The 1949 NCAA basketball tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 11th annual edition of the tournament began on March 18, 1949, and ended with the championship game on March 26, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. A total of 10 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 46âÂÂ36 victory in the final game over Oklahoma A&M, coached by Henry Iba. Alex Groza of Kentucky was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The following were the sites selected to host each round of the 1949 tournament: