MOP Hal Lear Temple Dates 12 Mar 1956 – 24 Mar 1956 Finals site Welsh-Ryan Arena | Attendance 132,513 Teams 25 | |
Champions San Francisco (2nd title, 2nd title game,
2nd Final Four) Runner-up Iowa (1st title game,
2nd Final Four) Semifinalists SMU (1st Final Four)
Temple (1st Final Four) Winning coach Phil Woolpert (2nd title) Champion San Francisco Dons men's basketball Similar 1988 NCAA Division I, 2000 NCAA Division I, 1982 NCAA Division I, 2001 NCAA Division I | ||
The 1956 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24 on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.
This was the first NCAA tournament in which the four regionals were given distinct names, although the concept of four regional winners advancing to a single site for the "Final Four" had been introduced in 1952.
San Francisco, coached by Phil Woolpert, won the national title with an 83–71 victory in the final game over Iowa, coached by Bucky O'Connor. Hal Lear of Temple was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Bracket
* – Denotes overtime period