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1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
Edition of USA college basketball tournament
Edition of USA college basketball tournament
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Year | 1961 |
| Image | Cincinnati bearcats basketball champions 1961.jpg |
| ImageSize | 250 |
| Caption | Cincinnati Bearcats, champions, celebrating |
| Teams | 24 |
| FinalFourArena | Municipal Auditorium |
| FinalFourCity | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Champions | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| TitleCount | 1st |
| ChampGameCount | 1st |
| ChampFFCount | 3rd |
| RunnerUp | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| GameCount | 3rd |
| RunnerFFCount | 6th |
| Semifinal1 | Saint Joseph's Hawks (Vacated) |
| FinalFourCount | 1st |
| Semifinal2 | Utah Redskins |
| FinalFourCount2 | 2nd |
| Coach | Ed Jucker |
| CoachCount | 1st |
| MOP | Jerry Lucas |
| MOPTeam | Ohio State |
| Attendance | 169,520 |
| TopScorer | Billy McGill |
| TopScorerTeam | Utah |
| Points | 119 |
The 1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. The 23rd annual edition of the tournament began on March 14, 1961, and ended with the championship game on March 25, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of 28 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Cincinnati, coached by Ed Jucker, won the national title with a 70–65 victory in the final game over in-state rival and defending national champion Ohio State, coached by Fred Taylor. Jerry Lucas of Ohio State was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The national third-place game, won by Saint Joseph's over by the score of 127–120 in four overtimes, tied the record for the longest game in NCAA Division I tournament history, set in 1956 in a first-round game between Canisius and North Carolina State. As of the regional finals of the 2019 tournament, no NCAA Division I tournament games since then have gone to a fourth overtime period. Saint Joseph's victory was later vacated because of the 1961 gambling scandal.
Locations
| Round | Region | Site | Venue | Host(s) | First Round | Regionals | Final Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | |||||
| Mideast | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | Louisville | ||||
| Midwest | Houston, Texas | Delmar Fieldhouse | Houston | ||||
| West | Portland, Oregon | Memorial Coliseum | |||||
| East | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Coliseum | |||||
| Mideast | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | Louisville | ||||
| Midwest | Lawrence, Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse | Kansas | ||||
| West | Portland, Oregon | Memorial Coliseum | |||||
| Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Auditorium |
Teams
| Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score | East | Mideast | Midwest | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | George Washington | Bill Reinhart | Southern | First round | Princeton | L 84–67 | ||||
| East | Princeton | Jake McCandless | Ivy League | Regional Fourth Place | St. Bonaventure | L 85–67 | ||||
| East | Rhode Island | Ernie Calverley | Yankee | First round | St. Bonaventure | L 86–76 | ||||
| East | St. Bonaventure | Eddie Donovan | Independent | Regional third place | Princeton | W 85–67 | ||||
| East | St. John's | Joe Lapchick | Metro NY | First round | Wake Forest | L 97–74 | ||||
| East | Saint Joseph's | Jack Ramsay | Middle Atlantic | Third Place | Utah | W 127–120 (4OT) | ||||
| East | Wake Forest | Bones McKinney | Atlantic Coast | Regional Runner-up | Saint Joseph's | L 96–86 | ||||
| Mideast | Kentucky | Adolph Rupp | Southeastern | Regional Runner-up | Ohio State | L 87–74 | ||||
| Mideast | Louisville | Peck Hickman | Independent | Regional third place | Morehead State | W 83–61 | ||||
| Mideast | Morehead State | Robert Laughlin | Ohio Valley | Regional Fourth Place | Louisville | L 83–61 | ||||
| Mideast | Ohio | James Snyder | Mid-American | First round | Louisville | L 76–70 | ||||
| Mideast | Ohio State | Fred Taylor | Big Ten | Runner Up | Cincinnati | L 70–65 | ||||
| Mideast | Xavier | Jim McCafferty | Independent | First round | Morehead State | L 71–66 | ||||
| Midwest | Cincinnati | Ed Jucker | Missouri Valley | Champion | Ohio State | W 70–65 | ||||
| Midwest | Houston | Guy Lewis | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Texas Tech | L 69–67 | ||||
| Midwest | Kansas State | Tex Winter | Big 8 | Regional Runner-up | Cincinnati | L 69–64 | ||||
| Midwest | Marquette | Eddie Hickey | Independent | First round | Houston | L 77–61 | ||||
| Midwest | Texas Tech | Polk Robison | Southwest | Regional third place | Houston | W 69–67 | ||||
| West | Arizona State | Ned Wulk | Border | Regional Runner-up | Utah | L 88–80 | ||||
