1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Tournament	1982
Tournament dates	March 11 – 29, 1982
National Championship	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana
NCAA Champions	North Carolina Tar Heels
Helms National Champions	North Carolina Tar Heels
Other champions	Bradley Braves (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia Cavaliers
Player of the Year (Helms)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia Cavaliers James Worthy, North Carolina Tar Heels

The 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 27, 1981, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 29, 1982, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The North Carolina Tar Heels won their second NCAA national championship with a 63–62 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas.

• Eastern Illinois, Illinois–Chicago, Loyola (MD), Marist, Maryland–Eastern Shore, Texas–San Antonio, U.S. International, Utica, Western Illinois, Wisconsin–Green Bay and Youngstown State began Division I play.
• The ECAC Metro Conference began play, with 11 original members. It was renamed the Northeast Conference in 1988.
• The ECAC South Conference began conference play, with 11 original members. Although it had been founded in 1979, its members had played as independents until this season, taking part in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's postseason South region tournament for independents. The ECAC South Conference was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 and the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.
• The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference began play, with six original members.
• Before a crowd of 7,300 people at Robertson Field House in Peoria, Illinois, on December 21, 1981, Cincinnati defeated Bradley 75–73 in seven overtimes in the longest game in NCAA Division I history.^[1]
• Texas Southern's Harry Kelly led the United States is scoring and had the highest single-game output with 51 points against Texas College.^[2]
• The NCAA tournament's national third-place game — which had pitted the two teams that lost in the semifinals against one another — was abolished. It had been part of the tournament from 1946 through 1981.
• The National Invitation Tournament's third-place game, in which the two teams that lost in the semifinals had played against one another, was abolished. It had been part of the NIT since the tournament was first held in 1938.
• For the first time CBS was awarded the television rights for the NCAA tournament.^[3]
• The selection show announcing the NCAA tournament bracket was televised live for the first time.^[3]
• Brent Musburger of CBS Sports became the first television sportscaster to refer to the NCAA tournament as "March Madness" on the air.^[3]
• John Thompson of Georgetown became the first African-American head coach to lead his team to the Final Four.^[3]
• Dean Smith won his first national championship as his North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 63–62 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was Smith's first win after three losses in the championship game – including losing the previous year to Indiana.
• Following the season, the University of San Francisco (USF) dropped its basketball program following a scandal involving All-American guard Quintin Dailey. In the process of pleading guilty to assaulting a female USF student, Dailey revealed that he had been paid $1000 per month by a Dons booster for a job he never showed up for. This, combined with other blemishes on the program, caused university president John Lo Schiavo to shut down the program.^[4] USF did not reinstate its basketball program until 1985.

Beginning in 1981–1982, the following rules changes were implemented:

• The jump ball was only used at the beginning of the game and at the start of each overtime. An alternating arrow was used to indicate possession in jump-ball situations during the game.
• All fouls charged to bench personnel were assessed to the head coach.^[5]
• To decrease stalling, two defensive players are required to enter the mid-court area and "continuously and aggressively" attempt to gain control of the ball.
• Causing a backboard to vibrate during a shot or tap is a technical foul.
• Purposely faking a free throw is a violation.
• During free throw attempts, the free throw shooter and any players not in a marked space around the lane are not allowed to enter the lane until the ball touches either the rim or backboard.
• "Break-away" rims, implemented by the NBA after the Darryl Dawkins backboard-shattering dunks, are now permitted.^[6]

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.^[7]

NOTE: Although the ECAC South Conference was founded in 1979, its members played as independents until conference play began this season. Catholic University left the ECAC South Conference before conference play began.

Georgetown, which had used on-campus McDonough Gymnasium as its home court since the 1951–52 season, moved off campus to Capital Centre (later known as USAir Arena and USAirways Arena) in Landover, Maryland. Although they would continue to play occasional home games at McDonough Gymnasium, the Hoyas would use Capital Centre as their home court until early in the 1997–98 season. In its first game at Capital Centre, Georgetown defeated San Diego State 71–53 before a crowd of 8,302 on December 5, 1981.

A total of 28 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (26–2) had both the best winning percentage (.929) and the most wins.^[32]

Saint Joseph's and Temple both finished with records of 3–1 in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

North Carolina freshman Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot as Dean Smith won his first national championship after many near-misses over his career, defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 63–62 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Fred Brown's errant pass to James Worthy in the closing seconds sealed the game, which featured star freshmen Jordan and the Hoyas' Patrick Ewing. Worthy was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The Bradley Braves, led by coach Dick Versace, defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 67–58 to win their fourth National Invitation tournament, tying them with St. John's for the most NIT championships (St. John's has since won two additional titles). Bradley's Mitchell Anderson was named NIT Most Valuable Player.

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

• Wooden Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Helms Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia, & James Worthy, North Carolina
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• NABC Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Thompson, Georgetown
• NABC Coach of the Year: Don Monson, Idaho
• UPI Coach of the Year: Norm Stewart, Missouri
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Gene Keady, Purdue
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jack Moore, Nebraska
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Jeffery Clark, St. Joseph's & John Pinone, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Dan Callandrillo, Seton Hall

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.^[33]