| Year: | 1952 |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Finalfourarena: | Hec Edmundson Pavilion |
| Finalfourcity: | Seattle, Washington |
| Champions: | Kansas Jayhawks |
| Titlecount: | 1st |
| Champgamecount: | 2nd |
| Champffcount: | 2nd |
| Runnerup: | St. John's Redmen |
| Gamecount: | 1st |
| Runnerffcount: | 1st |
| Semifinal1: | Illinois Fighting Illini |
| Finalfourcount: | 3rd |
| Semifinal2: | Santa Clara Broncos |
| Finalfourcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Phog Allen |
| Coachcount: | 1st |
| Mop: | Clyde Lovellette |
| Mopteam: | Kansas |
| Attendance: | 115,712 |
| Topscorer: | Clyde Lovellette |
| Topscorerteam: | Kansas |
| Points: | 141 |
The 1952 NCAA basketball tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 14th annual edition of the tournament began on March 21, 1952, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle. A total of 20 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Kansas, coached by Phog Allen, won the national title with an 80–63 victory in the final game over St. John's, coached by Frank McGuire. Clyde Lovellette of Kansas was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
This tournament was the first to have a true "Final Four" format, with the winners at four regional sites advancing to the final site—although the four regionals did not receive distinct names until the 1956 tournament. It was also the first to have regional television coverage.
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1952 tournament:
| Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | ||||||
| East | Independent | Regional third place | Princeton | W 77–61 | ||
| East | Independent | Elite Eight | Illinois | L 74–68 | ||
| East | Third Place | Santa Clara | W 67–64 | |||
| East | Elite Eight | St. John's | L 64–57 | |||
| East | Regional third place | W 69–60 | ||||
| East | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | L 69–60 | |||
| East | Regional Fourth Place | L 77–61 | ||||
| East | Runner-up | Kansas | L 80–63 | |||
| West | ||||||
| West | Champion | St. John's | W 80–63 | |||
| West | Regional Fourth Place | L 61–44 | ||||
| West | Independent | Regional third place | UCLA | W 55–53 | ||
| West | Independent | Fourth Place | Illinois | L 67–64 | ||
| West | Elite Eight | Kansas | L 74–55 | |||
| West | Regional third place | W 61–44 | ||||
| West | Regional Fourth Place | L 55–53 | ||||
| West | Elite Eight | Santa Clara | L 56–53 | |||