Connect with us

1948-49 National Champions

Front Row (l to r): Head Coach Adolph Rupp, Jim Line, Cliff Barker, John Stough, Ralph Beard, Joe Hall, Garland Townes, Asst. Coach Harry Lancaster Back Row: Dale Barnstable, Walt Hirsch, Wallace Jones, Alex Groza, Bob Henne, Roger Day, Manager Humzey Yessin

NCAA Championship #2
KENTUCKY 46, OKLAHOMA A&M 36
March 26,1949
Seattle

Season Recap

With a familiar four starters returning from the Fabulous Five, the 1948-49 Kentucky men’s basketball team appeared poised to make a second consecutive title run.  The Wildcats raced through the regular season with only one loss, and only three teams throughout the year came within even 10 points of Kentucky. Alex Groza led the team in scoring in 13 of its last 15 games and he broke a UK and Southeastern Conference record with 38 points in a 95-40 win over Georgia on Feb. 21.

The team concluded the regular season with a 70-37 win over Vanderbilt at Alumni Gym, including a last-second 65-foot shot by Cliff Barker. The Cats again swept through the SEC Tournament in nearby Louisville, winning their opening-round game over Florida, 73-36. Kentucky outscored its SEC Tournament opponents by a total of 123 points in a four-game span, including a 68-52 win over Tulane in the conference final.

After being surprisingly upset in the first round of the NIT Tournament, the Wildcats had no trouble in NCAA play.  Kentucky defeated Villanova, 85-72, and Illinois, 76-47, to advance to the national title game. Groza, Ralph Beard and WahWah Jones were all named All-America and Groza was named the tournament’s MVP.

It was no surprise that when the first-ever Associated Press poll was released the following year, the Cats were ranked preseason No. 1.

Championship Game

Paced by Alex Groza’s 25 points and a defense that limited the Aggies to a mere nine field goals, the Wildcats were crowned NCAA champions for the second straight year. Groza, a unanimous selection as the “Player of the Tournament,” scored more than twice as many points as any other player. A&M’s Jack Shelton was the game’s only other player to score in double figures. He finished with 12 points. The Aggies, coached by Hank Iba, led 5-2, but the Wildcats scored seven straight points, five by Groza, and never trailed again as they took a 2 5-20 first-half lead. UK extended the lead to 31-21 early in the second half and coasted the test of the way.

Boxscore

KENTUCKY

PLAYER    FG  FTM  FTA  PF  TP
Jones      1    1    3   3   3
Line       2    1    2   3   5
Groza      9    7    8   5  25
Beard      1    1    2   4   3
Barker     1    3    3   4   5
Barnstable 1    1    1   1   3
Hirsch     1    0    0   1   2

TOTALS    16   14   19  21  46
OKLAHOMA A&M

PLAYER    FG  FTM  FTA  PF  TP
Yates      1    0    0   1   2
Bradley    0    5    5   5   3
Harris	    3    1    1   5   7
Parks      2    3    4   5   7
Shelton    3    6    7   4  12
Jaquet     0    1    2   0   1
McArthur   0    2    2   1   2
Pilgrim    0    2    2   1   2
Smith      0    0    0   1   0

TOTALS     9   18   23  21  36

HALFTIME:
UK 25, Oklahoma A & M 20

 

Most Outstanding Player: Alex Groza – finished with 25 points and nine made field goals
 
 

1949 NCAA Tournament Bracket

1949 NCAA tournament bracket

Next Game

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt (On time)

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On February 17, 1934, UK establishes a national record with its 23rd consecutive win (47-27 over Vanderbilt). Near riot erupts as fans vie for seats in Alumni Gym.

 

On February 17, 1951, Bill Spivey joined the 1,000-point club.  He did it in 52 games.

 

On March 14, 2010, Kentucky won their 26th SEC Tournament championship in thrilling fashion, beating Mississippi State 75-74 in overtime in front of 20,082 fans at Bridgestone Arena. DeMarcus Cousins' putback with no time remaining sent the game to overtime and John Wall's leaning three-pointer over a defender gave UK just enough cushion to beat State in extra time for the second time that season.

 

Wildcats Born on This Date