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. Frank Selvy of Furman scored 100 points in a 149–95 victory over Newberry in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 13, 1954, becoming the first player to score 100 or more points in a game. Selvy finished the season with 1,209 points for the year, the first player to score 1,000 or more points in a single season. He also averaged 41.7 points per game for the season, the first player to average 40 or more points per game in a season, and finished his career (1952–1954) averaging 32.5 points a game, the first player to average 30 or more points per game during a collegiate career. 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. It was the fourth and final time that the NCAA champion and the Helms champion differed. In the final AP Poll, taken after the completion of the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament and the then-prestigious National Invitation Tournament, Kentucky was ranked No. 1 ahead of No. 2 La Salle (NCAA tournament champion) and No. 3 Holy Cross (1954 National Invitation Tournament champion). The NCAA tournament's Final Four games were played on Friday and Saturday for the first time. The NCAA tournament's championship game was televised nationally for the first time. The broadcast rights fee was $7,500.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated PressRankingTeam1Indiana2Kentucky3Duquesne4Oklahoma A&M5Kansas6La Salle7NC State8Kansas State9Illinois10LSU11Western Kentucky State12Minnesota13Oregon State14Wyoming15Dayton16Santa Clara17California18Saint Louis19(tie)Holy CrossOklahoma City UP CoachesRankingTeam1Indiana2Kentucky3Duquesne4Kansas5Oklahoma A&M6La Salle7LSU8NC State9Minnesota10California11Illinois12Kansas State13Saint Louis14Holy Cross15Oregon State16Dayton17Wyoming18Santa Clara19Notre Dame20UCLA
Conference membership changes
SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Border Conference Non-major basketball program Independent Mid-American Conference Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Metropolitan New York Conference Non-major basketball program Mid-American Conference Independent Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Independent Mid-American Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Southern Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Independent Atlantic Coast Conference
Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments
ConferenceRegular season winnerConference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAtlantic Coast Conference Duke Dickie Hemric, 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section , retrieved 2009-02-14 1954 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, ) NC StateBig Seven Conference Colorado & Kansas None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Indiana None selected No TournamentBorder Conference Texas Tech No TournamentCalifornia Basketball Association Santa Clara None selected No TournamentEastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Cornell None selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference St. Francis (NY) No TournamentMid-American Conference Toledo None selected No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference None selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Colorado A&M No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State None selected 1954 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Jefferson County Armory (Louisville, Kentucky) Western Kentucky StatePacific Coast Conference ; No Tournament;USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff seriesSoutheastern Conference Kentucky & LSU None selected No TournamentSouthern Conference George Washington Frank Selvy, Furman2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09 1954 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament WVU Fieldhouse(Morgantown, George Washington2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference Rice & Texas None selected No TournamentWestern New York Little Three Conference Niagara No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut None selected No Tournament
Conference standings
Major independents A total of 42 college teams played as major independents. Among them, (26–2) and (26–2) had the best winning percentage (.929), and Holy Cross, Seattle, (26–3), and La Salle (26–4) finished with the most wins.
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
+ Consensus First Team 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
+ Consensus Second Team 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
Helms Player of the Year: Tom Gola, La Salle
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. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonArmyBob VanattaOrvis Sigler Vanatta left to coach Bradley.BradleyForddy AndersonBob Vanatta Anderson left to coach Michigan State.BrownRobert MorrisL. Stanley WardCaliforniaNibs PricePete NewellThe CitadelLeo ZackJim BrowningColorado A&MBill StranniganJim Williams Strannigan left to coach Iowa State.HarvardNorman ShepardFloyd WilsonIdahoCharles FinleyHarlan HodgesIowa StateClay SutherlandBill StranniganJohn CarrollFred GeorgeSilvio Cornachione MaineRome RankinRussell DeVetteMiamiDave WikeBruce HaleMichigan StatePete NewellForddy Anderson Newell left to Coach California.Montana StateBrick BreedenWally LemmMurray StateHarlan HodgesRex AlexanderNebraskaHarry GoodJerry BushPennsylvaniaHowie DallmarRay Stanley Dallmar left to coach Stanford.Penn StateElmer GrossJohn EgliPortlandMush TorsonArt McLarneyStanfordBob BurnettHowie DallmarToledoJerry BushEd MelvinBush left to coach Nebraska.West VirginiaRed BrownFred Schaus
References