Men's university basketball season
The 1955–56 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1955, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1956 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 24, 1956, at McGaw Hall in Evanston, Illinois. The San Francisco Dons won their second NCAA national championship with an 83–71 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Season headlines
- The Ivy League, which had been formally established as an athletic conference in 1954, played its first basketball season under that name. Previously, Ivy League schools had competed in the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League; today's Ivy League considers the EIBL as part of its history.
- The Philadelphia Big 5, an informal association of colleges and universities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focused on college basketball, began play. The Big 5 teams played a regular-season round robin schedule with one another each year through the 1990–91 season with the results determining an informal Big 5 championship, and revived the round-robin schedule during the 1999–2000 season.
- The NCAA tournament expanded from 24 to 25 teams.
- For the first time, the four regional competitions of the NCAA Tournament received names. In 1956, they were named the East, Midwest, West, and Far West Regions.
- For the last time, the NCAA held only a single championship tournament. The following season, it divided teams into a University Division and a College Division and began holding a separate tournament for each division.
- San Francisco won its second consecutive NCAA championship. With a record of 29–0, it became the first undefeated team to win the NCAA championship.[1]
- Bill Russell of San Francisco completed his career (1954–1956) averaging 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game. He was the first player to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game during his career.[2]
Major rule changes
Beginning in 1955–56, the following rules changes were implemented:
- The free-throw lane was increased in width from 6 feet (1.8 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m).
- The two-shot penalty in the last three minutes of the game was eliminated. The "one-and-one" free throw, in which a player shoots a second free throw only if he makes his first, went into effect for the entire game.[3][4]
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[5]
Conference membership changes
Regular season
Conference
Conference winners and tournaments
Conference standings
Major independents
A total of 43 college teams played as major independents. Among them, Louisville (26–3) had the best winning percentage (.897) and Temple (27–4) finished with the most wins.[17]
Informal championships
Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Coach Phil Woolpert and his star Bill Russell successfully guided San Francisco to its second consecutive championship, capping an undefeated season. The Dons became the first team in college basketball history to go undefeated and win the NCAA tournament. Temple's Hal Lear was named tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Final Four
Played at McGaw Hall in Evanston, Illinois
National Invitation tournament
Louisville won its first NIT title, defeating Dayton 83–80. Louisville's Charlie Tyra won MVP honors
NIT Semifinals and Final
Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Major player of the year awards
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
References
- ^ "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 11. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
- ^ 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book – Playing-Rules History section, NCAA, retrieved 2011-04-10
- ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2011-04-10
- ^ 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2011-04-10
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2010-08-14
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2011-04-10
- ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
- ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 Big Seven Conference Season Summary
- ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 California Basketball Association Season Summary
- ^ "1955-56 Mid-American Conference Season Summary". college-basketball-reference. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ sports-reference.com 1955-56 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
- ^ "1955-56 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ *Inside Sports College Basketball. Gale Research. 1998. ISBN 1-57859-009-4.
- ^ "The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches". Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
