1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament

The 1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8 and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of 28 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.

1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament
Season1953–54
Teams24
Finals siteMunicipal Auditorium
Kansas City, Missouri
ChampionsLa Salle Explorers (1st title, 1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Runner-upBradley Braves (2nd title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachKen Loeffler (1st title)
MOPTom Gola (La Salle)
Attendance115,391
Top scorerTom Gola La Salle
(114 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
«1953 1955»

La Salle, coached by Ken Loeffler, won the national title with a 92–76 victory in the final game over Bradley, coached by Forddy Anderson. Tom Gola of La Salle was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Of note, Kentucky, the top-ranked team in the nation (with a record of 25–0) did not participate in any post-season tournament. Since several key players had technically graduated the year before (when Kentucky was banned from playing a competitive schedule due to the point-shaving scandal a few years earlier), those players were ruled ineligible for the NCAA tournament. Despite the wishes of the players, Adolph Rupp ultimately decided his team would not play.

LSU represented the Southeastern Conference in the tournament, its last appearance until 1979, well after the graduation of NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich. LSU made only one postseason appearance over the next 24 seasons, the 1970 National Invitation Tournament, during Maravich's senior season.

Locations

The following are the sites selected to host each round of the 1954 tournament:

East-1 Region
First Round (March 8)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York
Duke Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
East-1 Regional (March 12 and 13)
The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

East-2 Region
First Round (March 9)
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
East-2 Regional (March 12 and 13)
Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa

West-1 Region
First Round (March 8)
Robertson Memorial Field House, Peoria, Illinois
West-1 Regional (March 12 and 13)
Gallagher Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma

West-2 Region
First Round (March 9) and West-2 Regional (March 12 and 13)
Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon

Final Four
March 19 and 20
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri

For the second straight year, and the fifth overall, Kansas City and the Municipal Auditorium hosted the Final Four. The tournament included five new venues. The city of Buffalo hosted games for the only time at the Aud; the tournament would not return to Western New York until 2000 when its replacement, HSBC Arena, would host. Also serving for the only time was Duke Indoor Stadium, the venerable home of the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, the second of the Tobacco Road schools to host games. For the first time, the tournament came to the state of Iowa, playing at the University of Iowa's Field House. The tournament also came to the city of Peoria for the only time to date, playing at Robertson Memorial Field House on the campus of Bradley University. And for the first time, the tournament came to the state of Oklahoma, playing at Gallagher Hall, home to the powerhouse teams of Hank Iba and Oklahoma A&M College.

Teams
RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
EastConnecticutHugh GreerYankeeFirst roundNavyL 85–80
EastCornellRoyner GreeneIvy LeagueRegional Fourth PlaceNC StateL 65–54
EastFordhamJohnny BachMetro NYFirst roundLa SalleL 76–74
EastGeorge WashingtonWilliam ReinhartSouthernFirst roundNC StateL 75–73
EastIndianaBranch McCrackenBig TenRegional Third PlaceLSUW 73–62
EastLa SalleKen LoefflerIndependentChampionBradleyW 92–76
EastLSUHarry RabenhorstSoutheasternRegional Fourth PlaceIndianaL 73–62
EastLoyola (LA)Jim McCaffertyIndependentFirst roundNotre DameL 80–70
EastNavyBen CarnevaleIndependentElite EightLa SalleL 64–48
EastNC StateEverett CaseAtlantic CoastRegional Third PlaceCornellW 65–54
EastNotre DameJohn JordanIndependentElite EightPenn StateL 71–63
EastPenn StateElmer GrossIndependentNational Third PlaceUSCW 70–61
EastToledoJerry BushMid-AmericanFirst roundPenn StateL 62–50
West
WestBradleyForddy AndersonIndependentRunner UpLa SalleL 92–76
WestColoradoBebe LeeBig 7Regional Fourth PlaceRiceL 78–55
WestColorado A&MBill StranniganMountain StatesRegional Fourth PlaceIdaho StateL 62–57
WestIdaho StateSteve BelkoIndependentRegional Third PlaceColorado A&MW 62–57
WestOklahoma CityDoyle ParrackIndependentFirst roundBradleyL 61–55
WestOklahoma A&MHenry IbaMissouri ValleyElite EightBradleyL 71–57
WestRiceDon SumanSouthwestRegional Third PlaceColoradoW 78–55
WestSanta ClaraBob FeerickCBAElite EightUSCL 66–65
WestSeattleAl BrightmanIndependentFirst roundIdaho StateL 77–75
WestUSCForrest TwogoodPacific CoastNational Fourth PlacePenn StateL 70–61
WestTexas TechPolk RobisonBorderFirst roundSanta ClaraL 73–64

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East-1 Region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Cornell 67
Navy 69
  Navy 85
Connecticut 80
Navy 48
La Salle 64
NC State 75
George Washington 73
NC State 81
La Salle 88
La Salle 76
Fordham 74*

East-2 Region
First Round Regional Semifinals Regional Finals
LSU 70
Penn State 62 Penn State 78
Toledo 50 Penn State 71
Notre Dame 63
Indiana 64
Notre Dame 80 Notre Dame 65
Loyola (LA) 70

West-1 Region
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Colorado 64
Bradley 76
  Bradley 61
Oklahoma City 55
Bradley 71
Oklahoma A&M 57
Oklahoma A&M 51
Rice 45

West-2 Region
First Round Regional Semifinals Regional Final
USC 73
Idaho State 77 Idaho State 59
Seattle 75* USC 66
Santa Clara 65**
Colorado A&M 50
Santa Clara 73 Santa Clara 73
Texas Tech 64

Final Four
National Semifinal National Championship
      
Penn State 54
La Salle 69
La Salle 92
Bradley 76
Bradley 74
USC 72

National Third Place Game
National Third Place Game [1]
   
USC 61
Penn State 70

Regional Third Place Games

See also

References
  1. "1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Retrieved October 14, 2011.
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