Oklahoma A&M, now known as Oklahoma State, won the first of back-to-back national championships in 1945, as legendary coach Henry Iba, Most Outstanding Player Bob Kurland and the Aggies defeated NYU 49-45.
Kurland was the leading scorer in the tournament with 65 points, including 22 in the championship game.
Arkansas and Ohio State were the two other teams in the semifinals in 1945.
1945 NCAA tournament: Bracket
Click here for printable bracket.
1945 NCAA tournament: Scores
- Quarterfinals
- NYU 59, Tufts 44
- Ohio State 45, Kentucky 37
- Arkansas 79, Oregon 76
- Oklahoma A&M 62, Utah 37
- Semifinals
- NYU 70, Ohio State 65
- Oklahoma A&M 68, Arkansas 41
- National Championship
- Oklahoma A&M 49, NYU 45
- Regional Third-Place Games
- Kentucky 66, Tufts 56
- Oregon 69, Utah 66
1990s: Christian Laettner | Tim Duncan
2010s: Anthony Davis
1945 NCAA tournament: Stats, records
Here are the 1945 NCAA tournament leaders (number of games in parentheses):
Individual scoring
- Dick Wilkins, Oregon: 22.0 points per game
