1945–46 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team

The 1945–46 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1945–46 NCAA men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Harold Olsen and they played their home games at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Ohio State finished Big Ten play atop the standings with a 10–2 record. The Buckeyes were one of eight teams selected to play in the NCAA tournament where they reached the fourth Final Four in program history before losing to North Carolina in the East regional final.^[1]

1945–46 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
Big Ten Champions
NCAA tournament, Third Place
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	16–5 (10–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Harold Olsen (24th season)
Assistant coach	J. E. Blickle
Home arena	Fairgrounds Coliseum
Seasons ← 1944–45 1946–47 →

1945–46 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Ohio State	10	–	2		.833			16	–	5		.762
Indiana	9	–	3		.750			18	–	3		.857
Iowa	8	–	4		.667			14	–	4		.778
Northwestern	8	–	4		.667			15	–	5		.750
Illinois	7	–	5		.583			14	–	7		.667
Minnesota	7	–	5		.583			14	–	7		.667
Michigan	6	–	6		.500			12	–	7		.632
Purdue	4	–	8		.333			10	–	11		.476
Wisconsin	1	–	11		.083			4	–	17		.190
Chicago	0	–	12		.000			6	–	14		.300
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

1945–46 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown	Head coach Harold Olsen (Wisconsin) Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
NCAA tournament
Mar 21, 1946*	vs. Harvard East Regional Semifinal / National Quarterfinal – Elite Eight	W 46–38	15–4	Madison Square Garden  New York, New York
Mar 23, 1946*	vs. North Carolina East Regional Final / National Semifinal – Final Four	L 57–60 ^OT	15–5	Madison Square Garden  New York, New York
Mar 26, 1946*	vs. California National Third Place Game	W 63–45	16–5	Madison Square Garden  New York, New York
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East.

^[2]

References

1. "NO. CAROLINA TRIPS OHIO STATE QUINTET IN OVERTIME, 60-57". The New York Times. March 24, 1946. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
2. "2022 23 Ohio State Mens Basketball Meida Information Record Book SM" (PDF). Ohio State University Athletics. Retrieved September 4, 2023.