1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	North Carolina
NCAA Tournament	1982
Tournament dates	March 11 – 29, 1982
National Championship	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana
NCAA Champions	North Carolina Tar Heels
Helms National Champions	North Carolina Tar Heels
Other champions	Bradley Braves (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia
Player of the Year (Helms)	Ralph Sampson, Virginia, & James Worthy, North Carolina
← 1980–81 1982–83 →

The 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 27, 1981, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 29, 1982, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The North Carolina Tar Heels won their second NCAA national championship with a 63–62 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas.

• Eastern Illinois, Illinois–Chicago, Loyola (MD), Marist, Maryland–Eastern Shore, Texas–San Antonio, U.S. International, Utica, Western Illinois, Wisconsin–Green Bay and Youngstown State began Division I play.
• The ECAC Metro Conference began play, with 11 original members. It was renamed the Northeast Conference in 1988.
• The ECAC South Conference began conference play, with 11 original members. Although it had been founded in 1979, its members had played as independents until this season, taking part in the Eastern College Athletic Conference's postseason South region tournament for independents. The ECAC South Conference was renamed the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985 and the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.
• The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference began play, with six original members.
• Before a crowd of 7,300 people at Robertson Field House in Peoria, Illinois, on December 21, 1981, Cincinnati defeated Bradley 75–73 in seven overtimes in the longest game in NCAA Division I history.^[1]
• Texas Southern's Harry Kelly led the United States is scoring and had the highest single-game output with 51 points against Texas College.^[2]
• The NCAA tournament's national third-place game — which had pitted the two teams that lost in the semifinals against one another — was abolished. It had been part of the tournament from 1946 through 1981.
• The National Invitation Tournament's third-place game, in which the two teams that lost in the semifinals had played against one another, was abolished. It had been part of the NIT since the tournament was first held in 1938.
• For the first time CBS was awarded the television rights for the NCAA tournament.^[3]
• The selection show announcing the NCAA tournament bracket was televised live for the first time.^[3]
• Brent Musburger of CBS Sports became the first television sportscaster to refer to the NCAA tournament as "March Madness" on the air.^[3]
• John Thompson of Georgetown became the first African-American head coach to lead his team to the Final Four.^[3]
• Dean Smith won his first national championship as his North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Georgetown Hoyas 63–62 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was Smith's first win after three losses in the championship game – including losing the previous year to Indiana.
• Following the season, the University of San Francisco (USF) dropped its basketball program following a scandal involving All-American guard Quintin Dailey. In the process of pleading guilty to assaulting a female USF student, Dailey revealed that he had been paid $1000 per month by a Dons booster for a job he never showed up for. This, combined with other blemishes on the program, caused university president John Lo Schiavo to shut down the program.^[4] USF did not reinstate its basketball program until 1985.

Beginning in 1981–1982, the following rules changes were implemented:

• The jump ball was only used at the beginning of the game and at the start of each overtime. An alternating arrow was used to indicate possession in jump-ball situations during the game.
• All fouls charged to bench personnel were assessed to the head coach.^[5]
• To decrease stalling, two defensive players are required to enter the mid-court area and "continuously and aggressively" attempt to gain control of the ball.
• Causing a backboard to vibrate during a shot or tap is a technical foul.
• Purposely faking a free throw is a violation.
• During free throw attempts, the free throw shooter and any players not in a marked space around the lane are not allowed to enter the lane until the ball touches either the rim or backboard.
• "Break-away" rims, implemented by the NBA after the Darryl Dawkins backboard-shattering dunks, are now permitted.^[6]

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.^[7]

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 North Carolina (25) 2 UCLA (20) 3 Kentucky (8) 4 Louisville (4) 5 Georgetown (2) 6 Wichita State 7 Virginia 8 DePaul 9 Iowa 10 Minnesota 11 Tulsa 12 Indiana (1) 13 Wake Forest 14 Alabama-Birmingham 15 Missouri 16 Georgia 17 Louisiana State 18 Arkansas (1) 19 Notre Dame 20 Alabama

