1951–52 NCAA men's basketball season

Men's collegiate basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1951 NoneKentucky Wildcats (UP) March 21, 1952 March 26, 1952 Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle, Washington Kansas Jayhawks Kansas Jayhawks La Salle Explorers Clyde Lovellette, Kansas Jayhawks The 1951–52 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1951, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1952 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1952, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington. The Kansas Jayhawks won their first NCAA national championship with an 80–63 victory over the St. John's Redmen. Season headlines The 1951–52 season was the last one in which colleges and universities could include non-collegiate opponents in their schedules with the games recognized as part of their official record for the season, a common practice for many years. After the season, the NCAA ruled that colleges and universities could no longer count games played against non-collegiate opponents in their annual won-loss records.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/opponents-nc.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Non-Collegiate Opponents 2014-01-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212123107/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/opponents-nc.htm 2017-02-12 dead Long Island University began the first season of its six-year ban from playing NCAA basketball as a result of the CCNY point-shaving scandal that had been revealed in 1951. Anderson Dave When Sherman White Threw It All Away The New York Times 22 March 1998 http://partners.nytimes.com/library/sports/backtalk/021701anderson-recollects032298.html 8 July 2010 2009–10 LIU Blackbirds Men's Basketball Media Guide issuu.com Long Island University 2009 http://issuu.com/liuathletics/docs/2009-10-liu-mbb-media-guide Flash 69 8 July 2010 October 6, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121006112039/http://issuu.com/liuathletics/docs/2009-10-liu-mbb-media-guide dead After finishing second in the Southern Conference in regular-season play, North Carolina State became the first team to receive an automatic NCAA tournament bid by winning its conference tournament championship without finishing first in its conference during the regular season.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 11 The 1952 NCAA tournament was the first NCAA tournament to have four regional sites, and therefore was the first to have a true "Final Four," with the winners at four regional sites advancing to play at the finals site. Although four teams had advanced to the finals site since 1946, they previously had come from only two regional sites.https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-05-27/1952-ncaa-tournament-bracket-scores-stats-records 1952 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, records May 27, 2020 ncaa.com NCAA June 27, 2024 Elmer Gross of Penn State became the first head coach to lead his alma mater into the NCAA tournament after having played in the tournament. He had played for Penn State in the 1942 NCAA basketball tournament.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 12 Doyle Parrack of Oklahoma City became the first head coach to lead a school other than his alma mater into the NCAA tournament after having played in the tournament. He had played for Oklahoma A&M in the 1945 NCAA basketball tournament. Clyde Lovellette of Kansas became the first player to score 40 or more points in an NCAA tournament game when he scored 44 against Saint Louis in a West Region final game on March 22, 1952. He was the first player to lead the United States in scoring and win the NCAA title in the same year.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 13 The NCAA tournament received regional television coverage for the first time. In the Olympic Trials held immediately after the tournaments, NCAA champion Kansas defeated NAIA champion Southwest Missouri State in the collegiate semi-finals and then NIT champion La Salle in the collegiate final. This was the first time the NIT and NCAA champions had met since the Red Cross benefit game in 1945. Kansas lost to the AAU champion Peoria Caterpillars in the Olympic Trials overall final. Harlem Globetrotters vs. Seattle University On January 21, 1952, the Harlem Globetrotters played Seattle in a game designed to raise funds for the United States Olympic efforts. Five days before the game was held, Royal Brougham received a call from Howard Hobson, who was the Yale basketball coach and a United States Olympic Committee member. It was reported that money was needed to support the country's Olympic effort