Men's university 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.
Rule changes
- 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
- This was the first season in which NCAA basketball was split into two levels of play – the University Division for 156 schools competing at the highest level of play and the College Division for 285 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 — a 24-team tournament for the University Division and a 32-team tournament 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][3]
- The California Basketball Association was renamed the West Coast Athletic Conference. It would be renamed the West Coast Conference in 1989.
- In the 1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, Forddy Anderson of Michigan State and Frank McGuire of North Carolina became the first head coaches to take two different teams to the NCAA tournament Final Four. Anderson had done it previously with Bradley in 1950 and McGuire with St. John's in 1952.[4] McGuire also became the first head coach to take two different teams to the national championship game, having also done that with St. John's in 1952.[4]
- In 1957, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected its national champions for the seasons from 1900–01 through 1918–19.[5]
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[6]
Conference membership changes
Regular season
Conferences
Conference winners and tournaments
Conference standings
| 1956–57 Big Seven Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | No. 2 Kansas | 11 | – | 1 | | .917 | | | 24 | – | 3 | | .889 | Kansas State | 8 | – | 4 | | .667 | | | 15 | – | 8 | | .652 | Iowa State | 6 | – | 6 | | .500 | | | 16 | – | 7 | | .696 | Colorado | 5 | – | 7 | | .417 | | | 14 | – | 9 | | .609 | Nebraska | 5 | – | 7 | | .417 | | | 11 | – | 12 | | .478 | Missouri | 4 | – | 8 | | .333 | | | 10 | – | 13 | | .435 | Oklahoma | 3 | – | 9 | | .250 | | | 8 | – | 15 | | .348 | | Rankings from AP Poll[14] | | |
| 1956–57 Ivy League men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | Yale | 12 | – | 2 | | .857 | | | 18 | – | 8 | | .692 | Dartmouth | 10 | – | 4 | | .714 | | | 18 | – | 7 | | .720 | Columbia | 9 | – | 5 | | .643 | | | 18 | – | 6 | | .750 | Princeton | 9 | – | 5 | | .643 | | | 14 | – | 9 | | .609 | Harvard | 7 | – | 7 | | .500 | | | 12 | – | 9 | | .571 | Brown | 4 | – | 10 | | .286 | | | 8 | – | 16 | | .333 | Pennsylvania | 3 | – | 11 | | .214 | | | 7 | – | 19 | | .269 | Cornell | 2 | – | 12 | | .143 | | | 4 | – | 19 | | .174 | | Rankings from AP Poll | | |
| 1956–57 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | No. 10 Saint Louis | 12 | – | 2 | | .857 | | | 19 | – | 9 | | .679 | No. 19 Bradley | 9 | – | 5 | | .643 | | | 22 | – | 7 | | .759 | No. 20 Oklahoma A&M | 8 | – | 6 | | .571 | | | 17 | – | 9 | | .654 | Wichita Municipal | 8 | – | 6 | | .571 | | | 15 | – | 11 | | .577 | Detroit | 5 | – | 9 | | .357 | | | 11 | – | 15 | | .423 | Houston | 5 | – | 9 | | .357 | | | 10 | – | 16 | | .385 | Tulsa | 5 | – | 9 | | .357 | | | 8 | – | 17 | | .320 | Drake | 4 | – | 10 | | .286 | | | 8 | – | 16 | | .333 | | Rankings from AP Poll | | 1956–57 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | BYU | 11 | – | 3 | | .786 | | | 19 | – | 9 | | .679 | Utah | 10 | – | 4 | | .714 | | | 19 | – | 8 | | .704 | Montana | 9 | – | 5 | | .643 | | | 13 | – | 9 | | .591 | Denver | 8 | – | 6 | | .571 | | | 11 | – | 12 | | .478 | Utah State | 7 | – | 7 | | .500 | | | 11 | – | 13 | | .458 | Colorado A&M | 6 | – | 8 | | .429 | | | 9 | – | 16 | | .360 | Wyoming | 4 | – | 10 | | .286 | | | 6 | – | 19 | | .240 | New Mexico | 1 | – | 13 | | .071 | | | 5 | – | 21 | | .192 | | Rankings from AP Poll | |
| 1956–57 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | No. 13 California | 14 | – | 2 | | .875 | | | 21 | – | 5 | | .808 | No. 14 UCLA | 13 | – | 3 | | .813 | | | 22 | – | 4 | | .846 | Washington | 13 | – | 3 | | .813 | | | 17 | – | 9 | | .654 | USC | 9 | – | 7 | | .563 | | | 16 | – | 12 | | .571 | Stanford | 7 | – | 9 | | .438 | | | 11 | – | 15 | | .423 | Oregon State | 6 | – | 10 | | .375 | | | 11 | – | 15 | | .423 | Idaho | 4 | – | 12 | | .250 | | | 10 | – | 16 | | .385 | Washington State | 4 | – | 12 | | .250 | | | 8 | – | 18 | | .308 | Oregon | 2 | – | 14 | | .125 | | | 4 | – | 21 | | .160 | | Rankings from AP Poll[15] | | |
| 1956–57 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | No. 4 SMU | 11 | – | 1 | | .917 | | | 22 | – | 4 | | .846 | Rice | 8 | – | 4 | | .667 | | | 16 | – | 8 | | .667 | TCU | 6 | – | 6 | | .500 | | | 14 | – | 10 | | .583 | Baylor | 6 | – | 6 | | .500 | | | 9 | – | 15 | | .375 | Arkansas | 5 | – | 7 | | .417 | | | 11 | – | 12 | | .478 | Texas | 3 | – | 9 | | .250 | | | 11 | – | 13 | | .458 | Texas A&M | 3 | – | 9 | | .250 | | | 7 | – | 17 | | .292 | | Rankings from AP Poll | | |
1956–57 Western New York Little Three Conference men's basketball standings | Conf | | | Overall | Team | W | | L | | PCT | | | W | | L | | PCT | No. 20 Canisius | 3 | – | 1 | | .750 | | | 22 | – | 6 | | .786 | St. Bonaventure | 3 | – | 1 | | .750 | | | 17 | – | 7 | | .708 | Niagara | 0 | – | 4 | | .000 | | | 12 | – | 13 | | .480 | | Rankings from AP Poll | | |
University Division independents
A total of 44 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Seattle (22–3) had the best winning percentage (.880) and Memphis State (24–6) finished with the most wins.[18]
Although it played in the NCAA College Division as a non-major team during the season, Idaho State (25–4)[18] played as an independent and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll.[19]
La Salle, Saint Joseph's, and Temple all finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
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
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 | | | National third-place game |
|
|
| | ME | Michigan State | 60 |
|
| | W | San Francisco | 67 |
National Invitation tournament
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.[20]
NIT Semifinals and Final
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Major player of the year awards
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
References
- ^ a b c orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
- ^ "NCAA Group Opens Talks On Money Aid To Players". Kingsport Times. August 20, 1956. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "History of the NCAA". NCAA.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
- ^ a b "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ 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 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ Iowa State Athletic Site – Cyclone Tradition Archived 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 Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ sports-reference.com 1956-57 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
- ^ "1956–57 Big Seven Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ sports-reference.com 1956-57 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
- ^ sports-reference.com 1956-57 West Coast Athletic Conference Season Summary
- ^ a b "1956-57 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "1956-57 Men's College Basketball AP Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ The National Invitation Tournament. Arcadia Publishing. 2005. ISBN 0-7385-3904-X.
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IAAUS / NCAA pre-Tournament era | |
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