1961 NCAA College Division basketball tournament
{{Short description|Edition of USA college basketball tournament}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college basketball tournament
| Division=II
| Year=1961
| Image=
| ImageSize=100px
| Caption=
| Teams=32
| FinalFourCity=Evansville, Indiana
| Champions=Wittenberg Tigers
| TitleCount=1st
| RunnerUp=Southeast Missouri State Bears
| GameCount=1st
| Semifinal1=South Dakota State Jackrabbits
| FinalFourCount= 1st
| Semifinal2=Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers
| FinalFourCount2= 2nd
| Coach=Ray Mears
| CoachCount=1st
| MOP=Don Jacobson
| MOPTeam=South Dakota State
| Attendance=13,002
}}
The 1961 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1960-61 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by Wittenberg University and South Dakota State's Don Jacobson was the Most Outstanding Player.
{{Location map+|USA|width=450|float=right|caption=1961 NCAA Division II Men's sites - regionals (cyan) Elite Eight (red)|places=
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=36.3|lon_deg=-87.3|position=right|label=Clarksville|link=Austin Peay State College}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=41.9|lon_deg=-87.75|position=right|label=Chicago|link=University of Chicago}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=40.4|lon_deg=-76.3|position=bottom|label=Reading|link=Albright College}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=42.15|lon_deg=-72.4|position=top|label=Springfield|link=Springfield College}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=44.4|lon_deg=-97|position=top|label=Brookings|link=South Dakota State College}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=37.3|lon_deg=-89.4||position=left|label=Cape Girardeau|link=Southeast Missouri State College}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=34.33|lon_deg=-119.5|position=right|label=Santa Barbara|link=University of California, Santa Barbara}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=red pog.svg|lat_deg=38.15|lon_deg=-87.35|position=left|label=Evansville|link=Roberts Municipal Stadium}}
{{Location map~|USA|mark=cyan pog.svg|lat_deg=40.1|lon_deg=-86.58|position=left|label=Crawfordsville|link=Wabash College}}
}}
Regional participants
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Austin Peay
|Regional Champion |
| Belmont Abbey
|Runner-up |
| Chattanooga
|Fourth Place |
| Kentucky Wesleyan
|Third Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Albright
|Runner-up |
| Fairfield
|Fourth Place |
| Mount St. Mary's
|Regional Champion |
| Virginia Union
|Third Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Bates
|Runner-up |
| Rochester
|Third Place |
| Springfield
|Fourth Place |
| Williams
|Regional Champion |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| South Carolina State
|Fourth Place |
| Wabash
|Runner-up |
| Wittenberg
|Regional Champion |
| Youngstown State
|Third Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Chicago
|Regional Champion |
| Evansville
|Third Place |
| Lincoln (MO)
|Runner-up |
| MacMurray
|Fourth Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Colorado College
|Fourth Place |
| SE Missouri State
|Regional Champion |
| Southern Illinois
|Runner-up |
| Trinity (TX)
|Third Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Cornell (IA)
|Third Place |
| Prairie View
|Runner-up |
| South Dakota State
|Regional Champion |
| Wisconsin–Superior
|Fourth Place |
| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em;"
! colspan="3" style="background:#ffdead;" | |
| School
!Outcome |
|---|
| Chapman
|Third Place |
| Long Beach State
|Runner-up |
| Nevada
|Fourth Place |
| UC Santa Barbara
|Regional Champion |
Regionals
=South – [[Clarksville, Tennessee]]=
Location: Memorial Health Building Host: Austin Peay State College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Belmont Abbey
| RD1-score1=74
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Kentucky Wesleyan
| RD1-score2=62
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Austin Peay
| RD1-score3=77
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Chattanooga
| RD1-score4=69
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Belmont Abbey
| RD2-score1=63
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Austin Peay
| RD2-score2=70
}}
- Third place – Kentucky Wesleyan 111, Chattanooga 80
=East – [[Reading, Pennsylvania]]=
Location: Bollman Center Host: Albright College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Mount St. Mary's
| RD1-score1=83
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Virginia Union
| RD1-score2=80
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Albright
| RD1-score3=85
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Fairfield
| RD1-score4=67
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Mount St. Mary's
| RD2-score1=82
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Albright
| RD2-score2=76
}}
- Third place – Virginia Union 70, Fairfield 66
=Northeast – [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]=
Location: Judd Gymnasia Host: Springfield College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Williams
| RD1-score1=74
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Rochester
| RD1-score2=72
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Bates
| RD1-score3=75
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Springfield
| RD1-score4=63
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Williams
| RD2-score1=75
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Bates
| RD2-score2=68
}}
- Third place – Rochester 82, Springfield 68
