1962 College Basketball Recap
Cincinnati and Ohio State, again ranked 1–2 at the end of the regular season, became the first teams to play each other in two consecutive NCAA championship games. Each had something to prove in Louisville—the Bearcats that their 1961 title was not a fluke, the Buckeyes that it was.
Unlike a year ago, this game was not close. Cincy led by eight at the half and won by 12 as Paul Hogue and Tom Thacker led the way with 22 and 21 points, respectively. When it was over, the Bearcats' second year coach Ed Jucker had a pair of NCAA titles in two tries.
Ohio State's chances took a bad turn in the semifinal against Billy Packer and Wake Forest when consensus Player of the Year Jerry Lucas injured his left knee.
Wake Forest won the consolation game, beating UCLA by two points. It was the Bruins' first trip to the Final Four and John Wooden would be back.
In New York, Dayton finally won the NIT. The Flyers had reached the finals five times in the 1950s and lost them all. But that was then and this was now. Final score: Dayton 73, St. John's 67. The MVP award went to the Flyers' 6-10 center Bill Chmielewski.
The nation's leading scorer was Utah All-America Billy McGill, who averaged 38.8 points a game. The seventh-ranked Utes won the Skyline Conference, but were ineligible for tournament play.
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