1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season explained

Year:	1958
Preseason Ap:	None
Tourney Start:	March 7
Nc Date:	21, 1959
Champ Stad:	Freedom Hall
Champ City:	Louisville, Kentucky
Champ:	California
Helmschamp:	California
Nit Champ:	St. John's
Helmspoy:	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

The Middle Atlantic Conference began NCAA University Division play, with 10 of its members competing as Unversity Division schools.
In the 1959 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, Eddie Hickey of Marquette became the first head coach to take three different teams to the NCAA tournament. He had done it previously with Creighton in 1941 in his first year as head coach and with Saint Louis in 1952.^[1]
The Pacific Coast Conference disbanded at the end of the season.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

See 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
20 (tie)	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
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	Western New York Little Three Conference	NCAA University Division independent
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	Western New York Little Three Conference	NCAA University Division independent
Oklahoma State Cowboys	NCAA University Division independent	Big Eight Conference^[4]
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	Western New York Little Three Conference	NCAA University Division independent
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	NCAA University Division independent	Middle Atlantic Conference
	Southern Conference	NCAA University Division independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Regular season winner^[5]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
North Carolina &	Lou Pucillo, ^[6]		Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina)	NC State
	Bob Boozer,	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
&		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
	Jerry West, ^[7]		Richmond Arena (Richmond, Virginia)	West Virginia^[8]
	H. E. Kirchner,	No Tournament
		No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

University Division independents

A total of 42 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, (20–3) had the best winning percentage (.870) and (23–6) finished with the most wins.^[9]

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

See main article: 1959 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game.

Final Four

Third Place – Cincinnati 98, Louisville 85

National Invitation tournament

See main article: 1959 National Invitation Tournament.

Semifinals & finals

Third Place – NYU 71, Providence 57

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

See 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

Coaching changes

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

Team	Former Coach	New Coach
Loyola (LA)	Hank Kuzma	Bill Gardiner
Minnesota	Osborne Cowles	John Kundla
West Texas State	Borden Price	Metz LaFollette

Notes and References

Web site: Playing Rules History . . . ncaa.org . NCAA . June 25, 2024 . 12.
Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia . 978-0-345-51392-2 . . 2009 . 836.
Web site: 1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll. College Poll Archive. August 8, 2020.
Web site: Men's Basketball Record Book: Big Eight Conference Annual Standings . https://web.archive.org/web/20120905123311/http://www.big12sports.com//pdf1/134781.pdf . 2012-09-05 . 2023-11-07 . Big 12 Conference.
News: 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section. 2009. NCAA. 2009-02-14.
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section
http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section
http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section
Web site: 1958-59 Men's Independent Season Summary . . August 11, 2024.