UPI Coaches Ranking Team 1 North Carolina 2 UCLA 3 Kentucky 4 Louisville 5 Georgetown 6 Virginia 7 Wichita State 8 Iowa 9 DePaul 10 Minnesota 11 Indiana 12 Tulsa 13 Georgia 14 Wake Forest 15 Missouri 16 San Francisco 17 Alabama-Birmingham 18 Louisiana State 19 Arkansas 20 UNLV

School	Former conference	New conference
Army Cadets	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Baltimore Super Bees	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Catholic Cardinals	Division I independent	Old Dominion Athletic Conference (Division III)
East Carolina Pirates	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Eastern Illinois Panthers	Division II	Division I independent
Fairfield Stags	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Fordham Rams	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
George Mason Patriots	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Georgia State Panthers	Sun Belt Conference	Division I independent
Green Bay Phoenix	Division II	Division I independent
Illinois Chicago Flames	Non-Division I program	Division I independent
Illinois State Redbirds	Division I independent	Missouri Valley Conference
Iona Gaels	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
James Madison Dukes	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Long Island Blackbirds	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds	Non-major program	ECAC Metro Conference
Manhattan Jaspers	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Marist Red Foxes	Big Apple Conference (Division II)	ECAC Metro Conference
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks	Division II independent	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Navy Midshipmen	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Old Dominion Monarchs	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Richmond Spiders	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Robert Morris Colonials	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Saint Peter's Peacocks	Division I independent	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Siena Saints	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Texas–San Antonio Roadrunners	No program	Division I independent
Towson State Tigers	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
U.S. International Gulls	Non-major program	Division I independent
Utica Pioneers	Non-major program	Division I independent
Wagner Seahawks	Division I independent	ECAC Metro Conference
Western Illinois Leathernecks	Division II	Division I independent
William & Mary Indians	Division I independent	ECAC South Conference
Youngstown State Penguins	Division II independent	Ohio Valley Conference

NOTE: Although the ECAC South Conference was founded in 1979, its members played as independents until conference play began this season. Catholic University left the ECAC South Conference before conference play began.

Georgetown, which had used on-campus McDonough Gymnasium as its home court since the 1951–52 season, moved off campus to Capital Centre (later known as USAir Arena and USAirways Arena) in Landover, Maryland. Although they would continue to play occasional home games at McDonough Gymnasium, the Hoyas would use Capital Centre as their home court until early in the 1997–98 season. In its first game at Capital Centre, Georgetown defeated San Diego State 71–53 before a crowd of 8,302 on December 5, 1981.

