1945–46 NCAA men's basketball season
| 1945–46 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
1946 | |
| Tournament dates | March 21 – 26, 1946 |
| National Championship | Madison Square Garden New York, New York |
| NCAA Champions | Oklahoma A&M |
| Helms National Champions | Oklahoma A&M |
| Other champions | Kentucky (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M |
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.
Season headlines
- 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 1981 tournament.
- In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Oklahoma A&M as its national champion for the 1945–46 season.[2]
Conference membership changes
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
Statistical leaders
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2021) |
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Semifinals & finals
| National semifinals | National Finals | ||||||||
| Ohio State | 57 | ||||||||
| North Carolina | 60OT | ||||||||
| North Carolina | 40 | ||||||||
| Oklahoma A&M | 43 | ||||||||
| Oklahoma A&M | 52 | ||||||||
| California | 35 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Ohio State 63, California 45
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| Rhode Island State | 59 | ||||||||
| Muhlenberg | 49 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island State | 45 | ||||||||
| Kentucky | 46 | ||||||||
| West Virginia | 51 | ||||||||
| Kentucky | 59' | ||||||||
- Third Place – West Virginia 65, Muhlenberg 40
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo Klier | F | Senior | Notre Dame |
| Bob Kurland | C | Senior | Oklahoma A&M |
| George Mikan | C | Senior | DePaul |
| Max Morris | F | Senior | Northwestern |
| Sid Tanenbaum | G | Junior | NYU |
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles B. Black | F | Junior | Kansas |
| John Dillon | G | Sophomore | North Carolina |
| Billy Hassett | G | Senior | Notre Dame |
| Tony Lavelli | F | Freshman | Yale |
| Jack Parkinson | G | Junior | Kentucky |
| Ken Sailors | G | Senior | Wyoming |
Major player of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
| 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.
| Team | Former Coach |
Interim Coach |
New Coach |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | Ken Engles | Elmer Ripley | Engles – the only player-coach in Georgetown men's basketball history – stepped aside at the end of the year after coaching the Hoyas for a single season as they reconstituted their basketball program with a mostly walk-on team after a two-season hiatus due to World War II, making way for Ripley to return after a three-year absence for a third stint as coach.[5] | |
| Kansas State | Fitz Knorr | Jack Gardner | ||
| NC State | Leron Jay | Everett Case | ||
| North Carolina | Ben Carnevale | Tom Scott | ||
| Notre Dame | Elmer Ripley | Moose Krause | ||
| Purdue | Ward Lambert | Mel Taube |
References
- ^ "New England/Yankee regular-season champions," Coaches Database Accessed April 27, 2021
- 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
- ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches". Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2014.