1956 NCAA basketball tournament

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.

1956 NCAA basketball tournament
Season1955–56
Teams25
Finals siteMcGaw Hall
Evanston, Illinois
ChampionsSan Francisco Dons (2nd title, 2nd title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-upIowa Hawkeyes (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachPhil Woolpert (2nd title)
MOPHal Lear (Temple)
Attendance132,513
Top scorerHal Lear (Temple)
(160 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1955 1957»

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 Round East 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
Regionals East 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

Teams
RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastCanisiusJoseph CurranWNY3Regional Runner-upTempleL 60–58
EastConnecticutHugh GreerYankeeRegional Fourth PlaceDartmouthL 85–64
EastDartmouthDoggie JulianIvy LeagueRegional third placeConnecticutW 85–64
EastHoly CrossRoy LeenigIndependentFirst roundTempleL 74–72
EastManhattanKen NortonMetro NYFirst roundConnecticutL 84–75
EastNC StateEverett CaseAtlantic CoastFirst roundCanisiusL 79–78
EastTempleHarry LitwackIndependentThird PlaceSMUW 90–81
EastWest VirginiaFred SchausSouthernFirst roundDartmouthL 61–59
Far West
Far WestIdaho StateSteve BelkoIndependentFirst roundSeattleL 68–66
Far WestSan FranciscoPhil WoolpertCBAChampionIowaW 83–71
Far WestSeattleAl BrightmanIndependentRegional Fourth PlaceUCLAL 94–70
Far WestUCLAJohn WoodenPacific CoastRegional third placeSeattleW 94–70
Far WestUtahJack GardnerMountain StatesRegional Runner-upSan FranciscoL 92–77
Midwest
MidwestDePaulRay MeyerIndependentFirst roundWayne State (MI)L 72–63
MidwestIowaBucky O'ConnorBig TenRunner UpSan FranciscoL 83–71
MidwestKentuckyAdolph RuppSoutheasternRegional Runner-upIowaL 89–77
MidwestMarshallJule RivlinMid-AmericanFirst roundMorehead StateL 107–92
MidwestMorehead StateBobby LaughlinOhio ValleyRegional third placeWayne State (MI)W 95–84
MidwestWayne State (MI)Joel MasonIndependentRegional Fourth PlaceMorehead StateL 95–84
West
WestHoustonAlden PascheMissouri ValleyRegional Fourth PlaceKansas StateL 89–70
WestKansas StateTex WinterBig 7Regional third placeHoustonW 89–70
WestMemphis StateEugene LambertIndependentFirst roundOklahoma CityL 97–81
WestOklahoma CityAbe LemonsIndependentRegional Runner-upSMUL 84–63
WestSMUDoc HayesSouthwestFourth PlaceTempleL 90–81
WestTexas TechPolk RobisonBorderFirst roundSMUL 68–67

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East Region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Connecticut 84
Manhattan 75
Connecticut 59
Temple 65
Temple 74
Holy Cross 72
Temple 60
Canisius 58
Dartmouth 61
West Virginia 59*
Dartmouth 58 Third place
Canisius 66
Canisius 79 Dartmouth 85
NC State 78**** Connecticut 64

Midwest Region
First roundSemifinalsFinal
Iowa97
Morehead State107Morehead State83
Marshall92Iowa89
Kentucky77
Kentucky84
Wayne State (MI)72Wayne State64Third place
DePaul63
Morehead State95
Wayne State84

West Region
First roundSemifinalsFinal
Houston74
SMU68SMU89
Texas Tech67SMU84
Oklahoma City63
Kansas State93
Oklahoma City97Oklahoma City97Third place
Memphis State81
Kansas State89
Houston70

Far West Region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
      
Utah 81
Seattle 72
Seattle 68
Idaho State 66
Utah 77
San Francisco 92
San Francisco 72 Third place
UCLA 61
UCLA 94
Seattle 70

Final Four
National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E Temple 76
MW Iowa 83
MW Iowa 71
FW San Francisco 83
W SMU 68
FW San Francisco 86 National third-place game
Temple 90
SMU 81

See also

Notes
  • Canisius's first-round victory over the second-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack, considered by many to be among the top ten upsets in tournament history,[1][2] set a record for most overtime periods in a Division I Men's tournament game with four, a record that still stands as of 2015 (tied once, in 1961).[3]
  • Northwestern University previously hosted the first ever NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game on March 27, 1939, in the first Patten Gym.[4]
  • Alabama (21-3, 14-0) had won the Southeastern Conference and had their all-time highest ranking (#4) at the end of the 1956 season, but due to a rule that players could not play as freshman, as their entire starting lineup had previously done, they were ruled ineligible for the 1956 NCAA Tournament.[5]
  • There were six new participants in the 1956 tournament: Houston, Manhattan, Marshall, Michigan State, Morehead State and Wayne University (which became Wayne State University later that year). This was the only tournament for the Tartars (now Warriors), as they would drop to the College Division and eventually Division II. They are one of five teams to win a game in the tournament and drop from what is now Division I afterwards.

References
  1. "ESPN.com - Page2 - When underdogs dance".
  2. "Top 25 Upsets in NCAA Tournament History--#5"., Prepticket.com. Accessed 2009-04-02. "Archived". Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. 2009-05-04.
  3. The Sports Network. "The Sports Network – Men's College Basketball". Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  4. 1939 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
  5. Jimmy Bank (February 18, 2021). "Throwback Thursday: Jimmy Dee". FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
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