1952–53 NCAA men's basketball season

Men's university basketball season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1952–53 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1952, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1953 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 18, 1953, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Indiana Hoosiers won their second NCAA national championship with a 69–68 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Preseason AP No. 1None
NCAATournament1953
Tournament datesMarch 10 – 18, 1953
National ChampionshipMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
Quick facts –53 NCAA men's basketball season, Preseason AP No. 1 ...
1952–53 NCAA men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1None
NCAA Tournament1953
Tournament datesMarch 10 – 18, 1953
National ChampionshipMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA ChampionsIndiana Hoosiers
Helms National ChampionsIndiana Hoosiers
Other championsSeton Hall Pirates (NIT)
Player of the Year
(Helms)		Bob Houbregs, Washington Huskies
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Rule changes

Teams must take a free throw after a foul, as had been the practice through the 1938–39 season. Previously, under a rule that had been in effect since the 1939–40 season, a team could waive its free throw and instead take the ball at mid-court after a foul.[1]

Season headlines

  • Prior to the season, the NCAA ruled that colleges and universities could no longer count games played against non-collegiate opponents in their annual won-loss records. Previously, it had been a common practice for many years for colleges and universities to include non-collegiate opponents in their schedules, with the games recognized as part of their official record for the season.[2]
  • The California Basketball Association began play, with five original members. It would be renamed the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956 and the West Coast Conference in 1989.
  • The NCAA forced Kentucky to suspend its men's basketball program for the entire 1952–53 season as a result of the CCNY point-shaving scandal, which had been revealed in 1951.[3]
  • The NCAA tournament expanded from 16 to 22 teams.
  • Bill Chambers of William and Mary grabbed 51 rebounds against Virginia on February 14, 1953, becoming the first player with more than 50 rebounds in one game.[4]
  • Bob Houbregs of Washington became the first player to score 40 or more points in an NCAA tournament Final Four game when he scored 42 against LSU in the national third-place game on March 18, 1953.[5]
  • Walter Dukes of Seton Hall finished the season with 734 rebounds for the year, the first player to grab 700 rebounds in a single season.[4]

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1952–53 NCAA men's basketball rankings

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[6]

More information Associated Press, Ranking ...
Associated Press
Ranking Team
1 La Salle
2 Kansas State
3 Illinois
4 Seton Hall
5 Oklahoma A&M
6 NC State
7 Notre Dame
8 Holy Cross
9 Washington
10 LSU
11 Western Kentucky State
12 UCLA
13 Oklahoma City
14 St. Bonaventure
15 Tulsa
16 Minnesota
17 Saint Louis
18 California
19 Indiana
20
(tie)		 Navy
Kansas
UP Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Illinois
2 Kansas State
3 La Salle
4 Washington
5 NC State
6 Oklahoma A&M
7 UCLA
8 Indiana
9 Seton Hall
10 Saint Louis
11 Holy Cross
12 Santa Clara
13 Notre Dame
14 Duquesne
15 Wyoming
16 St. John's
17
(tie)		 BYU
Minnesota
19 Kansas
20 St. Bonaventure
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Conference membership changes

More information School, Former conference ...
School Former conference New conference
Evansville Purple Aces Ohio Valley Conference Non-major basketball program
Marshall Thundering Herd Ohio Valley Conference Independent
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Non-major basketball program Ohio Valley Conference
Pacific Tigers Non-major basketball program California Basketball Association
Saint Mary's Gaels Independent California Basketball Association
San Francisco Dons Independent California Basketball Association
San Jose State Spartans Non-major basketball program California Basketball Association
Santa Clara Broncos Independent California Basketball Association
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Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

