1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season
The 1957–58 NCAA Division I men's basketball season was the highest level of competition for men's college basketball. The 1958 NCAA tournament ran from March 11 to March 22, 1958, and saw the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team win the national title over the Seattle Redhawks. Elgin Baylor, for Seattle, was named Player of the Year.
1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season | |
---|---|
NCAA Tournament | 1958 |
Tournament dates | March 11, 1958 – March 22, 1958 |
National Championship | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
NCAA Champions | Kentucky Wildcats |
Helms National Champions | Kentucky Wildcats |
Other champions | Xavier Musketeers (NIT) |
Player of the Year (Helms) | Elgin Baylor, Seattle |
Season headlines
- Adolph Rupp won his fourth championship as he led the Kentucky Wildcats to an 84–72 win over the Seattle Chieftains and their star, Elgin Baylor. The starting unit was nicknamed the "Fiddlin' Five," after a quip by Rupp that his team were fiddlers when he really needed violinists. The Wildcats fought back from two 11-point deficits to gain the victory.[1]
- Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson became the first player to lead the nation is scoring in his first varsity season. The sophomore (freshmen were ineligible) averaged 35.1 points per game for the Bearcats.
- Dom Flora, a senior point guard at Washington and Lee University, finished his college career with 2,310 points and 696 free throws made, both of which were ranked fifth in their respective categories in college basketball history at the end of the 1957–58 season.[2]
- Future Hall of Fame coach Howard Cann of NYU retired at the conclusion of the season, after 35 years at the helm.
Major rule changes
Beginning in 1957–58, the following rules changes were implemented:
- Offensive goaltending was banned so that no player from either team could touch the ball or basket when the ball was on the basket’s rim or above the cylinder. The only exception was the shooter in the original act of shooting.
- One free throw for each common foul was taken for the first six personal fouls by one team in each half, and the one-and-one was used thereafter.
- On uniforms, the use of the single digit numbers one and two and any digit greater than five was prohibited.
- A ball that passed over the backboard—either front to back or back to front—was considered out of bounds.[3]
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
Statistical leaders
Player | School | PPG | Player | School | REB% | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | FT% | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | 35.1 | Boo Ellis | Niagara | .262 | Ralph Crosthwaite | W. Kentucky State | 61.0 | Semi Mintz | Davidson | 88.2 | |||
Elgin Baylor | Seattle | 32.5 | Al Inniss | St. Francis (NY) | .248 | Oscar Robertson | Cincinnati | 57.1 | Gerald Myers | Texas Tech | 87.0 | |||
Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 30.1 | Elgin Baylor | Seattle | .235 | Pete Brunone | Manhattan | 56.2 | Arlen Clark | Oklahoma State | 86.5 | |||
Bailey Howell | Mississippi State | 27.8 | Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | .216 | Bob Goodall | Tulsa | 55.7 | Joe Hobbs | Florida | 86.0 | |||
Red Murrell | Drake | 26.7 | Joe Cincebox | Syracuse | .206 | Hal Greer | Marshall | 54.6 | Hub Reed | Oklahoma City | 85.1 |
Polls
The final top 20 from the AP and Coaches Polls.[10]
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Post-Season Tournaments
NCAA Tournament
Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats won their fourth National Championship by defeating the Seattle Chieftains 84–72 on March 22 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky[10] . Seattle's Elgin Baylor led all tournament scorers and was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Final Four
National Semifinals | National Championship Game | ||||||||
M2 | Kentucky | 61 | |||||||
W1 | Temple | 60 | |||||||
2 | Seattle | 72 | |||||||
1 | Kentucky | 84 | |||||||
S1 | Seattle | 73 | |||||||
E3 | Kansas State | 51 | |||||||
- Third Place – Temple 67, Kansas State 57
National Invitation Tournament
The Xavier Musketeers entered the National Invitation Tournament with a 15–11 record, but surprised the field, defeating fellow Ohio school Dayton 78–74 to win the NIT.[11] The Musketeers' Hank Stein was named tournament MVP.
NIT Semifinals and Final
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
1 | St. John’s | 56 | |||||||
3 | Dayton | 80 | |||||||
3 | Dayton | 74 | |||||||
2 | Xavier | 78 | |||||||
2 | St. Bonaventure | 53 | |||||||
2 | Xavier | 72 | |||||||
- Third Place – St. Bonaventure 84, St. John's 69
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Elgin Baylor | F | Junior | Seattle |
Bob Boozer | F | Junior | Kansas State |
Wilt Chamberlain | C | Junior | Kansas |
Don Hennon | G | Junior | Pittsburgh |
Oscar Robertson | G | Sophomore | Cincinnati |
Guy Rodgers | G | Senior | Temple |
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Pete Brennan | F | Senior | North Carolina |
Archie Dees | F/C | Senior | Indiana |
Mike Farmer | F | Senior | San Francisco |
Dave Gambee | F | Senior | Oregon State |
Bailey Howell | F | Junior | Mississippi State |
Major player of the year awards
- Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Elgin Baylor, Seattle
- UPI Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati
Major coach of the year awards
- UPI Coach of the Year: Tex Winter, Kansas State
Other major awards
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Guy Rodgers, Temple
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in NYC): Jim Cunningham, Fordham
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.
Team | Former Coach |
Interim Coach |
New Coach |
Reason |
---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | Lou Rossini | Archie Oldham | ||
Drake | John E. Benington | Maury John | ||
Duquesne | Dudey Moore | Red Manning | ||
Iowa | Bucky O'Connor | Sharm Scheuerman | O'Connor died in an auto accident on April 22, 1958[12] | |
La Salle | Jim Pollard | Dudey Moore | ||
Marquette | Jack Nagle | Eddie Hickey | ||
Memphis State | Eugene Lambert | Bob Vanatta | ||
New Mexico | Bill Stockton | Bob Sweeney | ||
NYU | Howard Cann | Lou Rossini | ||
Ohio State | Floyd Stahl | Fred Taylor | ||
Saint Louis | Eddie Hickey | John E. Benington | ||
Seattle | John Castellani | Vincent Cazzetta | After taking the Chieftains to the NCAA title game, Castellani resigned amid recruiting violations that resulted in a two-year post-season ban for the University.[13] | |
South Carolina | Frank Johnson | Walt Hambrick | ||
Vanderbilt | Bob Polk | Roy Skinner (interim) | Assistant coach Skinner served as interim for the season as Polk suffered a heart attack in the Fall[14] | |
Western Michigan | Joe Hoy | Don Boven | ||
References
- '58 The Fiddlin' Five Make Sweet Music
- "Dominick A. (Dom) Flora '58". Washington and Lee University. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book – Playing-Rules History section, NCAA, retrieved 2009-05-09. Archived 2009-05-13.
- "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section, retrieved 2009-02-14
- Kansas State Athletic Site – Wildcat Honor Roll, Kansas State University, retrieved 2009-05-17
- 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
- http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1958
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-12-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Frank "Bucky" O'Connor, Monroe, 1967
- Where Are They Now? John Castellani, Seattle U basketball coach
- Bob Polk: Vandy Coaching Legend