13
RD1-team08=Princeton
RD1-score08=43
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Indiana
RD1-score09=51
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=Boston College
RD1-score10=64
RD1-seed11=3
RD1-team11=Georgia Tech
RD1-score11=90
RD1-seed12=14
RD1-team12=Austin Peay
RD1-score12=79
RD1-seed13=7
RD1-team13=Temple
RD1-score13=69
RD1-seed14=10
RD1-team14=Oklahoma
RD1-score14=47
RD1-seed15=2
RD1-team15=Cincinnati
RD1-score15=66
RD1-seed16=15
RD1-team16=NC-Greensboro
RD1-score16=61
RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Connecticut
RD2-score01=95
RD2-seed02=9
RD2-team02=Eastern Michigan
RD2-score02=81
RD2-seed03=5
RD2-team03=Mississippi St.
RD2-score03=65
RD2-seed04=13
RD2-team04=Princeton
RD2-score04=45
RD2-seed05=11
RD2-team05=Boston College
RD2-score05=89
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Georgia Tech
RD2-score06=103
RD2-seed07=7
RD2-team07=Temple
RD2-score07=65
RD2-seed08=2
RD2-team08=Cincinnati
RD2-score08=78
RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=Connecticut
RD3-score01=55
RD3-seed02=5
RD3-team02=Mississippi St.
RD3-score02=60
RD3-seed03=3
RD3-team03=Georgia Tech
RD3-score03=70
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Cincinnati
RD3-score04=87
RD4-seed01=5
RD4-team01=Mississippi St.
RD4-score01=73
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02=Cincinnati
RD4-score02=63

West region

16TeamBracket | RD3=Sweet Sixteen | RD4=Elite Eight | RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=Purdue
RD1-score01=73
RD1-seed02=16
RD1-team02=Western Carolina
RD1-score02=71
RD1-seed03=8
RD1-team03=Georgia
RD1-score03=81
RD1-seed04=9
RD1-team04=Clemson
RD1-score04=74
RD1-seed05=5
RD1-team05=Memphis
RD1-score05=63
RD1-seed06=12
RD1-team06=Drexel
RD1-score06=75
RD1-seed07=4
RD1-team07=Syracuse
RD1-score07=88
RD1-seed08=13
RD1-team08=Montana St.
RD1-score08=55
RD1-seed09=6
RD1-team09=Iowa
RD1-score09=81
RD1-seed10=11
RD1-team10=George Washington
RD1-score10=79
RD1-seed11=3
RD1-team11=Arizona
RD1-score11=90
RD1-seed12=14
RD1-team12=Valparaiso
RD1-score12=51
RD1-seed13=7
RD1-team13=Maryland
RD1-score13=79
RD1-seed14=10
RD1-team14=Santa Clara
RD1-score14=91
RD1-seed15=2
RD1-team15=Kansas
RD1-score15=92
RD1-seed16=15
RD1-team16=South Carolina St.
RD1-score16=54
RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Purdue
RD2-score01=69
RD2-seed02=8
RD2-team02=Georgia
RD2-score02=76
RD2-seed03=12
RD2-team03=Drexel
RD2-score03=58
RD2-seed04=4
RD2-team04=Syracuse
RD2-score04=69
RD2-seed05=6
RD2-team05=Iowa
RD2-score05=73
RD2-seed06=3
RD2-team06=Arizona
RD2-score06=87
RD2-seed07=10
RD2-team07=Santa Clara
RD2-score07=51
RD2-seed08=2
RD2-team08=Kansas
RD2-score08=76
RD3-seed01=8
RD3-team01=Georgia
RD3-score01=81
RD3-seed02=4
RD3-team02=Syracuse
RD3-score02=85
RD3-seed03=3
RD3-team03=Arizona
RD3-score03=80
RD3-seed04=2
RD3-team04=Kansas
RD3-score04=83
RD4-seed01=4
RD4-team01=Syracuse
RD4-score01=60
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02=Kansas
RD4-score02=57

Final Four

4TeamBracket | RD1=National Semifinals | RD2=National Finals | RD1-seed1=1
RD1-team1=Massachusetts
RD1-score1=56
RD1-seed2=1
RD1-team2=Kentucky
RD1-score2=74
RD1-seed3=5
RD1-team3=Mississippi St.
RD1-score3=69
RD1-seed4=4
RD1-team4=Syracuse
RD1-score4=77
RD2-seed1=1
RD2-team1=Kentucky
RD2-score1=76
RD2-seed2=4
RD2-team2=Syracuse
RD2-score2=67

External links

* [http://www.shrpsports.com/collbask/1996.htm 1996 NCAA Basketball Tournament] on Shrp Sports (source for the bracket)
* [http://www.hoopstournament.net/index.html HoopsTournament.Net] , source for much of the information on this page.
* [http://www.victorypennants.com/kentucky-wildcats-1996-basketball-champions-pen1997.html Kentucky Wildcats 1996 NCAA Basketball Champions Pennant]