The 1952 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 21, 1952, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington. A total of 20 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Kansas, coached by Phog Allen, won the national title with an 80-63 victory in the final game over St. John's, coached by Frank McGuire. Clyde Lovellette of Kansas was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
This tournament was the first to have a true "Final Four" format, with the winners at four regional sites advancing to the final site—although the four regionals did not receive distinct names until the 1956 tournament. It was also the first to have regional television coverage.
Locations
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1952 tournament:
Regionals
- March 21 and 22
- East-1 Regional, Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina
- East-2 Regional, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
- West-1 Regional, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
- West-2 Regional, Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon
Final Four
- March 25 and 26
- Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Seattle, Washington
Teams
Bracket
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First round |
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Quarter-finals |
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National Semifinals |
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National Final |
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Kentucky |
82 |
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Penn St. |
54 |
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Kentucky |
57 |
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St John's |
64 |
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St John's |
60 |
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N.C. State |
49 |
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St John's |
61 |
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EAST REGION |
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Illinois |
59 |
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Illinois |
80 |
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Dayton |
61 |
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Illinois |
74 |
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Duquesne |
68 |
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Duquesne |
60 |
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Princeton |
49 |
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St John's |
63 |
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Kansas |
80 |
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Kansas |
68 |
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TCU |
64 |
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Kansas |
74 |
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St. Louis |
55 |
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St. Louis |
62 |
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New Mexico St |
53 |
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Kansas |
74 |
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WEST REGION |
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Santa Clara |
55 |
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Santa Clara |
68 |
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UCLA |
59 |
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Santa Clara |
56 |
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Wyoming |
53 |
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Wyoming |
54 |
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Oklahoma City |
48 |
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National Third Place Game
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National Third Place |
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Illinois |
67 |
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Santa Clara |
64 |
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Regional Third Place Games
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East-1 Regional Third Place |
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N.C. State |
69 |
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Penn State |
60 |
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East-2 Regional Third Place |
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Dayton |
77 |
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Princeton |
61 |
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West-1 Regional Third Place |
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TCU |
61 |
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New Mexico State |
44 |
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West-2 Regional Third Place |
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Oklahoma City |
55 |
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UCLA |
53 |
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See also
