1954 NCAA basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournamentMarch 2026 August 2023 March 2026 1954 24 Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri La Salle Explorers 1st 1st 1st Bradley Braves 2nd 2nd Penn State Nittany Lions 1st USC Trojans 2nd Ken Loeffler 1st Tom Gola La Salle 115,391 Tom Gola La Salle 114 The 1954 NCAA basketball tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 16th annual edition of the tournament began on March 8, and ended with the championship game on March 20, at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of 28 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. La Salle, coached by Ken Loeffler, won the national title with a 92–76 victory in the final game over Bradley, coached by Forddy Anderson. Tom Gola of La Salle was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.LA SALLE DEFEATS BRADLEY FOR TITLE; Third-Period Spurt, Sparked by Gola, Gains N. C. A. A. Crown by 92 to 76 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/03/21/92555208.html?pageNumber=205 1 March 2026 The New York Times 21 March 1954 en Of note, Kentucky, the top-ranked team in the nation (with a record of 25–0) did not participate in any post-season tournament. Since several key players had technically graduated the year before (when Kentucky was banned from playing a competitive schedule due to the point-shaving scandal a few years earlier), those players were ruled ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Despite the wishes of the players, Adolph Rupp ultimately decided his team would not play. LSU represented the Southeastern Conference in the tournament, its last appearance until 1979, well after the graduation of NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich. LSU made only one postseason appearance over the next 24 seasons, the 1970 National Invitation Tournament, during Maravich's senior season. Locations The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1954 tournament: East-1 Region First round (March 8) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York (Hosts: Canisius College, Niagara University) Duke Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina (Host: Duke University) East-1 Regional (March 12 and 13) The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League) East-2 Region First round (March 9) Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana (Host: Big Ten Conference) East-2 Regional (March 12 and 13) Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa (Host: University of Iowa) West-1 Region First round (March 8) Robertson Memorial Field House, Peoria, Illinois (Host: Bradley University) West-1 Regional (March 12 and 13) Gallagher Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma (Host: Oklahoma A&M University) West-2 Region First round (March 9) and West-2 Regional (March 12 and 13) Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon (Host: Oregon State University) Final Four March 19 and 20 Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference) Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Connecticut Hugh Greer Yankee First roundNavyL 85–80 East Cornell Royner Greene Ivy League Regional Fourth PlaceNC StateL 65–54 East Fordham Johnny Bach Metro NY First roundLa SalleL 76–74 East George Washington Bill Reinhart Southern First roundNC StateL 75–73 East Indiana Branch McCracken Big Ten Regional third placeLSUW 73–62 East La Salle Ken Loeffler Independent Champion Bradley W 92–76 East LSU Harry Rabenhorst Southeastern Regional Fourth PlaceIndianaL 73–62 East Loyola (LA) Jim McCafferty Independent First roundNotre DameL 80–70 East Navy Ben Carnevale Independent Elite EightLa SalleL 64–48 East NC State Everett Case Atlantic Coast Regional third placeCornellW 65–54 East Notre Dame John Jordan Independent Elite Eight Penn State L 71–63 East Penn State Elmer Gross Independent National Third PlaceUSCW 70–61 East Toledo Jerry Bush Mid-American First round Penn StateL 62–50 West West Bradley Forddy Anderson Independent Runner UpLa SalleL 92–76 West Colorado Bebe Lee Big 7 Regional Fourth PlaceRiceL 78–55 West Colorado A&M Bill Strannigan Mountain States Regional Fourth PlaceIdaho StateL 62–57 West Idaho State Steve Belko Independent Regional third placeColorado A&MW 62–57 West Oklahoma City Doyle Parrack Independent First roundBradleyL 61–55 West Oklahoma A&M Henry Iba Missouri Valley Elite EightBradleyL 71–57 West Rice Don Suman Southwest Regional third placeColoradoW 78–55 West Santa Clara Bob Feerick CBA Elite EightUSCL 66–65 West Seattle Al Brightman Independent First roundIdaho StateL 77–75 West USC Forrest Twogood Pacific Coast National Fourth PlacePenn StateL 70–61 West Texas Tech Polk Robison Border First roundSanta ClaraL 73–64 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period East-1 Region n 1953 men Navy Midshipmen Navy 85 Connecticut 80 1953 men NC State Wolfpack NC State 75 1953 men George Washington Colonials George Washington 73 La Salle 76 1953 men Fordham Rams Fordham 74* 1953 men Cornell Big Red Cornell 67 Navy 69 NC State 81 La Salle 88 Navy 48 La Salle 64 NC State 65 Cornell 54 East-2 Region n Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Penn State 62 1953 men Toledo Rockets Toledo 50 1953 men Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame 80 1953 men Loyola Wolfpack Loyola (LA) 70 1953 none LSU Tigers LSU 70 Penn State 78 Indiana 64 Notre Dame 65 Penn State 71 Notre Dame 63 Indiana 73 LSU 62 West-1 Region n Bradley 61 1953 men Oklahoma City Chiefs Oklahoma City 55 1953 men Colorado Buffaloes Colorado 64 Bradley 76 1953 men Oklahoma A&M Aggies Oklahoma A&M 51 1953 men Rice Owls Rice 45 Bradley 71 Oklahoma A&M 57 Rice 78 Colorado 55 West-2 Region n Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals 1953 men Idaho State Bengals Idaho State 77 1953 men Seattle Chieftains Seattle 75* 1953 men Santa Clara Broncos Santa Clara 73 Texas Tech 64 USC 73 Idaho State 59 1953 men Colorado A&M Rams Colorado A&M 50 Santa Clara 73 USC 66 Santa Clara 65** Idaho State 62 Colorado A&M 57 Final Four n 130 National semifinal National Championship Penn State 54 La Salle 69 Bradley 74 USC 72 La Salle 92 Bradley 76 National third-place game USC 61 Penn State 70 See also 1954 National Invitation Tournament 1954 NAIA Basketball Tournament References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa NCAA Basketball Tournament NCAA basketball tournament