| Region | Team | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| East | ||
| East | Illinois | Harry Combes |
| East | Kentucky | Adolph Rupp |
| East | Villanova | Alex Severance |
| East | Yale | Howard Hobson |
| West | ||
| West | Arkansas | Eugene Lambert |
| West | Oklahoma A&M | Henry Iba |
| West | Oregon State | Slats Gill |
| West | Wyoming | Everett Shelton |
1949 NCAA Tournament (March Madness)
Elite 8 Final 4 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Winning Team highlighted in Green Box
The 1949 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 18, 1949, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington. A total of 10 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
The following were the sites selected to host each round of the 1949 tournament:
|
East REGIONAL at Madison Square Garden, New York, New York -March 21 and 22 |
||||
| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Illinois , | Yale | 71-67 | ||
| Kentucky | Villanova | 85-72 | ||
|
West REGIONAL at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri -March 18 and 19 |
||||
| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Oklahoma A&M | Wyoming | 40-39 | ||
| Oregon State | Arkansas | 56-38 | ||
at
|
NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS |
||||
| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
|
Kentucky |
Illinois |
76-47 |
||
| Oklahoma A&M | Oregon State |
55-30 |
||
Regional Third Place:
Eastern: Villanova 78, Yale 67
Western: Arkansas 61, Wyoming 48
at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington -March 26
National Third Place: Illinois 57, Oregon State 53
|
|
||||
| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Kentucky | Oklahoma A&M | 46-36 | ||
Top 10 Teams
| Rank | School | W-L | NCAA Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | 32-2 | 1st Place |
| 2 | Oklahoma A&M | 23-5 | 2nd Place |
| 3 | St. Louis | 22-4 | L in NIT quarterfinal |
| 4 | Illinois | 21-4 | L in NCAA semifinal |
| 5 | Western Kentucky | 25-4 | L in NIT quarterfinal |
| 6 | Minnesota | 18-3 | DNP |
| 7 | Bradley | 27-8 | L in NIT semifinal |
| 8 | USF | 25-5 | Won NIT |
| 9 | Tulane | 24-4 | DNP |
| 10 | Bowling Green | 24-7 | L in NIT semifinal |
All-America Team
| Pos | Name | Cl. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Vince Boryla | Sr. | Denver |
| C-F | Ed Macauley | Sr. | St. Louis |
| C | Alex Groza | Sr. | Kentucky |
| G | Ralph Beard | Sr. | Kentucky |
| G | Tony Lavelli | Sr. | Yale |
Kentucky Leaders: Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Wallace Jones, Cliff Barker, Dale Barnstable.
All NCAA Tournament Team
MVP: Alex Groza, Kentucky
Team Offense
Rhode Island, 71.6
Team Defense
Oklahoma A&M, 35.2
Individual Scoring
| Name | School | Avg. |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tony Lavelli | Yale | 22.4 |
| 2. Paul Arizin | Villanova | 22.0 |
| 3. Chet Giermak | William & Mary | 21.8 |
| 4. George Senesky | St. Joseph’s | 21.0 |
| 5. Ernie Vandeweghe | Colgate | 20.9 |
| 6. Alex Groza | Kentucky | 20.5 |
Notes
- NITE 1st Place: San Francisco def. Loyola of Chicago 48-47. Don Lofgran led USF with 20 points and scored two for Loyola, on an accidental tip-in. Lofgran was chosen MVP.
- NCAA champ Kentucky lost to Loyola 61-56 in the NIT quarterfinals. Later, Wildcats Alex Groza, Ralph Beard and Dale Barnstable admitted taking $1,500 to throw the game, and they admitted shaving points in other games. Ironcially, Groza was chosen MVP in the NCAA tourney.
- The NIT’s top teams — Kentucky, St. Louis, Western Kentucky, and Utah — all lost in the first round, a day called the “Manhattan Massacre.”