2005 NBA Finals
The Spurs won the series four games to three in the first NBA Finals to go to a Game 7 since 1994. The games were broadcast on ABC, with Al Michaels and Hubie Brown commentating. National radio coverage was provided by ESPN Radio through announcers Jim Durham and Dr. Jack Ramsay.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
This series was not only the first matchup of the previous two NBA champions since the 1987 Finals (Lakers d. Celtics, 4-2), it was a match up of the two premier defensive teams of that era: from the 2002–03 season to the 2004–05 season, the Spurs and Pistons routinely finished in the top three in Points Allowed: in 2003, Detroit was #1 and San Antonio #3; in 2004, the teams finished in a tie for the #1 spot; in 2005, the Spurs were #1 and the Pistons were #2. The Spurs were considered more capable of playing at a faster pace, as evidenced by their convincing win against the high-scoring Phoenix Suns during the Western Conference Finals. However, both teams performed exceptionally well when scoring over 100 points (Detroit was 22-3, San Antonio was 28-2).


2005 NBA Finals, Background
Going into the 2005 Finals, the Spurs had won two championships (1999 and 2003), while Detroit had three (1989, 1990, and 2004). The 2004 Championship was considered a major upset by some sportswriters because of the Lakers' big name talent. Others saw the result as fully legitimate, pointing out that Detroit's defense outplayed the Lakers' offense. Further, the balanced Detroit offense proved especially difficult to deal with when Karl Malone's injured knee left the Lakers without a reliable presence to slow down the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace. Many thought that a contributing factor to the Lakers' loss was the well-publicized tension between superstars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
Both the Spurs and the Pistons were ranked number two in their respective conferences, with the Phoenix Suns ranked number one in the West and the Miami Heat ranked number one in the East.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
Sportswriters all across the country generally considered this one of the few too-close-to-call series to occur. Most picked the series to go to six or seven games.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
The Spurs breezed through the playoffs with relative ease, compared to the Pistons. They defeated the Nuggets 4-1 to open the playoffs, winning four straight after losing the home opener. They then defeated the SuperSonics within six games the following series. Phoenix was expected by many to put up a challenge, but the Spurs won the series easily, four games to one.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
The Pistons had a slightly tougher road back to the Finals. The opening round was a fairly easy five-game victory over Philadelphia. Next, the Pistons faced the Indiana Pacers, one of the NBA's most resilient teams. Indiana was expected by most experts to falter and miss the playoffs after the Pacers–Pistons brawl; however, led by retiring Pacers legend Reggie Miller, the Pacers still made the playoffs and unexpectedly won their first-round series against the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics. The Pacers mounted a formidable challenge but after a Game Six loss, Reggie Miller's storied 19-year career was over.


2005 NBA Finals, Background
With the series ending in Indianapolis, Miller was treated to a prolonged standing ovation from the Conseco Fieldhouse crowd. Detroit's next opponent was the East #1 seed Miami, led by superstars Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. After winning Game One, the Pistons fell behind 2-1 after three games and 3-2 after five games. By winning Game Six on their home court, the Pistons forced a Game Seven. In Game Seven, Detroit overcame the odds to beat the Heat at American Airlines Arena, and thus advanced to the NBA Finals for the second straight year.


2005 NBA Finals, Background, Regular season series
Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:


2005 NBA Finals, Features
This was the first NBA Finals to have the sticker version of the Larry O'Brien Trophy adorn the center court (team logo still visible in the middle), with the NBA Finals wordmark logo on opposite ends of the court. This remained in effect until the 2009 NBA Finals; the position of the O'Brien trophy was modified for the 2007 NBA Finals.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
Manu Ginóbili was the star of Game One, turning in a virtuoso performance in the fourth quarter to lead the Spurs to victory. Ginobili scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to complement a huge game by Tim Duncan (24 points, 17 rebounds).


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
Ginobili, who in the previous summer led Argentina in points and assists en route to Olympic gold, took over in the final period. He scored eight points in a decisive 12–2 surge that gave the Spurs a 67–55 lead, then throttled a push by the Pistons with a swooping dunk, 3-pointer and running hook for an 81–67 advantage with less than two minutes to go.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
Having been idle for a week, the Spurs opened the game in lackluster fashion – in the first eight minutes the Spurs trailed 19–7 – but were able to fight back and stabilize the game. It may have happened that Detroit's more recent play led to fourth quarter fatigue which enabled the Spurs' strong fourth quarter; in any case, the Spurs prevailed in the first contest.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
The resilient Detroit Pistons were expected to play a stronger Game Two in response to their fourth-quarter letdown in Game One. Exactly the opposite occurred. From the opening tip, Game Two was all San Antonio as the Spurs got out to a quick lead and never looked back.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
The Spurs took advantage of Detroit's uncharacteristic mistakes throughout the night, which included missing nine shots from inside four feet from the basket. While the Pistons went cold (0-6) from behind the three-point line, the Spurs made 11 3-pointers, including four each by Manu Ginóbili and Bruce Bowen, who did not score a point in Game One. Ginobili again led the Spurs with a 27 points, while Tim Duncan finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Antonio McDyess was the high scorer for Detroit, scoring 15 points off the bench.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
The 2-0 lead was a big advantage for San Antonio. In the history of the NBA, the team with home-court advantage started a series with a 2–0 lead 153 times. On just seven occasions, the trailing team rebounded to win the series.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
In NBA history, only two teams had ever won a Finals series after facing a 2–0 deficit — the Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1977 NBA Finals — however, just one year later the Miami Heat would accomplish this feat against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
With that task looming ahead, the Pistons responded in tremendous fashion. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton combined for 44 points, while Ben Wallace (15 pts, 11 reb, 5 blk, 3 stl) together with Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess harassed Tim Duncan into a 5–15 shooting night. The Pistons dominated the second half, winning quarters three and four by the score of 55–37.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
The Pistons became the first team to score more than 90 points in a Finals game against the Spurs during this game.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
The pattern of the first two games held up in games three and four: home team wins big in the first one and even bigger in the second. And Game Four was the most lopsided of all during the 2005 NBA Finals; the Pistons' 102 points were the only time either team reached triple digits in the series.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
Seven Pistons scored in double figures, especially efficient bench performances by Lindsey Hunter and Antonio McDyess. In 22 minutes, Hunter scored 17 points and dished out 5 assists; McDyess scored 13 and grabbed 7 rebounds in just 19 minutes.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
Conversely, only three Spurs scored in double figures (Ginobili, Duncan, Parker), and among all Spurs attempting five or more field goals, only Tony Parker (6-13, 46.2% shooting) managed to surpass the 45% mark. Collectively, the Spurs shot 37% and committed 17 turnovers to the Pistons' NBA Finals-record four.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
Hunter's and Billups' 17 points were the fewest to lead an NBA Finals game since George Yardley of the Fort Wayne Pistons led all scorers with 16 points in the fifth game of the 1955 NBA Finals.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
With the first four games of the 2005 Finals being blowouts by the home team, Game Five was the close game everyone was waiting for, and it went down as one of the more memorable games in Finals history.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
The game was closely contested by throughout the night as the lead changed 12 separate times, and the game was tied on 18 occasions. Regulation was not enough to settle this game, so the game went into overtime. The Pistons streaked out to a quick lead in the first few minutes of overtime, and seemed to have the game in hand. However, a missed layup by Chauncey Billups with Detroit ahead 95-93 with nine seconds left San Antonio with a chance.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
On the Spurs' next possession, Robert Horry inbounded the ball to Ginobili, who headed for the left corner and dished it right back to Horry. Rasheed Wallace had left Horry to double-team Ginobili, and Horry was left alone to sink the game-winning basket with 5.8 seconds remaining in the OT. Horry was already famous for nailing last-second shots in the playoffs, including Game Four of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Horry went 5 for 6 from beyond the arc, including the game-winner, and scored 21 points coming off the bench. He hadn't scored a point until the final play of the 3rd quarter. He carried the team in the fourth quarter and overtime as his teammates struggled with the weight of a must-win game on the road against an accomplished adversary. In addition to the game-winning three-pointer, late in overtime Horry made a spectacular left-handed dunk while being fouled as the shot clock wound down.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Tim Duncan, despite struggling from the free-throw line, finished with 26 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Chauncey Billups was the high scorer for the Pistons, finishing with a game-high 34 points in the losing effort.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
Game 6 was a close game all along, and the lead kept fluctuating between the two teams. Again, the leading stars on both teams played big games. Detroit pulled away early in the fourth for an 80–73 lead with five minutes to go, but the Spurs continued to threaten them. Soon, it was back to a one-point game.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
Then, Rasheed Wallace planted a three-pointer to pull away, and even with a resilient game by the Spurs, the Pistons had clinched the victory.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
Nevertheless, several Pistons free throws were necessary in the final moments of the game to put a win out of reach for the Spurs.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
Rasheed Wallace had a big game to atone for the mistake he made for leaving Horry open in Game 5. Despite his mistake, Wallace was nonchalant about the play, even commenting incorrectly that he left Horry to guard Duncan.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
Billups and Prince again led the Pistons with steady, unwavering defense, which is the key, as it is often said, to victory. Although Duncan and Ginobili finished with 21 points each, neither was able to seriously threaten the strong Pistons defense enough to win the game. Detroit thus won its fifth consecutive game facing elimination. The Pistons became the first road team to force a Game 7 in the NBA Finals.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
For the first time in eleven years, the NBA Finals came down to a decisive Game Seven. Momentum was on Detroit's side, but the Spurs had home-court advantage. The Pistons were looking to become the first team to ever win the last two games on the road after being down 3–2. NBA history was heavily in favor of the Spurs, who were looking to celebrate a title at the SBC Center for the second time in three years. NBA teams are 74–17 all-time at home in Game 7, and 9-0 when leading 3–2 going home.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Entering this game, the Pistons tied the 1994 New York Knicks for most games played in a single postseason, with 25. The Boston Celtics broke this record during their championship season of 2008.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Like the previous two games of the series, Game Seven was closely contested throughout, but the Spurs fell into a nine-point deficit with 7:45 left in the third quarter. Though Tim Duncan was for much of the series unable to shoot for a high percentage against Detroit's front line, he led the Spurs out of that nine-point hole. In the final 7:45 of the third quarter, Duncan scored 10 of the teams' 18 final third quarter points and the game was tied to start the fourth.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Behind clutch plays from Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili, the Spurs took control of the fourth quarter to earn an 81–74 victory, clinching the franchise's third Larry O'Brien Trophy. For the game, Tim Duncan finished with a game high 25 points and 11 rebounds, while teammate Manu Ginóbili pitched in with 23 points. Richard Hamilton, with 15 points, was the high scorer for the Pistons, who fell just short of winning back-to-back championships.