for the games held in Helsinki, Finland. The Globetrotters had agreed to a three-game fund-raiser against college teams in the West, Midwest and East.http://www.seattlepi.com/othersports/55228_globe21.shtml Seattle Post-Intelligencer Dan Raley Fifty years ago tonight, Seattle U. upset the mighty Globetrotters 2002-01-20 Tickets cost $1.50 and they were sold out in 48 hours. Jazz great Louis Armstrong played at halftime and actress Joan Caulfield performed a ceremonial opening tip off. The game was played at the University of Washington's Hec Edmondson Pavilion and was filled to its 12,500 capacity. The Globetrotters were considered the best basketball team in the world and the club paid their two star players "Goose" Tatum and Marques Hayes twenty five thousand dollars each.http://www.mylosingseason.com/2008/10/division-i-basketball-back-at-seattle-u.html My Losing Season: Division I Basketball back at Seattle U 2009-05-08 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111006045806/http://www.mylosingseason.com/2008/10/division-i-basketball-back-at-seattle-u.html 2011-10-06 Entering the game with Seattle, the Globetrotters had played 3571 games winning 93 percent of their contests. Seattle player Johnny O'Brien was the nation's leading scorer at that time. O'Brien would become the first player in the history of college basketball to score 1000 points in a single season. http://www.goseattleu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=89901&SPID=10773&DB_OEM_ID=18200&ATCLID=3638805 https://web.archive.org/web/20110711114330/http://www.goseattleu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=89901&SPID=10773&DB_OEM_ID=18200&ATCLID=3638805 dead July 11, 2011 Reference at www.goseattleu.com He would finish the season with 1,051 points. Against the Globetrotters, O'Brien poured in 43 points. Johnny's brother Eddie played point guard for Chieftains and his half court shot lifted the club to a 10-point lead. After halftime, the Globetrotters got back in the game as Johnny O'Brien sat out most of the third quarter. With seconds left in the game, the Globetrotters called a time out they did not have. A free throw was made by Johnny O'Brien and there was a possession change. The Chieftains were ahead 84–81. Globetrotter owner Abe Saperstein was so upset that he canceled the rest of the Trotters benefit schedule that year. Major rule changes Beginning in 1951–52, the following rules change was implemented: Games were divided into four 10-minute quarters. Previously, they had been divided into two 20-minute halves. http://www.orangehoops.org/NCAA/NCAA%20Rule%20Changes.htm orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Rules.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book – Playing-Rules History section, NCAA, retrieved 2009-05-09. http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Rules.pdf https://www.webcitation.org/5gkL51P19?url=http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Rules.pdf dead 2007-06-15 Archived 2009-05-13. Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Bradley Bradley Braves Missouri Valley Conference Independent Drake Drake Bulldogs Missouri Valley Conference Independent Kent State Kent State Golden Flashes Independent Mid-American Conference Montana Montana Grizzlies Independent Mountain States (Skyline) Conference New Mexico New Mexico Lobos Border Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Toledo Toledo Rockets Independent Mid-American Conference New arenas Georgetown, which had played since the 1927–28 season at various off-campus sites, opened McDonough Gymnasium, its first on-campus intercollegiate basketball venue since its final season as Ryan Gymnasium in the 1926–27 season. In the first regular-season game in the new gymnasium, played the day before McDonough's official opening, the Hoyas lost to Fordham 57–50 on December 7, 1951, their only home loss of the season.DEDICATES GYMNASIUM; Georgetown U. Opens Memorial to. Rev. Vincent McDonough New York Times 1951-12-09 https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60617F63A591A7B93CBA91789D95F458585F9 96 The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Home Courts McDonough served as Georgetown's home court until the Hoyas moved to the Capital Centre (later USAir Arena and USAirways Arena) in Landover, Maryland, for the 1981–82 season,http://www.hoyabasketball.com/history/arenas.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: History & Tradition 15 November 2016 but has hosted occasional Hoya home games since then.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: Record Book 15 November 2016 February 12, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170212070905/http://hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1980.htm deadhttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1990.