1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

The 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA University Division (now Division I) college basketball. It began on Saturday, March 11, and ended with the championship game in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 25. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.

Led by longtime head coach John Wooden, the undefeated UCLA Bruins won the national title with an 81–76 victory in the final game over Florida State, coached by Hugh Durham. Sophomore center Bill Walton of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player;  the first of two consecutive.

On a historically significant note, the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns made the tournament in their first season of eligibility for postseason play; the next to achieve this feat was North Dakota State in 2009. SW Louisiana also made the tournament in 1973, but due to major infractions that resulted in the basketball program receiving the NCAA death penalty (and very nearly expelled from the NCAA altogether), both appearances have since been vacated and the records expunged.

This was the last year in which the championship game was played on Saturday; it moved to Monday night in 1973.

Schedule and venues
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1972 tournament:

First round
 * March 11
 * East Region
 * Alumni Hall, Jamaica, New York (Host: St. John's University)
 * Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, New Jersey (Hosts: Princeton University, Ivy League)
 * William & Mary Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia (Host: The College of William & Mary)
 * Mideast Region
 * Stokely Athletic Center, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee)
 * Midwest Region
 * Pan American Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico (Host: New Mexico State University)
 * West Region
 * ASISU Minidome, Pocatello, Idaho (Hosts: Idaho State University, Big Sky Conference)

Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
 * March 16 and 18
 * East Regional, WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia (Host: West Virginia University)
 * Mideast Regional, University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
 * Midwest Regional, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa (Host: Iowa State University)
 * West Regional, Marriott Center, Provo, Utah (Host: Brigham Young University)

National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)
 * March 23 and 25
 * Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California (Hosts: University of Southern California, Pacific-8 Conference)

Bracket
* – Denotes overtime period

Mideast region
# - Minnesota vacated its appearance in the 1972 tournament.

Announcers
Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, and Jim Simpson (Final Four only) - First Round at Pocatello, Idaho (Long Beach State-BYU); East Regional Final at Morgantown, West Virginia; Final Four at Los Angeles, California
 * Jim Simpson and Bill Enis - First Round at Knoxville, Tennessee (Marquette-Ohio)
 * Jay Randolph and Pat Hernon - Mideast Regional Final at Dayton, Ohio