2005 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Tim Duncan won his third NBA Finals MVP Award. Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker, and Bruce Bowen each received their second championship ring, while Robert Horry became only the second player in NBA history (John Salley being the first) to play on championship teams for three different franchises. Sean Marks became the first New Zealander to win a championship ring.


2005 NBA Finals, Broadcasting
The games were broadcast exclusively on ABC in the US. The featured song, aired throughout the playoffs, was Rob Thomas' "This Is How A Heart Breaks." Game 3 had a Nielsen rating percentage of only 7.2% of households and cumulating to a 7.1 average for the first three games, 32% lower than the average of the first three 2004 NBA Finals games. While all seven games were the top-rated shows of their nights, the average viewership of the 2005 Finals (11.5 million viewers, 7.6 rating/14 share) decreased from the average of the 2004 Finals (17.9 million, 11.5/20). The 2003 Finals averaged 9.8 million viewers and 6.5/12.


2005 NBA Finals, Aftermath
The Spurs won a franchise-record 63 victories to clinch the top seed in the West in the 2005–06 NBA season. However, for the third time they were unable to win consecutive championships, bowing to their Texas rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in Game Seven of the Conference Semifinals. The Mavs would go on to lose in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Spurs did win the 2007 NBA Finals (the Mavericks, with a 67-15 record, were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round) the following year, their fourth as a franchise, and won again in 2014.


2005 NBA Finals, Aftermath
As of 2021, this was the Pistons last appearance in the NBA Finals. Head coach Larry Brown sought and succeeded in buying out his contract as head coach after the season. He eventually ended up coaching for his hometown New York Knicks, but would only win 23 games in the 2006 season. Brown eventually left after the season, and two years later Brown resurfaced, this time coaching the Charlotte Bobcats, where he would lead them to the playoffs in his second year.


2005 NBA Finals, Aftermath
The Pistons, guided by new coach Flip Saunders, won a franchise-record 64 wins and seemed primed to regain the NBA title. However, Detroit fell in six games to the Miami Heat, who would go on and win the 2006 NBA title. Franchise centerpiece Ben Wallace abruptly left for the Chicago Bulls, yet the Pistons still made the Conference Finals the next two seasons, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively. Finally, the remaining core of the team was dismantled at the start of the 2008-09 NBA season.


2005 NBA draft
The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues. The NBA announced that 49 college and high school players and 11 international players had filed as early-entry candidates for the draft.


2005 NBA draft
This was the last NBA draft for which high school players were eligible. The new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union established a new age limit for draft eligibility. Starting with the 2006 NBA draft, players of any nationality who complete athletic eligibility at a U.S. high school cannot declare themselves eligible for the draft unless they turn 19 no later than December 31 of the year of the draft and are at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school classes. International players, defined in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement as non-US nationals who did not complete athletic eligibility at a U.S. high school, must turn 19 (or older) in the calendar year of the draft, up from 18.


2005 NBA draft
This draft is notable for a most recent draft pick from an NAIA (and non-NCAA) school in any round; that pick is Robert Whaley, the 51st player drafted from Walsh University, which is now in NCAA Division II. As of 2021, Chris Paul, Gerald Green, Ersan Ilyasova, and Lou Williams are the only remaining active players from this draft class, though only Paul,  Williams, and Ilyasova are currently on a roster.


2005 NBA draft, Notable undrafted players
These players who declared or were automatically eligible for the 2005 draft, were not selected but have played in the NBA.


2005 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Draft-day trades
The following trades involving drafted players were made on the day of the draft:


2005 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Pre-draft trades
Prior to the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.


2005 NBA playoffs
The 2005 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan was named Finals MVP.


2005 NBA playoffs
The NBA Finals marked the first time since 1987 that the two previous champions met in the Finals (the Spurs won in 2003, the Pistons in 2004). For the Spurs, it was their third title (they also won in the lockout-shortened season of 1998–99).


2005 NBA playoffs
The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards ended long playoff droughts in 2005, meeting each other in the first round. For Washington it was their first playoff appearance since 1997 (and even more ironic their opponents for that postseason appearance were the Bulls who swept them on their way to their fifth NBA title), and only their second since 1988. Their 4–2 series victory over the Bulls was their first since 1982.


