1951 NCAA basketball tournament
Season1950–51
Teams16
Finals siteWilliams Arena
Minneapolis, Minnesota
ChampionsKentucky Wildcats (3rd title, 3rd title game,
4th Final Four)
Runner-upKansas State Wildcats (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachAdolph Rupp (3rd title)
MOPBill Spivey (Kentucky)
Attendance110,645
Top scorerDon Sunderlage (Illinois)
(83 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1950 1952»

The 1951 NCAA basketball tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A total of 18 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.

Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp, won the national title with a 68–58 victory over Kansas State, coached by Jack Gardner.

This NCAA tournament was the first with a 16-team field. Only the championship and third place games were held in Minneapolis, while the semifinals were held in the respective regional sites; similar to previous years. A true "Final 4" (semifinals and final at same location) debuted the following year.

The twelve-team National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was held the previous week in New York City at Madison Square Garden, with its championship on Saturday, Mach 17. Four teams competed in both tournaments, including NIT champion BYU;[1][2][3] they lost in the quarterfinal round, by ten points to Kansas State.[4][5]

The three other teams were Arizona, North Carolina State, and St. John's.

Locations

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1951 tournament:

First round

March 20
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York (Host: Metropolitan New York Conference)
Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University)
March 21 and 22
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

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
Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Hosts: University of Minnesota, Big Ten Conference)

Teams

RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastColumbiaLou RossiniIvy LeagueSweet SixteenIllinoisL 79–71
EastConnecticutHugh GreerYankeeSweet SixteenSt. John'sL 63–52
EastIllinoisHarry CombesBig TenThird PlaceOklahoma A&MW 61–46
EastKentuckyAdolph RuppSoutheasternChampionKansas StateW 68–58
EastLouisvillePeck HickmanIndependentSweet SixteenKentuckyL 79–68
EastNC StateEverett CaseSouthernRegional Fourth PlaceSt. John'sL 71–59
EastSt. John'sFrank McGuireMetro NYRegional third placeNC StateW 71–59
EastVillanovaAlex SeveranceIndependentSweet SixteenNC StateL 67–62
West
WestArizonaFred EnkeBorderSweet SixteenKansas StateL 61–59
WestBYUStan WattsMountain StatesRegional Fourth PlaceWashingtonL 80–67
WestKansas StateJack GardnerBig 7Runner-upKentuckyL 68–58
WestMontana StateBrick BreedenIndependentSweet SixteenOklahoma A&ML 50–46
WestOklahoma A&MHenry IbaMissouri ValleyFourth PlaceIllinoisL 61–46
WestSan Jose StateWalt McPhersonIndependentSweet SixteenBYUL 68–61
WestTexas A&MJohn FloydSouthwestSweet SixteenWashingtonL 62–40
WestWashingtonTippy DyePacific CoastRegional third placeBYUW 80–67

Bracket

First round Quarter-finals National Semifinals National Final
            
Illinois 79
Columbia 71
Illinois 84
NC State 70
NC State 67
Villanova 62
Illinois 74
EAST REGION
Kentucky 76
Kentucky 79
Louisville 68
Kentucky 59
St John's 43
St John's 63
Connecticut 52
Kentucky 68
Kansas State 58
Kansas State 61
Arizona 59
Kansas State 64
BYU 54
BYU 68
San Jose State 61
Kansas State 68
WEST REGION
Oklahoma A&M 44
Oklahoma A&M 50
Montana State 46
Oklahoma A&M 61
Washington 57
Washington 62
Texas A&M 40

National Third Place Game

National Third Place
   
Illinois 61
Oklahoma A&M 46

Regional third place games

Source:[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Hack (March 18, 1951). "BYU smashes Dayton in finale, 62-43". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. C1.
  2. ↑ Grimsley, Will (March 18, 1951). "Brigham Young cops invitational hoop title, 62-43". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 1B.
  3. ↑ Miller, Hack (March 18, 1951). "BYU gets nod in NCAA cage opener". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A11.
  4. ↑ Miller, Hack (March 24, 1951). "Kansas State dumps cold Cougars, 64-54". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A5.
  5. ↑ "Kansas State whips BYU, 64-54". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 24, 1951. p. 10.
  6. ↑ "1951 NCAA basketball tournament". College Basketball Reference. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
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