# 1941 NCAA basketball tournament

The 1941 NCAA basketball tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA college basketball. It began on March 21, 1941, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in both regions.
Wisconsin, coached by Bud Foster, won the national title with a 39–34 victory in the final over Washington State, coached by Jack Friel. John Kotz of Wisconsin was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

## Locations

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1941 tournament:

### Regionals
#### March 21 and 22

    East Regional, Wisconsin Field House, Madison, Wisconsin (Host: University of Wisconsin-Madison)
    West Regional, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

### Championship Game
#### March 29

    Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

## Teams

East Regional - Madison :
| School | Coach | Conference | Record |
| Dartmouth | Osborne Cowles | EIBL | 18–4 |
| North Carolina | Bill Lange | Southern | 19–7 |
| Pittsburgh | Doc Carlson | Independent | 12–5 |
| Wisconsin | Bud Foster | Big Ten | 17–3 |
West Regional - Kansas City :
| School | Coach | Conference | Record |
| Arkansas | Glen Rose | Southwest | 19–2 |
| Creighton | Eddie Hickey | Missouri Valley | 17–6 |
| Washington State | Jack Friel | Pacific Coast | 24–5 |
| Wyoming | Everett Shelton | Mountain States | 14–4 |

## Bracket

| Regional Semifinals March 21 | Regional Semifinals March 21 | Regional Semifinals March 21 | Regional Finals March 22 | Regional Finals March 22 | Regional Finals March 22 | National Championship March 29 | National Championship March 29 | National Championship March 29 |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 51 | | | | | | |
| Dartmouth | Dartmouth | 50 | | | | | | |
| Dartmouth | Dartmouth | 50 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 36 | | | |
| East – Madison | East – Madison | East – Madison | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 36 | | | |
| East – Madison | East – Madison | East – Madison | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 30 | | | |
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 26 | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 30 | | | |
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 26 | | | | Kansas City | Kansas City | Kansas City |
| North Carolina | North Carolina | 20 | | | | Kansas City | Kansas City | Kansas City |
| North Carolina | North Carolina | 20 | | | | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | 39 |
| | | | | | | Washington State | Washington State | 34 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas | 52 | | | | Washington State | Washington State | 34 |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | 40 | | | | | | |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | 40 | Arkansas | Arkansas | 53 | | | |
| West – Kansas City | West – Kansas City | West – Kansas City | Arkansas | Arkansas | 53 | | | |
| West – Kansas City | West – Kansas City | West – Kansas City | Washington State | Washington State | 64 | | | |
| Washington State | Washington State | 48 | Washington State | Washington State | 64 | | | |
| Creighton | Creighton | 39 | | | | | | |
| East Third Place Game March 22 | East Third Place Game March 22 | East Third Place Game March 22 | West Third Place Game March 22 | West Third Place Game March 22 | West Third Place Game March 22 | | | |
| Dartmouth | Dartmouth | 60 | Wyoming | Wyoming | 44 | | | |
| North Carolina | North Carolina | 59 | Creighton | Creighton | 45 | | | |
    Source: