[Mick]

The first NCAA men's basketball tournament was played with eight teams in 1938-39. The Final Four and championship game were played at Northwestern.

2) The 1939 NCAA Tournament featured a third-place game, not held at Northwestern. Where on the West Coast was it held?

3) Bonus points if you can name the eight teams who participated. Today, they are in these conferences: Big 10 (2), SEC (2), ACC, Mountain West, Ivy, Big East. All but one were either independent or in different conferences at the time.

The third-place game took place on Treasure Island, between Utah State and Texas. Interestingly, neither of those teams would have qualified for a true third-place game, as both lost their first-round games, to Oklahoma and Oregon respectively.

The eight participants were Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah State (West regional, played on Treasure Island in SF Bay) and Villanova, Brown, Wake Forest and Ohio State (East regional, played in Philadelphia). Brown and Villanova were Independents at the time, Oregon was in the PCC, Oklahoma was in the Big Six, Utah State was in the Mountain States conference and Texas was in the Southwest conference.

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1) Which team won the tournament? They wouldn't make another Final Four for 78 years, setting a record.

This one is Oregon.  The only one of the three I know

Right, Sam. Oregon wouldn't return to the Final Four until the 2016/17 season.

There are a number of schools who had a single appearance in the Final Four in the early days who are unlikely to return, including Duquesne (1940), Wyoming (1943), Iowa State (1944) and Santa Clara (1952).

[Mick]

The first NCAA men's basketball tournament was played with eight teams in 1938-39. The Final Four and championship game were played at Northwestern.

2) The 1939 NCAA Tournament featured a third-place game, not held at Northwestern. Where on the West Coast was it held?

3) Bonus points if you can name the eight teams who participated. Today, they are in these conferences: Big 10 (2), SEC (2), ACC, Mountain West, Ivy, Big East. All but one were either independent or in different conferences at the time.

The third-place game took place on Treasure Island, between Utah State and Texas. Interestingly, neither of those teams would have qualified for a true third-place game, as both lost their first-round games, to Oklahoma and Oregon respectively.

The eight participants were Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah State (West regional, played on Treasure Island in SF Bay) and Villanova, Brown, Wake Forest and Ohio State (East regional, played in Philadelphia). Brown and Villanova were Independents at the time, Oregon was in the PCC, Oklahoma was in the Big Six, Utah State was in the Mountain States conference and Texas was in the Southwest conference.

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1) Which team won the tournament? They wouldn't make another Final Four for 78 years, setting a record.

This one is Oregon.  The only one of the three I know

Right, Sam. Oregon wouldn't return to the Final Four until the 2016/17 season.

There are a number of schools who had a single appearance in the Final Four in the early days who are unlikely to return, including Duquesne (1940), Wyoming (1943), Iowa State (1944) and Santa Clara (1952).