1961 NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament

The 1961 NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1960-61 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by Wittenberg University and South Dakota State's Don Jacobson was the Most Outstanding Player.

1961 NCAA Division II
Basketball Tournament

Teams	32
Finals site	Evansville, Indiana
Champions	Wittenberg Tigers (1st title)
Runner-up	Southeast Missouri State Bears (1st title game)
Semifinalists	South Dakota State Jackrabbits (1st Final Four) Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (2nd Final Four)
Winning coach	Ray Mears (1st title)
MOP	Don Jacobson, South Dakota State
Attendance	13,002

Regional participants

School Outcome Austin Peay Regional Champion Belmont Abbey Runner-up Chattanooga Fourth Place Kentucky Wesleyan Third Place

School Outcome Albright Runner-up Fairfield Fourth Place Mount St. Mary's Regional Champion Virginia Union Third Place

School Outcome Bates Runner-up Rochester Third Place Springfield Fourth Place Williams Regional Champion

School Outcome South Carolina State Fourth Place Wabash Runner-up Wittenberg Regional Champion Youngstown State Third Place

School Outcome Chicago Regional Champion Evansville Third Place Lincoln (MO) Runner-up MacMurray Fourth Place

School Outcome Colorado College Fourth Place SE Missouri State Regional Champion Southern Illinois Runner-up Trinity (TX) Third Place

School Outcome Cornell (IA) Third Place Prairie View Runner-up South Dakota State Regional Champion Wisconsin–Superior Fourth Place

School Outcome Chapman Third Place Long Beach State Runner-up Nevada Fourth Place UC Santa Barbara Regional Champion

Regionals

South - Clarksville, Tennessee

Location: Memorial Health Building

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Belmont Abbey		74
	Kentucky Wesleyan		62
						Belmont Abbey		63
						Austin Peay		70
	Austin Peay		77
	Chattanooga		69

• Third Place - Kentucky Wesleyan 111, Chattanooga 80

East - Reading, Pennsylvania

Location: Bollman Center

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Mount St. Mary's		83
	Virginia Union		80
						Mount St. Mary's		82
						Albright		76
	Albright		85
	Fairfield		67

• Third Place - Virginia Union 70, Fairfield 66

Northeast - Springfield, Massachusetts

Location: Judd Gymnasia

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Williams		74
	Rochester		72
						Williams		75
						Bates		68
	Bates		75
	Springfield		63

• Third Place - Rochester 82, Springfield 68

Mideast - Crawfordsville, Indiana

Location: Chadwick Court

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Wittenberg		43
	Youngstown State		28
						Wittenberg		48
						Wabash		42
	Wabash		94
	South Carolina State		83

• Third Place - Youngstown State 96, South Carolina State 82

Great Lakes - Chicago, Illinois

Location: Henry Crown Field House

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Lincoln (MO)		90
	Evansville		77
						Lincoln		42
						Chicago		55
	Chicago		64
	MacMurray		59

• Third Place - Evansville 98, MacMurray 97*

Southwest - Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Location: Houck Field House

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	SE Missouri State		99
	Colorado College		68
						SE Missouri State		88
						Southern Illinois		84
	Southern Illinois		96
	Trinity (TX)		82

• Third Place - Trinity 75, Colorado College 58

Midwest - Brookings, South Dakota

Location: The Barn

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Prairie View		79
	Wisconsin–Superior		68
						Prairie View		84
						South Dakota State		88
	South Dakota State		90
	Cornell (IA)		71

• Third Place - Cornell 83, Wisconsin–Superior 72

Pacific Coast - Santa Barbara, California

Location: Robertson Gymnasium

	Regional Semifinals					Regional Final
	Long Beach State		70
	Chapman		66
						Long Beach State		54
						UC Santa Barbara		58
	UC Santa Barbara		78
	Nevada		57

• Third Place - Chapman 68, Nevada 63

*denotes each overtime played

National Finals - Evansville, Indiana

Location: Roberts Municipal Stadium

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Final
	Austin Peay		78
	Mount St. Mary's		96
						Mount St. Mary's		49
						Wittenberg		65
	Williams		51
	Wittenberg		64
											Wittenberg		42
											SE Missouri State		38
	Chicago		41
	SE Missouri State		67
						SE Missouri State		81
						South Dakota State		69
	South Dakota State		79
	UC Santa Barbara		65

• Third Place - South Dakota State 77, Mount St. Mary's 76

*denotes each overtime played

All-tournament team

• George Fisher (Wittenberg)
• Don Jacobsen (South Dakota State)
• John O'Reilly (Mount Saint Mary's)
• Vivian Reed (Southeast Missouri State)
• Carl Ritter (Southeast Missouri State)

References

Sources

• 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Records and Statistics: Division II men's basketball Championship
• 1961 NCAA College Division Men's Basketball Tournament jonfmorse.com