1954 NCAA Tournament (March Madness)

    

Play In Round      Sweet 16   Elite 8   Final 4  NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Winning Team highlighted in Green Box

 

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 wouldn't play.

LSU represented the Southeastern Conference in the tournament.

 

Region Team Coach
East  
East Connecticut Hugh Greer
East Cornell Royner Greene
East Fordham John Bach
East George Washington Bill Reinhart
East Indiana Branch McCracken
East La Salle Ken Loeffler
East LSU Harry Rabenhorst
East Loyola, Louisiana Jim McCafferty
East Navy Ben Carnevale
East North Carolina State Everett Case
East Notre Dame John Jordan
East Penn State Elmer Gross
East Toledo Jerry Bush
West  
West Bradley Forddy Anderson
West Colorado Bebe Lee
West Colorado State Bill Strannigan
West Idaho State Steve Belko
West Oklahoma City Doyle Parrack
West Oklahoma A&M Henry Iba
West Rice Don Suman
West Santa Clara Bob Feerick
West Seattle Al Brightman
West USC Forrest Twogood
West Texas Tech Polk Robison

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 and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of 28 gameMarch 8 s were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game.

 

Play In Round

 

East  REGIONAL
Favorite Site Team Team  Score Star Efforts
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium,  La Salle  Fordham 76-74 (OT)  
Duke Indoor Stadium, Durham, North C N.C. State  George Washington 75-73  
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium,  Navy  Connecticut 85-80  
  Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind Notre Dame  Loyola (La.) 80-70  
  Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind Penn State  Toledo 62-50  

West REGIONAL
Favorite Site Team Team

 Score

Star Efforts
  Robertson Memorial Field House, Peoria, Illi Bradley  Oklahoma City 61-55
  Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Or Idaho State  Seattle 77-75 (OT)  
  Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Or Santa Clara  Texas Tech 73-64  

Sweet 16

 East REGIONAL at

Favorite Team Team  Score Star Efforts
The Palestra, Philadelphia, La Salle  N.C. State 88-81  
The Palestra, Philadelphia, Navy  Cornell 69-67  
Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa

 Penn State , Louisiana State 78-70  
Iowa Field House, Iowa City, Iowa Notre Dame  Indiana 65-64  

 West  REGIONAL at  
Favorite Team Team  Score Star Efforts
Gallagher Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma Bradley  Colorado 76-64  
Gallagher Hall, Stillwater, Oklahoma Oklahoma A&M  Rice 51-45  
Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Or  Southern Cal  Idaho State 73-59  
Oregon State Coliseum, Corvallis, Or  Santa Clara  Colorado A&M 73-50  

 

 

Elite 8

 East  REGIONAL at

Favorite Team Team  Score Star Efforts
  La Salle  Navy 64-48  
   Penn State  Notre Dame

71-63

  

 West REGIONAL at  
Favorite Team Team Score Star Efforts
  Bradley Oklahoma A&M 71-57  
   Southern Cal  Santa Clara

66-65 (2OT)

  

Regional Third Place:
East
  N.C. State 65, Cornell 54
  Indiana 73, Louisiana State 62
West
 Rice 78, Colorado 55
 Idaho State 62, Colorado A&M 57

 

 

Final 4

at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri -March 19 and 20

 
 

NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS
Favorite Team Team  Score Star Efforts


La Salle 

Penn State

69-54

  
  Bradley  Southern Cal

74-72

  

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

at at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri -March 19 and 20

National Third Place
Penn State 70, Southern Cal 61

 
Favorite Team Team  Score Star Efforts
La Salle  Bradley 92-76  
Top 10 Teams
Rank School W-L NCAA Result
1 Kentucky 25-0 DNP
2 LaSalle 26-4 1st Place
3 Holy Cross 26-2 NIT 1st Place
4 Indiana 20-4 L in Regional
5 Duquense 26-3 NIT 2nd Place
6 Notre Dame 22-3 L in Regional
7 Bradley 19-13 2nd Place
8 Western Kentucky 29-3 4th Place
9 Penn State 18-6 3rd Place
10. Oklahoma State 24-5 L in Regional
All-America Team
Pos Name Cl. School
F-C Tom Gola Jr. LaSalle
F Cliff Hagan Sr. Kentucky
F Frank Selvy Sr. Furman
C Bob Pettit Sr. LSU
C Don Schlundt Jr. Indiana
All NCAA Tournament Team
Pos Name Cl. School
C-F Tom Gola   (MVP) Jr LaSalle
F Chuck Singley So. LaSalle
C Jesse Arnette Jr. Penn State
C Roy Irvin Jr. USC
G Bob Carney Sr Bradley

LaSalle Regulars: F Charlie Singley, So.; F Frank Blatcher, So.; C-G Tom Gola, Jr.; G Frank O'Hara, Sr., G-F Fran O'Malley, So.

 

Team Offense

Furman, 91.7

Team Defense

Oklahoma State, 53.1

Individual Scoring
Name School Avg.
Frank Selvy Furman 41.7
Bob Pettit LSU 31.4
Buzz Wilkinson West Virginia 30.1
Arnie Short Oklahoma City 27.8
Individual Rebounding
Name School Avg.
Art Quimby Connecticut 22.6
Charlie Slack Marshall 22.2
Tom Gola LaSalle 21.7
Notes