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1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team

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The 1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team was a Division I college basketball team that represented the University of Kansas. Coached by Dick Harp, the Jayhawks posted a 24–3 win–loss record, winning the then-Big Seven Conference and qualifying for the 1957 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[3][4] Kansas won three games in the NCAA tournament to reach the championship game, where the Jayhawks lost to North Carolina in triple overtime.[3][5]

1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball
Big Seven Champions
NCAA tournament, runner-up
ConferenceBig Seven Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2[1]
Record24–3 (11–1 Big Seven)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Captains
  • Gene Elstun
  • John Parker
Home arenaAllen Fieldhouse[1]
Seasons
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[2]

Season summary

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Dick Harp was named the head coach of the Jayhawks before the 1956–57 season. The previous coach, Phog Allen, had been forced to leave the program due to an enforced retirement age in place at the school.[6] The 1956–57 Jayhawks featured future National Basketball Association center Wilt Chamberlain, in his first season with the varsity program. Expectations for the team were high entering the season; Allen said of the Jayhawks' new player that "Anybody could win the national championship with Wilt Chamberlain and four cheerleaders."[7] Chamberlain averaged 29.6 points and 18.8 rebounds per game over the course of the season.[3] In Kansas' opening game against Northwestern, he scored 52 points and compiled 31 rebounds in an 87–69 win.[8] The Jayhawks won their next five games by at least 10 points each, and began the season with 12 consecutive victories.[9] Following that streak, Iowa State defeated Kansas 39–37.[1][10] Kansas lost one other game in the regular season, on February 20, 1957, against Oklahoma by a score of 56–54.[11] The Jayhawks wrapped up the Big Seven title, and an NCAA Tournament berth, with a 64–57 win over Kansas State on March 7. They ended the regular season with a record of 20–2,[4] and a Big Seven record of 11–1.[3]

In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Kansas faced SMU and was forced into an overtime period. Behind 36 points by Chamberlain, the Jayhawks won 73–65 to advance to the regional finals. There, the Jayhawks defeated Oklahoma City 81–61 to reach the Final Four. Chamberlain scored 30 points in the game, adding 15 rebounds. The two-time defending NCAA Tournament champions, San Francisco, faced Kansas in the Final Four's host site, Kansas City.[12] With a field goal percentage of almost 60 percent, the Jayhawks posted an 80–56 win to advance to the championship game against undefeated North Carolina, the number one-ranked team in the country.[13] The Tar Heels defeated the Jayhawks 54–53 in triple overtime; North Carolina's Joe Quigg made the tying and go-ahead free throws in the final seconds.[5]

