1944 NCAA Basketball Championship Game
The 1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1944 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, and it determined the national champion for the 1943-44 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The 1944 National Title Game was played on March 28, 1944, and it was played at the Madison Square Garden, New York, New York.
| 1944 NCAA Tournament Championship Game | ||||||||||||||||
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| National Championship Game | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date | March 26, 1944 | |||||||||||||||
| Arena | Madison Square Garden | |||||||||||||||
| Location | New York City, New York | |||||||||||||||
Background
Utah
The Utah Utes were coached by Vadal Peterson, and this was the Utes' first and only National Championship. They went 22-4 that season. They would beat Missouri and then go on to beat Iowa State to win the Championship. The Utes would not go to another National Championship until 1998 in which they lost. Utah was the first team to be in the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament both in the same season. Utah was an Independent that year.
Dartmouth
The Dartmouth Big Green were led by Earl Brown to their second and final National Championship appearance. Dartmouth beat Catholic, and then faced off Ohio State until they got to the Championship. The Big Green went 19–2 that year. Dartmouth was and is still part of the Ivy League.
Game summary
With 17,990 fans watching the game in New York, Utah hung tight with Dartmouth, who was favored by eight points prior to the game. For the first time in NCAA Championship Game history, an overtime period was required to determine a winner. Such overtime would not happen again until 1957. [1]