Jump to content

1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

1958–59 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1None
NCAA Tournament1959
Tournament datesMarch 7 – 21, 1959
National ChampionshipFreedom Hall
Louisville, Kentucky
NCAA ChampionsCalifornia
Helms National ChampionsCalifornia
Other championsSt. John's (NIT)
Player of the Year
(Helms)		Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati

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

Main article: 1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[2][3]

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
Bucknell Bison NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Canisius Golden Griffins Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Gettysburg Bullets NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
La Salle Explorers NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Lafayette Leopards NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Lehigh Engineers NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Muhlenberg Mules NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Niagara Purple Eagles Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
Oklahoma State Cowboys NCAA University Division independent Big Eight Conference[4]
Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
St. Bonaventure Brown Indians Western New York Little Three Conference NCAA University Division independent
Saint Joseph's Hawks NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Temple Owls NCAA University Division independent Middle Atlantic Conference
Washington and Lee Generals Southern Conference NCAA University Division independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference Regular
season winner[5] 		Conference
player of the year 		Conference
tournament 		Tournament
venue (City) 		Tournament
winner
Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina & NC State Lou Pucillo, NC State[6] 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
Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Utah No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Kentucky State None selected No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference California No Tournament
Southeastern Conference Mississippi State None selected No Tournament
Southern Conference West Virginia Jerry West, West Virginia[7] 1959 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Richmond Arena
(Richmond, Virginia)		 West Virginia[8]
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

