1956 Dixie Classic

The 1956 Dixie Classic was a mid-season college basketball tournament held December 27–29, 1956 at NC State's Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the eighth iteration of the Dixie Classic and it was part of the 1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season.

1956 Dixie Classic
Season1956–57
Teams8
Finals siteReynolds Coliseum
Raleigh, North Carolina
ChampionsNorth Carolina (1st title)
Runner-upWake Forest (1st title game)
Winning coachFrank McGuire (1st title)
MVPLennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina)
Attendance71,200
Top scorerLennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina)
(86 points)
Dixie Classic
«1955 1957»

Coming into the tournament, there was no clear favorite among the strong field, with reigning champion NC State holding the worst record of any team.[1] Some noted teams were the 8th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, the 2nd-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, and the 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils.[2] The Mountaineers were considered a serious threat as an undefeated team with two victories over teams in the "Big Four" already; however, no team outside of the Big Four had ever won the Dixie Classic.[3][4]

In the first round, the Big Four teams swept their invited opponents.[5] West Virginia's undefeated streak fell apart, as they lost all three games to finish last in the tournament.[6] Wake Forest and North Carolina advanced out of the semifinal, and North Carolina won the final by a score of 63–55 to continue their undefeated streak.[7] This streak ultimately lasted through the end of their season, and the Tar Heels would go on to win the NCAA tournament.[8]

Lennie Rosenbluth of North Carolina was voted as the most outstanding player of the tournament. Across North Carolina's three games, he scored 86 points and led the tournament in rebounds, field goals, and free throws.[9] Across the three days of six double-headers, the total attendance was 71,200.[10]

Teams

Each year, the Dixie Classic included the "Big Four" teams (Duke, NC State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest), as well as four other invited teams. The 1956 teams were:[11]

Bracket
Consolation finalConsolation semifinalsQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
Dec. 27, 2:00pm
Wake Forest74
Dec. 28, 2:00pmDePaul68Dec. 28, 4:00pm
DePaul73Wake Forest73
Iowa72Dec. 27, 4:00pmNC State66
NC State84
Dec. 29, 4:00pmIowa70Dec. 29, 9:30pm
DePaul79Wake Forest55
Utah86Dec. 27, 7:30pmNorth Carolina63
Duke73
Dec. 28, 7:30pmWest Virginia67Dec. 28, 9:30pm
Seventh placeWest Virginia66Duke71Third place
Dec. 29, 2:00pmUtah83Dec. 27, 9:30pmNorth Carolina81Dec. 29, 7:30pm
Iowa79North Carolina97NC State102
West Virginia76Utah76Duke80

Game log
December 27
2:00pm
Wake Forest 74, DePaul 68
Scoring by half: 38–34, 36–34
Pts: Murdock (19) Pts: Heise (26)
No. 1[12]
Attendance: 12,000
December 27
4:00pm
NC State 84, Iowa 70
Scoring by half: 32–29, 52–41
Pts: Maglio (21) Pts: Martel (17)
No. 2[13]
Attendance: 12,000[12]
December 27
7:30pm
Duke 73, West Virginia 67
Scoring by half: 38–34, 35–33
Pts: Newcome (19) Pts: Hundley (24)
No. 3[5]
Attendance: 12,400[14]
December 27
9:30pm
North Carolina 97, Utah 76
Scoring by half: 42–32, 55–44
Pts: Rosenbluth (26) Pts: Kane (12)
No. 4[14]
Attendance: 12,400
December 28
2:00pm
DePaul 73, Iowa 72 (OT)
Scoring by half: 38–32, 27–33 Overtime: 8–7
Pts: Heise (23) Pts: Wordlaw (23)
No. 5[15][16]
Attendance: 12,000
December 28
4:00pm
Wake Forest 73, NC State 66
Scoring by half: 31–33, 42–33
Pts: Carr (21) Pts: Maglio (22)
No. 6[15][17]
Attendance: 12,000
December 28
7:30pm
West Virginia 66, Utah 83
Scoring by half: 31–50, 35–33
Pts: Hundley (16) Pts: Kane (22)
December 28
9:30pm
Duke 71, North Carolina 87
Scoring by half: 32–43, 39–44
Pts: Newcome (19) Pts: Rosenbluth (32)
No. 8[15]
December 29
2:00pm
Iowa 79, West Virginia 76
Scoring by half: 36–37, 43–39
Pts: Wordlaw (21) Pts: Sharrar (20)
No. 9[7]
December 29
4:00pm
DePaul 79, Utah 86
Scoring by half: 33–41, 46–45
Pts: Heise (32) Pts: Hale (19)
No. 10[7]
December 29
7:30pm
NC State 102, Duke 80
Scoring by half: 47–39, 55–41
Pts: Richter (25) Pts: Robertson (13)
No. 11[7]
Attendance: 12,400
December 29
9:30pm
Wake Forest 55, North Carolina 63
Scoring by half: 20–31, 35–32
Pts: Williams (15) Pts: Rosenbluth (18)
No. 12[7]
Attendance: 12,400

References
  1. "Duke Meets W. Virginia At 7:30 P.M." The Durham Sun. UPI. December 27, 1956. p. 14.
  2. "Eight Southern Teams In Action". Rocky Mount Telegram. Associated Press. December 24, 1956. p. 15.
  3. "Mountaineers Biggest Outside Cage Threat". The Daily Times-News. Associated Press. December 24, 1956. p. 8.
  4. "Outsider Has Never Won Classic". The Durham Sun. December 27, 1956. p. 14.
  5. Breibart, Jack (December 28, 1956). "Devils Hand Mounties First Defeat, 73 to 67". The News and Observer. pp. 13–14.
  6. Brooks, Bob (December 30, 1956). "Mounties' Fold Is Bitter Disappointment to Coach". The News and Observer. p. 15.
  7. "N. Carolina Wins Dixie Final, 63–55". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 30, 1956. p. S3. ProQuest 113598080.
  8. Herbert, Dick (March 24, 1957). "Carolina Is New Cage King". The News and Observer. p. 17.
  9. "Rosenbluth Wins Award". The News and Observer. December 30, 1956. p. 16.
  10. Herbert, Dick (December 30, 1956). "The Sports Observer". The News and Observer. p. 13.
  11. "1956 Dixie Classic program (eBay listing photos)". Internet Archive.
  12. Schramm, Earl (December 28, 1956). "Wake Forest Wins, 74–68, Over DePaul". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
  13. Tieda, Joe (December 28, 1956). "Pack Wallops Iowa, 84–70". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
  14. Herbert, Dick (December 28, 1956). "Carolina Trounces Utah, 97 to 76". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
  15. "N.C. State Bows to Wake Forest". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 29, 1956. p. 22. ProQuest 113621199.
  16. Schramm, Earl (December 29, 1956). "DePaul Captures Overtime Victory". The News and Observer. p. 9.
  17. Brooks, Bob (December 29, 1956). "Wake Beats State, 73–66 For Revenge". The News and Observer. pp. 9–10.
  18. Tiede, Joe (December 29, 1956). "Utah Turns Back Mounties, 83–66". The News and Observer. p. 9.
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