Conference	Regular season winner[8]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina & Virginia	Ralph Sampson, Virginia[9]	1982 ACC men's basketball tournament	Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)	North Carolina
Big East Conference	Villanova	Dan Callandrillo, Seton Hall[10]	1982 Big East men's basketball tournament	Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut)	Georgetown
Big Eight Conference	Missouri	Ricky Frazier, Missouri[11]	1982 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals)	Missouri
Big Sky Conference	Idaho	Ken Owens, Idaho [12]	1982 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament	Kibbie Dome (Moscow, Idaho)	Idaho
Big Ten Conference	Minnesota	None Selected	no tournament
East Coast Conference	Temple (East) West Chester (West)	Granger Hall, Temple & Mark Nickens, American	1982 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	The Palestra (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)	St. Joseph's
Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8)	West Virginia	Greg Jones, West Virginia[13]	1982 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament	Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)	Pittsburgh
ECAC Metro	Fairleigh Dickinson (North) Robert Morris (South)	Not awarded	1982 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament	Campus sites; final held at Schwartz Athletic Center (Brooklyn, New York)	Robert Morris
ECAC North	Northeastern	Perry Moss, Northeastern[14]	1982 ECAC North men's basketball tournament	Matthews Arena (Boston, Massachusetts)	Northeastern
ECAC South	James Madison	Not awarded	1982 ECAC South men's basketball tournament	Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia)	Old Dominion
Ivy League	Penn	Paul Little, Penn & Craig Robinson, Princeton[15]	no tournament
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	St. Peter's	William Brown, St. Peter's[16]	1982 MAAC men's basketball tournament	Meadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey)	Iona
Metro Conference	Memphis State	Keith Lee, Memphis State	1982 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament	Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee)	Memphis State
Mid-American Conference	Ball State	Mel McLaughlin, Central Michigan[17]	1982 MAC men's basketball tournament	Crisler Arena (Ann Arbor, Michigan)	Northern Illinois
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	North Carolina A&T	Joe Binion, North Carolina A&T	1982 MEAC men's basketball tournament	Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)	North Carolina A&T
Midwestern City Conference	Evansville	Wayne Sappleton, Loyola (Chicago)[18]	1982 Midwestern City Conference men's basketball tournament	Mabee Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)	Evansville
Missouri Valley Conference	Bradley	Paul Pressey, Tulsa[19]	1982 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Tulsa Convention Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)	Tulsa
Ohio Valley Conference	Murray State & Western Kentucky	Jerry Beck, Middle Tennessee State[20]	1982 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	E. A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky)	Middle Tennessee State
Pacific-10 Conference	Oregon State	Lester Conner, Oregon State[21]	no tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	Fresno State	Kevin Magee, UC Irvine[22]	1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament	Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California)	Fresno State
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky & Tennessee	Dale Ellis, Tennessee[23]	1982 SEC men's basketball tournament	Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky)	Alabama
Southern Conference	Tennessee-Chattanooga	Willie White, Tennessee-Chattanooga[24]	1982 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Charleston Civic Center (Charleston, West Virginia)	Tennessee-Chattanooga
Southland Conference	Southwestern Louisiana	Albert Culton, Texas-Arlington[25]	1982 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament	Blackham Coliseum (Lafayette, Louisiana)	Southwestern Louisiana
Southwest Conference	Arkansas	Ricky Pierce, Rice[26]	1982 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament	Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas)	Arkansas
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Alcorn State & Jackson State	Harry Kelly, Texas Southern[27]	1982 SWAC men's basketball tournament		Alcorn State
Sun Belt Conference	UAB	Oliver Robinson, UAB[28]	1982 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament	Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama)	UAB
Trans America Athletic Conference	Arkansas-Little Rock	Willie Jackson, Centenary[29]	1982 TAAC men's basketball tournament	Ewing Coliseum (Monroe, Louisiana)	Northeast Louisiana Louisiana
West Coast Athletic Conference	Pepperdine	Quintin Dailey, San Francisco[30]	no tournament
Western Athletic Conference	Wyoming	Bill Garnett, Wyoming[31]	no tournament

