UCLA won the last of its seven consecutive NCAA national championships in 1973. The Bruins beat Memphis State 87-66 in the title game. Bill Walton was named Most Outstanding Player for a second straight year, this time setting a tournament record by scoring 44 points in the national final on 21-of-22 shooting.
The Bruins made their ninth Final Four appearance while Memphis State reached the national semifinals for the first time in program history. Tigers' coach Gene Bartow would become UCLA coach John Wooden's successor following the 1974-75 season.
Providence also reached its first Final Four, led by the tournament's leading scorer in Ernie DiGregorio (128 points). The Friars finished fourth in 1973, falling to Memphis State in the Final Four and Indiana in the third-place game.
1973 NCAA tournament: Bracket
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1973 NCAA tournament: Scores
- Regional Quarterfinals
- East Region
- Syracuse 83, Furman 82
- Pennsylvania 62, St. John's 61
- Providence 89, Saint Joseph's 76
- Mideast Region
- Marquette 77, Miami (OH) 62
- Austin Peay 77, Jacksonville 75
- Midwest Region
- South Carolina 78, Texas Tech 70
- Louisiana-Lafayette 102, Houston 89
- West Region
- Arizona State 103, Oklahoma City 78
- Long Beach State 88, Weber State 75
- East Region
- Regional Semifinals
- East Region
- Maryland 91, Syracuse 75
- Providence 87, Pennsylvania 65
- Mideast Region
- Indiana 75, Marquette 69
- Kentucky 106, Austin Peay 100 (OT)
- Midwest Region
- Memphis State 90, South Carolina 76
- Kansas State 66, Louisiana-Lafayette 63
- West Region
- UCLA 98, Arizona State 81
- San Francisco 77, Long Beach State 67
- East Region
- Regional Finals
- East Region
- Providence 103, Maryland 89
- Mideast Region
- Indiana 72, Kentucky 65
- Midwest Region
- Memphis State 92, Kansas State 72
- West Region
- UCLA 54, San Francisco 39
- East Region
- Regional Third Place Games
- East Region
- Syracuse 69, Pennsylvania 68
- Mideast Region
- Marquette 88, Austin Peay
- Midwest Region
- South Carolina 90, Louisiana-Lafayette 85
- West Region
- Long Beach State 84, Arizona State 80
- East Region
- Final Four (St. Louis, Missouri)
- National semifinals
- Memphis State 98, Providence 85
- UCLA 70, Indiana 59
- National championship
- UCLA 87, Memphis State 66
- Third-place game
- Indiana 97, Providence 79
- National semifinals
1973 NCAA tournament: Stats, records
Here are the 1973 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses):
Individual scoring
- Larry Finch, Memphis State (4) — 26.8
Individual rebounding
- Bill Walton, UCLA (4) — 14.5
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