The 1959–60 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1959, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1960 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 19, 1960, at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. The Ohio State Buckeyes won their first NCAA national championship with a 75–55 victory over the California Golden Bears.
Season headlines
The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) began play. It was renamed the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968, the Pacific-10 Conference in 1978, and the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated PressRankingTeam1Cincinnati2West Virginia3Ohio State4California5Bradley6Utah7Saint Louis8Georgia Tech9Indiana10Illinois11Michigan State12NYU13Kentucky14La Salle15Villanova16Duke17Detroit18Texas A&M19Iowa20USC UPI CoachesRankingTeam1Cincinnati2California3West Virginia4Ohio State5North Carolina6Kentucky7Saint Louis8Indiana9Kansas10Utah11Saint Joseph's12Bradley13Louisville14Kansas State15(tie)USCGeorgia Tech17Wake Forest18(tie)St. John'sVillanova20(tie)NC StateUCLA
Conference membership changes
SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities non-University Division NCAA University Division independent non-University Division NCAA University Division independent Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities NCAA University Division independent non-University Division Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent
Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments
ConferenceRegular season winnerConference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAthletic Association of Western Universities California None selected No TournamentAtlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Lee Shaffer,North Carolina2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section , retrieved 2009-02-14 1960 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, North Carolina) DukeBig Eight Conference Kansas & None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Ohio State None selected No TournamentBorder Conference New Mexico State No TournamentIvy League Princeton None selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference NYU No TournamentMid-American Conference Ohio None selected No TournamentMiddle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph's No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Cincinnati None selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Utah No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State None selected No TournamentSoutheastern Conference Auburn None selected No TournamentSouthern Conference Virginia Tech Jerry West, 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09 1960 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Richmond Arena(Richmond, Virginia) West Virginia2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference Texas Jay Arnette, No TournamentWest Coast Athletic Conference Santa Clara Jerry Grote, No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut None selected No Tournament Conference standings
University Division independents A total of 47 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, (23–4) had the best winning percentage (.852) and (24–5) finished with the most wins.
Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 & Villanova Bill Kennedy, Temple Saint Joseph's and Villanova both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
+ Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Darrall Imhoff C Senior California Jerry Lucas F/C Sophomore Ohio State Oscar Robertson G Senior Cincinnati Tom Stith G/F Junior St. Bonaventure Jerry West G Senior West Virginia
+ Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Terry Dischinger F Sophomore Purdue Tony Jackson G Junior St. John's Roger Kaiser G Junior Georgia Tech Lee Shaffer F Senior North Carolina Len Wilkens G Senior Providence
Major player of the year awards
Helms Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati UPI Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Sporting News Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
Major coach of the year awards
Henry Iba Award: Pete Newell, California NABC Coach of the Year: Pete Newell, California UPI Coach of the Year: Pete Newell, California
Other major awards
Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Bill Kennedy, Temple NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Satch Sanders, NYU
Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAlabamaEugene LambertHayden RileyCaliforniaPete NewellRene HerreriasCincinnatiGeorge SmithEd Jucker Smith left to be athletic director for Cincinnati.The CitadelNorm SloanMel ThompsonDavidsonTom ScottLefty DriesellGeorgetownTom NolanTommy O'KeefeAfter four seasons, Nolan resigned to focus on his role as head coach of Georgetown's baseball team, a position he had assumed in 1959 and held until 1978. His assistant O'Keefe succeeded him.IdahoDave StrackJoe Cipriano Strack left to coach Michigan.MichiganWilliam PerigoDave StrackSan FranciscoRoss GiudicePete PelettaSan Jose StateWalt McPhersonStu InmanSeton HallHoney RussellRichie ReganTulsaClarence IbaJoe SwankWest VirginiaFred SchausGeorge King
References