Atlantic Coast Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 1 North Carolina 12 2 .857 32 2 .941 No. 3 Virginia 12 2 .857 30 4 .882 No. 18 Wake Forest 9 5 .643 21 9 .700 North Carolina State 7 7 .500 22 10 .688 Maryland 5 9 .357 16 13 .552 Clemson 4 10 .286 14 14 .500 Duke 4 10 .286 10 17 .370 Georgia Tech 3 11 .214 10 16 .385	Big East Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Villanova 11 3 .786 24 8 .750 No. 6 Georgetown 10 4 .714 30 7 .811 St. John's 9 5 .643 21 9 .700 Boston College 8 6 .571 22 10 .688 Connecticut 7 7 .500 17 11 .607 Syracuse 7 7 .500 16 13 .552 Seton Hall 2 12 .143 11 16 .407 Providence 2 12 .143 10 17 .370	Big Eight Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 5 Missouri 12 2 .857 27 4 .871 Kansas State 10 4 .714 23 8 .742 Oklahoma 8 6 .571 22 11 .667 Nebraska 7 7 .500 16 12 .571 Oklahoma State 7 7 .500 15 12 .556 Iowa State 5 9 .357 10 17 .370 Kansas 4 10 .286 13 14 .481 Colorado 3 11 .214 11 16 .407
Big Sky Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 8 Idaho 13 1 .929 27 3 .900 Montana 10 4 .714 17 10 .630 Nevada-Reno 9 5 .643 19 9 .679 Weber State 6 8 .429 15 13 .536 Boise State 6 8 .429 12 14 .462 Idaho State 5 9 .357 14 12 .538 Montana State 5 9 .357 11 18 .379 Northern Arizona 2 12 .143 6 20 .231	Big Ten Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 7 Minnesota 14 4 .778 23 6 .793 No. 16 Iowa 12 6 .667 21 8 .724 Ohio State 12 6 .667 21 10 .677 Indiana 12 6 .667 19 10 .655 Purdue 11 7 .611 18 14 .563 Illinois 10 8 .556 18 11 .621 Michigan State 7 11 .389 11 17 .393 Michigan 7 11 .389 7 20 .259 Northwestern 5 13 .278 8 19 .296 Wisconsin 3 15 .167 6 21 .222	East Coast Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct East Temple 11 0 1.000 19 8 .704 Saint Joseph's 10 1 .909 25 5 .833 American 8 3 .727 21 9 .700 Drexel 7 4 .636 19 11 .633 La Salle 7 4 .636 16 13 .552 Hofstra 4 7 .364 12 16 .429 West West Chester 8 8 .500 13 14 .481 Lafayette 7 9 .438 12 15 .444 Rider 7 9 .438 11 16 .407 Delaware 6 10 .375 9 17 .346 Lehigh 3 13 .188 9 17 .346 Bucknell 3 13 .188 7 20 .259
ECAC Metro Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct North Fairleigh Dickinson 12 3 .800 16 11 .593 Long Island 11 4 .733 20 10 .667 Siena 8 7 .533 15 13 .536 St. Francis (NY) 8 7 .533 10 17 .370 Marist 6 9 .400 12 14 .462 Wagner 1 14 .067 4 22 .154 South Robert Morris 9 5 .643 17 13 .567 Baltimore 8 6 .571 15 13 .536 Loyola (MD) 7 7 .500 11 16 .407 Towson State 7 7 .500 10 17 .370 Saint Francis (PA) 3 11 .214 6 20 .231	ECAC North Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Northeastern 8 1 .889 23 7 .767 Canisius 7 2 .778 19 8 .704 Niagara 7 2 .778 19 10 .655 Boston University 6 2 .750 19 9 .679 Holy Cross 4 4 .500 16 11 .593 Maine 3 7 .300 7 19 .269 Vermont 2 8 .200 10 16 .385 Colgate 2 8 .200 8 17 .320 New Hampshire 2 9 .182 9 18 .333	ECAC South Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct James Madison 10 1 .909 24 6 .800 Richmond 6 4 .600 18 11 .621 Old Dominion 5 4 .556 18 12 .600 William & Mary 6 5 .545 16 12 .556 Navy 2 4 .333 12 14 .462 George Mason 2 6 .250 13 14 .481 East Carolina 2 8 .200 10 17 .370
