1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

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The 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1958, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 21, 1959, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The California Golden Bears won their first NCAA national championship with a 71–70 victory over the West Virginia Mountainneers.

Season headlines[]

Season outlook[]

Pre-season polls[]

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[1][2]

Associated Press
Ranking Team
1 Cincinnati
2 Kentucky
3 Kansas State
4 West Virginia
5 NC State
6 Tennessee
7 Kansas
8 Mississippi State
9 Saint Louis
10 Northwestern
11 Notre Dame
12 Auburn
13 North Carolina
14 Saint Mary's
15 Michigan State
16 Xavier
17 Marquette
18 SMU
19 Indiana
20
(tie)
Oklahoma State
St. John's
UPI Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Cincinnati
2 Kansas State
3 Notre Dame
4 Kentucky
5 Michigan State
6 Washington
7 West Virginia
8 Xavier
9 Oklahoma State
10 St. John's
11 Maryland
12 NC State
13 Northwestern
14 North Carolina
15 Saint Joseph's
16 Saint Louis
17 Mississippi State
18 Purdue
19 Louisville
20 Iowa

Conference membership changes[]

School Former Conference New Conference
Canisius Golden Griffins Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
Niagara Purple Eagles Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
St. Bonaventure Brown Indians Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
Washington and Lee Generals Southern Conference NCAA University Division independent

Regular season[]

Conference winners and tournaments[]

Conference Regular
Season Winner[3]
Conference
Player of the Year
Conference
Tournament
Tournament
Venue (City)
Tournament
Winner
Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina & NC State Lou Pucillo, NC State[4] 1959 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Reynolds Coliseum
(Raleigh, North Carolina)
NC State
Big Eight Conference Kansas State Bob Boozer, Kansas State No Tournament
Big Ten Conference Michigan State None selected No Tournament
Border Conference Arizona State, New Mexico State, & Texas Western No Tournament
Ivy League Dartmouth None selected No Tournament
Metropolitan New York Conference Manhattan No Tournament
Mid-American Conference Bowling Green State None selected No Tournament
Middle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph's No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference Cincinnati None selected No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Kentucky State None selected No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference California No Tournament
Skyline Conference Utah No Tournament
Southeastern Conference Mississippi State None selected No Tournament
Southern Conference West Virginia Jerry West, West Virginia[5] 1959 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Richmond Arena
(Richmond, Virginia)
West Virginia[6]
Southwest Conference TCU H. E. Kirchner, TCU No Tournament
West Coast Athletic Conference Saint Mary's LaRoy Doss, Saint Mary's, & Leroy Wright, Pacific No Tournament
Yankee Conference Connecticut None selected No Tournament

Informal championships[]

Conference Regular
Season Winner
Conference
Tournament
Tournament
Venue (City)
Tournament
Winner
Philadelphia Big 5 St. Joseph's No Tournament

Statistical leaders[]

Post-Season Tournaments[]

NCAA Tournament[]

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
  • Third Place – Cincinnati 98, Louisville 85

National Invitation Tournament[]

Semifinals & Finals[]

Semifinals Finals
      
  Bradley 59
  NYU 57
  Bradley 71
  St. John′s 76
  Providence 55
  St. John's 76
  • Third Place – NYU 71, Providence 57

Awards[]

Consensus All-American teams[]

Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Bob Boozer F Senior Kansas State
Johnny Cox G Senior Kentucky
Bailey Howell F Senior Mississippi State
Oscar Robertson G Junior Cincinnati
Jerry West G Junior West Virginia


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Leo Byrd G Senior Marshall
Johnny Green F Senior Michigan State
Tom Hawkins F Senior Notre Dame
Don Hennon G Senior Pittsburgh
Al Seiden G Senior St. John's

Major player of the year awards[]

Major coach of the year awards[]

Other major awards[]

Coaching changes[]

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

Team Former
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
Loyola (LA)
Minnesota Osborne Cowles John Kundla
West Texas A&M

References[]

  1. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  2. ^ "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  4. ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section, retrieved 2009-02-14
  5. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  6. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
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