The 1949 Dixie Classic was a mid-season college basketball tournament held December 28–30, 1949 at NC State's Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the first iteration of the Dixie Classic and it was part of the 1949–50 NCAA men's basketball season.

1949 Dixie Classic
Season1949–50
Teams8
Finals siteReynolds Coliseum
Raleigh, North Carolina
ChampionsNC State (1st title)
Runner-upPenn State (1st title game)
Winning coachEverett Case (1st title)
MVPDick Dickey (NC State)
Attendance54,400[1]
Dixie Classic
  1950»

The championship game was contested by favorite NC State, who cruised to the final with double-digit wins over Rhode Island State and Georgia Tech, and underdog Penn State, who advanced with narrow upset wins over Duke and West Virginia.[2] After initially struggling against Penn State's zone defense, NC State rallied back from a halftime deficit and won by a score of 50–40.[3] Dick Dickey of NC State was voted most valuable player of the tournament.[4]

Teams

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Each year, the Dixie Classic included the "Big Four" teams (Duke, NC State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest), as well as four other invited teams. The 1949 teams were:[5][6]

The first round pairings were decided by drawing names from a hat on September 5, 1949.[7]

Bracket

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Consolation finalConsolation semifinalsQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
Dec. 28, 2:00pm
Wake Forest57
Dec. 29, 2:00pmGeorgia Tech64Dec. 29, 3:30pm
Wake Forest57Georgia Tech34
Rhode Island State61Dec. 28, 3:30pmNC State57
NC State81
Dec. 30, 3:30pmRhode Island State64Dec. 30, 9:00pm
Rhode Island State65NC State50
North Carolina60Dec. 28, 7:30pmPenn State40
North Carolina50
Dec. 29, 7:30pmWest Virginia58Dec. 29, 9:00pm
Seventh placeNorth Carolina59West Virginia41Third place
Dec. 30, 2:00pmDuke52Dec. 28, 9:00pmPenn State46Dec. 30, 7:30pm
Wake Forest52Duke48Georgia Tech63
Duke54Penn State51West Virginia48

Game log

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December 28
2:00pm
Wake Forest 57, Georgia Tech 64
Scoring by half: 34–30, 23–34
Pts: Mason (11) Pts: Keener (16)
No. 1[8]
December 28
3:30pm
NC State 81, Rhode Island State 64
Scoring by half: 47–31, 34–33
Pts: Ranzino (33) Pts: Blount (17)
No. 2[9]
December 28
7:30pm
North Carolina 50, West Virginia 58
Scoring by half: 23–32, 27–26
Pts: White (15) Pts: Beach (15)
No. 3[10]
December 28
9:00pm
Duke 48, Penn State 51
Scoring by half: 22–22, 26–29
Pts: Lamie (16) Pts: Groat (18)
No. 4[11]
December 29
2:00pm
Wake Forest 57, Rhode Island State 61
Scoring by half: 30–36, 27–25
Pts: McCotter, Bennett (12) Pts: Blount (17)
No. 5[2]
December 29
3:30pm
Georgia Tech 34, NC State 57
Scoring by half: 21–33, 13–24
Pts: Dold (8) Pts: Ranzino (17)
No. 6[2]
December 29
7:30pm
North Carolina 59, Duke 52
Scoring by half: 22–27, 37–25
Pts: Tsantes (19) Pts: Groat (15)
No. 7[12][2]
December 29
9:00pm
West Virginia 41, Penn State 46
Scoring by half: 17–17, 24–29
Pts: Beach (11) Pts: Lamie (10)
No. 8[13][2]
December 30
2:00pm
Wake Forest 52, Duke 54
Scoring by half: 31–33, 21–21
Pts: Mueller, Brooks (12) Pts: Groat (17)
No. 9[14][1]
December 30
3:30pm
Rhode Island State 65, North Carolina 60 (OT)
Scoring by half: 26–27, 29–28 Overtime: 10–5
Pts: Blount (19) Pts: Kappler (14)
No. 10[15][1]
December 30
7:30pm
Georgia Tech 63, West Virginia 48
Scoring by half: 36–25, 27–23
Pts: Cline, Sermersheim (15) Pts: Workman (14)
No. 11[1]
Attendance: 11,700
December 30
9:00pm
NC State 50, Penn State 40
Scoring by half: 23–26, 27–14
Pts: Dickey (14) Pts: Schisler (9)
No. 12[3][1]
Attendance: 11,700

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "N.C. State Wins Dixie Classic Tournament". Asheville Citizen-Times. Associated Press. December 31, 1949. p. 9.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Wolfpack Crushes Georgia Tech Quint, 57–34". Asheville Citizen-Times. Associated Press. December 30, 1949. p. 21.
  3. ^ a b "N. C. State Conquers Penn State In Final". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 31, 1949. p. 11. ProQuest 105839909.
  4. ^ "State's Dickey Named Tourney's Most Valuable". Asheville Citizen-Times. Associated Press. December 31, 1949. p. 9.
  5. ^ "Photo: 1949 Dixie Classic Program 1". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Pack Opens Bid For Dixie Title". The Charlotte News. Associated Press. December 28, 1949. p. 14.
  7. ^ Herbert, Dick (September 6, 1949). "The Sports Observer". The News and Observer. p. 13.
  8. ^ "Tech Topples Deacs, 64–57". Durham Morning Herald. December 29, 1949. p. 14.
  9. ^ Blackman, Herman (December 29, 1949). "State Tops Rams; Penn State Wins, 51–48". The News and Observer. p. 13.
  10. ^ "West Virginia Nips Carolina". Durham Morning Herald. December 29, 1949. p. 14.
  11. ^ Herbert, Dick (December 29, 1949). "Nittany Lions Outlast Blue Devils". The News and Observer. p. 13.
  12. ^ O'Brien, Frank (December 30, 1949). "Tsantes, Kappler Pace Tar Heels". The News and Observer. p. 14.
  13. ^ "Penn State Quintet Wins; Reaches Dixie Final by 46–41 Upset of West Virginia". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 30, 1949. p. 22. ProQuest 105840940.
  14. ^ Brooks, Bob (December 31, 1949). "Deacons Lose To Duke, Win Booby Prize". The News and Observer. p. 9.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Frank (December 31, 1949). "Rams Top Tar Heels, 65–60". The News and Observer. p. 9.