Puneet Varma (Editor)

1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

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NCAA Tournament
  
1958

Helms National Champions
  
Kentucky Wildcats

Start date
  
1957

NCAA Champions
  
Kentucky Wildcats

Player of the Year (Helms)
  
Elgin Baylor, Seattle

National championship
  
Freedom Hall

Tournament dates
  
March 11, 1958 – March 22, 1958

Other champions
  
Xavier Musketeers (NIT)

People also search for
  
1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

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.
  • 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.
  • 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:

    Contents

  • 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.

    • Polls

    The final top 20 from the AP and Coaches Polls.

    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 . Seattle's Elgin Baylor led all tournament scorers and was named the tournament Most Outstanding Player.

    Final Four

  • 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. The Musketeers' Hank Stein was named tournament MVP.

    NIT Semifinals and Final

    Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

  • Third Place – St. Bonaventure 84, St. John's 69

    • 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.

    References

    1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA