UCLA won its third national championship in a row and fifth in six years in 1969, when the Lew Alcindor-led Bruins defeated Purdue 92-72 in the championship game. It was the Boilermakers' first Final Four and national championship game appearance. Alcindor, a senior, was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player for the third consecutive year, while Purdue's Rick Mount led all scorers with 122 points in the tournament.
Drake made its first Final Four in 1969, while North Carolina made its fifth.
There were 25 teams in the 1969 NCAA tournament – an increase of two from 1968. The championship game was held in Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky.
1969 NCAA tournament: Bracket
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1969 NCAA tournament: Scores
- Regional Quarterfinals
- East Region
- Duquesne 74, Saint Joseph's 52
- Davidson 75, Villanova 61
- St. John's 72, Princeton 63
- Mideast Region
- Miami (OH) 63, Notre Dame 60
- Marquette 82, Murray State 62
- Midwest Region
- Texas A&M 81, Trinity (TX) 66
- Colorado State 52, Dayton 50
- West Region
- New Mexico State 74, BYU 62
- Weber State 75, Seattle 73
- East Region
- Regional Semifinals
- East Region
- North Carolina 79, Duquesne 78
- Davidson 79, St. John's 69
- Mideast Region
- Purdue 91, Miami (OH) 71
- Marquette 81, Kentucky 74
- Midwest Region
- Drake 81, Texas A&M 63
- Colorado State 64, Colorado 56
- West Region
- UCLA 53, New Mexico State 38
- Santa Clara 63, Weber State 59
- East Region
- Regional Finals
- East Region
- North Carolina 87, Davidson 85
- Mideast Region
- Purdue 75, Marquette 73
- Midwest Region
- Drake 84, Colorado State 77
- West Region
- UCLA 90, Santa Clara 52
- East Region
- Regional Third-Place Games
- East Region
- Duquesne 75, St. John's 72
- Mideast Region
- Kentucky 72, Miami (OH) 71
- Midwest Region
- Colorado 97, Texas A&M 82
- West Region
- Weber State 58, New Mexico State 56
- East Region
- Final Four
- National semifinals
- Purdue 92, North Carolina 65
- UCLA 85, Drake 82
- National championship
- UCLA 92, Purdue 72
- Third-place game
- Drake 104, North Carolina 84
- National semifinals
1969 NCAA tournament: Stats, records
Here are the 1969 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses):
Individual scoring
- Rick Mount, Purdue: 30.5 points per game
Individual rebounding
- Lew Alcindor, UCLA: 16.0 rebounds per game
Records
- Most field goals attempted in the championship game by an individual: 36 attempts, Rick Mount, Purdue
- Most field goals attempted in the championship game by a team: 92 attempts, Purdue
- Most rebounds in the championship game by a team: 61, UCLA
- Most combined rebounds in the championship game: 109 rebounds
- Most field goals attempted in the Final Four (two-game total): 64 attempts, Rick Mount, Purdue
- Most free throws attempted by a team in the Final Four (two-game total): 85 attempts, UCLA
- Tied for the highest free throw percentage in an NCAA tournament game: 100%, Mike Maloy, Davidson; Dan Issel, Kentucky