<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> 1940" </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1939 NCAA Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single - elimination play to determine the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship . It was the first NCAA basketball national championship tournament, although it was operated by the NABC at the time . </P> <P> The tournament began on March 17 and ended with the championship game on March 27 on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois . A total of 8 games were played, including a single third place game in the West region . The East region did not hold a third place game until 1941, and there was no national third place game until 1947 . </P>

What was the inaugural year of the ncaa tournament