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. It began on March 22, 1945, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in New York City. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in each region.

1945 NCAA basketball tournament
Teams8
Finals siteMadison Square Garden
New York City
ChampionsOklahoma A&M Aggies (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upNYU Violets (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachHenry Iba (1st title)
MOPBob Kurland (Oklahoma A&M)
Attendance67,780
Top scorerBob Kurland (Oklahoma A&M)
(65 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1944 1946»

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

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The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1945 tournament:

Regionals

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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

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March 27
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York (Host: Metropolitan New York Conference)

Teams

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Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score
East
East Kentucky Adolph Rupp SEC Regional third place Tufts W 66–56
East NYU Howard Cann Middle Atlantic Runner Up Oklahoma A&M L 49–45
East Ohio State Harold Olsen Big Ten National Semifinals NYU L 70–65
East Tufts Richard Cochran New England Regional Fourth Place Kentucky L 66–56
West
West Arkansas Eugene Lambert Southwest National Semifinals Oklahoma A&M L 68–41
West Oklahoma A&M Henry Iba Missouri Valley Champion NYU W 49–45
West Oregon John A. Warren Pacific Coast Regional third place Utah W 69–66
West Utah Vadal Peterson Skyline Regional Fourth Place Oregon L 69–66

Bracket

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* – Denotes overtime period

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
NYU 59
Tufts 44
NYU 70
Ohio State 65*
Ohio State 45
Kentucky 37
NYU 45
Oklahoma A&M 49
Arkansas 79
Oregon 76
Arkansas 41
Oklahoma A&M 68
Oklahoma A&M 62
Utah 37

Regional third place

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[1]

See also

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Notes

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  • 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

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  1. ^ "1945 NCAA basketball tournament". College Basketball Reference. Retrieved April 4, 2018.