The 1982 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men’s NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 47 games were played.
North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith, won the national title with a 63-62 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by John Thompson. James Worthy of North Carolina was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
This tournament was the first to eliminate the national third place game, which had been held every year since the 1947 tournament. It was also the first tournament to be televised by CBS after it acquired the broadcasting rights from NBC. Gary Bender and Billy Packer (also from NBC Sports) called the Final Four and National Championship games.