1959 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
Edition of USA college basketball tournament
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The 1959 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. The 21st annual edition of the tournament began on March 7, 1959, and ended with the championship game on March 21, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. A total of 27 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.
Louisville, Kentucky
2nd Final Four)
| Season | 1958–59 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 23 | ||||
| Finals site | Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky | ||||
| Champions | California Golden Bears (1st title, 1st title game, 2nd Final Four) | ||||
| Runner-up | West Virginia Mountaineers (1st title game, 1st Final Four) | ||||
| Third place | Cincinnati Bearcats (1st Final Four) | ||||
| Fourth place | Louisville Cardinals (1st Final Four) | ||||
| Winning coach | Pete Newell (1st title) | ||||
| MOP | Jerry West (West Virginia) | ||||
| Attendance | 161,809 | ||||
| Top scorer | Jerry West (West Virginia) (160 points) | ||||
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California, coached by Pete Newell, won the national title with a 71–70 victory in the final game over West Virginia, coached by Fred Schaus. Jerry West of West Virginia was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Locations
| Round | Region | Site | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | East | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden |
| Mideast | Lexington, Kentucky | Memorial Coliseum | |
| Midwest | Portland, Oregon | Pacific International Livestock Exposition | |
| West | Las Cruces, New Mexico | Las Cruces High School Gym | |
| Regionals | East | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Coliseum |
| Mideast | Evanston, Illinois | McGaw Memorial Hall | |
| Midwest | Lawrence, Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse | |
| West | San Francisco, California | Cow Palace | |
| Final Four | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | |
Teams
Bracket
East region
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Saint Joseph's | 92 | |||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 95 | |||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 82 | |||||||||||||
| Dartmouth | 68 | |||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 86 | |||||||||||||
| Boston University | 82 | |||||||||||||
| Boston University | 60 | |||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 58 | |||||||||||||
| Boston University | 62 | |||||||||||||
| Navy | 55 | |||||||||||||
| Navy | 76 | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 63 | |||||||||||||
Mideast region
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 61 | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | 76 | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | 77 | |||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 63 | |||||||||||||
| Louisville | 88 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 81 | |||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 74 | |||||||||||||
| Marquette | 69 | |||||||||||||
| Marquette | 89 | |||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 71 | |||||||||||||
Midwest region
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 102 | |||||||||||||
| DePaul | 70 | |||||||||||||
| DePaul | 57 | |||||||||||||
| Portland | 56 | |||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 75 | |||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 85 | |||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 77 | |||||||||||||
| TCU | 73 | |||||||||||||
West region
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | 80 | |||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 71 | |||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 62 | |||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 61 | |||||||||||||
| Saint Mary's | 46 | |||||||||||||
| California | 66 | |||||||||||||
| California | 71 | |||||||||||||
| Utah | 53 | |||||||||||||
Final Four
| National Semifinals | National Finals | ||||||||
| E | West Virginia | 94 | |||||||
| ME | Louisville | 79 | |||||||
| E | West Virginia | 70 | |||||||
| W | California | 71 | |||||||
| MW | Cincinnati | 58 | |||||||
| W | California | 64 | |||||||
National Third Place Game
| National Third Place Game[1] | ||||
| MW | Cincinnati | 98 | ||
| ME | Louisville | 85 | ||
Regional third place games
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See also
Notes
- Mississippi State qualified for the tournament but university president Benjamin F. Hilbun supported the social degradation of African-American citizens and would not permit the team to participate in the tournament where they would face African-American players.[2]
- Five teams - Boston University, Bowling Green, Portland, Saint Joseph's, and Saint Mary's - made their tournament debut.
- This would be the most recent tournament appearance, as of 2024, for Dartmouth College. Their 65-year drought is the longest active drought in the NCAA among active Division I schools, and the second longest overall after Harvard's 66-year drought from 1946 to 2012.
- This was the last year an all-white starting lineup won the championship game.[3]