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: Record Book 15 November 2016 November 12, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131112045956/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-1990.htm deadhttp://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-2000s.htm Georgetown Basketball History Project: Record Book 15 November 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20131112045914/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/records/bb-2000s.htm 12 November 2013 deadParas, Matthew, "Verizon Center renamed Capital One Arena," washingtontimes.com, August 9, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2018Wallace, Ava, "Harvard makes Georgetown’s postseason stint a short one with loss in NIT," washingtonpost.com, March 20, 2019 Retrieved March 24, 2019 Georgetown basketball will begin its season at McDonough Arena and without fans 13 Nov 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/11/13/georgetown-basketball-schedule/2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule https://guhoyas.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2020-21 Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular Season Winnerhttp://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 winnerBig Seven Conference Kansas None Selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Illinois None Selected No TournamentBorder Conference New Mexico A&M & West Texas State None Selected No TournamentEastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Princeton None Selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference St. John's None Selected No TournamentMid-American Conference Miami & Western Michigan None Selected No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Saint Louis None Selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Wyoming None Selected No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State None Selected 1952 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Jefferson County Armory,(Louisville, Kentucky) Western Kentucky StatePacific Coast Conference Washington (North);UCLA (South) None Selected No Tournament;UCLA defeated Washington in best-of-three conference championship playoff seriesSoutheastern Conference Kentucky None Selected 1952 SEC men's basketball tournament Jefferson County Armory,(Louisville, Kentucky) KentuckySouthern Conference West Virginia Dick Groat, Duke http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section May 25, 2009 July 23, 2011 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 dead, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09 1952 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, North Carolina) North Carolina State http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section May 9, 2021 September 30, 2011 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 dead, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference TCU None Selected No TournamentWestern New York Little Three Conference Canisius & St. Bonaventure No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut None Selected No Tournament Conference standings Major independents A total of 45 college teams played as major independents. Among them, 1951 Seton Hall University Seton Hall Pirates Seton Hall (25–3) finished with the best winning percentage (.853) and 1951 University of Dayton Dayton Flyers Dayton (28–5) with the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1952.html Sports Reference 1951-52 Men's Independent Season Summary August 8, 2024https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/middle-three/men/1952.html Sports Reference 1951-52 Men's Middle Three Conference Season Summary August 8, 2024 Although not considered major independents during the season, Seattle (27–8) and 1951 men Texas State Bobcats Texas State (30–1) played as independents and finished the season with national rankings. In the season's final AP Poll, Seattle was ranked No. 18 and Texas State was No. 20.