1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game
| National championship game | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | March 31, 1997 | |||||||||||||||
| Venue | RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana | |||||||||||||||
| MVP | Miles Simon, Arizona | |||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Kentucky by 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Referees | Tim Higgins, Ted Valentine, and Tom O'Neil | |||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 47,028 | |||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | |||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Billy Packer (color) Michele Tafoya and Andrea Joyce (sideline) | |||||||||||||||
The 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the finals of the 1997 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1996–97 season. The game was played on March 31, 1997, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana and featured the West Regional Champion and defending national champion, #1-seeded Kentucky versus the Southeast Regional Champion, #4-seeded Arizona.
Arizona defeated Kentucky 84–79 to win their first national championship in school history. Due to Kentucky coming back to win the national championship in 1998, Arizona effectively denied Kentucky a potential three-peat from 1996 to 1998.
This was the final national championship won by the Pac-12 Conference, which folded in 2024.
Participating teams
Arizona Wildcats
- Southeast
- (4) Arizona 65, (13) South Alabama 57
- (4) Arizona 73, (12) College of Charleston 69
- (4) Arizona 85, (1) Kansas 82
- (4) Arizona 96, (10) Providence 92
- Final Four
- (SE4) Arizona 66, (E1) North Carolina 58
Kentucky Wildcats
- West
- (1) Kentucky 92, (16) Montana 58
- (1) Kentucky 75, (8) Iowa 69
- (1) Kentucky 83, (4) Saint Joseph's 68
- (1) Kentucky 72, (2) Utah 59
- Final Four
- (W1) Kentucky 78, (MW1) Minnesota 69
Starting lineups
| Arizona | Position | Kentucky | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Bibby | G | Wayne Turner | ||
| Miles Simon | G | Anthony Epps | ||
| Bennett Davison | F | † Ron Mercer 1 | ||
| Michael Dickerson | F | Scott Padgett | ||
| A. J. Bramlett | C | Jamaal Magloire | ||
| † 1997 Consensus First Team All-American | ||||
| Players selected in the 1997 NBA draft (number indicates round) | ||||
Source
Game summary
CBS |
Monday, March 31 |
| #SE4 Arizona Wildcats 84, #W1 Kentucky Wildcats 79 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 33–32, 41–42 Overtime: 10–5 | ||
| Pts: Miles Simon 30 Rebs: Mike Bibby 9 Asts: Jason Terry 5 |
Pts: Scott Padgett 17 Rebs: Nazr Mohammed 11 Asts: Ron Mercer 6 | |
RCA Dome – Indianapolis, Indiana Attendance: 47,028 Referees: Tim Higgins, Ted Valentine and Tom O'Neil |