Oklahoma State University Athletics
2 National Championships
| 1945 NCAA National Champions |
| Oklahoma A&M's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament proved to be a successful one as the Aggies claimed the national title, defeating Utah and Arkansas en route to the championship victory against New York. It was the first year in the fledgling seven-year history of the event that Oklahoma A&M made the eight-team field. A&M owned a 7-3 record through mid-January, but after back-to-back losses to NATTA Skyjackets and Arkansas, Henry Iba's team finished the year on a 20-1 run, losing only to DePaul in early February. The Aggies entered the NCAA Tournament with a 24-4 record on the season. A&M crushed Utah, 62-37, and Arkansas, 68-41, in the NCAA Regional at Kansas City to advance to the title game against New York. There the Aggies claimed a 49-45 victory for its first of two consecutive national titles. Bob Kurland threw in 22 points while Cecil Hankins added 15 in the championship game. New York's lineup included hall of famer Dolph Schayes, but A&M proved to be too much in gaining the victory.
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| 1946 NCAA National Champions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1946 Oklahoma A&M basketball team was one for the record books. The Aggies produced the best record in school history, going 31-2. A&M became the first school to win back-to-back NCAA basketball titles. What might have been even more amazing was the fact that all five A&M startes composed the first team of the All-Missouri Valley Conference. The Aggies lost their second game of the year when DePaul upended A&M, 46-42, in Stillwater. The Aggies ran off 15-straight victories, including a 46-38 win at DePaul, before falling to Bowling Green. A&M then closed out the season with 15 straight wins and the national title for the second-straight year. Center Bob Kurland was tabbed the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.
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