| 1953–54 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| Preseason AP No. 1 | Indiana[1] |
| NCAA Tournament | 1954 |
| Tournament dates | March 8 – 20, 1954 |
| National Championship | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| NCAA Champions | La Salle |
| Helms National Champions | Kentucky[2] |
| Other champions | Holy Cross (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | Tom Gola, La Salle |
The 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1953, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 20, 1954, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The La Salle Explorers won their first NCAA national championship with a 92–76 victory over the Bradley Braves.
Season headlines
- The Atlantic Coast Conference began play, with eight original members.
- The NCAA tournament expanded from 22 to 24 teams.
- Kentucky went undefeated, finishing with a 25–0 record. The Helms Athletic Foundation awarded its national championship to Kentucky rather than to the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament champion, La Salle.[2] It was the fourth and final time that the NCAA champion and the Helms champion differed. Kentucky was ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll, taken after the tournaments, ahead of No. 2 La Salle (NCAA tournament champion) and No. 3 Holy Cross (National Invitation Tournament champion).[3]
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[4][5]
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Conference membership changes
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
| National semifinals | National finals | ||||||||
| Penn State | 54 | ||||||||
| La Salle | 69 | ||||||||
| La Salle | 92 | ||||||||
| Bradley | 76 | ||||||||
| Bradley | 74 | ||||||||
| USC | 72 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Penn State 70, USC 61
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| Western Kentucky State | 69 | ||||||||
| Holy Cross | 75 | ||||||||
| Holy Cross | 71 | ||||||||
| Duquesne | 62 | ||||||||
| Duquesne | 66 | ||||||||
| Niagara | 51 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Niagara 71, Western Kentucky State 66
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Gola | F | Junior | La Salle |
| Cliff Hagan | F | Senior | Kentucky |
| Bob Pettit | C | Senior | Louisiana State |
| Don Schlundt | C | Junior | Indiana |
| Frank Selvy | G | Senior | Furman |
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Leonard | G | Senior | Indiana |
| Tom Marshall | F | Senior | Western Kentucky State |
| Bob Mattick | C | Senior | Oklahoma A&M |
| Frank Ramsey | G/F | Senior | Kentucky |
| Dick Ricketts | F/C | Junior | Duquesne |
Major player of the year awards
Other major awards
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Ed Conlin, Fordham
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach |
Interim Coach |
New Coach |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Carroll | Fred George | Silvio Cornachione[10] | ||
References
- ↑ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 625. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- 1 2 "Helms Bypasses La Salle — Kentucky Named Top Team". The Daily O'Collegian. April 1, 1954. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
Although La Salle won the NCAA title, and Holy Cross the National Invitational crown, Helms Athletic foundation has elected to hand the national championship honors for the 1954 season to the University of Kentucky's undefeated in 25 games Wildcats.
- ↑ Fullerton, Jr., Hugh (March 23, 1954). Written at New York. "Kentucky Beats Out Tourney Winners in Final Cage Poll". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. Associated Press. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
Kentucky's unbeaten basketball team, which refrained from tournament competition this year, came out ahead of the two national tournament winners, La Salle and Holy Cross, in the final Associated Press ranking poll of the 1953–54 season today.
- ↑ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ↑ "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ↑ "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 2009-02-14
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "2021 John Carroll Blue Streaks men's basketball history & records guide, page 28" (PDF). John Carroll Blue Streaks. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
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