From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Men's collegiate basketball season
The 1945–46 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1945, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1946 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1946, at Madison Square Garden in New York , New York . The Oklahoma A&M Aggies won their second NCAA national championship with a 43–40 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels .
The Middle Atlantic States Conference North began play, with five original members.
The New England Conference disbanded at the end of the season.[ 1]
The 1946 NCAA tournament was the first NCAA tournament in which four teams (California , North Carolina , Ohio State , and Oklahoma A&M ) advanced to the finals site.[ 2] 1952 tournament , when the four teams advanced from four separate regional sites.[ 2] [ 3]
The NCAA tournament began holding a national third-place game between the teams which lost in the semifinals. The national third-place game continued through the 1981 tournament .
Bob Kurland of Oklahoma A&M became the first player to dunk in the NCAA championship game, doing so twice late in the game on March 26.[ 2] Oklahoma A&M defeated North Carolina 43–40 in the championship game of the 1946 NCAA tournament, becoming the first school to repeat as NCAA champion, following its tournament championship in 1945 .[ 2]
Bob Kurland of Oklahoma A&M became the first two-time NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player . He previously had received the honor in 1945 .[ 2]
For the first time, the NCAA tournament championship game was televised. WCBS-TV aired the game locally in New York City , with an estimated viewership of 500,000.[ 2]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Oklahoma A&M [ 4] Conference membership changes [ edit ] Conference winners and tournaments [ edit ] Conference standings [ edit ]
1945–46 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Kansas 10
–
0
1.000
19
–
2
.905
Oklahoma 7
–
3
.700
11
–
10
.524
Iowa State 5
–
5
.500
8
–
8
.500
Missouri 3
–
7
.300
6
–
11
.353
Nebraska 3
–
7
.300
7
–
13
.350
Kansas State 2
–
8
.200
4
–
20
.167
1945–46 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Dartmouth 7
–
1
.875
13
–
3
.813
Cornell 6
–
2
.750
12
–
5
.706
Pennsylvania 4
–
4
.500
7
–
10
.412
Columbia 3
–
5
.375
11
–
9
.550
Princeton 0
–
8
.000
7
–
12
.368
1945–46 Middle Atlantic States Conference North men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Lafayette 7
–
1
.875
17
–
3
.850
Muhlenberg 7
–
1
.875
23
–
5
.821
Gettysburg 3
–
5
.375
11
–
6
.647
Bucknell 2
–
6
.250
6
–
11
.353
Lehigh 1
–
7
.125
3
–
13
.188
1945–46 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Wyoming 10
–
2
.833
22
–
4
.846
Colorado 9
–
3
.750
12
–
6
.667
Utah 8
–
4
.667
12
–
8
.600
Colorado State 6
–
6
.500
15
–
9
.625
BYU 6
–
6
.500
12
–
13
.480
Utah State 2
–
10
.167
7
–
12
.368
Denver 1
–
11
.083
9
–
15
.375
1945–46 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Idaho 11
–
5
.688
23
–
11
.676
Oregon State 10
–
6
.625
13
–
11
.542
Oregon 8
–
8
.500
16
–
17
.485
Washington 6
–
10
.375
14
–
14
.500
Washington State 5
–
11
.313
16
–
13
.552
California †11
–
1
.917
30
–
6
.833
USC 8
–
4
.667
14
–
7
.667
UCLA 5
–
7
.417
8
–
16
.333
Stanford 0
–
12
.000
6
–
18
.250
† Conference championship playoff series winner
1945–46 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W
L
PCT W
L
PCT
Baylor 11
–
1
.917
25
–
5
.833
Arkansas 9
–
3
.750
16
–
7
.696
Texas 7
–
5
.583
16
–
7
.696
TCU 6
–
6
.500
13
–
11
.542
Rice 5
–
7
.417
10
–
11
.476
Texas A&M 4
–
8
.333
9
–
14
.391
SMU 0
–
12
.000
7
–
16
.304
A total of 54 college teams played as major independents . Yale (14–1) had the best winning percentage (.933) and Nevada (28–5) finished with the most wins.[ 7]
Statistical leaders [ edit ] This section is empty. You can help by
adding to it .
(April 2021 )
Post-season tournaments [ edit ] [ edit ] National Invitation tournament [ edit ] [ edit ] Consensus All-American teams [ edit ]
Major player of the year awards [ edit ] This section
needs expansion . You can help by
adding to it .
(April 2021 )
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
^ "New England/Yankee regular-season champions," Coaches Database Accessed April 27, 2021 ^ a b c d e f "Playing Rules History" (PDF) . ncaa.org . NCAA. p. 11. Retrieved June 25, 2024 .^ "1952 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records" . ncaa.com . NCAA. May 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2024 .^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game . New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2 ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF) . NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009 .^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section , Southern Conference , retrieved 2009-02-09^ "1945-46 Men's Independent Season Summary" . Sports Reference . Retrieved August 5, 2024 .^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches" . Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2014 .
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}