More information Conference, Regular season winner ...
Conference Regular
season winner[7]		 Conference
player of the year		 Conference
tournament		 Tournament
venue (City)		 Tournament
winner
Big Seven ConferenceKansasNone selectedNo Tournament
Big Ten ConferenceIndianaNone selectedNo Tournament
Border ConferenceArizona & Hardin-SimmonsNo Tournament
California Basketball AssociationSanta ClaraNone selectedNo Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball LeaguePennNone selectedNo Tournament
Metropolitan New York ConferenceManhattanNo Tournament
Mid-American ConferenceMiami (OH)None selectedNo Tournament
Missouri Valley ConferenceOklahoma A&MNone selectedNo Tournament
Mountain States (Skyline) ConferenceWyomingNo Tournament
Ohio Valley ConferenceEastern Kentucky StateNone selected1953 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournamentJefferson County Armory (Louisville, Kentucky)Western Kentucky State
Pacific Coast ConferenceWashington (North); California (South)No Tournament;
Washington defeated California in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
Southeastern ConferenceLSUNone selectedNo Tournament
Southern ConferenceNC StateFrank Selvy, Furman[8]1953 Southern Conference men's basketball tournamentReynolds Coliseum
(Raleigh, North Carolina)		Wake Forest[9]
Southwest ConferenceTCUNone selectedNo Tournament
Western New York Little Three ConferenceNiagaraNo Tournament
Yankee ConferenceConnecticutNone selectedNo Tournament
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Conference standings

