The 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game took place on Monday, March 29, between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Georgetown Hoyas at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The match-up was the final one of the forty-fourth consecutive NCAA tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to crown a national champion for men's basketball at the Division I level.

Head coach John Thompson and the Georgetown Hoyas entered the game ranked sixth in the final AP Poll (released three weeks earlier), with an overall record of The Hoyas were led by first-team All-American Eric Floyd and freshman Patrick Ewing. In the midst of a 15-game winning streak, the North Carolina Tar Heels entered the championship game at 31–2 after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national semifinal. The Dean Smith-led North Carolina Tar Heels were anchored by junior and first–team All-American James Worthy.

The game was televised by CBS across the United States, which attracted over 17 million viewers. Georgetown jumped out to an early 12–8 lead, with all eight of North Carolina's points coming from goaltending infractions by Ewing. The Hoyas entered halftime ahead 32–31. The teams traded the lead multiple times in the closing minutes of the second half. Following a turnover by Matt Doherty, Georgetown took the lead 62–61 courtesy of a jump shot from Floyd. During the ensuing possession, North Carolina freshman Michael Jordan hit a go-ahead basket with 15 seconds remaining to give the Tar Heels a one-point advantage.

The Tar Heels won their second NCAA men's basketball national championship, with their first coming in 1957. Worthy was named the Most Outstanding Player for his efforts throughout the tournament. After losing in his first three national title game appearances – something many had openly criticized him over – coach Smith won his first national championship as a head coach. Ewing helped lead the Hoyas back to the national title game in 1984 and 1985, where they won it all in 1984. Both talented freshmen, Ewing and Jordan, went on to become National Players of the Year before leaving college to play professional basketball.

Background

Georgetown Hoyas

John Thompson was in the midst of his tenth season as head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas as the team entered the national championship game. Before the season, Thompson made headlines when he signed top recruit, Patrick Ewing over several other top name schools, along with Anthony Jones, Ralph Dalton, Elvado Smith, and Bill Martin. Georgetown was named by some voters as the number one team in the nation in the preseason polls due to its highly touted recruiting class. The Hoyas' starting lineup was Eric Smith, Eric Floyd, and Fred Brown as guards, Mike Hancock in the forward position, and Ewing at center.

The Georgetown Hoyas participated in the Great Alaska Shootout to start the 1981–82 season. The Hoyas lost their opening game to Southwestern Louisiana 70–61 after playing a sloppy game. After winning the following game against Alaska–Anchorage 77–67, the Hoyas lost 47–46 to Ohio State in their final tournament game. Georgetown then began a thirteen-game win streak, which was followed by losing three straight to three conference opponents. The Hoyas then finished the regular season with nine more wins and one loss, which was good enough to finish second in the Big East regular season standings. The Hoyas won their first two games of the Big East tournament by a collective margin of 29 points and advanced to the championship game against the Villanova Wildcats. The two teams were tied 33–33 at halftime, but the Hoyas changed their defense from zone to man-to-man to start the second half. This proved effective as they were able to force turnovers and shoot well from the field, which led them to win 72–54. The Georgetown Hoyas won the Big East tournament and also, a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Georgetown faced Wyoming and won 51–43. The Hoyas then beat the Fresno State Bulldogs by eighteen, after leading by five at halftime, to advance to the regional finals. Georgetown faced off against Oregon State in the regional final. In the game, the Hoyas shot very well from the field, setting the tournament record for field goal percentage in a game, 77.4%, en route to the 69–45 victory. In the national semifinal against Louisville, both teams shot very poorly. The two teams traded the lead several times throughout the first half, but after three minutes into the second half, Georgetown gained the lead and never relinquished it. The Hoyas used defense to maintain their lead and set the pace of the game, which they won 50–46. This was Georgetown's second appearance in the national championship game. They previously made it in 1943, where they lost to Wyoming.

North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels were coached by Dean Smith, who was in his twenty–first season as head coach of the Tar Heels. This was Smith's fourth national championship game appearance as the coach of North Carolina, after losing in 1968, 1977, and 1981. Coach Smith entered the 1981 regular season with what he called the "best class he ever had" to that point in his career with: Buzz Peterson, Warren Martin, Michael Jordan, Lynwood Robinson, and John Brownlee. His North Carolina team was named by many as the preseason number one and the favorite to win the national title. North Carolina's starting line up consisted of Jimmy Black and Jordan at the guard positions, Matt Doherty and James Worthy in at forward, and Sam Perkins as starting center.

North Carolina opened their 1981–82 campaign with a win against Kansas at a neutral site in Charlotte, North Carolina. After winning five more games, the Tar Heels entered the Cable Car Classic. Behind Perkins' 23 points, the Tar Heels managed to win the game, despite being taken to overtime. North Carolina advanced to the tournament final where the defeated Santa Clara. Wake Forest defeated North Carolina, who was playing without Perkins due to illness, to hand them their first loss of the season. The Tar Heels won three more games before losing to Virginia, where they trailed the whole game. North Carolina won the remaining games of its regular season. The team won the ACC tournament by narrowly defeating Virginia in tournament's championship game, 47–45.