Eastern Athletic Association Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 14 West Virginia 13 1 .929 27 4 .871 Rutgers 9 5 .643 20 10 .667 Pittsburgh 8 6 .571 20 10 .667 St. Bonaventure 7 7 .500 14 14 .500 George Washington 7 7 .500 13 14 .481 Duquesne 5 9 .357 11 16 .407 Rhode Island 4 10 .286 10 17 .370 Massachusetts 3 11 .214 7 20 .259	Ivy League Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Penn 12 2 .857 17 10 .630 Columbia 9 5 .643 16 10 .615 Princeton 9 5 .643 13 13 .500 Yale 7 7 .500 13 13 .500 Cornell 7 7 .500 10 16 .385 Harvard 6 8 .429 11 15 .423 Brown 5 9 .357 5 21 .192 Dartmouth 1 13 .071 7 19 .269	Metro Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 9 Memphis State 10 2 .833 24 5 .828 No. 20 Louisville 8 4 .667 23 10 .697 Tulane 8 4 .667 19 9 .679 Virginia Tech 7 5 .583 20 11 .645 Cincinnati 4 8 .333 15 12 .556 Florida State 4 8 .333 11 17 .393 Saint Louis 1 11 .083 6 21 .222
Metro Atlantic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Saint Peter's 9 1 .900 20 9 .828 Fordham 8 2 .800 18 11 .621 Iona 7 3 .700 24 9 .727 Manhattan 3 7 .300 11 16 .407 Fairfield 3 7 .300 11 18 .379 Army 0 10 .000 6 21 .222	Mid-American Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Ball State 12 4 .750 17 11 .607 Bowling Green 10 6 .625 18 11 .621 Northern Illinois 9 7 .563 16 14 .533 Eastern Michigan 8 8 .500 15 12 .556 Western Michigan 8 8 .500 15 14 .517 Ohio 8 8 .500 13 14 .481 Miami (OH) 8 8 .500 11 16 .407 Toledo 7 9 .438 15 11 .577 Kent State 6 10 .375 10 16 .385 Central Michigan 4 12 .250 10 16 .385	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct North Carolina A&T 10 2 .833 19 9 .679 Howard 9 3 .750 17 11 .607 South Carolina State 7 5 .583 10 15 .400 Florida A&M 5 7 .417 10 17 .370 Delaware State 4 8 .333 13 13 .500 Bethune-Cookman 4 8 .333 10 18 .357 Maryland-Eastern Shore 3 9 .250 6 20 .231
Midwestern City Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Evansville 10 2 .833 23 6 .793 Oral Roberts 8 4 .667 18 12 .600 Loyola-Chicago 8 4 .667 17 12 .586 Oklahoma City 6 6 .500 14 14 .500 Detroit 6 6 .500 10 17 .370 Butler 3 9 .250 7 20 .259 Xavier 1 11 .083 8 20 .286	Missouri Valley Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Bradley 13 3 .813 26 10 .722 No. 10 Tulsa 12 4 .750 24 6 .800 Wichita State 12 4 .750 23 6 .793 New Mexico State 10 6 .625 17 11 .607 Illinois State 9 7 .563 17 12 .586 Drake 7 9 .438 12 15 .444 Southern Illinois 7 9 .438 11 16 .407 Creighton 4 12 .250 7 20 .259 West Texas State 3 13 .188 11 15 .423 Indiana State 2 14 .125 9 18 .333	Ohio Valley Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Murray State 13 3 .813 20 8 .714 Western Kentucky 13 3 .813 19 10 .655 Middle Tennessee State 12 4 .750 22 8 .733 Morehead State 11 5 .688 17 10 .630 Tennessee Tech 8 8 .500 12 14 .462 Youngstown State 5 11 .313 8 18 .308 Austin Peay 4 12 .250 6 20 .231 Akron 3 13 .188 7 19 .269 Eastern Kentucky 3 13 .188 5 21 .192
