The 1942 NCAA Basketball Championship: A Season of Firsts and Triumphs
The 1942 NCAA men's basketball season was a year of memorable moments and significant achievements. From the crowning of Stanford as national champions to individual player accolades, the season left an indelible mark on college basketball history.
The 1942-43 NCAA Season
The 1942-43 NCAA men's basketball season officially commenced in December 1942, encompassing the regular season, conference tournaments, and culminating in the 1943 NCAA basketball tournament championship game held on March 30, 1943, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Stanford's Championship Run
Stanford defeated Dartmouth 53-38 to capture the 1942 NCAA crown, following up victories over Colorado (46-35) in the West Regional final and Rice Institute (53-47) in the West Regional semifinal.
Stanford captured the national title behind a pair of All-Americans, Jim Pollard and NCAA Tournament MVP Howie Dallmar.
In Stanford's win over Dartmouth, Dallmar led all scorers with 15 points, while Jack Dana chipped in with 14 points off the bench. Pollard was ill and did not play in the championship game.
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Everett S. Dean Honored
Stanford's 1942 NCAA Championship season was recognized during a game against Denver, as the NCAA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) continued to celebrate 75 years of March Madness by commissioning one-of-a-kind paintings honoring each of the national championship coaches.
The original art piece, designed and painted by world-renowned artist Opie Otterstad, is part of a collection of 75 individual paintings, representing one for each of the 75 national championships from 1939-2013.
The art piece honoring legendary head coach Everett S. Dean's daughter, Mrs. Nancy Baxter, and her three children were in attendance and participated in a halftime presentation. The original piece of art was then auctioned online beginning Monday, at www.NCAA.com/Art. A portion of the proceeds from the auction benefited the NABC Foundation, which supports TTRR (Ticket to Reading Rewards), the College Basketball Experience (CBE) and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Financial Aspects of the Tournament
The gate gross for the tournament in Kansas City was $23,500. Expenses, mostly for travel, were about $22,000. Of the remaining $1,500, half went to the NCAA. The other $750 was split eight ways among the Eastern and Western tourney teams. Stanford's share of the NCAA pot was $93.75.
The Most Outstanding Player
Howie Dallmar of Stanford was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1942 NCAA tournament.
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Looking Back: The 1941 Wisconsin Badgers
The story of the 1940-41 UW men’s basketball team remains one of the all-time great Badger success stories. The team was coached by Harold “Bud” Foster, Wisconsin’s all-time “winningest” men’s basketball coach. The Badgers started the season with a 3-2 record before losing their conference opener to Minnesota, and expectations for the season plummeted. But then the team kicked into gear, and they didn’t lose another game for the rest of the season.
Wisconsin had two breakout players during this outstanding season: John Kotz and Gene Englund. This was Englund’s last season with the Badgers, and he made the most of it. Kotz, a sophomore during the 1941 season, was voted outstanding player in the NCAA tournament.
Wisconsin hosted the Eastern NCAA Regional Tournament that year. North Carolina was defeated by both Pittsburgh and Dartmouth, and UW beat first Dartmouth (51-50) then Pittsburgh (36-30).
Wisconsin then matched up against Washington State for the NCAA finals on Saturday, March 29, 1941 in Kansas City.
Back in Madison, between 10-12,000 fans greeted the Badgers at the Northwestern railroad station when they returned from Kansas City at 1:20 am Monday morning.
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A Legacy of Excellence: The Final Four's Most Outstanding Players
The Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award has been presented every year since 1939, recognizing the most exceptional performer during the tournament's final stages. Here's a look at some of the recent recipients and their accomplishments:
Walter Clayton Jr. (B.H. 2025): Clayton led the Gators to their first title since 2007. He had 30 points against Texas Tech to lead Florida to the Final Four and then scored 34 in the semifinals against Auburn.
Adama Sanogo (UConn): In a prior year, Sanogo scored 17 points on 55 percent shooting from the field with 10 rebounds and a block in the title game. It was Sanogo's fourth double-double of the tournament.
Ochai Agbaji (Kansas): After scoring only 5 points against Providence, Agbaji heated up in the last three games. He posted 18 against Miami (Fla.) in the Elite Eight, 21 vs. Villanova in the Final Four and 12 in the National Championship.
Kyle Guy (Virginia, 2019): Guy averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game throughout the 2019 NCAA tournament. In the national championship game against Texas Tech, Guy scored 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
Donte DiVincenzo (Villanova, 2018): DiVincenzo never started a game during the 2018 NCAA tournament. Yet he still managed to average 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
Joel Berry II (North Carolina, 2017): Berry II averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game during the 2017 NCAA tournament. He led all scorers in the national championship against Gonzaga with 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting.
Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova, 2016): Arcidiacono averaged 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game throughout the 2016 NCAA tournament. In the national championship against North Carolina, he finished with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Tyus Jones (Duke, 2015): Jones became the fifth, and most recent, freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2015.
Shabazz Napier (UConn, 2014): Napier averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in the 2014 NCAA tournament. In the national championship, he led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Luke Hancock (Louisville, 2013): Hancock never started a game during the 2013 NCAA tournament. But he put up big numbers off the bench in the Final Four, scoring 20 and 22 points in the national semifinals and national championship, respectively. Hancock made 11 of his 17 field-goal attempts and eight of his 10 3-point attempts in the Final Four.
Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012): Davis became just the fourth freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2012. He averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.8 blocks and 3.2 assists per game throughout the NCAA tournament.
Kemba Walker (UConn, 2011): Walker averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game during the 2011 NCAA tournament. He led all scorers with 18 points in a nail-biting victory over Kentucky in the national semifinals.
Kyle Singler (Duke, 2010): Singler averaged 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game throughout the the 2010 NCAA tournament.
Wayne Ellington (North Carolina, 2009): Ellington averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the 2009 NCAA tournament.
Mario Chalmers (Kansas, 2008): Chalmers averaged 14.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game during the 2008 NCAA tournament. In the national championship against Memphis, he finished with 18 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. But Chalmers is best remembered for his game-tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to play in regulation.
Corey Brewer (Florida, 2007): Brewer averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the 2007 NCAA tournament.
Joakim Noah (Florida, 2006): Noah averaged 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game throughout the 2006 NCAA tournament.
Sean May (North Carolina, 2005): May averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game during the 2005 NCAA tournament. May led all scorers with 26 points (9-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds in the national championship against Illinois.
Emeka Okafor (UConn, 2004): Okafor averaged 13.5 points and a tournament-high 11.3 rebounds in 2004. In the national championship against Georgia Tech, Okafor recorded a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double that clinched UConn's second title in five years.
Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse, 2003): Anthony became just the third freshman to be named Most Outstanding Player in 2003. Anthony averaged 20.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during the NCAA tournament.
Juan Dixon (Maryland, 2002): Dixon averaged 25.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game throughout the 2002 NCAA tournament.
Shane Battier (Duke, 2001): Battier was a serious two-way threat during the 2001 NCAA tournament. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.
Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State, 2000): Cleaves averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the 2000 NCAA tournament. Cleaves scored 18 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting in the national championship against Florida.
Richard Hamilton (UConn, 1999): Hamilton averaged 24.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game during the 1999 NCAA tournament.
Jeff Sheppard (Kentucky, 1998): Sheppard averaged 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game throughout the 1998 NCAA tournament.
Miles Simon (Arizona, 1997): Simon averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the 1997 NCAA tournament.
Tony Delk (Kentucky, 1996): Delk averaged 18.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game during the 1996 NCAA tournament.
Ed O'Bannon (UCLA, 1995): O'Bannon led all scorers with 30 points in the national championship game against Arkansas. He also finished with 17 rebounds, three assists and three steals, as UCLA won its first title in 20 years.
Corliss Williamson (Arkansas, 1994): Williamson averaged 21.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game throughout the 1994 NCAA tournament. His run was highlighted by a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double against Arizona in the national semifinals.
Donald Williams (North Carolina, 1993): Williams averaged 19.7 points per game during the 1993 NCAA tournament. In the Final Four, Williams made 15 of his 23 field-goal attempts (65.1 percent) and 10 of his 14 3-point attempts (71.4 percent).
Bobby Hurley (Duke, 1992): Hurley averaged 13.9 points and 7.8 assists per game in the 1992 NCAA tournament. In the national semifinals against Indiana, he led all scorers with 26 points and shot 6-for-9 from the 3-point line.
Christian Laettner (Duke, 1991): Laettner averaged 20.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in the 1991 NCAA tournament. He led all Duke players with 28 points as the Blue Devils upset defending champion UNLV 79-77 in the national semifinals.
Anderson Hunt (UNLV, 1990): Hunt averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 assists per game during the 1990 NCAA tournament. Hunt led all scorers with 29 points in the title game when UNLV steamrolled Duke 103-73.
Glen Rice (Michigan, 1989): Rice was the leading scorer of the 1989 NCAA tournament, averaging 30.7 points per game.
Danny Manning (Kansas, 1988): Manning was the leading scorer of the 1988 NCAA tournament with an average of 27.2 points per game.
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