1946 NCAA Basketball Tournament

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The 1946 NCAA Basketball Tournament involved 8 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.

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.

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

March 22 and 23

West Regional, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri

Championship Game[]

March 26

Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Teams[]

Bracket[]

* – Denotes overtime period

Regional Third Place Games[]

^[1]

See also[]

• 1946 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
• 1946 National Invitation Tournament

References[]