North Carolina edged James Madison 52–50 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels beat Alabama in the succeeding round to advance to the regional final against Villanova. North Carolina advanced to the Final Four with a 70–60 over Villanova as each starter scored over ten points. In the national semifinal, North Carolina was pitted against Houston. The Tar Heels opened the game with a 14–0 run. Houston overcame the deficit and tied the game at 29 just a few minutes before the half. Coming out of halftime, North Carolina went on a 7–2 run and eventually won the game 68–63 after stalling for a significant period of time.

Team rosters

+ 1981–82 Georgetown Hoyas rosterNo.NamePositionHeightWeightClass 10 Kurt Kaull G 6-3 185 Jr. 11 Anthony Jones F 6-6 185 Fr. 12 Elvado Smith G 6-2 165 Fr. 20 Fred Brown G 6-5 190 So. 21 Eric Floyd G 6-3 170 Sr. 22 Gene Smith G 6-2 190 So. 24 Bill Martin F 6-7 190 Fr. 30 Ron Blaylock G 6-3 185 Sr. 32 Eric Smith F 6-5 185 Sr. 33 Patrick Ewing C 7-0 220 Fr. 40 Mike Hancock F 6-7 180 Sr. 42 David Blue F 6-7 180 Jr. 50 Ed Spriggs F/C 6-9 230 Sr. 52 Ralph Dalton F/C 6-9 230 Fr. Reference:

+ 1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels rosterNo.NamePositionHeightWeightClass 4 Lynwood Robinson G 6-1 176 Fr. 21 Jimmy Black G 6-3 162 Sr. 22 Buzz Peterson G 6-3½ 165 Fr. 23 Michael Jordan G/F 6-5 189 Fr. 24 Jim Braddock G 6-2 171 Jr. 32 John Brownlee F/C 6-10 215 Fr. 41 Sam Perkins F/C 6-9 224 So. 43 Jeb Barlow F 6-8 207 Sr. 44 Matt Doherty F 6-8 210 So. 45 Chris Brust F/C 6-9 231 Sr. 50 Cecil Exum F 6-6 206 So. 51 Timo Makkonen C 6-11½ 202 So. 52 James Worthy F 6-8 219 Jr. 54 Warren Martin C 6-11 222 Fr. Reference:

Media coverage

In the days before the game was to be played there was significant coverage given to the two head coaches Smith and Thompson. The two had both served as coaches on the 1976 United States men's Olympic basketball team for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The two coaches first met in Washington D.C. while trying to recruit players from the same high school. Thompson was quoted saying that coach Smith "knows our philosophy and I know his philosophy." Smith talked of Thompson saying he was a personal friend of his and that he would maintain contact with him whether or not Thompson was still coaching.

The relationship between Georgetown's Floyd and North Carolina's Worthy also drew some attention from the media. The two players grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina together, where they went to the same church and competed in high school against each other. Worthy commented that his family lives around two to three miles away from Floyd's. It was noted that the two would likely not interact much while playing as they did not play the same position.

Both coaches told the media that they believed their respective teams should play far better than they did in the National semifinal games if they wanted to win the upcoming game. Coach Smith expressed concerns over Georgetown's shooting ability and feared that Floyd would come out shooting very well from the field. In addition, Smith noted that Ewing would play a large factor in the game because his defensive presence in the game limits second chance opportunities for Georgetown's opponents. Ken Rappoport of the Associated Press wrote of how North Carolina was a very disciplined team that takes only high-percentage shots.

Venue

The Louisiana Superdome was chosen as the venue for the Final Four of the 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Superdome was selected over Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Throughout the 1970s, the NCAA had considered hosting the Final Four in a domed football stadium, and the 1982 Final Four was the first time the tournament was held in a domed football stadium since 1971, which was held in Houston's Astrodome.

Route to the game Georgetown Hoyas (#1 West)RoundNorth Carolina Tar Heels (#1 East)OpponentResultRegionalsOpponentResultByeFirst roundBye#9 Wyoming CowboysWin 51–43Second round#9 James Madison DukesWin 52–50#4 Fresno State BulldogsWin 58–40Regional semifinal#4 Alabama Crimson TideWin 74–69#2 Oregon State BeaversWin 69–45Regional final#3 Villanova WildcatsWin 70–60OpponentResultFinal FourOpponentResultLouisville Cardinals (Mideast #3)Win 50–46National semifinalHouston Cougars (#6 Midwest)Win 68–63

Broadcast

The national championship game was televised across the United States by CBS. CBS obtained the rights to broadcast the NCAA Tournament, after the tournament had been previously broadcast by NBC. A total of 17.52 million homes, 30% of the television audience, watched the game. The broadcast earned a 21.5 Nielsen Rating, the second highest for the NCAA national championship game at the time, after 1979.

Starting lineups Georgetown Position North Carolina Fred Brown G Michael Jordan Eric Floyd G Jimmy Black Eric Smith F Matt Doherty Mike Hancock F † James Worthy Pat Ewing C Sam Perkins†

Game summary