1981 NCAA Division I basketball championship game

The 1981 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game took place on March 30, 1981, between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Indiana Hoosiers at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The matchup was the final one of the forty-third consecutive NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship single-elimination tournament — commonly referred to as the NCAA Tournament — organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is used to crown a national champion for men's basketball at the Division I level.[2]

1981 NCAA Tournament Championship Game
National championship game
North Carolina Tar Heels Indiana Hoosiers
ACC Big Ten
(29–7) (25–9)
50 63
Head coach:
Dean Smith
Head coach:
Bob Knight
1st half2nd half Total
North Carolina Tar Heels 2624 50
Indiana Hoosiers 2736 63
DateMarch 30, 1981
VenueThe Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
RefereesKen Lauderdale, Lou Moser, & Booker Turner[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersDick Enberg, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire
← 1980
1982 →

Because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, there was talk of postponing or cancelling the title game; but once NCAA officials learned that Reagan had made it through surgery and would survive his injuries, the game was played as scheduled.[3] Howard Cosell criticized the NCAA for not postponing the game due to the Reagan assassination attempt.

Indiana defeated North Carolina by a 63–50 score to win their second national title in six years and fourth overall. As of 2024, this remains the only time a team from the Big Ten defeated an ACC team in the championship game.

The 1980–81 season was the last before the NCAA began sponsoring a championship for Division I women's basketball. All future NCAA men's tournaments and championship games would include "Men's" in their official titles.

Participants

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It was the first national championship game between the schools. Indiana was seeking its fourth national championship (1940, 1953, 1976) while North Carolina was looking for its second, having last won in 1957.

Indiana Hoosiers

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  • Mideast
    • (3) Indiana 99, (6) Maryland 64
    • (3) Indiana 87, (7) UAB 72
    • (3) Indiana 78, (9) St. Joseph's 46
  • Final Four
    • (ME3) Indiana 67, (MW1) LSU 49

North Carolina Tar Heels

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  • West
    • (2) North Carolina 74, (10) Pittsburgh 57
    • (2) North Carolina 61, (3) Utah 56
    • (2) North Carolina 82, (8) Kansas State 68
  • Final Four
    • (W2) North Carolina 78, (E1) Virginia 65

Starting lineups

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Indiana Position North Carolina
Isiah Thomas 1 G Jimmy Black
Randy Wittman G Mike Pepper
Ted Kitchel F James Worthy
Landon Turner F Al Wood 1
Ray Tolbert 1 C Sam Perkins
1981 Consensus First Team All-American
 Players selected in the 1981 NBA draft  (number indicates round)

Source[4]

Game summary

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Source:[5][6]

NBC
March 30, 1981
#ME3 Indiana Hoosiers 63, #W2 North Carolina Tar Heels 50
Scoring by half: 27-26, 36-24
Pts: Isiah Thomas 23
Rebs: Ray Tolbert 11
Asts: Jim Thomas 8
Pts: Al Wood 18
Rebs: Sam Perkins 8
Asts: Jimmy Black 6
The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Ken Lauderdale, Lou Moser, & Booker Turner
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
F 32 Landon Turner 12 6 1
F 30 Ted Kitchel 0 0 0
G 11 Isiah Thomas 23 2 5
G 24 Randy Wittman 16 4 0
C 45 Ray Tolbert 5 11 0
Reserves:
G 20 Jim Thomas 2 4 8
F 34 Steve Risley 5 4 0
Head coach:
Bob Knight
 
 
 
 
Indiana
 
 
 
 
North Carolina

0

Indiana Statistics North Carolina
23/48 (48%) Field goals 20/47 (43%)
17/22 (77%) Free throws 10/16 (63%)
31 Total rebounds 29
14 Assists 12
14 Turnovers 19
8 Steals 9
1 Blocks 2
17 Fouls 23
Starters: Pts Reb Ast
F 33 James Worthy 7 6 2
F 30 Al Wood 18 6 2
G 21 Jimmy Black 6 2 6
G 11 Mike Pepper 6 1 0
C 41 Sam Perkins 11 8 1
Reserves:
F 44 Matt Doherty 2 4 0
G 24 Jim Braddock 0 0 1
C 45 Chris Brust 0 0 0
C 34 Pete Budko 0 1 0
F 32 Eric Kenny 0 1 0
Head coach:
Dean Smith

References

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Citations
  1. ^ "The Final Four" (PDF). 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four Records. NCAA. 2014. p. 20. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. ^ Hager 2012, p. 21.
  3. ^ "Indiana, UNC meet 35 years after Reagan shooting jeopardized title game". FoxSports.com. 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  4. ^ "North Carolina vs. Indiana Box Score, March 30, 1981". Sports Reference. March 30, 1981. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  5. ^ Jeff Borzello. "1981 Men's NCAA basketball tournament". CBSSports.com. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "North Carolina vs. Indiana Box Score, March 30, 1981". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
Bibliography