1956 NCAA Basketball Tournament

Last updated
1956 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Season 195556
Teams25
Finals site McGaw Hall
Evanston, Illinois
Champions San Francisco Dons (2nd title, 2nd title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-up Iowa Hawkeyes (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coach Phil Woolpert (2nd title)
MOP Hal Lear (Temple)
Attendance132,513
Top scorerHal Lear Temple
(160 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
« 1955 1957 »

The 1956 NCAA Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA college basketball. It began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24 on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.

Contents

The 1955–56 season was the last in which only one NCAA Tournament was held. Effective in 1956–57, the NCAA divided its membership into two competitive levels. The larger and more competitive athletic programs were placed in the University Division, and smaller programs in the College Division. Accordingly, that season would see separate tournaments contested in the University and College Divisions. In 1973, the University Division would be renamed NCAA Division I, while the College Division would be split into today's Divisions II and III.

This was the first NCAA tournament in which the four regionals were given distinct names, although the concept of four regional winners advancing to a single site for the "Final Four" had been introduced in 1952.

San Francisco, coached by Phil Woolpert, won the national title with an 83–71 victory in the final game over Iowa, coached by Bucky O'Connor. Hal Lear of Temple was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Locations

RoundRegionSiteVenue
First RoundEast New York, New York Madison Square Garden
Far West Seattle, Washington Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Midwest Fort Wayne, Indiana Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
West Wichita, Kansas U. of Wichita Field House
RegionalsEast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Palestra
Far West Corvallis, Oregon Oregon State Coliseum
Midwest Iowa City, Iowa Iowa Field House
West Lawrence, Kansas Allen Fieldhouse
Final Four Evanston, Illinois McGaw Memorial Hall

For the second time, the city of Evanston, Illinois hosted the Final Four. For the first time, a repeat host city used a different venue, this time using McGaw Memorial Hall, the second replacement for the original Patten Gym, home of the 1939 final. The tournament saw two new venues, both in the state of Kansas, and both of which would join in rotation with Ahearn Field House as host of the Midwestern final for most of the next decade. In its first year of operation, Allen Field House on the campus of the University of Kansas hosted tournament games for the first time, acting as the West regional site. And also in the West region, the University of Wichita Field House, also in its first year of operation, hosted the first-round game. This tournament would also mark the final tournament to include the Allen County War Memorial Arena; neither the arena, which is still in operation, nor the city have hosted since.

Teams

RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
East Canisius Joseph Curran WNY3 Regional Runner-up Temple L 60–58
East Connecticut Hugh Greer Yankee Regional Fourth Place Dartmouth L 85–64
East Dartmouth Doggie Julian Ivy League Regional third place Connecticut W 85–64
East Holy Cross Roy Leenig IndependentFirst round Temple L 74–72
East Manhattan Ken Norton Metro NY First round Connecticut L 84–75
East NC State Everett Case Atlantic Coast First round Canisius L 79–78
East Temple Harry Litwack IndependentThird Place SMU W 90–81
East West Virginia Fred Schaus Southern First round Dartmouth L 61–59
Far West
Far West Idaho State Steve Belko IndependentFirst round Seattle L 68–66
Far West San Francisco Phil Woolpert CBA Champion Iowa W 83–71
Far West Seattle Al Brightman IndependentRegional Fourth Place UCLA L 94–70
Far West UCLA John Wooden Pacific Coast Regional third place Seattle W 94–70
Far West Utah Jack Gardner Mountain States Regional Runner-up San Francisco L 92–77
Midwest
Midwest DePaul Ray Meyer IndependentFirst round Wayne State (MI) L 72–63
Midwest Iowa Bucky O'Connor Big Ten Runner Up San Francisco L 83–71
Midwest Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Regional Runner-up Iowa L 89–77
Midwest Marshall Jule Rivlin Mid-American First round Morehead State L 107–92
Midwest Morehead State Bobby Laughlin Ohio Valley Regional third place Wayne State (MI) W 95–84
Midwest Wayne State (MI) Joel Mason IndependentRegional Fourth Place Morehead State L 95–84
West
West Houston Alden Pasche Missouri Valley Regional Fourth Place Kansas State L 89–70
West Kansas State Tex Winter Big 7 Regional third place Houston W 89–70
West Memphis State Eugene Lambert IndependentFirst round Oklahoma City L 97–81
West Oklahoma City Abe Lemons IndependentRegional Runner-up SMU L 84–63
West SMU Doc Hayes Southwest Fourth Place Temple L 90–81
West Texas Tech Polk Robison Border First round SMU L 68–67

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Connecticut 84
Manhattan 75
Connecticut 59
Temple65
Temple 74
Holy Cross 72
Temple60
Canisius 58
Dartmouth 61
West Virginia 59*
Dartmouth 58
Canisius66
Canisius 79
NC State 78****

Midwest Region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Iowa 97
Morehead State 83
Morehead State 107
Marshall 92
Iowa89
Kentucky 77
Kentucky 84
Wayne State 64
Wayne State (MI) 72
DePaul 63

West Region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Houston 74
SMU89
SMU 68
Texas Tech 67
SMU84
Oklahoma City 63
Kansas State 93
Oklahoma City97
Oklahoma City 97
Memphis State 81

Far West Region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Utah 81
Seattle 72
Seattle 68
Idaho State 66
Utah 77
San Francisco92
San Francisco 72
UCLA 61

Final Four

National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E Temple 76
MW Iowa83
MW Iowa 71
FW San Francisco83
W SMU 68
FW San Francisco86

National Third Place Game

National Third Place Game [1]
   
Temple90
SMU 81

Regional third place games

See also

Notes

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References

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  5. 1939 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
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