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

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).
• 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

Main article: 1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 Kansas 2 Louisville 3 North Carolina 4 Illinois 5 SMU 6 Dayton 7 Temple 8 San Francisco 9 Saint Louis 10 Western Kentucky State 11 West Virginia 12 Oklahoma City 13 Oregon State 14 Kentucky 15 Washington 16 (tie) NC State St. John's 18 Kansas State 19 Vanderbilt 20 Wyoming

UP Coaches Ranking Team 1 Kansas 2 Louisville 3 North Carolina 4 Illinois 5 SMU 6 Dayton 7 Temple 8 San Francisco 9 Saint Louis 10 Western Kentucky State 11 West Virginia 12 Oklahoma City 13 Oregon State 14 Kentucky 15 Washington 16 (tie) NC State St. John's 18 Kansas State 19 Vanderbilt 20 Wyoming

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Drake Bulldogs	Independent	Missouri Valley Conference
Texas Tech Red Raiders	Border Conference	NCAA University Division independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina	1957 ACC men's basketball tournament	Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina)	North Carolina
Big Seven Conference	Kansas	Gary Thompson, Iowa State	No Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Indiana & Michigan State	None Selected	No Tournament
Border Conference	Texas Western	None Selected	No Tournament
Ivy League	Yale	None Selected	No Tournament
Metropolitan New York Conference	NYU	None Selected	No Tournament
Mid-American Conference	Miami (OH)	None Selected	No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	Saint Louis	None Selected	No Tournament
Mountain States (Skyline) Conference	BYU	None Selected	No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference	Morehead State & Western Kentucky State	None Selected	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference	California	None Selected	No Tournament
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky	None Selected	No Tournament
Southern Conference	West Virginia	Rod Hundley, West Virginia	1957 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Richmond Arena (Richmond, Virginia)	West Virginia
Southwest Conference	SMU	None Selected	No Tournament
West Coast Athletic Conference	San Francisco	Mike Farmer, San Francisco	No Tournament
Western New York Little Three Conference	Canisius & St. Bonaventure		No Tournament
Yankee Conference	Connecticut	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

1956–57 ACC men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 1 North Carolina† 14 – 0   1.000 32 – 0   1.000 Maryland 9 – 5   .643 16 – 10   .615 Duke 8 – 6   .571 13 – 11   .542 No. 18 Wake Forest 7 – 7   .500 19 – 9   .679 NC State 7 – 7   .500 15 – 11   .577 South Carolina 5 – 9   .357 17 – 12   .586 Virginia 3 – 11   .214 6 – 19   .240 Clemson 3 – 11   .214 7 – 17   .292 † 1957 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	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	1956–57 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Indiana 10 – 4   .714 14 – 8   .636 No. 11 Michigan State 10 – 4   .714 16 – 10   .615 Minnesota 9 – 5   .643 14 – 8   .636 Ohio State 9 – 5   .643 14 – 8   .636 Purdue 8 – 6   .571 15 – 7   .682 Michigan 8 – 6   .571 13 – 9   .591 Illinois 7 – 7   .500 14 – 8   .636 Iowa 4 – 10   .286 8 – 14   .364 Wisconsin 3 – 11   .214 5 – 17   .227 Northwestern 2 – 12   .143 6 – 16   .273 Rankings from AP Poll
1956–57 Border Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Texas Western 8 – 2   .800 14 – 8   .636 Hardin–Simmons 7 – 3   .700 17 – 9   .654 Arizona 5 – 5   .500 13 – 13   .500 Arizona State–Tempe 4 – 6   .400 10 – 15   .400 West Texas State 3 – 7   .300 6 – 14   .300 New Mexico A&M 3 – 7   .300 6 – 18   .250 Rankings from AP Poll	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 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT NYU 3 – 1   .750 8 – 13   .381 St. John's 4 – 2   .667 14 – 9   .609 Fordham 2 – 2   .500 16 – 10   .615 Manhattan 2 – 2   .500 5 – 9   .357 CCNY 3 – 4   .429 11 – 8   .579 St. Francis (NY) 1 – 2   .333 12 – 14   .462 Brooklyn 1 – 3   .250 11 – 7   .611 Rankings from AP Poll
1956–57 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Miami (Ohio) 11 – 1   .917 17 – 8   .680 Marshall 8 – 4   .667 15 – 9   .625 Ohio 7 – 5   .583 15 – 8   .652 Bowling Green 7 – 5   .583 14 – 9   .609 Western Michigan 4 – 8   .333 8 – 13   .381 Toledo 3 – 9   .250 5 – 19   .208 Kent State 2 – 10   .167 5 – 18   .217 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 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Morehead State 9 – 1   .900 19 – 8   .704 Western Kentucky State 9 – 1   .900 17 – 9   .654 Murray State 5 – 5   .500 11 – 13   .458 Eastern Kentucky State 4 – 6   .400 6 – 15   .286 Middle Tennessee –   – 12 – 13   .480 Tennessee Tech 1 – 9   .100 9 – 11   .450 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	1956–57 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 3 Kentucky 12 – 2   .857 23 – 5   .821 No. 8 Vanderbilt 11 – 4   .733 17 – 5   .773 Georgia Tech 12 – 5   .706 18 – 8   .692 No. 15 Mississippi State 9 – 5   .643 17 – 8   .680 Tulane 9 – 5   .643 15 – 9   .625 Auburn 8 – 7   .533 13 – 8   .619 Alabama 7 – 7   .500 15 – 11   .577 Florida 6 – 8   .429 14 – 10   .583 Tennessee 5 – 9   .357 13 – 9   .591 Ole Miss 4 – 11   .267 9 – 12   .429 Georgia 4 – 12   .250 8 – 16   .333 LSU 1 – 13   .071 6 – 19   .240 Rankings from AP Poll
1956–57 Southern Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 7 West Virginia † 12 – 0   1.000 25 – 5   .833 Washington and Lee 10 – 3   .769 20 – 7   .741 Virginia Tech 12 – 5   .706 14 – 8   .636 Furman 7 – 5   .583 10 – 17   .370 Richmond 9 – 7   .563 15 – 11   .577 William & Mary 7 – 11   .389 9 – 18   .333 The Citadel 5 – 9   .357 11 – 14   .440 Davidson 4 – 8   .333 7 – 20   .259 George Washington 3 – 9   .250 3 – 21   .125 VMI 1 – 13   .071 4 – 22   .154 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	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 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT San Francisco 12 – 2   .857 21 – 7   .750 Santa Clara 10 – 4   .714 15 – 7   .682 Saint Mary's 10 – 4   .714 17 – 9   .654 Fresno State 7 – 7   .500 16 – 10   .615 San Jose State 7 – 7   .500 13 – 12   .520 Loyola (Calif.) 5 – 9   .357 11 – 16   .407 Pacific 3 – 11   .214 9 – 17   .346 Pepperdine 2 – 12   .143 7 – 18   .280 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	1956–57 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Connecticut 8 – 0   1.000 17 – 8   .680 Rhode Island 6 – 3   .667 11 – 11   .500 Vermont 3 – 2   .600 15 – 5   .750 Massachusetts 4 – 4   .500 13 – 11   .542 Maine 2 – 6   .250 6 – 14   .300 New Hampshire 1 – 9   .100 3 – 16   .158