=Mideast – [[Crawfordsville, Indiana]]=
Location: Chadwick Court Host: Wabash College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Wittenberg
| RD1-score1=43
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Youngstown State
| RD1-score2=28
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Wabash
| RD1-score3=94
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=South Carolina State
| RD1-score4=83
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Wittenberg
| RD2-score1=48
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Wabash
| RD2-score2=42
}}
- Third place – Youngstown State 96, South Carolina State 82
=Great Lakes – [[Chicago, Illinois]]=
Location: Henry Crown Field House Host: University of Chicago
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Lincoln (MO)
| RD1-score1=90
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Evansville
| RD1-score2=77
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Chicago
| RD1-score3=64
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=MacMurray
| RD1-score4=59
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Lincoln
| RD2-score1=42
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Chicago
| RD2-score2=55
}}
- Third place – Evansville 98, MacMurray 97*
=Southwest – [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri]]=
Location: Houck Field House Host: Southeast Missouri State College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=SE Missouri State
| RD1-score1=99
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Colorado College
| RD1-score2=68
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Southern Illinois
| RD1-score3=96
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Trinity (TX)
| RD1-score4=82
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=SE Missouri State
| RD2-score1=88
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Southern Illinois
| RD2-score2=84
}}
- Third place – Trinity 75, Colorado College 58
=Midwest – [[Brookings, South Dakota]]=
Location: The Barn Host: South Dakota State College
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Prairie View
| RD1-score1=79
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Wisconsin–Superior
| RD1-score2=68
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=South Dakota State
| RD1-score3=90
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Cornell (IA)
| RD1-score4=71
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Prairie View
| RD2-score1=84
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=South Dakota State
| RD2-score2=88
}}
- Third place – Cornell 83, Wisconsin–Superior 72
=Pacific Coast – [[Santa Barbara, California]]=
Location: Robertson Gymnasium Host: University of California, Santa Barbara
{{4TeamBracket
| RD1=Regional semifinals
Round of 32
March 10
| RD2=Regional final
Sweet 16
March 11
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Long Beach State
| RD1-score1=70
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Chapman
| RD1-score2=66
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=UC Santa Barbara
| RD1-score3=78
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Nevada
| RD1-score4=57
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Long Beach State
| RD2-score1=54
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=UC Santa Barbara
| RD2-score2=58
}}
- Third place – Chapman 68, Nevada 63
National finals – [[Evansville, Indiana]]
Location: Roberts Municipal Stadium Host: Evansville College
{{8TeamBracket | RD1=National quarterfinals
Elite Eight
March 16
| RD2=National semifinals
Final Four
March 17
| RD3=National championship
March 18
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Austin Peay
| RD1-score1=78
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Mount St. Mary's
| RD1-score2=96
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Williams
| RD1-score3=51
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Wittenberg
| RD1-score4=64
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-team5=Chicago
| RD1-score5=41
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team6=SE Missouri State
| RD1-score6=67
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-team7=South Dakota State
| RD1-score7=79
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team8=UC Santa Barbara
| RD1-score8=65
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Mount St. Mary's
| RD2-score1=49
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Wittenberg
| RD2-score2=65
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3=SE Missouri State
| RD2-score3=81
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4=South Dakota State
| RD2-score4=69
| RD3-seed1=
| RD3-team1=Wittenberg
| RD3-score1=42
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2=SE Missouri State
| RD3-score2=38
}}
- Third place – South Dakota State 77, Mount St. Mary's 76
All-tournament team
- George Fisher (Wittenberg)
- Don Jacobsen (South Dakota State)
- John O'Reilly (Mount Saint Mary's)
- Vivian Reed (Southeast Missouri State)
- Carl Ritter (Southeast Missouri State)
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- [http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_champs_records/2010/d2/champs.pdf 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship]
- [http://www.jonfmorse.com/wiki/index.php?title=1961_NCAA_College_Division_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament 1961 NCAA College Division Men's Basketball Tournament jonfmorse.com]
{{NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament navbox}}
Category:NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament