1961 NCAA University Division basketball championship game

The 1961 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game was the finals of the 1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and it determined the national champion for the 1960-61 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The game was played on March 25, 1961, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. It featured the top-ranked and defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference, and the second-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats of the Missouri Valley Conference in an all-Ohio matchup. This was the first national championship game to feature two teams from the same state.

DateMarch 25, 1961^[1]

VenueMunicipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri

MVPJerry Lucas, Ohio State^[2]

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1961 NCAA Tournament Championship Game

National championship game
The Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, hosted the championship game.
Ohio State Buckeyes Cincinnati Bearcats Big Ten MVC (27-0) (27-3) 65 70 Head coach: Fred Taylor Head coach: Ed Jucker
AP: 1 Coaches: 1 AP: 2 Coaches: 2
1st half 2nd half OT Total Ohio State Buckeyes 39 22 4 65 Cincinnati Bearcats 38 23 9 70
Date	March 25, 1961[1]
Venue	Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
MVP	Jerry Lucas, Ohio State[2]
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The Bearcats upset the defending national champion Buckeyes to win their first national championship in program history. This marked the first of what is currently three consecutive losses in the national championship for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes would lose in the championship game again the next year in 1962, and in 2007.