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. The 8th annual edition of the tournament began on March 21, 1946, and ended with the championship game on March 26, at Madison Square Garden 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.

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

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 PlaceNYUL 67–61 East NYU Howard Cann Middle AtlanticRegional third placeHarvardW 67–61 East North Carolina Ben Carnevale Southern ConferenceRunner UpOklahoma A&ML 43–40 East Ohio State Harold Olsen Big Ten Third PlaceCaliforniaW 63–45 West West Baylor Bill Henderson Southwest Regional Fourth PlaceColoradoL 59–44 West CaliforniaNibs Price Pacific Coast Fourth PlaceOhio StateL 63–45 West Colorado Frosty Cox SkylineRegional third placeBaylorW 59–44 West Oklahoma A&M Henry Iba Missouri Valley ChampionNorth CarolinaW 43–40

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

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

References