<Tr> <Td> "1983 </Td> <Td> 1985" </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1984 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 53 schools playing in single - elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball . It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle . A total of 52 games were played . This was the last tournament in which some teams earned first round byes as the field expanded to 64 teams beginning in the 1985 tournament when each team played in the first round . It was also the second year with a preliminary round; preliminary games would not be played again until 2001 . </P> <P> Georgetown, coached by John Thompson, won the national title with an 84--75 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis . Patrick Ewing of Georgetown was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player . Thompson became the first African - American head coach to lead his team to any NCAA Division I title . </P> <P> Georgetown reached the Final Four for the third time in school history and second time in three years to face Kentucky, a team which had never lost a national semifinal game and was led by the "Twin Towers", Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin . Bowie and Turpin managed to get Ewing into foul trouble early, and with him on the bench and Reggie Williams shooting only 1 - for - 7 (14.3%) from the field during the game, the Wildcats raced out to a 27--15 lead with 3: 06 left in the first half . After that however, the Hoyas made a defensive stand still unequalled in college basketball: Kentucky scored only two more points in the first half; the Wildcats also did not score in the first 9 minutes 55 seconds of the second half, missing their first 12 shots and after that shooting 3 - for - 21 (14.3%) during the remainder of the game . Overall, Kentucky shot 3 - for - 33 (9.1 percent) from the field during the second half . Although he played for only 17 minutes and suffered a season - ending foot injury in the second half, Gene Smith had one of the best defensive games of his career . Bowie and Turpin finished the game a combined 0 - for - 12, Wingate scored 12 points and held Kentucky's Jim Master to 2 - for - 7 (28.6%) shooting from the field, Michael Jackson scored 12 points and pulled down a career - high 10 rebounds, and Georgetown won 53--40 to advance to the national final for the third time in school history and second time in three years . </P>

Who won the ncaa basketball championship in 1984