2005 NBA playoffs
The Miami Heat became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds after the first round was made into a best-of-7 in the 2003 playoffs. The 2009 Cavaliers, 2010 Magic, 2012 Spurs, 2016 Cavaliers, 2017 Cavaliers and the 2017 Warriors followed suit.


2005 NBA playoffs
No team (until 2016) has made the finals after going 8–0 in the first two rounds, let alone win 12 straight games going to the NBA Finals (until the 2017 Warriors), though the Spurs came close in 2012 when they won their first 10 playoff games, then lost their next four to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and make the NBA Finals. In 2017, the Golden State Warriors became the second team to go 8–0 through the first two rounds and make the NBA Finals as well as going 16–1 in the playoffs, the best winning percentage (.941) in NBA postseason history.


2005 NBA playoffs
It was the Bulls' first post-Michael Jordan playoff appearance, as their last playoff game was Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. They consistently placed at or near the bottom of the Central Division in between, but their 47–35 season in 2005 was a 24-game improvement from 2004.


2005 NBA playoffs
For the 3rd straight year (5th overall) the Pacers met the Celtics in the first round. Boston won in 2003 4–2, while Indiana swept Boston in 2004. It would be Boston's last playoff appearance until 2008.


2005 NBA playoffs
For the Los Angeles Lakers, it marked the first time in 11 seasons (dating back to 1994) and the fifth time in NBA history that they missed the playoffs. This is also the most recent time when the playoffs were played entirely outside of Los Angeles.


2005 NBA playoffs
This was the last time that the Seattle SuperSonics would be in the playoffs before they relocated to Oklahoma to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.


2005 NBA playoffs
The Phoenix Suns won their first playoff series since 2000 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1993, where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.


2005 NBA playoffs
Until 2019, this was the last NBA playoffs not to feature LeBron James as a player as his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, missed the playoffs.


2005 NBA playoffs, Format
Beginning with the 2004–05 season, with the addition of the 30th NBA franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA realigned its divisions. Each conference now has three divisions of five teams each, and at this point in time, the winner of each division was guaranteed a top three playoff seed, regardless of whether the team had one of the top eight records in its conference. However, the division champion was not guaranteed home court advantage; a division-leading team with a poor record could be ranked number three but face a sixth seed with a better record, which would then have home court advantage. This has since been rectified by the NBA.


2005 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying, Eastern Conference, Best record in conference
The Miami Heat clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and had home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.


2005 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying, Eastern Conference, Clinched a playoff berth
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the East:


2005 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying, Western Conference, Best record in NBA
The Phoenix Suns clinched the best record in the NBA, and earned home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. However, when Phoenix lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals.


2005 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying, Western Conference, Clinched a playoff berth
The following teams clinched a playoff berth in the West:


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (1) Miami Heat vs. (8) New Jersey Nets
This was the first playoff meeting between the Nets and the Heat.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning one series apiece. The first meeting took place while the Nationals/76ers franchise were in Syracuse and the Pistons franchise were in Fort Wayne.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning three of the first four meetings.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bulls winning the first meeting.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Memphis Grizzlies
This was the first playoff meeting between the Grizzlies and the Suns.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Denver Nuggets
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning three of the first four meetings.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (6) Sacramento Kings
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.


2005 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (4) Dallas Mavericks vs. (5) Houston Rockets
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Mavericks winning the first meeting.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Miami Heat vs. (5) Washington Wizards
This was the first playoff meeting between the Heat and the Wizards.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Detroit Pistons vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Pistons winning the first two meetings.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks
This was the first playoff meeting between the Mavericks and the Suns.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Seattle SuperSonics
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first two meetings.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Miami Heat vs. (2) Detroit Pistons
The Pistons beat the Heat in this series 4-3 due much to the comeback mounted in the 4th quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Finals by Chauncey Billups. Dwyane Wade also missed Game 6 of the series due to a rib injury.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Miami Heat vs. (2) Detroit Pistons
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the first meeting.


2005 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Phoenix Suns vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning three series apiece.


2005 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (W2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons
This was the first playoff meeting between the Pistons and the Spurs.


2005 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (W2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (E2) Detroit Pistons
The Finals were broadcast in the United States on ABC and in Canada on TSN. For a list of international broadcasters see . Jennifer Lopez's "Get Right" music video became the anthem song for the playoffs and the conclusion song at the end of the regular season.


2005 NC State Wolfpack football team
The 2005 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Chuck Amato. NC State has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since the league's inception in 1953, and participated in that conference's Atlantic Division in 2005, the inaugural year for the division. The Wolfpack played its home games in 2005 at Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina, which has been NC State football's home stadium since 1966.


2005 NCAA Bowling Championship
The 2005 NCAA Bowling Championship was the second annual tournament to determine the national champion of women's NCAA collegiate ten-pin bowling. The tournament was played at Wekiva Lanes in Orlando, Florida during April 2005.


2005 NCAA Bowling Championship
Nebraska defeated Central Missouri State in the championship match, 4 games to 2, to win their second consecutive national title. This was a rematch of the previous year's final, also won by Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were coached by Bill Straub.


2005 NCAA Bowling Championship
The tournament's Most outstanding bowler was Amanda Burgoyne from Nebraska. An All-tournament team of five bowlers was also named.


2005 NCAA Bowling Championship, Qualification
Since there is only one national collegiate championship for women's bowling, all NCAA bowling programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship, which consisted of a double-elimination style tournament.


2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held from May 30 through June 26, 2005. Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament culminated with 8 teams in the College World Series at historic Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.


2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
A major format change for the regionals began in 2005. Rather than play both games of the championship round on the third day (usually Sunday) of the tournament, the "if necessary" championship game would be played on the fourth day of the tournament (usually Monday), allowing a team in the loser's bracket to rest some of its pitchers for a winner-take-all contest.


2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The home-state Nebraska Cornhuskers won their first College World Series game after going winless in their previous two appearances.


2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
Texas went undefeated in the College World Series, earning its spot in the championship series with a walk-off home run against Big 12 Conference rival Baylor, before sweeping Florida in the championship series.


2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Bids, Automatic bids
Conference champions from 30 Division I conferences earned automatic bids to regionals. The remaining 34 spots were awarded to schools as at-large invitees.


2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were the 67th annual NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship and the 25th annual NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship to determine the team and individual national champions of NCAA Division I men's and women's collegiate cross country running in the United States. In all, four different titles were contested: men's and women's individual and team championships.


2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
Held on November 21, 2005, the combined meet was the second of eight consecutive meets hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The distance for the men's race was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) while the distance for the women's race was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).


2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
The men's team championship was won by Wisconsin (37 points), the Badgers' fourth. The women's team championship was won by Stanford (146 points), the Cardinal's third (and second in three years).


2005 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
The two individual champions were, for the men, Simon Bairu (Wisconsin, 29:15.9) and, for the women, Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona, 19:33.9). It was the second consecutive title for Bairu.


2005 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship was the 25th women's collegiate field hockey tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to determine the top college field hockey team in the United States. The Maryland Terrapins won their fourth championship, defeating the Duke Blue Devils in the final. The semifinals and championship were hosted by the University of Louisville at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.


2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships were contested to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's NCAA collegiate indoor track and field events in the United States after the 2004–05 season, the 41st annual meet for men and 23rd annual meet for women.


2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
For the sixth consecutive year, the championships were held at the Randal Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas.


2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
Hosts Arkansas won the men's title, the Razorbacks' eighteenth and first since 2003.


