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 .orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes 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." Grasping the rim of the basket was deemed a form of unsportsmanlike conduct.
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. 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. 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. In 1957, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected its national champions for the seasons from 1900–01 through 1918–19.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.*
Associated PressRankingTeam1 Kansas2 Louisville3 North Carolina4 Illinois5 SMU6 Dayton7 Temple8 San Francisco9 Saint Louis10 Western Kentucky State11 West Virginia12 Oklahoma City13 Oregon State14 Kentucky15 Washington 16(tie) NC State St. John's18 Kansas State19 Vanderbilt20 Wyoming UP CoachesRankingTeam1Kansas2Louisville3North Carolina4Illinois5SMU6Dayton7Temple8San Francisco9Saint Louis10Western Kentucky State11West Virginia12Oklahoma City13Oregon State14Kentucky15Washington16(tie)NC StateSt. John's18Kansas State19Vanderbilt20Wyoming
Conference membership changes
SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Independent Missouri Valley Conference Border Conference NCAA University Division independent
Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season winnerConference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAtlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Lennie Rosenbluth, 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section , retrieved 2010-08-14 1957 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, North Carolina) North CarolinaBig Seven Conference Kansas Gary Thompson, Iowa State Athletic Site – Cyclone Tradition , Iowa State University, retrieved 2010-08-14 No TournamentBig Ten Conference Indiana & None Selected No TournamentBorder Conference Texas Western None Selected No TournamentIvy League Yale None Selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference NYU None Selected No TournamentMid-American Conference Miami (OH) None Selected No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Saint Louis None Selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference BYU None Selected No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Morehead State & None Selected No TournamentPacific Coast Conference California None Selected No TournamentSoutheastern Conference Kentucky None Selected No TournamentSouthern Conference West Virginia Rod Hundley, 1957 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Richmond Arena(Richmond, Virginia) West Virginia2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14Southwest Conference SMU None Selected No TournamentWest Coast Athletic Conference San Francisco Mike Farmer, No TournamentWestern New York Little Three Conference Canisius & No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut None selected No Tournament Conference standings
University Division independents A total of 44 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, (22–3) had the best winning percentage (.880) and finished with the most wins.
Although it played in the NCAA College Division as a non-major team during the season, played as an independent and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll.
Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 La Salle, & Temple Guy Rodgers, Temple 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 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
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 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.
NIT Semifinals and Final Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
+ Consensus First Team 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
+ Consensus Second Team 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
Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina UPI Player of the Year: Chet Forte, Columbia
Major coach of the year awards
UPI Coach of the Year: Frank McGuire, North Carolina
Other major awards
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 A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonArizona StateBill KajikawaNed Wulk Kent StateDavid E. McDowellBill Bertka Loyola (LA)Jim McCaffertyJim Harding LSUHarry RabenhorstJay McCreary Miami (OH)Bill RohrDick Shrider Rhode IslandJack GuyErnie Calverley Texas A&MKen LoefflerBob Rogers VirginiaEvan MaleBilly McCann Wake ForestMurray GreasonBones McKinney Washington & LeeBilly McCannWeenie Miller West Texas A&MGus MillerBorden Price XavierNed WulkJim McCafferty Wulk has left to coach Arizona State.
References