More information Conf., Overall ...
1952–53 Big Seven Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 3 Kansas10–2 .83319–6  .760
No. 12 Kansas State9–3 .75017–4  .810
Missouri6–6 .50011–9  .550
Iowa State5–7 .41710–11  .476
Oklahoma5–7 .4178–13  .381
Nebraska4–8 .3339–11  .450
Colorado3–9 .25010–11  .476
Rankings from AP Poll[10]
1952–53 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Indiana17–1 .94423–3  .885
No. 11 Illinois14–4 .77818–4  .818
Minnesota11–7 .61114–8  .636
Michigan State11–7 .61113–9  .591
Wisconsin10–8 .55613–9  .591
Iowa9–9 .50012–10  .545
Ohio State7–11 .38910–12  .455
Northwestern5–13 .2786–16  .273
Michigan3–15 .1676–16  .273
Purdue3–15 .1674–18  .182
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Border Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Hardin–Simmons11–3 .78619–12  .613
Arizona11–3 .78613–11  .542
Arizona State–Tempe10–4 .71413–12  .520
Texas Tech9–5 .64312–10  .545
West Texas State5–9 .3578–13  .381
New Mexico A&M5–9 .3577–17  .292
Texas Western3–11 .2144–21  .160
Arizona State–Flagstaff2–12 .1434–19  .174
† Regular-season co-championship winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 California Basketball Association men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 16 Santa Clara†6–2 .75017–7  .708
San Francisco6–2 .75010–11  .476
San Jose State4–4 .50015–8  .652
Saint Mary's4–4 .5009–11  .450
Pacific– –2–18  .100
† Regular-season championship winner
Rankings from AP Poll[11]
1952–53 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Pennsylvania10–2 .83322–5  .815
Columbia8–4 .66717–6  .739
Cornell6–6 .5009–12  .429
Yale6–6 .50010–15  .400
Dartmouth5–7 .41712–14  .462
Princeton5–7 .4179–14  .391
Harvard2–10 .1677–16  .304
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Manhattan6–0 1.00020–6  .769
No. 7 St. John's5–1 .83317–6  .739
Fordham4–2 .66718–8  .692
St. Francis (NY)2–3 .40019–7  .731
NYU1–3 .2509–11  .450
CCNY1–5 .16710–6  .625
Brooklyn0–5 .0006–11  .353
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Miami (Ohio)10–2 .83317–6  .739
Toledo9–3 .75016–7  .696
Cincinnati9–3 .75011–13  .458
Western Michigan6–6 .50012–9  .571
Ohio4–8 .3339–13  .409
Kent State3–9 .2507–15  .318
Western Reserve1–11 .0835–17  .227
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 8 Oklahoma A&M8–2 .80023–7  .767
Tulsa5–5 .50015–10  .600
Saint Louis5–5 .50016–11  .593
Houston5–5 .5009–13  .409
Detroit4–6 .40012–14  .462
Wichita Municipal3–7 .30016–11  .593
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Wyoming12–2 .85720–10  .667
BYU11–3 .78622–8  .733
Utah State7–7 .50017–13  .567
Montana6–8 .42914–11  .560
Colorado A&M5–9 .35712–14  .462
New Mexico5–9 .35710–14  .417
Utah5–9 .35710–14  .417
Denver5–9 .3579–16  .360
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Eastern Kentucky State9–1 .90016–9  .640
No. 17 Western Kentucky State†8–2 .80025–6  .806
Murray State– –18–9  .667
Tennessee Tech– –14–11  .560
Morehead State– –13–12  .520
Middle Tennessee– –7–16  .304
† Ohio Valley Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
North
No. 4 Washington †15–1 .93830–3  .909
Idaho8–8 .50015–12  .556
Oregon8–8 .50014–14  .500
Oregon State6–10 .37511–18  .379
Washington State3–13 .1887–27  .206
South
California9–3 .75016–10  .615
USC7–5 .58317–5  .773
UCLA6–0 1.00016–8  .667
Stanford2–10 .1677–20  .259
† Conference playoff series winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Rocky Mountain Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Idaho State10–0 1.00016–6  .727
Colorado State–Greeley7–3 .70014–11  .560
Montana State6–4 .60011–24  .314
Western State (CO)4–6 .4009–14  .391
Colorado College2–8 .2003–18  .143
Colorado Mines1–9 .1002–18  .100
1952–53 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 LSU13–0 1.00022–3  .880
Tulane9–4 .69212–6  .667
Florida8–5 .61513–6  .684
Tennessee7–6 .53813–8  .619
Auburn6–7 .46213–8  .619
Alabama6–7 .46212–9  .571
Ole Miss5–8 .38514–11  .560
Vanderbilt5–8 .38510–9  .526
Mississippi State5–8 .3859–10  .474
Georgia Tech4–9 .3085–17  .227
Georgia3–10 .2317–18  .280
Rankings from AP Poll[12]
1952–53 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 18 North Carolina State13–3 .81326–6  .813
No. 15 Wake Forest †12–3 .80019–6  .760
Maryland12–3 .80015–8  .652
West Virginia11–3 .78619–17  .528
Furman10–3 .76921–6  .778
Duke12–4 .75017–8  .680
Richmond13–5 .72221–7  .750
North Carolina15–6 .71417–10  .630
George Washington12–6 .66715–7  .682
Clemson6–8 .4298–10  .444
South Carolina7–12 .36811–13  .458
William & Mary6–13 .31610–13  .435
Virginia Tech4–13 .2354–19  .174
Davidson3–14 .1764–16  .200
VMI1–14 .0675–19  .208
Washington and Lee1–17 .0562–20  .091
The Citadel0–11 .0004–14  .222
† Southern Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
TCU9–3 .75016–8  .667
Rice8–4 .66715–6  .714
Texas8–4 .66712–9  .571
Baylor6–6 .50010–11  .476
Arkansas4–8 .33310–11  .476
SMU4–8 .3338–12  .400
Texas A&M3–9 .2506–15  .286
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Western New York Little Three Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Niagara4–0 1.00022–6  .786
St. Bonaventure1–3 .25010–11  .476
Canisius1–3 .2509–14  .391
Rankings from AP Poll
1952–53 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Connecticut 5–1 .83317–4  .810
Rhode Island 6–2 .75013–10  .565
Maine 3–4 .4297–10  .412
Vermont 1–2 .33311–10  .524
New Hampshire 2–5 .2868–10  .444
Massachusetts 1–4 .2004–15  .211
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Major independents