| West | Loyola (Los Angeles) | William Donovan | West Coast Athletic | Regional third place | USC | W 69–67 | ||||
| West | Oregon | Steve Belko | Independent | First round | USC | L 81–79 | ||||
| West | Seattle | Vince Cazzetta | Independent | First round | Arizona State | L 72–70 | ||||
| West | USC | Forrest Twogood | AAWU | Regional Fourth Place | Loyola (Los Angeles) | L 69–67 | ||||
| West | Utah | Jack Gardner | Mountain States | Fourth Place | Saint Joseph's | L 127–120 (4OT) |
Bracket
- – Denotes overtime period
East region
| RD1-team3=Princeton | RD1-score3=84 | RD1-seed4= | RD1-team4=George Washington | RD1-score4=67 | RD1-seed5= | RD1-team5=St. Bonaventure | RD1-score5=86 | RD1-seed6= | RD1-team6=Rhode Island | RD1-score6=76 | RD1-seed7= | RD1-team7=Wake Forest | RD1-score7=97 | RD1-seed8= | RD1-team8=St. John's | RD1-score8=74 | RD2-seed1= | RD2-team1=Saint Joseph's# | RD2-score1=72 | RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2=Princeton | RD2-score2=67 | RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3=St. Bonaventure | RD2-score3=73 | RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4=Wake Forest | RD2-score4=78 | RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1=Saint Joseph's# | RD3-score1=96 | RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2=Wake Forest | RD3-score2=86
Mideast region
| RD1-team3=Louisville | RD1-score3=76 | RD1-seed4= | RD1-team4=Ohio | RD1-score4=70 | RD1-seed7= | RD1-team7=Morehead State | RD1-score7=71 | RD1-seed8= | RD1-team8=Xavier | RD1-score8=66 | RD2-seed1= | RD2-team1=Ohio State | RD2-score1=56 | RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2=Louisville | RD2-score2=55 | RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3=Kentucky | RD2-score3=71 | RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4=Morehead State | RD2-score4=64 | RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1=Ohio State | RD3-score1=87 | RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2=Kentucky | RD3-score2=74
Midwest region
| RD1-team3=Houston | RD1-score3=77 | RD1-seed4= | RD1-team4=Marquette | RD1-score4=61 | RD2-seed1= | RD2-team1=Kansas State | RD2-score1=75 | RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2=Houston | RD2-score2=64 | RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3=Cincinnati | RD2-score3=78 | RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4=Texas Tech | RD2-score4=55 | RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1=Kansas State | RD3-score1=64 | RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2=Cincinnati | RD3-score2=69
West region
| RD1-team5=Arizona State | RD1-score5=72 | RD1-seed6= | RD1-team6=Seattle | RD1-score6=70 | RD1-seed7= | RD1-team7=USC | RD1-score7=81 | RD1-seed8= | RD1-team8=Oregon | RD1-score8=79 | RD2-seed1= | RD2-team1=Utah | RD2-score1=91 | RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2=Loyola (Los Angeles) | RD2-score2=75 | RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3=Arizona State | RD2-score3=86 | RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4=USC | RD2-score4=71 | RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1=Utah | RD3-score1=88 | RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2=Arizona State | RD3-score2=80
Final Four
| RD1-team1=Saint Joseph's# | RD1-score1=69 | RD1-seed2=ME | RD1-team2=Ohio State | RD1-score2=95 | RD1-seed3=MW | RD1-team3=Cincinnati | RD1-score3=82 | RD1-seed4=W | RD1-team4=Utah | RD1-score4=67 | RD2-seed1=ME | RD2-team1=Ohio State | RD2-score1=65* | RD2-seed2=MW | RD2-team2=Cincinnati | RD2-score2=70
***** - denotes overtime
# - Saint Joseph's was later forced to vacate their appearance in the 1961 NCAA Tournament due to a gambling scandal involving a player on the team. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Saint Joseph's removing the wins from its own record.
National Third Place Game
| RD1-seed1=E | RD1-team1=Saint Joseph's# | RD1-score1=127 | RD1-seed2=W | RD1-team2=Utah | RD1-score2=120****
Regional third place games
| RD1-seed1= | RD1-team1=St. Bonaventure | RD1-score1=85 | RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2=Princeton | RD1-score2=67 | RD1-seed1= | RD1-team1=Louisville | RD1-score1=83 | RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2=Morehead State | RD1-score2=61
| RD1-seed1= | RD1-team1=Texas Tech | RD1-score1=69 | RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2=Houston | RD1-score2=67 | RD1-seed1= | RD1-team1=Loyola (Los Angeles) | RD1-score1=69 | RD1-seed2= | RD1-team2=USC | RD1-score2=67
References
References
- The Sports Network. "The Sports Network - Men's College Basketball".
- "Review of the Literature".
- Wolfson, Andrew. (October 19, 2016). "What led to vacated Final Fours in the past?". Courier Journal.
- "1954 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket".
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