1959–60 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

Men's collegiate basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1959 None March 7 19, 1960 Cow Palace Daly City, California Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State Buckeyes Bradley Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Bearcats The 1959–60 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1959, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1960 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 19, 1960, at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. The Ohio State Buckeyes won their first NCAA national championship with a 75–55 victory over the California Golden Bears. Season headlines The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) began play. It was renamed the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968, the Pacific-10 Conference in 1978, and the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. Season outlook Pre-season polls 1959–60 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia 978-0-345-51392-2 Random House 2009 836 Associated PressRankingTeam1Cincinnati2West Virginia3Ohio State4California5Bradley6Utah7Saint Louis8Georgia Tech9Indiana10Illinois11Michigan State12NYU13Kentucky14La Salle15Villanova16Duke17Detroit18Texas A&M19Iowa20USC UPI CoachesRankingTeam1Cincinnati2California3West Virginia4Ohio State5North Carolina6Kentucky7Saint Louis8Indiana9Kansas10Utah11Saint Joseph's12Bradley13Louisville14Kansas State15(tie)USCGeorgia Tech17Wake Forest18(tie)St. John'sVillanova20(tie)NC StateUCLA Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference California California Golden Bears Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities California Los Angeles UCLA Bruins Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Centenary Centenary (LA) Gentlemen non-University Division NCAA University Division independent Creighton Creighton Bluejays non-University Division NCAA University Division independent Idaho Idaho Vandals Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Oregon Oregon Ducks Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Oregon State Oregon State Beavers Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Southern California USC Trojans Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Stanford Stanford Cardinal Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Washington Washington Huskies Pacific Coast Conference Athletic Association of Western Universities Washington and Lee Washington and Lee Generals NCAA University Division independent non-University Division Washington State Washington State Cougars Pacific Coast Conference NCAA University Division independent Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season winnerhttps://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Standings.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section 2009 NCAA 2009-02-14Conference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAthletic Association of Western Universities California None selected No TournamentAtlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Lee Shaffer,North Carolina2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192652/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf 2016-03-03 , retrieved 2009-02-14 1960 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, North Carolina) DukeBig Eight Conference Kansas & Kansas State None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Ohio State None selected No TournamentBorder Conference New Mexico State No TournamentIvy League Princeton None selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference NYU No TournamentMid-American Conference Ohio None selected No TournamentMiddle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph's No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Cincinnati None selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Utah No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State None selected No TournamentSoutheastern Conference Auburn None selected No TournamentSouthern Conference Virginia Tech Jerry West, West Virginia2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151437/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 July 23, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09 1960 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Richmond Arena(Richmond, Virginia) West Virginia2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110930163611/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 September 30, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference Texas Jay Arnette, Texas No TournamentWest Coast Athletic Conference Santa Clara Jerry Grote, Loyola (Calif.) No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut None selected No Tournament Conference standings University Division independents A total of 47 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, 1959 Miami Hurricanes Miami of Florida (23–4) had the best winning percentage (.852) and 1959 Providence Friars Providence (24–5) finished with the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1960.html Sports Reference 1959-60 Men's Independent Season Summary August 12, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 Saint Joseph's & Villanova Bill Kennedy, Temple Saint Joseph's and Villanova both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5. Post-season tournaments NCAA tournament 1960 NCAA University Division basketball tournament Final Four National semifinals National finals Third place E NYU 54 ME Ohio State 76 MW Cincinnati 69 W California 77 ME Ohio State 75 W California 55 E NYU 71 MW Cincinnati 95 National Invitation tournament 1960 National Invitation Tournament Semifinals & finals no Semifinals Finals Third place   Utah State 62   Providence 68   Bradley 82   St. Bonaventure 71   Providence 72   Bradley 88   Utah State 99   St. Bonaventure 83 Awards Consensus All-American teams 1960 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Darrall Imhoff C Senior California Jerry Lucas F/C Sophomore Ohio State Oscar Robertson G Senior Cincinnati Tom Stith G/F Junior St. Bonaventure Jerry West G Senior West Virginia + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Terry Dischinger F Sophomore Purdue Tony Jackson G Junior St. John's Roger Kaiser G Junior Georgia Tech Lee Shaffer F Senior North Carolina Len Wilkens G Senior Providence Major player of the year awards Helms Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati UPI Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Sporting News Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Major coach of the year awards Henry Iba Award: Pete Newell, California NABC Coach of the Year: Pete Newell, California UPI Coach of the Year: Pete Newell, California Other major awards Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Bill Kennedy, Temple NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Satch Sanders, NYU Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAlabamaEugene LambertHayden RileyCaliforniaPete NewellRene HerreriasCincinnatiGeorge SmithEd Jucker Smith left to be athletic director for Cincinnati.The CitadelNorm SloanMel ThompsonDavidsonTom ScottLefty DriesellGeorgetownTom NolanTommy O'KeefeAfter four seasons, Nolan resigned to focus on his role as head coach of Georgetown's baseball team, a position he had assumed in 1959 and held until 1978. His assistant O'Keefe succeeded him.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/coaches/bb-coach.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches 2013-12-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20170527235527/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/coaches/bb-coach.htm 2017-05-27 dead IdahoDave StrackJoe Cipriano Strack left to coach Michigan.MichiganWilliam PerigoDave StrackSan FranciscoRoss GiudicePete PelettaSan Jose StateWalt McPhersonStu InmanSeton HallHoney RussellRichie ReganTulsaClarence IbaJoe SwankWest VirginiaFred SchausGeorge King References 2