Teams | 8 | ||||
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Finals site | Madison Square Garden New York City | ||||
Champions | Utah Redskins (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
Runner-up | Dartmouth Indians (2nd title game, 2nd Final Four) | ||||
Semifinalists |
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Winning coach | Vadal Peterson (1st title) | ||||
MOP | Arnie Ferrin (Utah) | ||||
Attendance | 59,369 | ||||
Top scorer | Audley Brindley (Dartmouth) (52 points) | ||||
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The 1944 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 24, 1944, and ended with the championship game on March 28 in New York City. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in each region.
Utah, coached by Vadal Peterson, won the national title with a 42–40 victory in the final game over Dartmouth, coached by Earl Brown. Arnie Ferrin of Utah was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Utah became the first team to play in both the NIT and NCAA tournament in the same season. Utah was given a second chance to play in the NCAA Tournament after a March 1944 automobile accident killed a coaching aide and seriously injured two players on the Arkansas team. [1]
Utah's winning team featured Wataru Misaka, who later joined the New York Knicks to become the first person of color (in his case, being an Asian-American by being of Japanese descent) to play in modern professional basketball. [2]
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1944 tournament:
Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
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East | ||||||
East | Catholic | John Long | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Temple | L 55–35 |
East | Dartmouth | Earl Brown | EIBL | Runner Up | Utah | L 42–40 |
East | Ohio State | Harold Olsen | Big Ten | National Semifinals | Dartmouth | L 60–53 |
East | Temple | Josh Cody | Middle Atlantic | Regional third place | Catholic | W 55–35 |
West | ||||||
West | Iowa State | Louis Menze | Big Six | National Semifinals | Utah | L 40–31 |
West | Missouri | George R. Edwards | Big Six | Regional third place | Pepperdine | W 61–46 |
West | Pepperdine | Al Duer | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Missouri | L 61–46 |
West | Utah | Vadal Peterson | Skyline | Champion* | Dartmouth | W 42–40OT |
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
Dartmouth | 63 | |||||||||||||
Catholic | 38 | |||||||||||||
Dartmouth | 60 | |||||||||||||
Ohio State | 53 | |||||||||||||
Ohio State | 57 | |||||||||||||
Temple | 47 | |||||||||||||
Dartmouth | 40 | |||||||||||||
Utah | 42OT | |||||||||||||
Iowa State | 44 | |||||||||||||
Pepperdine | 39 | |||||||||||||
Iowa State | 31 | |||||||||||||
Utah | 40 | |||||||||||||
Utah | 45 | |||||||||||||
Missouri | 35 |
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The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournament is played at regional sites with its Final Four played at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City up until 2022. Starting in 2023, the NIT Final Four began following the format of the NCAA Tournament by having its Final Four at different venues each season. First held in 1938, the NIT was once considered the most prestigious post-season showcase for college basketball before its status was superseded in the mid-1950s by the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 47 games were played.
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. 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.
The 1943 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 24, 1943, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New York City. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in each region. Top-ranked Illinois declined to participate in the NCAA tournament or NIT after three of its starters were drafted into the Army.
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.
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The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents St. John's University located in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference, where it is a founding member of the league. As of the end of the 2022–23 season, St. John's ranked ninth with 1,922 total wins among NCAA Division I teams. St. John's has appeared in 30 NCAA tournaments, most recently appearing in 2019. The Red Storm's best finish in the NCAA tournament came in 1952 when they were NCAA runner-ups and made the Final Four. St. John's also made a Final Four appearance in 1985. St. John's is coached by Rick Pitino.
The 1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1944 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and it determined the national champion for the 1943-44 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The 1944 National Title Game was played on March 28, 1944, and it was played at the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.
The 1943–44 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1943, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1944 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 28, 1944, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The Utah Redskins won their first NCAA national championship with a 42–40 victory over the Dartmouth Indians.