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FinalFourConcierge.com > NCAA Final Four History Champions > Utah 1944 NCAA Basketball Champion |
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NCAA Final Four Champion > Utah > 1944 |
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1944 NCAA Final Four Information |
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1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Teams 8 Finals Site Madison Square Garden New York City Champions Utah (1st title) Runner-Up Dartmouth (2nd title game) Semifinalists Iowa State (1st Final Four) Ohio State (2nd Final Four) Winning Coach Vadal Peterson (1st title) MOP Arnie Ferrin Utah Attendance 59,369 Top scorer Audley Brindley Dartmouth (52 points) |
The 1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in
single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division
I college basketball. It began on March 24, 1944, and ended with the championship
game on March 28 in New York City. A total of 9 games were played, including
a third place game in each region. Utah, coached by Vadal Peterson, won the national title with a 42-40 victory in the final game over Dartmouth, coached by Earl Brown. Arnie Ferrin of Utah was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. |
Utah won the NCAA Championship in 1944, defeating Dartmouth College 42-40, it is
the school's only basketball championship. They have also won the NIT once, defeating
Kentucky in 1947. Utah is currently the 10th winningest program in NCAA history. They began play in 1908, finishing with a record of 3-8, however, by 1916, they won their first national championship, winning the National AAU Tournament. The team would compete in the tournament two other times, in 1918 and 1919. But it wasn't until 1927 that Utah really began laying the foundation for what would become one of the winningest programs in college basketball. |
The University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball
programs in the NCAA. They are currently an NCAA Division I program that
plays in the Mountain West Conference. The school has made the NCAA Tournament
26 times, which ranks 16th in NCAA history and 2nd behind UCLA in the Western
United States. They last made the tournament in 2005, when they advanced to the
Sweet 16. |
March 18, 2008 UD Arena Dayton, Ohio Host: University of Dayton UD Arena Concierge March 20 and 22, 2008 Honda Center Anaheim, California Host: Big West Conference Honda Center Concierge Pepsi Center Denver, Colorado Hosts: Colorado State University Pepsi Center Concierge Qwest Center Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Hosts: Creighton University Qwest Center Omaha Concierge Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Host: Georgetown University Verizon Center Concierge March 21 and 23, 2008 BJCC Arena Birmingham, Alabama Host: Southeastern Conference BJCC Arena Concierge Alltel Arena Little Rock, Arkansas Host: University of Arkansas Alltel Arena Concierge RBC Center Raleigh, North Carolina Host: North Carolina State University RBC Center Concierge St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Florida Host: University of South Florida St Pete Times Forum Concierge March 27 and 29, 2008 East Regional Charlotte Bobcats Arena Charlotte, North Carolina Host: University of North Carolina Charlotte Arena Concierge West Regional US Airways Center Phoenix, Arizona Host: Arizona State University US Airways Center Concierge March 28 and 30, 2008 Midwest Regional Ford Field Detroit, Michigan Host: University of Detroit Mercy Ford Field Concierge South Regional Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas Host: University of Houston and Rice Reliant Stadium Concierge Final Four: April 5 and 7, 2008 Alamodome San Antonio, Texas Host: Univ. of Texas-San Antonio Alamodome Concierge |
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That began with the hiring of Vadal Peterson, who would become the winningest coach
in Utah basketball history. Peterson would guide Utah to 6 conference and state
championships and reached the ultimate prize in 1944, when the Utes won the
national championship. Oddly enough, Utah had turned down a bid to the NCAA Tournament
because they wanted to play in the NIT. Back then, the NIT was a far more
prestigious tournament and typically drew the big time college basketball programs.
However, after being bounced in the first round by Kentucky, Utah was
given a second chance to play in the NCAA Tournament after an accident injured
the University of Arkansas team. The Utes accepted and went on to defeat Dartmouth
42-40. |