2005 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, Qualification
All teams and athletes from Division I indoor track and field programs were eligible to compete for this year's individual and team titles.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
The 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and it determined the national champion for the 2004-05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season  The 2005 National Title Game was played on April 4, 2005 at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri, The 2005 National Title Game was played between the 2005 Chicago Regional Champions, #1-seeded Illinois and the 2005 Syracuse Regional Champions, #1-seeded North Carolina.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
For the 1st time since 1999, the national championship game was played between two #1 seeds.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, Illinois
Illinois entered the 2005 NCAA Tournament as the #1 seed in the Chicago Regional. In the 1st round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Illinois survived a scare from Fairleigh Dickinson, rolling away with a 67-55 win after leading by just one at halftime. In the 2nd round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Illinois beat Nevada 71-59 for the chance to face Milwaukee in the Sweet 16 and in the Sweet 16, the Illinois backcourt propelled them to a 77-63 win over Milwaukee to advance to the 2005 Chicago Regional Finals.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, Illinois
In the 2005 Chicago Regional Finals, Illinois came back from a 15-point deficit with four minutes remaining to beat Arizona 90-89 in overtime to keep Illinois title hopes alive with a trip to the 2005 Final Four. In the 2005 Final Four, Illinois dominated Louisville in the 2nd half, outscoring them 41-29. They would go on to win 72-57 and advance to the 2005 National Title Game.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, North Carolina
North Carolina entered the 2005 NCAA Tournament as the #1 seed in the Syracuse Regional. In the 1st round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, North Carolina used 73% shooting in the 1st half to claim a 96-68 victory over Oakland.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, North Carolina
In the 2nd round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Sean May dominated with a double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds and Marvin Williams also dominated with a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds which led to UNC beating Iowa State for a chance to face Villanova in the Sweet 16 and North Carolina would hold off Villanova in the Sweet 16 beating them 67-66 to advance to the Elite Eight.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Participants, North Carolina
In the Elite Eight, Sean May had a double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds  and Rashad McCants scored 21 points to beat Wisconsin 88-82 to advance to the 2005 Final Four. In the 2005 Final Four, North Carolina beat Michigan State 87-71 to advance to the 2005 National Title Game.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
North Carolina was playing looking for its 4th National Championship while Illinois was playing in its first National Championship. It was a tight contest for much of the first half before an 8-0 run by North Carolina allowed them to take a 35-25 lead. Eventually they would take a 40-27 lead into halftime. North Carolina increased its lead to 15 at one point in the second half. But Illinois began a furious charge. At one point, they would hit seven consecutive shots from the floor to turn a fifteen-point lead back to four.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
Unfazed, North Carolina would push the lead back up to ten before a 10-0 run by the Illini tied the game at 65-65. Illinois would tie the game at 70-70 on a three by Luther Head. But North Carolina would fight back as freshman Marvin Williams tapped back a Rashad McCants missed shot to put North Carolina back in front. Illinois would get several cracks to take the lead but were unable to convert. Eventually, Raymond Felton was able to steal the ball from Luther Head, forcing Deron Williams to foul.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
However Felton converted on 1 of 2 free throws giving Illinois one last chance. Head's potential game-tying three pointer bounced high and out and went into the hands of Felton who this time connected on both free throws to give North Carolina a 75-70 victory. Illinois struggled offensively with what had succeeded the rest of the season, converting only 12 of a championship game record 40 three-point field goal attempts.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
With his stellar post play, North Carolina forward Sean May managed to get Illinois defenders into foul trouble; starting junior forward/center James Augustine fouled out, and his substitute, senior Jack Ingram, quickly amassed four fouls. May scored 26 points as he took the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the Final Four.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
For North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, it was his first national championship. Illinois was denied a chance to set the NCAA record for most wins in a season, instead tying the 1998–99 national runner-up Duke team with 37 (Kentucky has since won 38 games in two different seasons). For almost the entire 2004–05 season, Illinois and North Carolina were ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in all polls, and both teams were the favorites to meet in the national championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game, Game Summary
With its collection of raw talent, North Carolina would go on to field six players in the NBA draft, while four Illinois players would be selected in future drafts, with undrafted Roger Powell, Jr. also playing briefly in the NBA. In 2014, Sports Illustrated voted the 2005 Illinois team as the best team ever to not win a title.


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.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
The Final Four consisted of Illinois, the overall top seed and in the Final Four for the first time 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.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
North Carolina emerged as the national champions for a fourth time, defeating Illinois in the final 75–70. North Carolina's Sean May was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Coach Roy Williams won his first national championship.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
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.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament procedure
A total of 65 teams entered the tournament. Thirty of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. The automatic bid of the Ivy League, which does not conduct a postseason tournament, went to its regular season champion. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament procedure
Two teams played an opening-round game, popularly called the "play-in game"; the winner of that game advanced to the main draw of the tournament and plays a top seed in one of the regionals. This game has been played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio since its inception in 2001.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament procedure
All 64 teams were seeded 1 to 16 within their regionals; the winner of the play-in game automatically received a 16 seed. The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 65.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament procedure
The 2005 regionals, along with their top seeds, are listed below.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Tournament procedure
Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held April 2–4 in St. Louis.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Locations
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 2005 tournament:


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Locations
The Edward Jones Dome became the 34th venue to host the Final Four, which returned to St. Louis for the first time since 1978, although it has not returned since. For the first time since 1989, there were no new venues used. To date, 2005 marked the last time that four arenas - Allstate Arena, Charlotte Coliseum, DCU Center, and the Wolstein Center - were used. The Charlotte Coliseum shut down later that year, replaced by what is now known as the Spectrum Center in downtown Charlotte. The other three venues all are still open, although games have mostly moved to the United Center in Chicago and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland since, and Worcester not having as many amenities as nearby Boston and Providence, both of which now routinely host games.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Final Four, National Championship Game
North Carolina was playing looking for its 4th National Championship while Illinois was playing in its first National Championship. It was a tight contest for much of the first half before an 8–0 run by North Carolina allowed them to take a 35–25 lead. Eventually they would take a 40–27 lead into halftime. North Carolina increased its lead to 15 at one point in the second half. But Illinois began a furious charge. At one point, they would hit seven consecutive shots from the floor to turn a fifteen-point lead back to four.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Final Four, National Championship Game
Unfazed, North Carolina would push the lead back up to ten before a 10–0 run by the Illini tied the game at 65-65. Illinois would tie the game at 70–70 on a three by Luther Head. But North Carolina would fight back as freshman Marvin Williams tapped back a Rashad McCants missed shot to put North Carolina back in front. Illinois would get several cracks to take the lead but were unable to convert. Eventually, Raymond Felton was able to steal the ball from Head forcing Deron Williams to foul.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Final Four, National Championship Game
However, Felton converted on 1 of 2 free throws giving Illinois one last chance. But Luther Head's three pointer bounced high and out. Eventually it went into the hands of Felton who this time connected on both free throws to give North Carolina a 75–70 victory. For North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, it was his first national championship. Illinois was denied a chance to set the NCAA record for most wins in a season, instead tying it at 37. Sean May scored 26 points as he took the MOP of the Final Four.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Bracket
Winners in bold. * next to a score indicates that the game went to overtime; multiple stars indicate multiple overtimes.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Record by conference
The Atlantic 10, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, CAA, Ivy, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, and Sun Belt conferences all went 0–1.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Record by conference
The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, and CG respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and Championship Game.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Television
Rece Davis served as studio host, joined by analyst Fran Fraschilla.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Television
CBS Sports carried the remaining 63 games. They were carried on a regional basis until the Elite Eight, at which point all games were shown nationally.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Television
Greg Gumbel once again served as the studio host, joined by analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, Television
The television rating indicated the tournament was watched by an average of 10.6 million viewers.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships were contested at the 67th annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament for determining the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate golf at the Division I level in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship
The tournament was held at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship
Georgia won the team championship, the Bulldogs' second NCAA title and the first since 1999.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, Qualifying
The NCAA held three regional qualifying tournaments, with the top ten teams from each event qualifying for the national championship.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 25, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 9. A total of 15 games were played.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
This tournament marked the first time in NCAA history, in any Division, in any sport, male or female, that the 4 semi-finalists all hailed from the same conference. The University of Denver, Colorado College, University of Minnesota, and University of North Dakota were all members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association [WCHA].


