The 1961 NCAA tournament culminated in the first of Cincinnati's back-to-back national championships as the Bearcats defeated in-state foe and reigning national champion Ohio State in the national title game. Ohio State's Jerry Lucas was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, despite his Buckeyes finishing as the national runner-up, while Utah's Billy McGill led all scorers with 119 points.
The 1961 NCAA tournament actually included one fewer team than the 1960 NCAA tournament — 24 teams compared to 25 the year before. The third-place game in 1961 made history as Utah and Saint Joseph's went to quadruple-overtime, where the Utes won 127-120, which was tied for the longest game in NCAA tournament history. Saint Joseph's appearance was later vacated.
1961 NCAA tournament: Bracket
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1961 NCAA tournament: Scores
- Regional Quarterfinals
- East Region
- Princeton 84, George Washington 67
- St. Bonaventure 86, Rhode Island 76
- Wake Forest 97, St. John's 74
- Mideast Region
- Louisville 76, Ohio 70
- Morehead State 71, Xavier 66
- Midwest Region
- Houston 77, Marquette 61
- West Region
- Arizona State 72, Seattle 70
- USC 81, Oregon 79
- East Region
- Regional Semifinals
- East Region
- Saint Joseph's 72, Princeton 67
- Wake Forest 78, St. Bonaventure 73
- Mideast Region
- Ohio State 56, Louisville 55
- Kentucky 71, Morehead State 64
- Midwest Region
- Kansas State 75, Houston 64
- Cincinnati 78, Texas Tech 55
- West Region
- Utah 91, Loyola (LA) 75
- Arizona State 86, USC 71
- East Region
- Regional Finals
- East Region
- Saint Joseph's 96, Wake Forest 86
- Mideast Region
- Ohio State 87, Kentucky 74
- Midwest Region
- Cincinnati 69, Kansas State 64
- West Region
- Utah 88, Arizona State 80
- East Region
- Regional Third-Place Games
- East Region
- St. Bonaventure 85, Princeton 67
- Mideast Region
- Louisville 83, Morehead State 61
- Midwest Region
- Texas Tech 69, Houston 67
- West Region
- Loyola (LA) 69, USC 67
- East Region
- Final Four
- National semifinals
- Ohio State 95, Saint Joseph's 69
- Cincinnati 82, Utah 67
- National championship
- Cincinnati 70, Ohio State 65 (OT)
- Third-place game
- Saint Joseph's 127, Utah 120 (4OT)
- National semifinals
1961 NCAA tournament: Stats, records
Here are the 1961 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses):
Individual scoring
- Billy McGill, Utah: 29.8 points per game
Individual rebounding
- Jerry Lucas, Ohio State: 18.3 rebounds per game
Brackets: Andy Katz's first 2021 March Madness projections