Conference standings

1958–59 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 NC State † 12 – 2   .857 22 – 4   .846
No. 9 North Carolina 12 – 2   .857 20 – 5   .800
Duke 7 – 7   .500 13 – 12   .520
Maryland 7 – 7   .500 10 – 13   .435
Virginia 6 – 8   .429 11 – 14   .440
Wake Forest 5 – 9   .357 10 – 14   .417
Clemson 5 – 9   .357 8 – 16   .333
South Carolina 2 – 12   .143 4 – 20   .167
† 1959 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[9]
1958–59 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Kansas State 14 – 0   1.000 25 – 2   .926
Oklahoma 9 – 5   .643 15 – 10   .600
Colorado 8 – 6   .571 14 – 10   .583
Kansas 8 – 6   .571 11 – 14   .440
Nebraska 5 – 9   .357 12 – 13   .480
Oklahoma State 5 – 9   .357 11 – 14   .440
Iowa State 4 – 10   .286 9 – 16   .360
Missouri 3 – 11   .214 6 – 19   .240
Rankings from AP Poll[10]
1958–59 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Michigan State 12 – 2   .857 19 – 4   .826
Northwestern 8 – 6   .571 15 – 7   .682
Michigan 8 – 6   .571 15 – 7   .682
Purdue 8 – 6   .571 15 – 7   .682
Illinois 7 – 7   .500 12 – 10   .545
Indiana 7 – 7   .500 11 – 11   .500
Ohio State 7 – 7   .500 11 – 11   .500
Iowa 7 – 7   .500 10 – 12   .455
Minnesota 5 – 9   .357 8 – 14   .364
Wisconsin 1 – 13   .071 3 – 19   .136
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Border Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
New Mexico A&M 7 – 3   .700 17 – 11   .607
Arizona State–Tempe 7 – 3   .700 17 – 9   .654
Texas Western 7 – 3   .700 14 – 9   .609
West Texas State 5 – 5   .500 6 – 16   .273
Hardin–Simmons 3 – 7   .300 14 – 12   .538
Arizona 1 – 9   .100 4 – 22   .154
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Dartmouth† 13 – 1   .929 22 – 6   .786
Princeton 13 – 1   .929 19 – 5   .792
Yale 9 – 5   .643 10 – 13   .435
Brown 6 – 8   .429 11 – 13   .458
Pennsylvania 5 – 9   .357 12 – 14   .462
Harvard 4 – 10   .286 10 – 15   .400
Cornell 4 – 10   .286 8 – 15   .348
Columbia 2 – 12   .143 3 – 21   .125
† Regular-season championship winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Manhattan 4 – 0   1.000 15 – 6   .714
Brooklyn 3 – 1   .750 8 – 10   .444
St. John's 4 – 2   .667 20 – 6   .769
Fordham 2 – 2   .500 17 – 8   .680
NYU 2 – 2   .500 15 – 8   .652
CCNY 1 – 6   .143 6 – 12   .333
St. Francis (NY) 0 – 3   .000 5 – 18   .217
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Bowling Green State 9 – 3   .750 18 – 8   .692
Miami (Ohio) 9 – 3   .750 14 – 11   .560
Ohio 6 – 6   .500 14 – 10   .583
Marshall 6 – 6   .500 12 – 12   .500
Kent State 6 – 6   .500 11 – 13   .458
Toledo 5 – 7   .417 11 – 13   .458
Western Michigan 1 – 11   .083 2 – 20   .091
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 MAC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Saint Joseph's 7 – 0   1.000 22 – 5   .815
La Salle 5 – 2   .714 16 – 7   .696
Muhlenberg 8 – 6   .571 13 – 9   .591
Bucknell 6 – 5   .545 16 – 7   .696
Lafayette 7 – 6   .538 13 – 8   .619
Gettysburg 4 – 5   .444 13 – 13   .500
Delaware 4 – 6   .400 9 – 13   .409
Rutgers 3 – 5   .375 9 – 15   .375
Temple 4 – 7   .364 6 – 19   .240
Lehigh 4 – 10   .286 6 – 16   .273
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Cincinnati 13 – 1   .929 26 – 4   .867
No. 4 Bradley 12 – 2   .857 25 – 4   .862
No. 12 Saint Louis 10 – 4   .714 20 – 6   .769
Wichita Municipal 7 – 7   .500 14 – 12   .538
Houston 6 – 8   .429 12 – 14   .462
Drake 4 – 10   .286 9 – 15   .375
Tulsa 2 – 12   .143 10 – 15   .400
North Texas State 2 – 12   .143 6 – 18   .250
Rankings from AP Poll[11]
1958–59 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 Utah 13 – 1   .929 21 – 7   .750
Utah State 10 – 4   .714 19 – 7   .731
Denver 10 – 4   .714 14 – 10   .583
BYU 8 – 6   .571 15 – 11   .577
Montana 7 – 7   .500 10 – 14   .417
Colorado State 6 – 8   .429 8 – 14   .364
Wyoming 1 – 13   .071 4 – 22   .154
New Mexico 1 – 13   .071 3 – 19   .136
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Eastern Kentucky State 10 – 2   .833 16 – 6   .727
Western Kentucky State 8 – 4   .667 16 – 10   .615
Tennessee Tech 7 – 5   .583 16 – 9   .640
East Tennessee State 5 – 7   .417 13 – 10   .565
Morehead State 5 – 7   .417 11 – 12   .478
Middle Tennessee 4 – 8   .333 9 – 17   .346
Murray State 3 – 9   .250 10 – 15   .400
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 California 14 – 2   .875 25 – 4   .862
Washington 11 – 5   .688 18 – 8   .692
UCLA 10 – 6   .625 16 – 9   .640
Stanford 10 – 6   .625 16 – 9   .640
USC 8 – 8   .500 15 – 11   .577
Oregon State 7 – 7   .500 13 – 13   .500
Idaho 6 – 10   .375 11 – 15   .423
Oregon 3 – 13   .188 9 – 16   .360
Washington State 3 – 13   .188 10 – 16   .385
Rankings from AP Poll[12]
1958–59 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Mississippi State 13 – 1   .929 24 – 1   .960
No. 8 Auburn 12 – 2   .857 20 – 2   .909
No. 2 Kentucky 12 – 2   .857 24 – 3   .889
Georgia Tech 9 – 5   .643 17 – 9   .654
Tennessee 8 – 6   .571 14 – 8   .636
Vanderbilt 8 – 6   .571 14 – 10   .583
Tulane 6 – 8   .429 13 – 11   .542
Alabama 6 – 8   .429 10 – 12   .455
Georgia 5 – 9   .357 11 – 15   .423
LSU 2 – 12   .143 10 – 15   .400
Florida 2 – 12   .143 8 – 15   .348
Ole Miss 1 – 13   .071 7 – 17   .292
Rankings from AP Poll[13]
1958–59 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 10 West Virginia † 11 – 0   1.000 29 – 5   .853
Virginia Tech 10 – 2   .833 16 – 5   .762
The Citadel 7 – 4   .636 15 – 5   .750
William & Mary 7 – 7   .500 13 – 11   .542
Richmond 6 – 8   .429 11 – 11   .500
Furman 5 – 7   .417 14 – 12   .538
George Washington 4 – 7   .364 14 – 11   .560
Davidson 2 – 8   .200 9 – 15   .375
VMI 2 – 11   .154 5 – 13   .278
† Southern Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 16 TCU 12 – 2   .857 20 – 6   .769
SMU 10 – 4   .714 16 – 8   .667
Texas Tech 8 – 6   .571 15 – 9   .625
Baylor 7 – 7   .500 11 – 13   .458
Texas A&M 6 – 8   .429 15 – 9   .625
Arkansas 6 – 8   .429 9 – 14   .391
Rice 5 – 9   .357 11 – 13   .458
Texas 2 – 12   .143 4 – 20   .167
Rankings from AP Poll
1958–59 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Saint Mary's 11 – 1   .917 19 – 6   .760
Santa Clara 9 – 3   .750 16 – 9   .640
Pepperdine 8 – 4   .667 16 – 8   .667
Pacific 6 – 6   .500 11 – 15   .423
Loyola (Calif.) 4 – 8   .333 8 – 15   .348
San Francisco 3 – 9   .250 6 – 20   .231
San Jose State 1 – 11   .083 5 – 19   .208
Rankings from AP Poll[14]
1958–59 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Connecticut 8 – 2   .800 17 – 7   .708
Maine 7 – 3   .700 15 – 7   .682
Massachusetts 5 – 5   .500 11 – 13   .458
Rhode Island 5 – 5   .500 8 – 12   .400
Vermont 4 – 6   .400 12 – 10   .545
New Hampshire 1 – 9   .100 9 – 14   .391