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Game locations
The NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Championship is a single-elimination tournament featuring 16 teams representing all six Division I conferences in the nation. The Championship Committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 16 within four regionals of 4 teams. The winners of the six Division I conference championships receive automatic bids to participate in the NCAA Championship. Regional placements are based primarily on the home location of the top seed in each bracket with an attempt made to put the top-ranked teams close to their home site.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
The at-large bids and seeding for each team in the tournament was announced on March 20, 2005. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) had five teams receive a berth in the tournament, Hockey East had four teams receive a berth in the tournament, the ECACHL had three teams receive a berth in the tournament, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) had two teams receive a berth in the tournament, while Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America (CHA) both received a single bid for their tournament champions.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 35th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament. The championship game was played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in front of 44,920 fans, The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays won the championship title with a 9–8 win over Duke University. The Blue Jays, led by senior Kyle Harrison and sophomore goalie Jesse Schwartzman, won their eighth NCAA championship and  first national championship since 1987, while allowing just one goal the entire second half of the game. Schwartzman was named the tournament's outstanding player.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
In an exciting national semi-final game, Hopkins won against Virginia in overtime on a goal by defensive short stick midfielder Benson Erwin. Virginia seemingly had the game locked up in regulation after scoring the go ahead goal with 12.9 seconds remaining. But Hopkins won the ensuing face off and raced down the field tying the game with 1.5 seconds to go, setting up Erwin's overtime heroics.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2005 Division I Men's NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I who played for the NCAA Championship in soccer. The College Cup for the final four teams was held at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher-seeded team. The final was held on December 11, 2005, with Maryland defeating New Mexico, 1–0, for the title.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships were contested in March 2005 at the University Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the 82nd annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of Division I men's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
Auburn again topped the team standings, finishing 77 points ahead of Stanford. It was the Tigers' third consecutive and fifth overall national title.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships were the 59th annual championships to determine the national champions of NCAA Division I men's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
UCLA defeated defending champions Baylor in the championship match, 4–3, to claim the Bruins' sixteenth team national title (and first since 1984).


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships, Host sites
This year's tournaments were played at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.


2005 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships, Host sites
This was the final year that the men's and women's Division I tennis tournaments were held at separate sites; both would be held jointly at Stanford University in 2006.


2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships were contested at the 84th annual NCAA-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team champions of men's and women's Division I collegiate outdoor track and field in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
This year's meet, the 24th with both men's and women's championships, was held June 11–14, 2005 at Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, California.


2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Two-time defending champions Arkansas won the men's title, although the Razorbacks' win would later be vacated by the NCAA (alongside their 2004 victory). No other team has since been awarded the title.


2005 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Texas won the women's title, the Longhorns' fourth and first since 1999.


2005 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament was the twenty-fourth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May and June 2005, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2005 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from June 2 through June 8 and marked the conclusion of the 2005 NCAA Division I softball season. Michigan won their first championship by defeating UCLA two games to one in the championship series. Michigan first baseman Samantha Findlay was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.


2005 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships refer to one of two NCAA-sponsored events held during May and June 2005 to determine the national champions of men's and women's collegiate tennis in the United States:


2005 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships
This was the final year that the men's and women's tournaments were held at separate sites. Starting in 2006, the two events would be held jointly.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 19, 2005 and concluded on April 5, 2005 when Baylor was crowned as the new national champion. The Final Four was held for the first (and last) time at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 3 and 5, 2005, and was hosted by Butler University and the Horizon League. Future Final Fours will be held every five years in Indianapolis, the NCAA's home city, will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium, one block south of the Indiana Convention Center, where the RCA Dome is located.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
Baylor, coached by Kim Mulkey-Robertson, defeated Michigan State, coached by Joanne P. McCallie, 84-62 in the championship game. Baylor's Sophia Young was named Most Outstanding Player. For the first time, taking a page from the Men's Tournament, the regionals were named after the city they were played in, rather than the geographical location (East, Mideast, Midwest and West), and the "pod" system adopted by the Men's Tournament was used.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
In three of the four regions, the number one seed in the  region advanced to the Final Four. In the Chattanooga Regional, 13th seeded Liberty upset both Penn State and DePaul to advance to the regional semifinal, but there encountered the top seed LSU, who won and went on to defeat Duke to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
In the Philadelphia Regional, Tennessee faced Purdue in the second round. The victory represented the 880th win for coach Pat Summitt, moving her beyond Dean Smith 879 career victories, to claim the top spot in college basketball career victories. Rutgers upset Ohio State to advance to the regional final, but top seeded Tennessee won to advance. In the Kansas City Regional, top seeded Michigan State defeated the 2 seed Stanford to advance. The single exception was in the Tempe Regional, where second seeded Baylor upset North Carolina to earn a spot at the Final Four.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
In one semifinal, Baylor faced LSU. Five years earlier, Baylor had won just seven games against twenty losses, and had never been to an NCAA Tournament. Then they hired Kim Mulkey, who coached the team to an NCAA berth in her first year, and now was coaching a team in the Final Four. However, thirteen minutes into the game, LSU led 24–9. The two teams had played before, in the opening regular season game for Baylor. In that game the Lady Bears found themselves down by 19 points at halftime.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
They almost closed the gap, but ended up with a one-point loss. This time, they found themselves down again by a large margin. Mulkey called a timeout, and the team responded with six straight points. Not long after, a three-pointer cut the lead to six, and they continued to chip away, reaching the halftime with the score tied at 28. After the break, LSU retook the lead, and were up by four points with just over eight minutes to play, but would go scoreless for five minutes. Baylor retook the lead, and held on to win 68–57 to advance to the championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
In the second semifinal, Tennessee faced Michigan State, who were playing in their first Final Four. The Lady Vols had a six-point lead at halftime, but extended the lead to 16 points with fourteen and a half minutes to go. Although the crowd had watched Baylor recover from a 15-point deficit earlier in the evening, that had occurred with 28 minutes to play. This time, the deficit was 16 and just over 14 minutes left. The Spartans cut into the lead, and with a minute to go had tied the game.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
At that point Kristin Haynie, who had only scored two points in the game, stole the ball and ran almost the length of the floor to score a layup and take the lead. Tennessee then missed three shots and Michigan State scored the final points of the game to tie the record for  the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Notable events
The final matched up two nontraditional names in women's basketball. Michigan State had never before advanced beyond the second round, and Baylor had but once, and was only in their fourth NCAA tournament ever. Baylor opened up a 19-point lead early, but no lead seemed safe after 15 point and 16 point comebacks in the semifinals. The lead ballooned to 23, then Michigan State attempted a comeback, but the Lady Bears were too strong, and went on to win their first National Championship 84–62.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Locations
So as to decrease the number of games played on a competing team's home court, the subregionals were held at eight locations, rather than 16, for the first time. Furthermore, following the lead of the men's tournament in recent years, the 2005 women's tournament used the "pod system", keeping most teams at or close to the home cities, and were held from March 19 to 22 at these locations:


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Locations
The regionals were held from March 24 to 27 in the following regions. The regionals, for the first time, were named after the city they were played in instead of a direction (East, South, Midwest, West).