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.

Although it played in the NCAA College Division as a non-major team during the season, Idaho State (25–4) played as an independent and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll.

1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 5 Seattle –   – 22 – 3   .880 Lafayette –   – 22 – 5   .815 No. 6 Louisville –   – 21 – 5   .808 No. 12 Memphis State –   – 24 – 6   .800 Syracuse –   – 18 – 7   .720 No. 17 Notre Dame –   – 20 – 8   .714 Xavier –   – 20 – 8   .714 Saint Joseph's –   – 17 – 7   .708 Duquesne –   – 16 – 7   .696 Temple –   – 20 – 9   .690 Dayton –   – 19 – 9   .679 No. 9 Oklahoma City –   – 19 – 9   .679 Bucknell –   – 16 – 8   .667 La Salle –   – 17 – 9   .654 Muhlenberg –   – 17 – 9   .654 Navy –   – 15 – 8   .652 Iona –   – 12 – 7   .632 Seton Hall –   – 17 – 10   .630 Cincinnati –   – 15 – 9   .625 Penn State –   – 15 – 10   .600 Portland –   – 18 – 12   .600 Pittsburgh –   – 16 – 11   .593 Colgate –   – 14 – 10   .583 Loyola (Ill.) –   – 14 – 10   .583 Kentucky Wesleyan –   – 16 – 12   .571 Washington University –   – 12 – 9   .571 Loyola (La.) –   – 14 – 12   .538 Boston College –   – 12 – 11   .522 Texas Tech –   – 12 – 11   .522 Georgetown –   – 11 – 11   .500 Miami (Fla.) –   – 13 – 13   .500 Saint Francis (Pa.) –   – 12 – 12   .500 Holy Cross –   – 11 – 12   .478 Lehigh –   – 8 – 10   .444 Butler –   – 11 – 14   .440 Valparaiso –   – 11 – 14   .440 Gonzaga –   – 11 – 16   .407 Marquette –   – 10 – 15   .400 Villanova –   – 10 – 15   .400 DePaul –   – 8 – 14   .364 Army –   – 7 – 13   .350 Rutgers –   – 8 – 15   .348 Florida State –   – 9 – 17   .346 Siena –   – 5 – 15   .250 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	La Salle, St. Joseph's, & 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

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

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1957 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game

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

Main article: 1957 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

	Semifinals				Final
	St. Bonaventure	78
	Memphis State	80
					Memphis State	83
					Bradley	84
	Bradley	94
	Temple	66			Third place
					St. Bonaventure	50
					Temple	67

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas

Guy Rodgers of Temple

Main article: 1957 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

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.

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