2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
| Season | 2004–05 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 65 | ||||
| Finals site | Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, Missouri | ||||
| Champions | North Carolina Tar Heels (4th title, 8th title game, 16th Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Illinois Fighting Illini (1st title game, 5th Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Roy Williams (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Sean May (North Carolina) | ||||
| Attendance | 47,262 | ||||
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The Final Four consisted of top seed Illinois, in their first Final Four appearance since 1989, Louisville, making their first appearance since winning the national championship in 1986, North Carolina, reaching their first Final Four since their 2000 Cinderella run, and Michigan State, back in the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
North Carolina emerged as the national champion for a fourth time, defeating Illinois in the final 75–70. North Carolina's Sean May was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. It was coach Roy Williams's first national championship.
For the first time since 1999, when Weber State defeated North Carolina, a #14 seed defeated a #3 seed when Bucknell upset Kansas. A #13 seed, Vermont, advanced by defeating Syracuse in the first round and a #12 seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the Chicago region.