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Locations
The regional winners advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5, 2005 at the RCA Dome, in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by both Butler University and the Horizon League.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Qualifying teams - automatic
Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA tournament.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Qualifying teams - at-large
Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Bids by conference
Thirty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In twenty-one cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-three additional at-large teams were selected from ten of the conferences.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Bids by state
The sixty-four teams came from thirty-one states, plus Washington, D.C. Texas had the most teams with seven bids. Nineteen states did not have any teams receiving bids.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Record by conference
Nineteen conferences went 0-1: America East, Atlantic Sun ConferenceBig Sky Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, MAC,Summit League, MEAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Northeast Conference,Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, SWAC, and West Coast Conference


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships were contested at the 24th annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of women's Division I collegiate golf in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
The tournament was held at the Meadow Course at the Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
Duke won the team championship, the Blue Devils' third and first since 2002.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 24th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland during May 2005. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
Northwestern defeated Virginia, 13–10, to win their first national championship. This would subsequently become the first of Northwestern's seven national titles in eight years (2005–2009, 2011–12). Furthermore, the Wildcats' championship secured an undefeated season (21–0) for the team.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
The leading scorer for the tournament was Cary Chasney from Virginia (17 goals). Kristen Kjellman, from Northwestern, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship, Qualification
A total of 16 teams were invited to participate. 9 teams qualified automatically by winning their conference tournaments while the remaining 7 teams qualified at-large based on their regular season records.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament (also known as the 2005 Women's College Cup) was the 24th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer. The semifinals and championship game were played at Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas from December 2–4, 2005 while the preceding rounds were played at various sites across the country from November 10–25.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
Portland defeated UCLA in the final, 4–0, to win their second national title.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
The Most Outstanding Offensive Player was Christine Sinclair from Portland, and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player was Cori Alexander, also from Portland. Sinclair was also named MOP Offensive after Portland's first title in 2002. Sinclair and Alexander, alongside nine other players, were named to the All-Tournament Team.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
The tournament's leading scorer, with 8 goals and 1 assist, was Kara Lang from UCLA.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, Qualification
All Division I women's soccer programs were eligible to qualify for the tournament. The tournament field remained fixed at 64 teams.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, Format
Just as before, the final two rounds, deemed the Women's College Cup, were played at a pre-determined neutral site. All other rounds were played on campus sites at the home field of the higher-seeded team. The only exceptions were the first two rounds, which were played at regional campus sites. The top sixteen teams hosted four team-regionals on their home fields during the tournament's first weekend. Rather than being seeded 1 to 16, teams were seeded to 1 to 4 and placed in one of four main brackets.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
The 2005 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships were contested at the 24th annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of Division I women's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
This year's events were hosted by Purdue University at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Indiana.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
After three consecutive second-place finishes, Georgia returned to the top of the team standings, finishing 117.5 points ahead of three-time defending champions Auburn. This was the Bulldogs' fourth women's team title.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships were the 24th annual tournaments to determine the national champions of NCAA Division I women's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
Defending champions Stanford defeated Texas in the team final, 4–0, to claim their fourteenth national title, the Cardinal's sixth title in nine years.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, Host
This year's tournaments were hosted by the University of Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, the final separate women's tournament. Starting in 2006, the men's and women's NCAA championships would be held jointly.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 1, 2005 with 64 teams and concluded on December 17, 2005, when Washington defeated Nebraska 3 games to 0 in San Antonio, Texas for the program's first NCAA title.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Final Four, held at the Alamodome, had two participants who were making the school's first ever Final Four appearance. 15th seeded Tennessee and unseeded Santa Clara upset their way into the semifinals. In the rally scoring era (since 2001), no unseeded team had ever reached the national semifinals, while Tennessee was the lowest overall seed to reach the Final Four.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Tournament was the 25th Anniversary of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, Omaha Regional, Upsets
As expected, Nebraska, UCLA, Louisville, and Florida got to the Sweet 16 round. Florida swept past Louisville and top seeded Nebraska swept past UCLA to advance to the regional finals. Nebraska defeated Florida, 30-26, 30-24, 30-16 to advance to the final four.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, Stanford Regional, Upsets
Many upsets were seen in this regional. In the second round, defending national champion and fifth seeded Stanford was stunned by unseeded Santa Clara on their home floor. Then, unseeded Pepperdine defeated twelfth seeded Southern California on Southern California's home court. The upsets continued in the second round, as unseeded Ohio defeated thirteenth seeded Ohio St. on the Buckeye's home floor. The only upset not seen was 4th seeded Arizona defeating Utah, and advanced to the Sweet 16 as the only remaining seeded participant.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, Stanford Regional, Upsets
Santa Clara defeated Pepperdine, 3-0, to advance to the regional finals. Arizona was nearly the victim of yet another upset, outlasting a 5-game match to Ohio. However, in the next round, Arizona was the victim of an upset, as Santa Clara defeated them, 3-2, to advance to their first final four in school history. Santa Clara won the fifth and deciding game, 17-15.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, College Station Regional, Upsets
No upsets were seen up until the regional semifinals, when Wisconsin defeated 6th seeded Notre Dame in a 5-game match.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, University Park Regional, Upsets
The University Park regional ended up much like the Stanford regional in terms of upsets. In the first regional semifinal, Missouri surprised Hawai'i by defeating them, 3-1. Then, Tennessee stunned second seeded Penn State on Penn State's home floor, 3-1. Missouri and Tennessee battled in University Park, with Tennessee outlasting Missouri in four games, and much like Santa Clara in the Stanford regional who upset high seeds, advanced to their first final four in school history.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Semifinal recap, Nebraska vs. Santa Clara
Santa Clara's dream run came to an end, as top seeded Nebraska overpowered them, 30-24, 30-19, 30-21. Nebraska hit .449% as a team, while Santa Clara hit just .145%. Nebraska advanced to the title match, sweeping through each opponent in the process.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Semifinal recap, Washington vs. Tennessee
Oddly similar to the first semifinal, Tennessee's dream run came to end in another sweep with nearly identical scores to the Nebraska/Santa Clara match, by defeating them 30-25, 30-19, 30-21. Much like Nebraska, Washington swept through each opponent to earn a spot in the title match. It is the first national title attempt in school history.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship recap: Nebraska vs. Washington
In front of 9,000 fans in the Alamodome, top ranked and top seeded Nebraska battled second ranked and third seeded Washington for the national title. Nebraska was ranked number one in the coaches poll all season long, and was trying to become the second school in NCAA history to hold the top spot every week in the season, as Southern California did it in 2003. Washington is coached by Jim McLaughlin


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship recap: Nebraska vs. Washington
Washington jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first game, prompting AVCA National Coach of the Year John Cook to take an early timeout. Washington dominated throughout the match, winning the first two games, 30-26, 30-25. Despite Nebraska taking an early 7-2 lead in the third game, Washington closed the gap and at 18, it was tied up. The teams remained close until the end, when Washington went on a 4-1 scoring run, and off a solo block from MVP Christal Morrison, Washington stunned Nebraska in a sweep, to claim their first ever national championship.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship recap: Nebraska vs. Washington
With the sweep, Washington became just the second school in NCAA history to sweep through every opponent en route to winning the NCAA title, joining Texas from 1988. It was the first time since 2002 that Nebraska had been swept.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship recap: Nebraska vs. Washington
Washington coach McLaughlin became the first coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in both men and women's volleyball, as he guided Southern California men's team to the 1990 NCAA title. Before McLaughlin took over for the Washington program in 2001, their record was 8-19. Washington finished off the 2005 season 32-1, the only loss coming to UCLA in a five set match. Ironically, that loss was UCLA head coach Andy Banachowski 1,000th career win.


