1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game

The 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final round of the 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and determined the national champion for the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The game was played on April 4, 1988, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, and featured the Southeast Regional Champion, #1-seeded Oklahoma versus the Midwest Regional Champion, #6-seeded Kansas, both from the Big Eight Conference.

1988 NCAA Tournament Championship Game
National championship game
Kansas Jayhawks Oklahoma Sooners
Big 8 Big 8
(26–11) (31–6)
83 79
Head coach:
Larry Brown
Head coach:
Billy Tubbs
1st half2nd half Total
Kansas Jayhawks 5033 83
Oklahoma Sooners 5029 79
DateApril 4, 1988
VenueKemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
MVPDanny Manning, Kansas
FavoriteOklahoma by 8
RefereesJohn Clougherty, Tim Higgins & Ed Hightower
Attendance16,392
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersBrent Musburger (play-by-play)
Billy Packer (color)
← 1987
1989 →

The game remains, as of the 2023 Championship game, the last time two teams from the same conference played for the National Championship. Kansas's upset of Oklahoma was the third-biggest point-spread upset in the national title game in NCAA Tournament history. After the win, the 1988 Kansas team was remembered as "Danny and the Miracles" due to Danny Manning's excellence throughout the tournament, including a double-double in the national championship game with 31 points and 18 rebounds.

Participating teams

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Kansas Jayhawks

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Danny Manning, a senior forward, was named the Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the third consecutive season.

  • Midwest
    • (6) Kansas 85, (11) Xavier 72
    • (6) Kansas 61, (14) Murray State 58
    • (6) Kansas 77, (7) Vanderbilt 64
    • (6) Kansas 71, (4) Kansas State 58
  • Final Four
    • (MW6) Kansas 66, (E2) Duke 59

Oklahoma Sooners

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  • Southeast
    • (1) Oklahoma 94, (16) Chattanooga 66
    • (1) Oklahoma 107, (8) Auburn 87
    • (1) Oklahoma 108, (5) Louisville 98
    • (1) Oklahoma 78, (6) Villanova 59
  • Final Four
    • (SE1) Oklahoma 86, (W1) Arizona 78

Starting lineups

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Kansas Position Oklahoma
Kevin Pritchard G Ricky Grace
Jeff Gueldner G Mookie Blaylock
Chris Piper F Harvey Grant
Milt Newton F Dave Sieger
Danny Manning C Stacey King
1988 Consensus First Team All-American

Source

Game summary

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Source:[1]

April 4, 1988
#MW6 Kansas Jayhawks 83, #SE1 Oklahoma Sooners 79
Scoring by half: 50-50, 33-29
Pts: Danny Manning 31
Rebs: Danny Manning 18
Asts: Kevin Pritchard, Clint Normore 4
Pts: Dave Sieger 22
Rebs: Stacey King, Ricky Grace 7
Asts: Dave Sieger, Ricky Grace 7
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Referees: John Clougherty, Tim Higgins & Ed Hightower

References

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  1. ^ "Oklahoma vs. Kansas Box Score, April 4, 1988".