Pacific Coast Athletic Association Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 11 Fresno State 13 1 .929 27 3 .900 UC Irvine 10 4 .714 23 7 .767 Cal State Fullerton 9 5 .643 18 14 .563 San Jose State 7 7 .500 13 13 .500 Long Beach State 7 7 .500 12 16 .429 UC Santa Barbara 5 9 .357 10 16 .385 Pacific 3 11 .214 7 20 .259 Utah State 2 12 .143 4 23 .148 UNLV – – – 20 10 .667	Pacific-10 Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 4 Oregon State 16 2 .889 25 5 .833 No. 19 UCLA 14 4 .778 21 6 .778 Southern California 13 5 .722 19 9 .679 Washington 11 7 .611 19 10 .655 Washington State 10 8 .556 16 14 .533 California 8 10 .444 14 13 .519 Arizona State 8 10 .444 13 14 .481 Arizona 4 14 .222 9 18 .333 Oregon 4 14 .222 9 18 .333 Stanford 2 16 .111 7 20 .259	Southeastern Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 15 Kentucky 13 5 .722 22 8 .733 Tennessee 13 5 .722 20 10 .667 No. 13 Alabama 12 6 .667 24 7 .774 Mississippi 11 7 .611 18 12 .600 LSU 11 7 .611 14 14 .500 Georgia 10 8 .556 19 12 .613 Vanderbilt 7 11 .389 15 13 .536 Auburn 7 11 .389 14 14 .500 Mississippi State 4 14 .222 8 19 .296 Florida 2 16 .111 5 22 .185
Southern Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Tennessee-Chattanooga 15 1 .938 27 4 .871 Western Carolina 11 5 .688 19 8 .704 Davidson 9 7 .563 14 15 .483 Marshall 8 8 .500 16 11 .593 East Tennessee State 8 8 .500 13 15 .464 The Citadel 7 9 .438 14 14 .500 Furman 7 9 .438 11 16 .407 Appalachian State 6 10 .375 11 15 .423 VMI 1 15 .063 1 25 .038	Southland Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Southwest Louisiana 8 2 .800 24 8 .750 Lamar 7 3 .700 22 7 .759 Texas-Arlington 6 4 .600 16 12 .571 McNeese State 4 6 .400 14 15 .483 Arkansas State 3 7 .300 15 11 .577 Louisiana Tech 2 8 .200 11 16 .407 North Texas State - - - 15 12 .556	Southwest Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 12 Arkansas 12 4 .750 23 6 .793 Houston 11 5 .688 25 8 .758 Texas A&M 10 6 .625 20 11 .645 Baylor 9 7 .563 17 11 .607 Texas Christian 9 7 .563 16 13 .552 Texas Tech 8 8 .500 17 11 .607 Texas 6 10 .375 16 11 .593 Rice 6 10 .375 15 15 .500 SMU 1 15 .063 6 21 .222
Southwestern Athletic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Alcorn State 10 2 .833 22 8 .733 Jackson State 10 2 .833 19 9 .679 Texas Southern 8 4 .667 21 8 .724 Grambling 8 4 .667 12 17 .414 Mississippi Valley State 4 8 .333 6 20 .231 Southern 3 9 .250 7 18 .280 Prairie View A&M 1 11 .083 2 23 .080	Sun Belt Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct No. 17 UAB 9 1 .900 25 6 .806 VCU 7 3 .700 17 11 .607 Jacksonville 5 5 .500 14 13 .519 South Florida 4 6 .400 17 11 .607 UNC Charlotte 3 7 .300 15 12 .556 South Alabama 2 8 .200 12 16 .429	Trans America Athletic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Arkansas-Little Rock 12 4 .750 19 8 .704 Northwestern State 10 6 .625 19 9 .679 Northeast Louisiana 9 7 .563 19 11 .633 Centenary 9 7 .563 17 12 .586 Mercer 8 8 .500 16 11 .593 Georgia Southern 8 8 .500 14 13 .519 Houston Baptist 8 8 .500 13 14 .481 Samford 6 10 .375 11 15 .423 Hardin–Simmons 2 14 .125 6 20 .231
West Coast Athletic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Pepperdine 14 0 1.000 22 7 .759 San Francisco 11 3 .786 25 6 .806 Portland 9 5 .643 17 10 .630 Santa Clara 7 7 .500 16 11 .593 Gonzaga 7 7 .500 15 12 .556 San Diego 4 10 .286 11 15 .423 Saint Mary's 3 11 .214 11 16 .407 Loyola-Marymount 1 13 .071 3 24 .111	Western Athletic Conference Conf Overall Team W L Pct W L Pct Wyoming 14 2 .875 23 7 .767 UTEP 11 5 .688 20 8 .714 San Diego State 11 5 .688 20 9 .690 Hawaii 9 7 .563 17 10 .630 BYU 9 7 .563 17 13 .567 New Mexico 7 9 .438 14 14 .500 Utah 6 10 .375 11 17 .393 Air Force 3 13 .188 8 19 .296 Colorado State 2 14 .125 8 19 .296