2005 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, NCAA Tournament records
There are two NCAA tournament records that were set in the 2005 tournament that still stand.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball rankings
The following polls make up the 2005 NCAA Division I baseball rankings. USA Today and ESPN began publishing the Coaches' Poll of 31 active coaches ranking the top 25 teams in the nation in 1992. Each coach is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. Baseball America began publishing its poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1981. Beginning with the 1985 season, it expanded to the top 25. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper published its first human poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1957, and expanded to rank the top 30 teams in 1961.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball rankings, Baseball America
Currently, only the final poll from the 2005 season is available.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball rankings, Collegiate Baseball
The preseason poll ranked the top 40 teams. Those not listed above were: 31. Nebraska 32. East Carolina 33. Arkansas 34. Coastal Carolina 35. Michigan 36. UC Irvine 37. TCU 38. Vanderbilt 39. Stetson 40. Tennessee


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season
The 2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began on January 21, 2005. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and 2005 College World Series. The College World Series, which consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, was held in its annual location of Omaha, Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium. It concluded on June 26, 2005, with the final game of the best of three championship series. Texas defeated Florida two games to none to claim its sixth championship.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, New programs
Four programs joined Division I for the 2005 season, all of which joined from Division II. The four new Division I members were Longwood, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and UC Davis.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Dropped programs
Two programs left Division I following the 2004 season. Pace, formerly an Independent, dropped to Division II. Detroit, formerly a member of the Horizon League, discontinued its varsity baseball program.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Conference changes
The Atlantic Coast Conference added two members prior to the 2005 season. Miami, previously an Independent, and Virginia Tech, previously a member of the Big East Conference, both joined the conference.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Conference changes
Division I's four new members, Longwood, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and UC Davis, all became independents.


2005 NCAA Division I baseball season, College World Series
The 2005 season marked the fifty ninth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Texas claiming their sixth championship with a two games to none series win over Florida in the final.


2005 NCAA Division I softball season
The 2005 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2005. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2005 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament and 2005 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on June 8, 2005.


2005 NCAA Division I softball season, Women's College World Series
The 2005 NCAA Women's College World Series took place from June 2 to June 8, 2005 in Oklahoma City.


2005 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
NCAA Division I season at bats:270 – Lindsay Schutzler, Tennessee Volunteers


2005 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
NCAA Division I season Games pitched:69 – Monica Abbott, Tennessee Volunteers


2005 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
Junior class strikeout ratio:15.2 (593 SO/272.2 IP) – Cat Osterman, Texas Longhorns


2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Three human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), does not bestow a National Championship title for Division I-A football. That title is bestowed by different polling agencies. There are several polls that currently exist. The main weekly polls are the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll. About halfway through the season, two additional polls are released; the Harris Interactive Poll and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
During the 2005 season, 34 different teams appeared in the rankings by the major polls, but two teams, USC and Texas, held the top two spots throughout the course of the entire season.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, AP Poll
This season was the first season since the inception of the BCS that the AP Poll was not included in the BCS formula. The BCS created the Harris Interactive Poll to serve as its replacement.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, Harris Interactive Poll
The Harris Poll is the newest poll as it was created in 2005 to replace the AP Poll in the BCS formula. It consists of former players, coaches, administrators, and current and former media who submit votes for the top 25 teams each week. The panel has been designed to be a statistically valid representation of all 11 Division I-A Conferences and independent institutions. The poll operates identically to the other polls, except with 114 members. The poll ends at the conclusion of the regular season, and does not produce another poll after the bowl games or crown a champion.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, BCS Standings
The Bowl Championship Series determined the two teams that competed in the BCS National Championship Game, the 2006 Rose Bowl.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 1, 2005 and ended on December 3, 2005. The postseason concluded on January 4, 2006 with the Rose Bowl, which served as the season's BCS National Championship Game.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns finished the regular season as the only undefeated teams in Division I-A and consequently met in the Rose Bowl to play for the national title. Texas defeated USC largely due to the performance of quarterback Vince Young, who gained 467 yards of total offense and ran for three touchdowns. The Longhorns won their first national championship since 1970, and their first consensus national title since 1969.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
A major conference realignment occurred prior to the 2005 season, when 18 teams in Division I-A changed conferences.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
Temple was expelled from the Big East Conference while Army ended its brief affiliation with Conference USA, resulting in both schools becoming Independents.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
Boston College left the Big East to become the 12th member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), allowing the league to split into two divisions and hold an annual championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida left Conference USA to join the Big East. Texas Christian University also left Conference USA to become the Mountain West Conference's ninth member.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
Despite its losses, Conference USA added six schools to increase its membership to twelve, poaching Marshall and UCF from the Mid-American Conference and Rice, Southern Methodist, Tulsa, and UTEP from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Like the ACC, Conference USA split into two divisions and started a conference championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
The Western Athletic Conference added Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State from the Sun Belt Conference.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
The Sun Belt picked up I-AA Independents Florida Atlantic and Florida International.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Coaching changes
Steve Spurrier returned to college coaching for the first time since 2001 after a stint in the NFL, leading South Carolina to a respectable 7–5 season. Urban Meyer, after leading Utah to an undefeated season in 2004, took over at Florida (Spurrier's old school). Charlie Weis left the New England Patriots to become head coach at alma mater Notre Dame, taking the team to a BCS bowl.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Coaching changes
Longtime head coaches Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin and Bill Snyder of Kansas State, both of whom took struggling programs to national prominence during their tenures, retired. Dan Hawkins, having helped make Boise State a powerhouse in the Western Athletic Conference, left the Broncos to coach struggling Colorado.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Regular season top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 8 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Awards and honors, Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy voting was primarily for three players: Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart (who won the trophy in 2004) and Vince Young. Bush won the trophy, with Young (who helped Texas win their first national championship since 1970) second in the voting:


2005 NCAA Division I-A football season, Awards and honors, Heisman Trophy
In June 2010 the NCAA ruled that Bush had received "improper benefits", violating NCAA policy. On September 14, he announced in a statement from the New Orleans Saints that he would forfeit his 2005 Heisman Trophy. Runner-up Vince Young said that he would not accept the trophy if Bush forfeited it. On September 15, the Heisman Trust announced that the 2005 trophy would be vacated and there would be no winner for the season.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Northern Iowa Panthers and the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The game was played on December 16, 2005, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This was the final season that the NCAA football classification now known as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) operated as Division I-AA. The culminating game of the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Appalachian State, 21–16.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2005 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams, Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (6–1 in conference). Two of their losses were to Division I-A teams; Kansas and LSU. The Mountaineers were the second-seed in the tournament and defeated Lafayette, Southern Illinois, and Furman to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Appalachian State in a Division I-AA championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams, Northern Iowa Panthers
Northern Iowa finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–2 in conference). One of their losses was to Iowa of Division I-A. The Panthers were unseeded in the tournament; they defeated Eastern Washington, first-seed New Hampshire, and fourth-seed Texas State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Northern Iowa in a Division I-AA championship game.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Game summary
Northern Iowa took a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, from a pair of field goals. In the second quarter, Appalachian State briefly went ahead, 7–6, on a five-yard touchdown run by Kevin Richardson. Northern Iowa then reclaimed the lead on a touchdown of their own, and extended their advantage to 16–7 from another field goal shortly before halftime. In the third quarter, Richardson's second touchdown of the game brought Appalachian State to within two points, 16–14. With just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Appalachian State forced a fumble, which was picked up and run in for a touchdown by Jason Hunter. There would be no further scoring, as Appalachian State won their first title via the 21–16 final.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings
The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network media poll and the coaches poll.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season, the 2005 season of college football for teams in Division I-AA, began on September 1, 2005, and concluded on December 16, 2005. In the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, played in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers.