Roster

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  • Bob Billings
  • Wilt Chamberlain
  • John Cleland
  • Eddie Dater
  • Gene Elstun
  • Joe Ensley
  • Lee Green
  • Blaine Hollinger
  • Harry Jett
  • Lew Johnson
  • Monte Johnson
  • Ron Johnston
  • Larry Kelley
  • Lyn Kindred
  • Maurice King
  • Ron Loneski
  • John Parker
  • Gary Thompson
Roster and schedule source:[14]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
December 3*
 Northwestern W 87–69  1–0
 Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
December 8*
 Marquette W 78–61  2–0
 Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
December 14*
 No. 1 at Washington W 77–63  3–0
 Bank of America Arena 
Seattle, WA
December 15*
 No. 1 at Washington W 92–78  4–0
 Bank of America Arena 
Seattle, WA
December 18*
 No. 1 at California W 66–56  5–0
 Harmon Gym 
Berkeley, CA
December 22*
 No. 1 Wisconsin W 83–62  6–0
 Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
December 26
 No. 1 vs. No. 14 Iowa State W 58–57  7–0
 Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
December 28
 No. 1 vs. Oklahoma W 74–56  8–0
 Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
December 29
 No. 1 vs. Colorado W 80–54  9–0
 Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
January 5
 No. 1 Missouri
Border War 		W 92–79  10–0
(1–0) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 7*
 No. 1 at Oklahoma W 59–51  11–0
(2–0) 		Field House 
Norman, OK
January 12
 No. 1 Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown 		W 51–45  12–0
(3–0) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
January 14
 No. 1 at No. 7 Iowa State L 37–39  12–1
(3–1) 		The Armory 
Ames, IA
February 2
 No. 2 No. 8 Iowa State W 75–64  13–1
(4–1) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 9
 No. 2 Nebraska W 69–54  14–1
(5–1) 		Nebraska Coliseum 
Lincoln, NE
February 12
 No. 2 Oklahoma A&M W 62–52  15–1
 Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 16
 No. 2 at Missouri
Border War 		W 91–58  16–1
(6–1) 		Brewer Fieldhouse 
Columbia, MO
February 18
 No. 2 Oklahoma W 76–56  17–1
(7–1) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
February 21
 No. 2 at Oklahoma A&M L 54–56  17–2
 Gallagher Hall 
Stillwater, OK
February 23
 No. 2 Nebraska W 87–60  18–2
(8–1) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
March 2
 No. 2 at Colorado W 68–57  19–2
(9–1) 		Balch Fieldhouse 
Boulder, CO
March 6
 No. 2 at Kansas State
Sunflower Showdown 		W 64–57  20–2
(10–1) 		Ahearn Field House 
Manhattan, KS
March 9
 No. 2 Colorado W 78–63  21–2
(11–1) 		Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, KS
March 15*
 No. 2 vs. No. 4 SMU
NCAA regional semifinals 		W 73–65 OT 22–2
 Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
March 16*
 No. 2 vs. No. 9 Oklahoma City
NCAA Regional Finals 		W 81–61  23–2
 Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
March 22*
 No. 2 vs. San Francisco
NCAA National semifinals 		W 80–56  24–2
 Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
March 23*
 No. 2 vs. No. 1 North Carolina
National Championship game 		L 53–54 3OT 24–3
 Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Rankings

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

From the beginning of the season, the Jayhawks topped the Associated Press Poll, holding their position until mid-January. After the Jayhawks' loss to Iowa State, the team fell to number two in the poll. Kansas stayed in that position for the rest of the season.[1] In the United Press Poll, the Jayhawks held the top overall ranking at the start of the season and remained there until the January 22 rankings, when they fell to second behind North Carolina. They stayed in that position in each subsequent poll during the season.[15]

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The team, specifically starting center Wilt Chamberlain and coach Phog Allen, where the focus of the 2014 film Jayhawkers, which was directed by University of Kansas film professor Kevin Willmott.[16] The film featured former Jayhawk basketball player Scot Pollard and Justin Wesley, who was on the roster at the time of the release.[17] Additionally, Kansas alumni Jay Karnes portrays Chancellor Franklin Murphy.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  2. ^ "1956–57 Big Seven Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks Roster and Stats". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Chandler, John (March 7, 1957). "Kansas Clinches Big 7 Title, Looks To Tourney". Times Daily. Associated Press. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Lopresti, Mike (March 27, 2007). "Tar Heels' 1957 victory may be best NCAA title game ever". USA Today. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  6. ^ Fulks, Matt (2000). CBS Sports Presents Stories From the Final Four. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 9781461703037.
  7. ^ Fulks, p. 20.
  8. ^ "Wilt Scores 52 In Cage Opener". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. December 4, 1956. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  9. ^ Johnson, Scott Morrow (2016). Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball. University of Nebraska Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780803285712.
  10. ^ "Top Rating Kiss of Death To Kansas?". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 15, 1957. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  11. ^ "Stilt & Co. Fall To Aggies, 56–54". Sarasota Journal. Associated Press. February 21, 1957. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  12. ^ "Jayhawkers' Status Up As Tourney Nears". The Times-News. Associated Press. March 19, 1957. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  13. ^ Morey, Earl (March 23, 1957). "3/23/57 – K.U. in Dream Clash With Tar Heel Quint". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  14. ^ Theisen, Chris; Bauer, Alissa, eds. (2014). "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). Rock Chalk. University of Kansas: 200. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  15. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 652–653. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  16. ^ Melin, Eric (February 9, 2014). "'Jayhawkers' brings a legend back to life". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  17. ^ "Ex-KU Star Pollard Says of 'Jayhawkers': 'I'm a History Guy. And it Made Me Think.'". Fox Sports. February 13, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  18. ^ "KU Grad Jay Karnes to Portray Former KU Chancellor Murphy in Feature Film". Kansas University. July 26, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
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