Duke's Triumph: A Look Back at the 2001 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was a memorable event, marking the first year of the 65-team bracket before the introduction of the First Four in 2011, when the bracket expanded to 68 teams. The tournament culminated in an exciting final game where Duke defeated Arizona 82-72 to win their third national title.

Tournament Structure and Key Changes

The 2001 tournament marked a structural change with the Mountain West Conference receiving an automatic bid for the first time. The NCAA decided to maintain 34 at-large bids, which necessitated a play-in game between the #64 and #65 ranked teams, with the winner playing against a #1 seed in the first round. This was also the last tournament where the first- and second-round sites were tied to specific regionals.

Memorable Upsets and Surprises

The tournament was filled with upsets, especially in the first two rounds. Pairs of #10, #11, #12, and #13 seeds secured victories in the first round, and a #10, #11, and #12 seed all advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

Hampton's Historic Win

The most unexpected upset occurred when 15th-seeded Hampton defeated No. 2 seed Iowa State 58-57 in the first round. The Pirates, who were down by as much as 11 points, outscored the Cyclones 10-0 in the final seven minutes. Tarvis Williams made the winning shot with just 6.9 seconds left on the clock. Hampton became only the fourth #15 seed to win a game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 and the first since 1997.

Other Notable Runs

Temple became just the 3rd #11 seed to make it to the Elite Eight since the tournament had expanded, upsetting #6 Texas and #3 Florida on the way. In the same region, 12-seed Gonzaga made the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row, all as a double digit seed.

The Final Four Showdown

The Final Four took place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This would be the last Final Four to be held in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, as it was demolished in 2014.

Semifinal Matchups

In the Final Four, Duke faced off against ACC rival Maryland for the fourth time that season. Both road teams had won during the ACC regular season before Duke won 84-82 in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Atlanta en route to winning the tournament. Kansas faced Michigan State in the other National Semifinal.

Duke vs. Maryland: A Game of Two Halves

The game between Duke and Maryland was a classic. Maryland jumped out to an early 39-17 lead, and it seemed like the Terps would eliminate Duke, led by senior Shane Battier. However, Duke managed to cut the lead to 49-38 at halftime and eventually took their first lead when Jason Williams drained a three-pointer to make it 73-72 with 6:48 to play. Duke went on to stage a comeback against the Terrapins and win 95-84 to advance to the championship game.

Arizona vs. Michigan State

In an emotional season in which Arizona coach Lute Olson suffered the loss of his wife Bobbi, he would be just 40 minutes away from a second national championship after his Wildcats blew out defending national champion Michigan State. The game was close at halftime with Arizona leading by just 2.

The Championship Game: Duke vs. Arizona

The championship game between Duke and Arizona was held on April 2, 2001, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

A Close Contest

The game was close at halftime with Arizona leading by just 2. Arizona cut Duke's lead to 39-37 early in the second half, but Mike Dunleavy Jr. - with his father, NBA coach Mike Dunleavy Sr., in the stands - connected on three consecutive three-pointers during an 11-2 Duke run on his way to a team-high 21 points. The Arizona Wildcats would cut the gap to 3 four times, twice inside the four-minute TV timeout.

Duke's Decisive Plays

Shane Battier proved himself too much for the Wildcats to handle as he hit two critical shots to put the Blue Devils comfortably ahead. Jason Williams, despite a poor shooting night, iced the game with a three-pointer from the top of the key with under 2 minutes to play to give Duke an eight-point lead.

Final Score and Significance

Duke defeated Arizona 82-72 in the national championship game to win their third national title and first since 1992. The second-ranked team coming into the NCAA Tournament would leave giving both the school and coach Mike Krzyzewski their third national championship. Following the season, Krzyzewski was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Game Results

Here's a summary of the scores from key tournament games:

First Round:
- No. 1 Duke 95, No. 16 Northwestern State 50
- No. 1 Duke 94, No. 9 Missouri 70
- No. 1 Duke 76, No. 12 Utah State 61
- No. 4 UCLA 75, No. 13 Kent State 77
- No. 6 Southern California 74, No. 11 Georgia State 50
- No. 3 Boston College 68, No. 14 Southern Utah 61
- No. 7 Iowa 69, No. 10 Georgetown 63
- No. 2 Kentucky 72, No. 15 Hampton 58
- No. 1 Illinois 96, No. 16 No. Illinois 54
- No. 1 Illinois 79, No. 9 Charlotte 70
- No. 5 Syracuse 79, No. 12 Troy State 69
- No. 4 Kansas 99, No. 13 Hofstra 69
- No. 4 Kansas 87, No. 6 Notre Dame 83
- No. 3 Ole Miss 72, No. 14 Iona 70
- No. 3 Ole Miss 59, No. 10 Butler 79
- No. 2 Arizona 101, No. 15 Eastern Illinois 76
- No. 2 Arizona 73, No. 10 Butler 79
- No. 1 Michigan State 69, No. 16 Alabama State 41
- No. 1 Michigan State 81, No. 9 Fresno State 82
- No. 12 Gonzaga 86, No. 13 Indiana State 70
- No. 12 Gonzaga 85, No. 11 Temple 79
- No. 11 Temple 75, No. 3 Florida 69
- No. 7 Penn State 69, No. 10 Providence 59
- No. 7 Penn State 82, No. 2 North Carolina 70
- No. 1 Stanford 88, No. 16 Monmouth 50
- No. 1 Stanford 90, No. 9 Saint Joseph's 66
- No. 5 Cincinnati 84, No. 12 BYU 76
- No. 5 Cincinnati 66, No. 13 Kent State 77
- No. 3 Maryland 83, No. 14 George Mason 68
- No. 3 Maryland 79, No. 10 Georgetown 76
Second Round:
- No. 1 Duke 79, No. 4 UCLA 61
- No. 1 Duke 95, No. 6 Southern California 69
- No. 2 Kentucky 92, No. 7 Iowa 69
- No. 1 Illinois 80, No. 5 Syracuse 79
- No. 4 Kansas 87, No. 4 Kansas 99
- No. 2 Arizona 66, No. 3 Ole Miss 72
- No. 1 Michigan State 77, No. 12 Gonzaga 86
- No. 1 Stanford 78, No. 5 Cincinnati 84
- No. 3 Maryland 76, No. 7 Penn State 69
Regional Semifinals:
- No. 1 Duke 76, No. 6 Southern California 80
- No. 1 Illinois 80, No. 4 Kansas 87
- No. 2 Arizona 87, No. 1 Michigan State 69
- No. 1 Stanford 78, No. 3 Maryland 76
Regional Finals:
- No. 1 Duke 79, No. 2 Kentucky 72
- No. 2 Arizona 87, No. 4 Kansas 99
- No. 1 Michigan State 69, No. 11 Temple 84
- No. 1 Stanford 90, No. 5 Cincinnati 66
National Semifinals:
- No. 1 Duke 95, No. 3 Maryland 84
- No. 2 Arizona 80, No. 4 Kansas 80
Championship Game:
- No. 1 Duke 82, No. 2 Arizona 72

tags: #ncaa #final #four #2001 #results