1946 NCAA basketball tournament

The 1946 NCAA basketball tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 21, 1946, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in New York City. A total of 10 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.

1946 NCAA basketball tournament

Teams	8
Finals site	Madison Square Garden New York City
Champions	Oklahoma A&M Aggies (2nd title, 2nd title game, 2nd Final Four)
Runner-up	North Carolina Tar Heels (1st title game, 1st Final Four)
Semifinalists	California Golden Bears (1st Final Four) Ohio State Buckeyes (4th Final Four)
Winning coach	Henry Iba (2nd title)
MOP	Bob Kurland (Oklahoma A&M)
Attendance	73,116
Top scorer	Bob Kurland (Oklahoma A&M) (72 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments «1945 1947»

Oklahoma A&M, coached by Henry Iba, won the national title with a 43–40 victory in the final game over North Carolina, coached by Ben Carnevale. Bob Kurland of Oklahoma A&M was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Aggies were the first team to win a second NCAA championship, the first to repeat as champions, and the first of two teams (San Francisco being the other) to win the title in their first two NCAA appearances.

This was the first tournament to have four teams advance to the final site, though not the first to have a true "Final Four" format (that would not occur until 1952). The two regional losers played in the national third-place game, while the two winners played for the championship. The third-place game would continue through the 1981 tournament.

Locations

The following were the sites which hosted each round of the 1946 tournament:

Regionals

March 21 and 23

East Regional, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York (Host: Metropolitan New York Conference)

March 22 and 23

West Regional, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

Championship Game

Main article: 1946 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game

March 26

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

Teams

Region	Team	Coach	Conference	Finished	Final Opponent	Score
East
East	Harvard	Floyd Stahl	EIBL	Regional Fourth Place	NYU	L 67–61
East	NYU	Howard Cann	Middle Atlantic	Regional third place	Harvard	W 67–61
East	North Carolina	Ben Carnevale	Southern Conference	Runner Up	Oklahoma A&M	L 43–40
East	Ohio State	Harold Olsen	Big Ten	Third Place	California	W 63–45
West
West	Baylor	Bill Henderson	Southwest	Regional Fourth Place	Colorado	L 59–44
West	California	Nibs Price	Pacific Coast	Fourth Place	Ohio State	L 63–45
West	Colorado	Frosty Cox	Skyline	Regional third place	Baylor	W 59–44
West	Oklahoma A&M	Henry Iba	Missouri Valley	Champion	North Carolina	W 43–40

Bracket

Regional Semifinals March 21 & 22

Regional Finals March 23

National Championship March 26

Ohio State

46

Harvard

38

Ohio State

57*

East – New York City

North Carolina

60

North Carolina

57

New York City

NYU

49

North Carolina

40

Oklahoma A&M

43

Oklahoma A&M

44

Baylor

29

Oklahoma A&M

52

West – Kansas City, MO

California

35

California

50

Colorado

44

East Third Place Game March 23

West Third Place Game March 23

National Third Place Game March 26

Harvard

61

Baylor

44

Ohio State

63

NYU

67

Colorado

59

California

45

* – Denotes overtime period

See also

• 1946 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 1946 National Invitation Tournament