1945 NCAA basketball tournament explained

Year:	1945
Teams:	8
Finalfourarena:	Madison Square Garden
Finalfourcity:	New York City
Champions:	Oklahoma A&M Aggies
Titlecount:	1st
Champgamecount:	1st
Champffcount:	1st
Runnerup:	NYU Violets
Gamecount:	1st
Runnerffcount:	1st
Semifinal1:	Arkansas Razorbacks
Finalfourcount:	2nd
Semifinal2:	Ohio State Buckeyes
Finalfourcount2:	3rd
Coach:	Henry Iba
Coachcount:	1st
Mop:	Bob Kurland
Mopteam:	Oklahoma A&M
Attendance:	67,780
Topscorer:	Bob Kurland
Topscorerteam:	Oklahoma A&M
Points:	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. 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.

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			SEC	Regional third place	Tufts	W 66–56
East			Middle Atlantic	Runner Up	Oklahoma A&M	L 49–45
East		Harold Olsen		National Semifinals	NYU	L 70–65
East			New England	Regional Fourth Place	Kentucky	L 66–56
West
West		Eugene Lambert		National Semifinals	Oklahoma A&M	L 68–41
West	Oklahoma A&M		Missouri Valley	Champion	NYU	W 49–45
West		John A. Warren	Pacific Coast	Regional third place	Utah	W 69–66
West		Vadal Peterson		Regional Fourth Place	Oregon	L 69–66

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

Regional third place

^[1]

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.

Notes and References

Web site: 1945 NCAA basketball tournament. College Basketball Reference. 4 April 2018.