| Year: | 1956 |
| Teams: | 25 |
| Finalfourarena: | McGaw Hall |
| Finalfourcity: | Evanston, Illinois |
| Champions: | San Francisco Dons |
| Titlecount: | 2nd |
| Champgamecount: | 2nd |
| Champffcount: | 2nd |
| Runnerup: | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| Gamecount: | 1st |
| Runnerffcount: | 2nd |
| Semifinal1: | SMU Mustangs |
| Finalfourcount: | 1st |
| Semifinal2: | Temple Owls |
| Finalfourcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | Phil Woolpert |
| Coachcount: | 2nd |
| Mop: | Hal Lear |
| Mopteam: | Temple |
| Attendance: | 132,513 |
| Topscorer: | Hal Lear |
| Topscorerteam: | Temple |
| Points: | 160 |
The 1956 NCAA basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA college basketball. It began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24 on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.
The 1955–56 season was the last in which only one NCAA Tournament was held. Effective in 1956–57, the NCAA divided its membership into two competitive levels. The larger and more competitive athletic programs were placed in the University Division, and smaller programs in the College Division. Accordingly, that season would see separate tournaments contested in the University and College Divisions. In 1973, the University Division would be renamed NCAA Division I, while the College Division would be split into today's Divisions II and III.
This was the first NCAA tournament in which the four regionals were given distinct names, although the concept of four regional winners advancing to a single site for the "Final Four" had been introduced in 1952.
San Francisco, coached by Phil Woolpert, won the national title with an 83–71 victory in the final game over Iowa, coached by Bucky O'Connor. Hal Lear of Temple was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
| Round | Region | Site | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | East | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | |
| Far West | Seattle, Washington | Hec Edmundson Pavilion | ||
| Midwest | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | ||
| West | Wichita, Kansas | U. of Wichita Field House | ||
| Regionals | East | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Palestra | |
| Far West | Corvallis, Oregon | Oregon State Coliseum | ||
| Midwest | Iowa City, Iowa | Iowa Field House | ||
| West | Lawrence, Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse | ||
| Final Four | Evanston, Illinois | McGaw Memorial Hall | ||
| Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | |||||||
| East | Regional Runner-up | L 60–58 | |||||
| East | Regional Fourth Place | Dartmouth | L 85–64 | ||||
| East | Regional third place | Connecticut | W 85–64 | ||||
| East | Independent | First round | Temple | L 74–72 | |||
| East | First round | Connecticut | L 84–75 | ||||
| East | First round | Canisius | L 79–78 | ||||
| East | Temple | Independent | Third Place | SMU | W 90–81 | ||
| East | First round | Dartmouth | L 61–59 | ||||
| Far West | |||||||
| Far West | Independent | First round | L 68–66 | ||||
| Far West | San Francisco | Champion | W 83–71 | ||||
| Far West | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | L 94–70 | ||||
| Far West | Regional third place | Seattle | W 94–70 | ||||
| Far West | Regional Runner-up | San Francisco | L 92–77 | ||||
| Midwest | |||||||
| Midwest | Independent | First round | Wayne State (MI) | L 72–63 | |||
| Midwest | Iowa | Runner Up | San Francisco | L 83–71 | |||
| Midwest | Regional Runner-up | Iowa | L 89–77 | ||||
| Midwest | First round | Morehead State | L 107–92 | ||||
| Midwest | Regional third place | Wayne State (MI) | W 95–84 | ||||
| Midwest | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Morehead State | L 95–84 | |||
| West | |||||||
| West | Regional Fourth Place | Kansas State | L 89–70 | ||||
| West | Regional third place | Houston | W 89–70 | ||||
| West | Independent | First round | Oklahoma City | L 97–81 | |||
| West | Independent | Regional Runner-up | SMU | L 84–63 | |||
| West | SMU | Fourth Place | Temple | L 90–81 | |||
| West | First round | SMU | L 68–67 | ||||
* – Denotes overtime period