Still, the Ducks deserve credit for starting something. As do the 1963 Loyola Ramblers. Don Haskins and Texas Western get a great deal of credit, but Loyola and coach George Ireland played a significant role in the integration of college hoops.
For each year since the NCAA Tournament's inception in 1939, we've listed the teams that reached the Final Four and the tournament runner-up. The champion is listed in bold.
NCAA Champions and Final Four Teams, 1939 - 1963
| 1963 | Duke | Oregon State | Cincinnati | Loyola (IL) |
| 1962 | Wake Forest | UCLA | Ohio State | Cincinnati |
| 1961 | St. Joseph's (PA) | Utah | Ohio State | Cincinnati |
| 1960 | Cincinnati | NYU | California | Ohio State |
| 1959 | Cincinnati | Louisville | West Virginia | California |
| 1958 | Temple | Kansas State | Seattle | Kentucky |
| 1957 | San Francisco | Michigan State | Kansas | North Carolina |
| 1956 | Temple | SMU | Iowa | San Francisco |
| 1955 | Colorado | Iowa | LaSalle | San Francisco |
| 1954 | Penn State | USC | Bradley | LaSalle |
| 1953 | Washington | LSU | Kansas | Indiana |
| 1952 | Illinois | Santa Clara | St. John's | Kansas |
| 1951 | Illinois | Oklahoma State | Kansas State | Kentucky |
| 1950 | North Carolina State | Baylor | Bradley | CCNY |
| 1949 | Illinois | Oregon State | Oklahoma State | Kentucky |
| 1948 | Holy Cross | Kansas State | Baylor | Kentucky |
| 1947 | Texas | CCNY | Oklahoma | Holy Cross |
| 1946 | Ohio State | California | North Carolina | Oklahoma State |
| 1945 | Arkansas | Ohio State | NYU | Oklahoma State |
| 1944 | Iowa State | Ohio State | Dartmouth | Utah |
| 1943 | DePaul | Texas | Georgetown | Wyoming |
| 1942 | Colorado | Kentucky | Dartmouth | Stanford |
| 1941 | Arkansas | Pittsburgh | Washington State | Wisconsin |
| 1940 | Duquesne | USC | Kansas | Indiana |
| 1939 | Oklahoma State | Villanova | Ohio State | Oregon |