Team won the conference tournament and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament

Conference did not have conference tournament, so team received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for finishing in first

Team received at-large bid to NCAA tournament

Rankings from AP Poll.

A total of 28 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (26–2) had both the best winning percentage (.929) and the most wins.^[32]

Division I Independents Team W L Pct No. 2 DePaul 26 2 .929 Marquette 23 9 .719 Dayton 21 9 .700 New Orleans 18 8 .692 Cleveland State 17 10 .630 Southeastern Louisiana 16 11 .593 Southern Mississippi 15 11 .577 Penn State 15 12 .556 Tennessee State 13 12 .520 Eastern Illinois 14 13 .519 Illinois-Chicago 14 13 .519 Western Illinois 14 13 .519 Wisconsin-Green Bay 14 13 .519 Baptist 13 13 .500 South Carolina 14 15 .483 UNC Wilmington 13 14 .481 Northern Iowa 12 15 .444 Stetson 12 15 .444 Campbell 11 16 .407 East Carolina 10 17 .370 Notre Dame 10 17 .370 US International 9 18 .333 Valparaiso 9 18 .333 Texas-San Antonio 8 19 .296 Nicholls State 6 20 .231 Texas-Pan American 5 20 .200 Utica 4 22 .154 Georgia State 4 23 .148

Team received at-large bid to NCAA tournament

Rankings from AP Poll.

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Saint Joseph's & Temple	Jeffery Clark, Saint Joseph's, & John Pinone, Villanova

Saint Joseph's and Temple both finished with records of 3–1 in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Points per game				Rebounds per game				Field-goal percentage				Free-throw percentage
Player	School	PPG		Player	School	RPG		Player	School	FG%		Player	School	FT%
Harry Kelly	TX Southern	29.7		LaSalle Thompson	Texas	13.5		Mark McNamara	California	70.2		Rod Foster	UCLA	95.0
Ricky Pierce	Rice	26.8		Wayne Sappleton	Loyola (IL)	13.0		Dale Ellis	Tennessee	65.4		Jack Moore	Nebraska	93.9
Dan Callandrillo	Seton Hall	25.9		Darren Tillis	Cleveland St.	12.8		Orlando Phillips	Pepperdine	64.6		Joe Dykstra	W. Illinois	91.3
Kevin Magee	UC Irvine	25.2		Mark McNamara	California	12.6		Albert Culton	TX-Arlington	64.3		Byron Williams	Idaho St.	89.7
Quintin Dailey	San Francisco	25.2		Riley Clarida	LIU	12.3		Kevin Magee	UC Irvine	64.2		Jim Master	Kentucky	89.6

North Carolina freshman Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot as Dean Smith won his first national championship after many near-misses over his career, defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 63–62 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Fred Brown's errant pass to James Worthy in the closing seconds sealed the game, which featured star freshmen Jordan and the Hoyas' Patrick Ewing. Worthy was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

	National semifinals					National championship game
	E1	North Carolina	68
	MW6	Houston	63
						E1	North Carolina	63
						W1	Georgetown	62
	ME3	Louisville	46
	W1	Georgetown	50

The Bradley Braves, led by coach Dick Versace, defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 67–58 to win their fourth National Invitation tournament, tying them with St. John's for the most NIT championships (St. John's has since won two additional titles). Bradley's Mitchell Anderson was named NIT Most Valuable Player.