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/1952-polls.html Sports Reference 1951-52 Men's College Basketball AP Polls August 8, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerhttp://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 winnerMiddle Three Conference Lafayette None selectedNo Tournament NOTE: Despite its name, the Middle Three Conference was an informal scheduling alliance rather than a true conference, and its members played as independents. In 1951–52, Lafayette finished with the best record in games played between the three members.1951-52 Men's Middle Three Conference Season Summary @ sports-reference.com Statistical leaders "Points per game Rebounds per game Assists per game Field goal percentage Player School PPG Player School RPG Player School APG Player School FG% Clyde Lovellette Kansas 28.4 Bill Hannon Army 20.9 Tom O'Toole Boston College 7.9 Art Spoelstra Western Kentucky State 51.6 Dick Groat Duke 26.0 Walter Dukes Seton Hall 19.7 Dick Groat Duke 7.6 Gerald Rogers Texas Western 50.4 Bob Pettit LSU 25.5 Ernie Beck Penn 19.0 Malcolm McLean Davidson 7.5 Norm Swanson Detroit 50.3 Chuck Darling Iowa 25.5 Elston Tuttle Creighton 18.9 Larry Friedman Muhlenberg 7.3 Karl Klinar VMI 49.2 Frank Selvy Furman 24.6 Bill Chambers William & Mary 18.2 Roger Chadwick Cornell 6.9 Tom Marshall Western Kentucky State 49.1 Free throw percentageNameSchoolFT% Sy Chadroff Miami (FL) 80.5 Bob Kenney Kansas 80.3 Drew Turner St. Mary's (CA) 80.2 Tommy Bartlett Tennessee 80.2 Russell Rerucha Colorado A&M 80.0 Year-end polls 1951–52 NCAA men's basketball rankings The final regular-season top 20 from the AP and Coaches Polls. http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1952 RotoWire Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball and More Associated PressRankingTeam1 Kentucky2 Illinois3 Kansas State4 Duquesne5 Saint Louis6 Washington7 Iowa8 Kansas9 West Virginia10 St. John's11 Dayton12 Duke13 Holy Cross14 Seton Hall15 St. Bonaventure16 Wyoming17 Louisville18 Seattle19 UCLA20 Texas State CoachesRankingTeam1 Kentucky2 Illinois3 Kansas4 Duquesne5 Washington6 Kansas State7 Saint Louis8 Iowa9 St. John's10 Wyoming11 St. Bonaventure12 Seton Hall13 Texas Christian14 West Virginia15 Holy Cross16 Western Kentucky State17 La Salle18 Dayton19 Louisville 20 UCLA Indiana Postseason tournaments NCAA tournament 1952 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Phog Allen led the Kansas Jayhawks to their first NCAA tournament title, defeating St. John's 80–63. Jayhawk All-American Clyde Lovellette broke the NCAA record by scoring 141 points in the tournament and was named tournament Most Outstanding Player. Final Four no National semifinals National championship game Third place St. John's 61 Illinois 59 Kansas 74 Santa Clara 55 St. John's 63 Kansas 80 Illinois 67 Santa Clara 64 National Invitation tournament 1952 National Invitation Tournament La Salle won the National Invitation Tournament by beating Dayton, 75–64. Tom Gola and Norm Grekin were named co-MVPs.http://www.nit.org/history/nit-postseason-results-1950s.html NIT OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - History 2009-12-09 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100326191327/http://www.nit.org/history/nit-postseason-results-1950s.html 2010-03-26 NIT semifinals and final Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City no Semifinals Final Third place St. Bonaventure 62 Dayton 69 Duquesne 46 La Salle 59 Dayton 64 La Salle 75 St. Bonaventure 48 Duquesne 34 Award winners Consensus All-American team 1952 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Chuck Darling C Senior Iowa Rod Fletcher G Senior Illinois Dick Groat G Senior Duke Cliff Hagan F Junior Kentucky Clyde Lovellette C Senior Kansas + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Bob Houbregs F Junior Washington Don Meineke F Senior Dayton Johnny O'Brien G Junior Seattle Mark Workman C Senior West Virginia Bob Zawoluk F Senior St. John's Major player of the year awards Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Clyde Lovellette, Kansas Other major awards NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in NYC): Ron MacGilvray, St. John's Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAlabamaFloyd BurdetteJohn DeeArkansasPresley AskewGlen RoseBucknellJack GuyBen Kribbs Guy left to coach Rhode Island.CincinnatiJohn WietheGeorge SmithThe CitadelBernard O'NeilLeo ZackCreightonDuce BelfordSebastian SalernoDavidsonBoydson BairdDanny MillerGeorgetownBuddy O'GradyBuddy JeannetteAfter three seasons, O'Grady resigned.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 Loyola (Calif.)Scotty McDonaldEdwin PowellMassachusettsLorin BallRobert T. CurranMiami (Fla.)Hart MorrisDave WikeMichiganErnest McCoyWilliam PerigoNew HampshireDale HallBob KerrNew MexicoBerl HuffmanWoody ClementsNorth CarolinaTom ScottFrank McGuire NorthwesternHarold OlsenWaldo A. FisherRhode IslandRed HaireJack GuyRichmondMalcolm PittH. Lester HookerSt. John'sFrank McGuireAl DeStefano TempleJosh CodyHarry LitwackVMIBill O'HaraChuck Noe Washington & LeeScotty HamiltonBilly McCann Western MichiganWilliam PerigoJoe Hoy Perigo left to coach Michigan. References 2 Statistical Leaders from 1953 Official Collegiate Basketball Record Book, (Copyright 1952, National Collegiate Athletic Bureau)