2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season, Rule changes for 2005
There are several rules that have changed for the 2005 season. Following are some highlights:


2005 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball as the culmination of the 2004–05 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. It was won by Virginia Union University and VUU's Antwan Walton was the Most Outstanding Player.


2005 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, Regionals, South - Boca Raton, Florida
Location: Count and Countess de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center


2005 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
The 2005 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship was the 34th annual tournament held by the NCAA to determine the top men's Division II college soccer program in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
Early in the second half of the championship final Franklin Pierce striker, Chris Joyce, netted the ninth goal of his postseason career, which set a new Div. II tournament record for a single player. In the match's final 10 minutes, a pair of Fort Lewis goals broke a one-one tie, and the undefeated Skyhawks (22-0-1) vanquished the Franklin Pierce Ravens, 3–1. It marked the tenth time a team finished a Div. II season without a loss. The final and semi-finals were played at the Midwestern State University Soccer Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.


2005 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
This was the first national title and second finals appearance for the Skyhawks, who were coached by Jeremy Gunn.


2005 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament was the 24th annual tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of Division II women's  collegiate basketball in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
Washburn defeated Seattle Pacific in the championship game, 70–53, to claim the Ichabods' first NCAA Division II national title.


2005 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
The championship rounds were contested at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas.


2005 NCAA Division II football rankings
The 2005 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2005 season.


2005 NCAA Division II football season
The 2005 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 27, 2005, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 10, 2005 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Grand Valley State Lakers defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats, 21–17, to win their third Division II national title.


2005 NCAA Division II football season
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Jimmy Terwilliger, quarterback from East Stroudsburg.


2005 NCAA Division II football season, Conference changes and new programs
Stillman completed their transition to Division II and became eligible for the postseason.


2005 NCAA Division II football season, Conference summaries
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – North Carolina CentralGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Grand Valley StateGreat Northwest Athletic Conference – Central WashingtonGulf South Conference – Central ArkansasLone Star Conference – West Texas A&MMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – WashburnNorth Central Conference – Minnesota–Duluth, Nebraska–Omaha, North Dakota, and South DakotaNortheast-10 Conference – C.W. PostNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Concordia–Saint Paul and Winona StatePennsylvania State Athletic Conference – Bloomsburg (East), California (PA) and Edinboro (West)Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Nebraska–KearneySouth Atlantic Conference – PresbyterianSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany StateWest Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Shepherd


2005 NCAA Division II football season, Postseason
The 2005 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 32nd single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama for the 18th time.


2005 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 2005 NCAA Division III baseball season to determine the 30th national champion of college baseball at the NCAA Division III level. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin for the championship. Eight regional tournaments were held to determine the participants in the World Series. Regional tournaments were contested in double-elimination format, five four regions consisting of six teams and three regions consisting of four teams, for a total of 42 teams participating in the tournament. The tournament champion was Wisconsin-Whitewater, who defeated SUNY-Cortland for the championship.


2005 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, World Series
Fox Cities Stadium-Grand Chute, WI (Host: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh/Lawrence University)


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament was the 31st annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the United States.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
The field contained sixty-four teams, and each program was allocated to one of four sectionals. All sectional games were played on campus sites, while the national semifinals, third-place final, and championship finals were contested at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
Defending champions Wisconsin–Stevens Point defeated Rochester (NY), 73–49, in the championship, clinching their first national title. Stevens Point were the first men's Division III program to defend their national title since Wisconsin–Platteville in 1999.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
Jason Kalsow, also from Stevens Point, was named Most Outstanding Player.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2004–05 season, the 22nd such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Middlebury defeating St. Thomas in the championship game 5-0. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played in Middlebury, Vermont.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
The following teams qualified for the tournament. Automatic bids were offered to the conference tournament champion of seven different conferences with one at-large bid for the best remaining team from each region.


2005 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The tournament featured four rounds of play. All rounds were Single-game elimination. For the three eastern Quarterfinals the teams were seeded according to their rankings with the top three teams serving as hosts. For the western quarterfinal, the top-ranked team awaited the winner of a play-in game between the lower-ranked teams.


2005 NCAA Division III football season
The 2005 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2005, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2005 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Mount Union Purple Raiders won their eighth Division III championship by defeating the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks, 35−28. This was the first of eight subsequent championship games between Mount Union (3 wins) and Wisconsin–Whitewater (5 wins); only the 2012 Stagg Bowl featured a different team.


2005 NCAA Division III football season
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Brett Elliott, quarterback from Linfield.


2005 NCAA Division III football season, Postseason
The 2005 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 33rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 13th time. The bracket for this field expanded from 28 to 32 teams, where it has remained.


2005 NCAA Division III football season, Postseason, Qualification
Twenty-one conferences met the requirements for an automatic ("Pool A") bid to the playoffs. Besides the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, five conferences had no Pool A bid. The PAC was in the first year of the two-year waiting period, while the ACFC, NWC, UAA, and UMAC failed to meet the seven-member requirement.


2005 NCAA Division III football season, Postseason, Qualification
Schools not in Pool A conferences were eligible for Pool B. The number of Pool B bids was determined by calculating the ratio of Pool A conferences to schools in those conferences and applying that ratio to the number of Pool B schools. The 21 Pool A conferences contained 179 schools, an average of 8.5 teams per conference. Thirty-seven schools were in Pool B, enough for four bids.


2005 NCAA Division III football season, Postseason, Qualification
The remaining seven playoff spots were at-large ("Pool C") teams.


2005 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The Consensus 2005 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The Sporting News and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.


2005 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, Academic All-Americans
On March 2, 2005, CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine announced the 2005 Academic All-America team, with Chris Hill headlining the University Division as the men's college basketball Academic All-American of the Year. The following is the 2004–05 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Basketball Team (University Division) as selected by CoSIDA:


2005 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
The 2005 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament was the 36th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate indoor volleyball. The single elimination tournament was played at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California during May 2005.


2005 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
Pepperdine defeated UCLA in the final match, 3–2 (30–23, 23–30, 24–30, 30–25, 15–10), to win their fourth national title. The Waves (25–2) were coached by Marv Dunphy.


2005 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
Pepperdine's Sean Rooney was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Rooney, along with six other players, comprised the All Tournament Team.


2005 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament, Qualification
Until the creation of the NCAA Men's Division III Volleyball Championship in 2012, there was only a single national championship for men's volleyball. As such, all NCAA men's volleyball programs, whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III, were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.


2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The 2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 37th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Kinney Natatorium at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania from December 3–4, 2005.


2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
USC defeated Stanford in the final, 3–2, to win their third national title. The Trojans (26–1) were coached by Jovan Vavic.


2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The Most Outstanding Players of the tournament were Adam Shilling and Juraj Zatovic from USC. Additionally, two All-Tournament Teams were named: a First Team (with seven players including Shilling and Zatovic) and a Second Team (with eight players).


2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The tournament's leading scorer, with 5 goals, was Cutberto Hernandez from Loyola Marymount.


2005 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, Qualification
Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.