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

	Semifinals					Final
		Oklahoma	68
		Bradley	84
							Bradley	67
							Purdue	58
		Georgia	60
		Purdue	61

Consensus First Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Terry Cummings	F	Junior	DePaul
Quintin Dailey	G	Junior	San Francisco
Eric Floyd	G	Senior	Georgetown
Ralph Sampson	C	Junior	Virginia
James Worthy	F	Junior	North Carolina

Consensus Second Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Dale Ellis	F	Junior	Tennessee
Kevin Magee	F	Senior	UC Irvine
John Paxson	G	Junior	Notre Dame
Sam Perkins	F/C	Sophomore	North Carolina
Paul Pressey	F/G	Senior	Tulsa

• Wooden Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Naismith Award: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Helms Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia, & James Worthy, North Carolina
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• UPI Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• NABC Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Ralph Sampson, Virginia
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Virginia

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Thompson, Georgetown
• NABC Coach of the Year: Don Monson, Idaho
• UPI Coach of the Year: Norm Stewart, Missouri
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Gene Keady, Purdue
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Ralph Miller, Oregon State

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jack Moore, Nebraska
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Jeffery Clark, St. Joseph's & John Pinone, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Dan Callandrillo, Seton Hall

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.^[33]

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
American	Gary Williams		Ed Tapscott
Arizona	Fred Snowden		Ben Lindsey	Snowden announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season, on January 8, 1982.[34]
Arizona State	Ned Wulk		Bob Weinhauer
Army	Pete Gaudet		Les Wothke	Gaudet took an assistant coaching position at Duke under his predecessor at Army, Mike Krzyzewski.
Ball State	Steve Yoder		Al Brown
Boston College	Tom Davis		Gary Williams	When Dr. Tom Davis left BC, the Eagles replaced him with former Davis assistant Gary Williams.
Colgate	Mike Griffin		Tony Relvas
Detroit	Willie McCarter		Don Sicko
Duquesne	Mike Rice		Jim Satalin
East Carolina	Dave Odom		Charlie Harrison
East Tennessee State	Jim Hallahan		Barry Dowd
Furman	Eddie Holbrook		Jene Davis
Idaho State	Lynn Archibald		Wayne Ballard
Indiana State	Bill Hodges		Dave Schellhase
Kent State	Ed Douma		Jim McDonald
Loyola (MD)	Bill Burke		Mark Amatucci
Mississippi	Bob Weltlich		Lee Hunt
Mississippi Valley State	Pop Gaines		Jerry Lewis
Pacific	Dick Fichtner		Tom O'Neill
Penn	Bob Weinhauer		Craig Littlepage
Prairie View A&M	Calvin White		Jim Duplantier
St. Bonaventure	Jim Satalin		Jim O'Brien
Saint Louis	Ron Ekker		Rich Grawer
Seton Hall	Bill Raftery	Hoddy Mahon	P. J. Carlesimo	After Raftery unexpectedly quit in November, long-time assistant Mahon was tapped as interim coach. After the season, Seton Hall hired Wagner's Carlesimo. Raftery never coached again, instead embarking on a long and highly successful career as a television analyst.
Siena	William Kirsch		John Griffin
Stanford	Dick DiBiaso		Tom Davis
Temple	Don Casey		John Chaney	Casey left to become an assistant for the Chicago Bulls. Temple hired successful Division II coach Chaney.
Texas	Abe Lemons		Bob Weltlich	Lemons was fired after a season that saw the Longhorns start 14–0, but derailed after forward Mike Wacker went down to injury.
Texas–Pan American	Bill White		Lon Kruger	The Broncs gave Kansas State assistant Kruger his first head coaching job.
UNC Charlotte	Mike Pratt		Hal Wissel
VMI	Charlie Schmaus		Marty Fletcher
Wagner	P. J. Carlesimo		Neil Kennett
Western Michigan	Les Wothke		Vernon Payne
Wisconsin	Bill Cofield		Steve Yoder
Wisconsin-Green Bay	Dave Buss		Dick Lien
Yale	Ray Carazo		Tom Brennan
Youngstown State	Dom Roselli		Mike Rice