1951 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
| 1951 NCAA Basketball Tournament | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 16 | ||||
| Finals site |
Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Champions |
Kentucky Wildcats (3rd title, 3rd title game, 4th Final Four) |
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| Runner-up |
Kansas State (1st title game, 2nd Final Four) |
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| Semifinalists |
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| Winning coach | Adolph Rupp (3rd title) | ||||
| MOP | Bill Spivey Kentucky | ||||
| Attendance | 110,645 | ||||
| Top scorer |
Don Sunderlage Illinois (83 points) |
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The 1951 NCAA 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 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A total of 18 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp, won the national title with a 68–58 victory in the final game over Kansas State, coached by Jack Gardner.
The tournament was the first to introduce a 16-team field. Only the championship and third place games were held in Minneapolis, while the semifinals were held in the respective regional sites. In this sense, the 1951 tournament did not feature a true "Final Four". This would have to wait until the 1952 tournament.
The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1951 tournament:
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