1945 NCAA basketball tournament

none August 2023 March 2026 1945 8 Madison Square Garden New York City, New York Oklahoma A&M Aggies 1st 1st 1st NYU Violets 1st 1st Arkansas Razorbacks 2nd Ohio State Buckeyes 3rd Henry Iba 1st Bob Kurland Oklahoma A&M 67,780 Bob Kurland Oklahoma A&M 65 The 1945 NCAA basketball tournament was an eight-team single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball. The 7th annual edition of the tournament began on March 22, 1945, and ended with the championship game on March 27, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in each region. Oklahoma A&M, coached by Henry Iba, won the national title with a 49–45 victory in the final game over NYU, coached by Howard Cann. Bob Kurland of Oklahoma A&M was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Locations The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1945 tournament: Regionals March 22 and 24 East Regional, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York (Host: Metropolitan New York Conference) March 23 and 24 West Regional, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference) Championship Game March 27 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York (Host: Metropolitan New York Conference) Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Kentucky Adolph Rupp SECRegional third placeTuftsW 66–56 East NYU Howard Cann Middle AtlanticRunner UpOklahoma A&ML 49–45 East Ohio State Harold OlsenBig Ten National SemifinalsNYUL 70–65 East Tufts Dick Cochran New EnglandRegional Fourth PlaceKentuckyL 66–56 West West Arkansas Eugene LambertSouthwest National SemifinalsOklahoma A&ML 68–41 West Oklahoma A&MHenry Iba Missouri Valley ChampionNYUW 49–45 West Oregon John A. WarrenPacific Coast Regional third placeUtahW 69–66 West Utah Vadal PetersonSkyline Regional Fourth PlaceOregonL 69–66 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period NYU 59 Tufts 44 Ohio State 45 Kentucky 37 Arkansas 79 Oregon 76 Oklahoma A&M 62 Utah 37 NYU 70 Ohio State 65 Arkansas 41 Oklahoma A&M 68 NYU 45 Oklahoma A&M 49 Regional third place auto East Regional third place Tufts 56 Kentucky 66 West Regional third place Oregon 69 Utah 66 1945 NCAA basketball tournament https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/postseason/1945-ncaa.html College Basketball Reference 4 April 2018 See also 1945 National Invitation Tournament 1945 NAIA Basketball Tournament Notes This was the first appearance for Oklahoma A&M, who would win their first two NCAA tournaments. They would be the first team to win multiple tournaments, and the first team to repeat as champions. Of the nine other teams to win the championship in their first tournament appearance, only San Francisco was able to repeat as well. Three teams - NYU, Ohio State and Oklahoma A&M - would return for the 1946 tournament. Arkansas and Kentucky would both return within four years; Utah would not return to the tournament until 1955, and Oregon would not return until 1960. This was the only appearance of then-Tufts College, who are currently in Division III. Tufts is one of fourteen colleges and universities to have made the NCAA tournament and no longer be in Division I. References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Tournament NCAA basketball tournament NCAA basketball tournament