A total of 44 college teams played as major independents. Among them, Seton Hall (31–2) finished with both the best winning percentage (.939) and the most wins.[13]

Although not considered a major independent during the season,[13] Southwest Missouri State (24–4) played as an independent[13] and was ranked No. 20 in the season's final AP Poll.[14]

More information Conf., Overall ...
1952–53 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 2 Seton Hall– –31–2  .939
No. 14 Seattle– –29–3  .906
No. 6 La Salle– –25–3  .893
No. 10 Notre Dame– –19–5  .792
Louisville– –22–6  .786
No. 13 Holy Cross– –20–6  .769
Navy– –16–5  .762
Oklahoma City– –18–6  .750
No. 9 Duquesne– –21–8  .724
Villanova– –19–8  .704
No. 19 DePaul– –19–9  .679
Georgetown– –13–7  .650
Penn State– –15–9  .625
Temple– –16–10  .615
Butler– –14–9  .609
Lehigh– –12–8  .600
Baldwin Wallace– –13–9  .591
Army– –11–8  .579
Colgate– –12–9  .571
Muhlenberg– –13–10  .565
St. Joseph's– –14–11  .560
Bradley– –15–12  .556
Dayton– –16–13  .552
Marquette– –13–11  .542
Pittsburgh– –12–11  .522
Drake– –13–12  .520
Lafayette– –13–12  .520
Loyola (La.)– –14–13  .519
Gonzaga– –15–14  .517
Loyola (Calif.)– –14–14  .500
John Carroll– –13–14  .481
Xavier– –11–12  .478
Siena– –10–11  .476
Bowling Green State– –12–15  .444
Creighton– –11–14  .440
Virginia– –10–13  .435
Miami (Fla.)– –9–12  .429
Syracuse– –7–11  .389
Rutgers– –8–13  .381
Valparaiso– –9–15  .375
Loyola (Ill.)– –8–15  .348
Boston College– –7–15  .318
Brown– –5–14  .263
Bucknell– –3–16  .158
Rankings from AP Poll
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Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main article: 1953 NCAA basketball tournament

Final Four

National semifinals National finals
    
LSU 67
Indiana 80
Indiana 69
Kansas 68
Kansas 79
Washington 53 Third place
LSU 69
Washington 88

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1953 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

Semifinals Finals
    
St. John's 64
Duquesne 55
St. John's 46
Seton Hall 58
Manhattan 56
Seton Hall 74 Third place
Duquesne 81
Manhattan 67

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1953 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
More information Player, Position ...
Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Ernie Beck F Senior Pennsylvania
Walter Dukes C Senior Seton Hall
Tom Gola F Sophomore La Salle
Bob Houbregs F Senior Washington
Johnny O'Brien G Senior Seattle
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More information Player, Position ...
Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Dick Knostman F Senior Kansas State
Bob Pettit C Junior Louisiana State
Joe Richey G Senior Brigham Young
Don Schlundt C Sophomore Indiana
Frank Selvy G Junior Furman
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Major player of the year awards

Other major awards

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

More information Team, Former Coach ...
Team Former
Coach		 Interim
Coach		 New
Coach		 Reason
Army Elmer Ripley Bob Vanatta
Boston College Al McClellan Dino Martin
Canisius Joseph Niland Joseph Curran
Kansas State Jack Gardner Tex Winter Gardner left to coach Utah.
Loyola (Calif.) Edwin Powell Bill Donovan
Marquette Tex Winter Jack Nagle Winter left to coach Kansas State.
Morehead State Ellis T. Johnson Bobby Laughlin
New Mexico M&M George McCarty Presley Askew
Pittsburgh Doc Carlson Bob Timmons
St. Joseph's Bill Ferguson John McMenamin
St. Bonaventure Ed Melvin Eddie Donovan
Utah Vadal Peterson Jack Gardner
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References

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