1956 NCAA basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 January 2022 1956 25 McGaw Hall Evanston, Illinois San Francisco Dons 2nd 2nd 2nd Iowa Hawkeyes 1st 2nd SMU Mustangs 1st Temple Owls 1st Phil Woolpert 2nd Hal Lear Temple 132,513 Hal Lear Temple 160 The 1956 NCAA basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA college basketball. The 18th annual edition of the tournament began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24, at McGaw Hall, located 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. 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 Round Region Site Venue First RoundEastNew York, New YorkMadison Square Garden Far WestSeattle, WashingtonHec Edmundson Pavilion MidwestFort Wayne, IndianaAllen County War Memorial Coliseum WestWichita, KansasU. of Wichita Field House Regionals EastPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaThe Palestra Far WestCorvallis, OregonOregon State ColiseumMidwestIowa City, IowaIowa Field House WestLawrence, KansasAllen Fieldhouse Final FourEvanston, IllinoisMcGaw Memorial Hall Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Canisius Joseph Curran WNY3 Regional Runner-up Temple L 60–58 East Connecticut Hugh Greer Yankee Regional Fourth PlaceDartmouthL 85–64 East Dartmouth Doggie Julian Ivy League Regional third placeConnecticutW 85–64 East Holy Cross Roy Leenig Independent First roundTempleL 74–72 East Manhattan Ken Norton Metro NY First roundConnecticutL 84–75 East NC State Everett Case Atlantic Coast First roundCanisiusL 79–78 East Temple Harry Litwack Independent Third PlaceSMUW 90–81 East West Virginia Fred Schaus Southern First roundDartmouthL 61–59 Far West Far West Idaho State Steve Belko Independent First round Seattle L 68–66 Far West San Francisco Phil Woolpert CBA Champion Iowa W 83–71 Far West Seattle Al Brightman Independent Regional Fourth Place UCLA L 94–70 Far West UCLA John Wooden Pacific Coast Regional third placeSeattleW 94–70 Far West Utah Jack Gardner Mountain States Regional Runner-upSan FranciscoL 92–77 Midwest Midwest DePaul Ray Meyer Independent First roundWayne State (MI)L 72–63 Midwest Iowa Bucky O'Connor Big Ten Runner UpSan FranciscoL 83–71 Midwest Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Regional Runner-upIowaL 89–77 Midwest Marshall Jule Rivlin Mid-American First roundMorehead StateL 107–92 Midwest Morehead State Bobby Laughlin Ohio Valley Regional third placeWayne State (MI)W 95–84 Midwest Wayne State (MI) Joel Mason Independent Regional Fourth PlaceMorehead StateL 95–84 West West Houston Alden Pasche Missouri Valley Regional Fourth PlaceKansas StateL 89–70 West Kansas State Tex Winter Big 7 Regional third placeHoustonW 89–70 West Memphis State Eugene Lambert Independent First roundOklahoma CityL 97–81 West Oklahoma City Abe Lemons Independent Regional Runner-upSMUL 84–63 West SMU Doc Hayes Southwest Fourth PlaceTempleL 90–81 West Texas Tech Polk Robison Border First roundSMUL 68–67 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period East Region n Connecticut 84 1955 men Manhattan Jaspers Manhattan 75 Temple 74 1955 men Holy Cross Crusaders Holy Cross 72 1955 men Dartmouth Big Green Dartmouth 61 1955 men West Virginia Mountaineers West Virginia 59* 1955 men Canisius Golden Griffins Canisius 79 1955 men NC State Wolfpack NC State 78**** Connecticut 59 Temple 65 Dartmouth 58 Canisius 66 Temple 60 Canisius 58 Dartmouth 85 Connecticut 64 Midwest Region n 1955 men Morehead State Eagles Morehead State 107 Marshall 92 1955 men Wayne State Warriors Wayne State (MI) 72 1955 men DePaul Blue Demons DePaul 63 Iowa 97 Morehead State 83 1955 men Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky 84 Wayne State 64 Iowa 89 Kentucky 77 Morehead State 95 Wayne State 84 West Region n SMU 68 Texas Tech 67 Oklahoma City 97 1955 men Memphis State Tigers Memphis State 81 Houston 74 SMU 89 1955 men Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State 93 Oklahoma City 97 SMU 84 Oklahoma City 63 Kansas State 89 Houston 70 Far West Region n 1955 men Seattle Chieftains Seattle 68 1955 men Idaho State Bengals Idaho State 66 1955 men Utah Utes Utah 81 Seattle 72 San Francisco 72 UCLA 61 Utah 77 San Francisco 92 UCLA 94 Seattle 70 Final Four National Semifinals National Championship Game National third-place game E Temple 76 MW Iowa 83 W SMU 68 FW San Francisco 86 MW Iowa 71 FW San Francisco 83 Temple 90 SMU 81 See also 1956 National Invitation Tournament 1956 NAIA Basketball Tournament 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, https://www.espn.com/page2/s/list/ncaatourneyupset.html ESPN.com - Page2 - When underdogs dance http://www.prepticket.com/album/823292:Album:51478/market/national/id/823292:Photo:51457 Top 25 Upsets in NCAA Tournament History--#5, Prepticket.com. Accessed 2009-04-02. http://www.prepticket.com/album/823292:Album:51478/market/national/id/823292:Photo:51457 Archived https://web.archive.org/web/20090420204304/http://www.prepticket.com/album/823292:Album:51478/market/national/id/823292:Photo:51457 2009-04-20 2009-05-04. set a record for most overtime periods in a Division I men's tournament game with four, a record that still stands 2023 y (tied once, in 1961).The Sports Network – Men's College Basketball The Sports Network http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask/mmad/2009/stat.aspx?f=teams_records https://web.archive.org/web/20110526000053/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cbask%2Fmmad%2F2009%2Fstat.aspx%3Ff%3Dteams_records 2011-05-26 dead 2009-04-02 Northwestern University previously hosted the first ever NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game on March 27, 1939, in the first Patten Gym.1939 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 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.Jimmy Bank Throwback Thursday: Jimmy Dee https://www.si.com/college/alabama/history/throwback-thursday-johnny-dee-alabama-basketball FanNation Sports Illustrated 7 May 2022 18 Feb 2021 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 Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa NCAA University Division basketball tournament NCAA University Division basketball tournament Category:Sports in Evanston, Illinois