1943 NCAA basketball tournament
The 1943 NCAA basketball tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 24, 1943, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New York City. A total of nine games were played, including a third place game in each region. Top-ranked Illinois declined to participate in the NCAA tournament or NIT after three of its starters were drafted into the Army.
| Teams | 8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals site | Madison Square Garden New York City | ||||
| Champions | Wyoming Cowboys (1st title, 1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | Georgetown Hoyas (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Winning coach | Everett Shelton (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Ken Sailors (Wyoming) | ||||
| Attendance | 56,876 | ||||
| Top scorer | John Hargis (Texas) (59 points) | ||||
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Wyoming, coached by Everett Shelton, won the national title with a 46–34 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by Elmer Ripley. Ken Sailors of Wyoming was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Cowboys were the first team in the 5-year history of the tournament to win after making a previous appearance in the tournament, having appeared in the 1941 tournament.