1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
{{Short description|Edition of USA college basketball tournament}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox NCAA basketball tournament
| 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. It began on March 14, 1961, and ended with the championship game on March 25 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 {{cbb link|1960|sex=men|team=Utah Utes|title=Utah}} 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.{{cite web |title=The Sports Network - Men's College Basketball |author=The Sports Network |url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/mmad/2009/stat.aspx?f=teams_records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526000053/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask%2Fmmad%2F2009%2Fstat.aspx%3Ff%3Dteams_records |archive-date=2011-05-26 |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-04-02 }} Saint Joseph's victory was later vacated because of the 1961 gambling scandal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.umich.edu/~mgoblue/compliance/gambling/literature.html|title = Review of the Literature}}
Locations
File:Ohio state basketball players 1961.jpg
| class="wikitable"
! Round !! Region !! Site !! Venue !! Host(s) |
| rowspan="4" | First Round
|East | |
|---|
| Mideast |
| Midwest |
| West
| |
| rowspan="4" | Regionals
| East | |
| Mideast
|Louisville, Kentucky |Freedom Hall |Louisville |
| Midwest |
| West
|Portland, Oregon |Memorial Coliseum | |
| colspan="2"| Final Four
| |
Teams
Bracket
=East region=
{{3RoundBracket|byes=1
|nowrap=y| RD1-seed3=
| 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=
{{3RoundBracket|byes=1
|nowrap=y| RD1-seed3=
| 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=
{{3RoundBracket|byes=1
|nowrap=y| RD1-seed3=
| 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=
{{3RoundBracket|byes=1
|nowrap=y| RD1-seed5=
| 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=
{{4TeamBracket | RD1=National Semifinals | RD2=National Championship Game | RD1-seed1=E
| 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.{{Cite web|url= https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2016/10/19/what-led-vacated-final-fours-past/92372758/|author=Wolfson, Andrew|title=What led to vacated Final Fours in the past?|publisher=Courier Journal|date=October 19, 2016|accessdate=May 17, 2024}}
=National Third Place Game=
{{2TeamBracket | RD1=National Third Place Game{{cite web|url=http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1954|title=1954 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket|access-date=October 14, 2011}}
| RD1-seed1=E
| RD1-team1=Saint Joseph's#
| RD1-score1=127
| RD1-seed2=W
| RD1-team2=Utah
| RD1-score2=120****
}}
=Regional third place games=
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=East Regional third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=St. Bonaventure
| RD1-score1=85
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Princeton
| RD1-score2=67
}}
{{col-break}}
{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=Mideast Regional third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Louisville
| RD1-score1=83
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Morehead State
| RD1-score2=61
}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=Midwest Regional third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Texas Tech
| RD1-score1=69
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Houston
| RD1-score2=67
}}
{{col-break}}
{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=West Regional third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Loyola (Los Angeles)
| RD1-score1=69
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=USC
| RD1-score2=67
}}
{{col-end}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament navbox}}
{{1960–61 NCAA University Division championships navbox}}
{{1961 Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1961 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament}}
Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
NCAA University Division basketball tournament
NCAA University Division basketball tournament