Wikipedia
1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season
The 1956–57 NCAA men's University Division basketball season began in December 1956. It progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 23, 1957, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The North Carolina Tar Heels won their first NCAA national championship with a 54–53 triple-overtime victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.
| 1956–57 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| Preseason AP No. 1 | None |
| NCAA Tournament | 1957 |
| Tournament dates | March 11, 1957 – March 23, 1957 |
| National Championship | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| NCAA Champions | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Helms National Champions | North Carolina Tar Heels |
| Other champions | Bradley Braves (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina |
← 1955–56 1957–58 → | |
Rule changes edit
- The width of the free throw lane (also known as the "key"), increased from 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 m).[1]
- When teams lined up along the key for a free throw, it became mandatory that the two spaces adjacent to the end line be occupied by opponents of the player shooting the free throw. Previously, one player from each team occupied the spaces adjacent to the end line, with a player from the home team occupying a space marked "H" and a player from the visiting team occupying a space marked "V."[1]
- Grasping the rim of the basket was deemed a form of unsportsmanlike conduct.[1]
Season headlines edit
- This was the first season in which NCAA basketball was split into two levels of play – the University Division for schools competing at the highest level of play and the College Division for teams playing at lower levels with limited or no scholarships. It also was the first season in which the NCAA held more than one championship tournament — one for the University Division and one for the College Division. In 1973, the University Division would be replaced by Division I and the College Division by Division II and Division III.[2]
- The California Basketball Association was renamed the West Coast Athletic Conference. It would be renamed the West Coast Conference in 1989.
- In 1957, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected its national champions for the seasons from 1900–01 through 1918–19.[3]
Season outlook edit
Pre-season polls edit
The top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[4]
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Conference membership changes edit
| School | Former conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
| Drake Bulldogs | Independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Texas Tech Red Raiders | Border Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
Regular season edit
Conference winners and tournaments edit
Informal championships edit
| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Big 5 | La Salle, St. Joseph's, & Temple | No Tournament | ||
Statistical leaders edit
Points per game | Rebound Percentage | Field goal percentage | Free throw percentage | |||||||||||
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | REB% | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | FT% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grady Wallace | South Carolina | 31.2 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | .235 | Bailey Howell | Mississippi St. | 56.8 | Ernie Wiggins | Wake Forest | 87.7 | |||
| Joe Gibbon | Mississippi | 30.0 | Boo Ellis | Niagara | .234 | Alvin Innis | St. Francis (NY) | 56.1 | Jackie Murdock | Wake Forest | 87.5 | |||
| Elgin Baylor | Seattle | 29.7 | Charlie Tyra | Louisville | .229 | Dennis Roth | Muhlenberg | 54.4 | Bob Seitz | NC State | 87.2 | |||
| Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 29.6 | Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | .227 | Bob Holtsma | William & Mary | 54.2 | Dave Ricketts | Duquesne | 86.2 | |||
| Chet Forte | Columbia | 28.9 | Gene Guarilia | George Washington | .218 | Boo Ellis | Niagara | 53.7 | Bobby Plump | Butler | 86.0 | |||
Post-season tournaments edit
NCAA tournament edit
Frank McGuire brought the ACC its first national championship as his undefeated North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Wilt Chamberlain and the Kansas Jayhawks in what is considered one of the best games in NCAA history – a 54–53 triple–overtime thriller. Chamberlain was named tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Final Four edit
Played at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri
| National semifinals | National championship game | ||||||||
| E | North Carolina | 74(3OT) | |||||||
| ME | Michigan St. | 70 | |||||||
| E | North Carolina | 54(3OT) | |||||||
| MW | Kansas | 53 | |||||||
| MW | Kansas | 80 | |||||||
| W | San Francisco | 56 | |||||||
- Third Place – San Francisco 67, Michigan State 60
National Invitation tournament edit
Bradley won its first NIT title, defeating Memphis State in a one-point contest. Memphis State's Win Wilfong won the MVP in a losing cause as he poured in 89 points in the Tigers' four games, including 31 in the final.[11]
NIT Semifinals and Final edit
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 78 | ||||||||
| Memphis State | 80 | ||||||||
| Memphis State | 83 | ||||||||
| Bradley | 84 | ||||||||
| Bradley | 94 | ||||||||
| Temple | 66 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Temple 67, St. Bonaventure 50
Award winners edit
Consensus All-American teams edit
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilt Chamberlain | C | Sophomore | Kansas |
| Chet Forte | G | Senior | Columbia |
| Rod Hundley | G/F | Senior | West Virginia |
| Jim Krebs | F/C | Senior | SMU |
| Lennie Rosenbluth | F | Senior | North Carolina |
| Charlie Tyra | C | Senior | Louisville |
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Baylor | F | Sophomore | Seattle |
| Frank Howard | F | Junior | Ohio State |
| Guy Rodgers | G | Junior | Temple |
| Gary Thompson | G | Senior | Iowa State |
| Grady Wallace | F | Senior | South Carolina |
Major player of the year awards edit
- Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina
- UPI Player of the Year: Chet Forte, Columbia
Major coach of the year awards edit
Other major awards edit
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Guy Rodgers, Temple
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in NYC): Chet Forte, Columbia
Coaching changes edit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2021) |
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | Bill Kajikawa | Ned Wulk | ||
| Loyola (LA) | Jim McCafferty | Jim Harding | ||
| Texas A&M | Ken Loeffler | Bob Rogers | ||
| Virginia | Evan Male | Billy McCann | ||
| Washington & Lee | Billy McCann | Weenie Miller | ||
| West Texas A&M | Gus Miller | Borden Price | ||
| Xavier | Ned Wulk | Jim McCafferty |
References edit
- ^ a b c orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
- ^ . NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ Iowa State Athletic Site – Cyclone Tradition 2010-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, Iowa State University, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ The National Invitation Tournament. Arcadia Publishing. 2005. ISBN 0-7385-3904-X.