University Division independents

A total of 42 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, St. Bonaventure (20–3) had the best winning percentage (.870) and Marquette (23–6) finished with the most wins.[15]

1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 St. Bonaventure –   – 20 – 3   .870
Saint Francis (Pa.) –   – 20 – 5   .800
No. 20 Marquette –   – 23 – 6   .793
No. 13 Seattle –   – 21 – 6   .778
Idaho State –   – 21 – 7   .750
Navy –   – 18 – 6   .750
Boston University –   – 20 – 7   .741
No. 17 Oklahoma City –   – 20 – 7   .741
Providence –   – 20 – 7   .741
Memphis State –   – 17 – 6   .739
Miami (Fla.) –   – 18 – 7   .720
Villanova –   – 18 – 7   .720
Portland –   – 19 – 8   .704
Niagara –   – 15 – 7   .682
Butler –   – 19 – 9   .679
Iona –   – 14 – 7   .667
Boston College –   – 17 – 9   .654
Louisville –   – 19 – 12   .613
Air Force –   – 14 – 9   .609
Syracuse –   – 14 – 9   .609
Army –   – 14 – 10   .583
Seton Hall –   – 13 – 10   .565
Holy Cross –   – 14 – 11   .560
Penn State –   – 11 – 9   .550
DePaul –   – 13 – 11   .542
Duquesne –   – 13 – 11   .542
Dayton –   – 14 – 12   .538
Montana State –   – 12 – 13   .480
Notre Dame –   – 12 – 13   .480
Xavier –   – 12 – 13   .480
Loyola (Ill.) –   – 11 – 13   .458
Detroit –   – 11 – 14   .440
Gonzaga –   – 11 – 15   .423
Pittsburgh –   – 10 – 14   .417
Washington University –   – 9 – 13   .409
Loyola (La.) –   – 10 – 16   .385
Colgate –   – 7 – 12   .368
Florida State –   – 8 – 15   .348
Georgetown –   – 8 – 15   .348
Canisius –   – 7 – 16   .304
Siena –   – 3 – 16   .158
Washington and Lee –   – 1 – 15   .063
Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference Regular
season winner 		Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5 Saint Joseph's Joe Spratt, Saint Joseph's

Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1959 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game

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
ME Louisville 85
MW Cincinnati 98

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1959 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

Main article: 1959 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
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) Hank Kuzma Bill Gardiner
Minnesota Osborne Cowles John Kundla
West Texas State Borden Price Metz LaFollette

References

  1. ^ "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  2. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  3. ^ "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Men's Basketball Record Book: Big Eight Conference Annual Standings" (PDF). Big 12 Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  6. ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
  7. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  8. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  9. ^ "1958–59 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC.
  10. ^ sports-reference.com 1958-59 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
  11. ^ sports-reference.com 1958-59 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary
  12. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  13. ^ sports-reference.com 1958-59 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  14. ^ sports-reference.com 1958-59 West Coast Athletic Conference Season Summary
  15. ^ "1958-59 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.Wik.ipedia.Pro.org/w/index.php?title=1958–59_NCAA_University_Division_men%27s_basketball_season&oldid=1268338689"

See what we do next...

OR

By submitting your email or phone number, you're giving mschf permission to send you email and/or recurring marketing texts. Data rates may apply. Text stop to cancel, help for help.

Success: You're subscribed now !