UCLA won its sixth consecutive NCAA national championship in 1972. The Bruins beat Florida State 81-76 in the title game behind 24 points from sophomore center Bill Walton. Walton also scored 33 points in the Final Four, winning his first of two Most Outstanding Player awards.
The Seminoles reached their national semifinal while the Bruins won their eighth title in eight trips to the championship game. North Carolina finished third and Louisville placed fourth, led by first-year coach Denny Crum and the tournament's leading scorer — Jim Price (103 points)
1972 NCAA tournament: Bracket
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1972 NCAA tournament: Scores
- Regional Quarterfinals
- East Region
- South Carolina 53, Temple 51
- Pennsylvania 76, Providence 60
- Villanova 85, East Carolina 70
- Mideast Region
- Florida State 83, Eastern Kentucky 81
- Marquette 73, Ohio 49
- Midwest Region
- Louisiana-Lafayette 112, Marshall 101
- Texas 85, Houston 74
- West Region
- Weber State 91, Hawai'i 64
- Long Beach State 95, BYU 90 (OT)
- East Region
- Regional Semifinals
- East Region
- North Carolina 92, South Carolina 69
- Pennsylvania 78, Villanova 67
- Mideast Region
- Florida State 70, Minnesota 56
- Kentucky 85, Marquette 69
- Midwest Region
- Louisville 88, Louisiana-Lafayette 84
- Kansas State 66, Texas 55
- West Region
- UCLA 90, Weber State 58
- Long Beach State 75, San Francisco 55
- East Region
- Regional Finals
- East Region
- North Carolina 73, Pennsylvania 59
- Mideast Region
- Florida State 73, Kentucky 54
- Midwest Region
- Louisville 72, Kansas State 65
- West Region
- UCLA 73, Long Beach State 57
- East Region
- Regional Third-Place Games
- East Region
- South Carolina 90, Villanova 78
- Mideast Region
- Minnesota 77, Marquette 72
- Midwest Region
- Louisiana-Lafayette 100, Texas 70
- West Region
- San Francisco 74, Weber State 64
- East Region
- Final Four (Los Angeles, California)
- National semifinals
- Florida State 79, North Carolina 75
- UCLA 96, Louisville 77
- National championship
- UCLA 81, Florida State 76
- Third-place game
- North Carolina 105, Louisville 91
- National semifinals
1972 NCAA tournament: Stats, records
Here are the 1972 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses):
Individual scoring
- Jim Price, Louisville (4) — 25.8
Individual rebounding
- Bill Walton, UCLA (4) — 16.0
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