1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Infobox NCAA Basketball Tournament
Year=1954


ImageSize=
Caption=
Teams=24
FinalFourArena=Municipal Auditorium
FinalFourCity=Kansas City, Missouri
Champions=La Salle
TitleCount=1st
RunnerUp=Bradley
GameCount=2nd
Semifinal1=Penn State
FinalFourCount=1st
Semifinal2=USC
FinalFourCount2=2nd
Coach=Ken Loeffler
CoachCount=1st
MOP=Tom Gola
MOPTeam=La Salle
Attendance=115,391
OneTopScorer=*
TwoTopScorers=
TopScorer=Tom Gola
TopScorerTeam=La Salle
Points=114

The 1954 NCAA Men's Division I 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, 1954, 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.

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 wouldn't play.

Locations

Teams

Bracket

East region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD2=Sweet Sixteen | RD3=Elite Eight | RD4=Final Four
RD1-seed03=
RD1-team03=Penn St.
RD1-score03=62
RD1-seed04=
RD1-team04=Toledo
RD1-score04=50
RD1-seed07=
RD1-team07=Notre Dame
RD1-score07=80
RD1-seed08=
RD1-team08=Loyola-LA
RD1-score08=70
RD1-seed11=
RD1-team11=Navy
RD1-score11=85
RD1-seed12=
RD1-team12=Connecticut
RD1-score12=80
RD1-seed13=
RD1-team13=N.C. State
RD1-score13=75
RD1-seed14=
RD1-team14=George Washington
RD1-score14=73
RD1-seed15=
RD1-team15=La Salle
RD1-score15=76
RD1-seed16=
RD1-team16=Fordham
RD1-score16=74*
RD2-seed01=
RD2-team01=LSU
RD2-score01=70
RD2-seed02=
RD2-team02=Penn St
RD2-score02=78
RD2-seed03=
RD2-team03=Indiana
RD2-score03=64
RD2-seed04=
RD2-team04=Notre Dame
RD2-score04=65
RD2-seed05=
RD2-team05=Cornell
RD2-score05=67
RD2-seed06=
RD2-team06=Navy
RD2-score06=69
RD2-seed07=
RD2-team07=N.C. State
RD2-score07=81
RD2-seed08=
RD2-team08=La Salle
RD2-score08=88
RD3-seed01=
RD3-team01=Penn St.
RD3-score01=71
RD3-seed02=
RD3-team02=Notre Dame
RD3-score02=63
RD3-seed03=
RD3-team03=Navy
RD3-score03=48
RD3-seed04=
RD3-team04=*La Salle
RD3-score04=64
RD4-seed01=
RD4-team01=Penn St.
RD4-score01=54
RD4-seed02=
RD4-team02=La Salle
RD4-score02=69

West region

4RoundBracket-Byes | RD2=Sweet Sixteen | RD3=Elite Eight | RD4=Final Four
RD1-seed03=
RD1-team03=Bradley
RD1-score03=61
RD1-seed04=
RD1-team04=Oklahoma City
RD1-score04=55
RD1-seed11=
RD1-team11=Idaho St.
RD1-score11=77
RD1-seed12=
RD1-team12=Seattle
RD1-score12=75*
RD1-seed15=
RD1-team15=Santa Clara
RD1-score15=73
RD1-seed16=
RD1-team16=Texas Tech
RD1-score16=64
RD2-seed01=
RD2-team01=Colorado
RD2-score01=64
RD2-seed02=
RD2-team02=Bradley
RD2-score02=76
RD2-seed03=
RD2-team03=Oklahoma A&M
RD2-score03=51
RD2-seed04=
RD2-team04=Rice
RD2-score04=45
RD2-seed05=
RD2-team05=Southern California
RD2-score05=73
RD2-seed06=
RD2-team06=Idaho St.
RD2-score06=59
RD2-seed07=
RD2-team07=Colorado St
RD2-score07=50
RD2-seed08=
RD2-team08=Santa Clara
RD2-score08=73
RD3-seed01=
RD3-team01=Bradley
RD3-score01=71
RD3-seed02=
RD3-team02=Oklahoma A&M
RD3-score02=57
RD3-seed03=
RD3-team03=Southern California
RD3-score03=66
RD3-seed04=
RD3-team04=Santa Clara
RD3-score04=65**
RD4-seed01=
RD4-team01=Bradley
RD4-score01=74
RD4-seed02=
RD4-team02=Southern California
RD4-score02=72

National Championship

2TeamBracket | RD1=National Finals
RD1-seed1=
RD1-team1=La Salle
RD1-score1=92
RD1-seed2=
RD1-team2=Bradley
RD1-score2=76

ee also

* 1954 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

External links

* [http://www.shrpsports.com/collbask/1954.htm 1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament] on Shrp Sports (source for the bracket)
* [http://www.hoopstournament.net/index.html HoopsTournament.Net] , source for much of the information on this page.