2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

2005 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season2004–05
Teams65
Finals siteEdward Jones Dome
St. Louis, Missouri
ChampionsNorth Carolina Tar Heels (4th title, 8th title game,
16th Final Four)
Runner-upIllinois Fighting Illini (1st title game,
5th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachRoy Williams (1st title)
MOPSean May (North Carolina)
Attendance47,262
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«2004 2006»
2005 Final Four, Edward Jones Dome

The 2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

The Final Four consisted of top seed Illinois, in their first Final Four appearance since 1989, Louisville, making their first appearance since winning the national championship in 1986, North Carolina, reaching their first Final Four since their 2000 Cinderella run, and Michigan State, back in the Final Four for the first time since 2001.

North Carolina emerged as the national champion for a fourth time, defeating Illinois in the final 75–70.[1] North Carolina's Sean May was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.[1] It was coach Roy Williams's first national championship.[1]

For the first time since 1999, when Weber State defeated North Carolina, a #14 seed defeated a #3 seed when Bucknell upset Kansas.[2] A #13 seed, Vermont, advanced by defeating Syracuse in the first round[3] and a #12 seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the Chicago region.[4][5]

  1. ^ a b c "May's big day helps Williams win first national title". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "Kansas suffers 1st first-round NCAA tourney loss since '78". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "Orange crushed: Vermont shocks 'Cuse in OT". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.[dead link]
  4. ^ "2005 UW-Milwaukee vs. Alabama Round of 64". ncaa-basketball-tournament.pointafter.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "UW-Milwaukee still dancing with upset over BC". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.