# 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1953, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 20, 1954, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The La Salle Explorers won their first NCAA national championship with a 92–76 victory over the Bradley Braves.

## Season headlines

* The Atlantic Coast Conference began play, with eight original members.
* Frank Selvy of Furman scored 100 points in a 149–95 victory over Newberry in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 13, 1954, becoming the first player to score 100 or more points in a game. Selvy finished the season with 1,209 points for the year, the first player to score 1,000 or more points in a single season. He also averaged 41.7 points per game for the season, the first player to average 40 or more points per game in a season, and finished his career (1952–1954) averaging 32.5 points a game, the first player to average 30 or more points per game during a collegiate career.
* The NCAA tournament expanded from 22 to 24 teams.
* Kentucky went undefeated, finishing with a 25–0 record. The Helms Athletic Foundation awarded its national championship to Kentucky rather than to the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament champion, La Salle. It was the fourth and final time that the NCAA champion and the Helms champion differed. In the final AP Poll, taken after the completion of the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament and the then-presitigious National Invitation Tournament, Kentucky was ranked No. 1 ahead of No. 2 La Salle (NCAA tournament champion) and No. 3 Holy Cross (1954 National Invitation Tournament champion).
* The NCAA tournament's Final Four games were played on Friday and Saturday for the first time.
* The NCAA tournament's championship game was televised nationally for the first time. The broadcast rights fee was $7,500.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Duquesne |
| 4 | Oklahoma A&M |
| 5 | Kansas |
| 6 | La Salle |
| 7 | NC State |
| 8 | Kansas State |
| 9 | Illinois |
| 10 | LSU |
| 11 | Western Kentucky State |
| 12 | Minnesota |
| 13 | Oregon State |
| 14 | Wyoming |
| 15 | Dayton |
| 16 | Santa Clara |
| 17 | California |
| 18 | Saint Louis |
| 19 (tie) | Holy Cross |
| 19 (tie) | Oklahoma City |
UP Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Duquesne |
| 4 | Kansas |
| 5 | Oklahoma A&M |
| 6 | La Salle |
| 7 | LSU |
| 8 | NC State |
| 9 | Minnesota |
| 10 | California |
| 11 | Illinois |
| 12 | Kansas State |
| 13 | Saint Louis |
| 14 | Holy Cross |
| 15 | Oregon State |
| 16 | Dayton |
| 17 | Wyoming |
| 18 | Santa Clara |
| 19 | Notre Dame |
| 20 | UCLA |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Brown Bears | Independent | Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League |
| CCNY Beavers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| Cincinnati Bearcats | Mid-American Conference | Independent |
| Clemson Tigers | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Duke Blue Devils | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Maryland Terrapins | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| North Carolina State Wolfpack | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| South Carolina Gamecocks | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Southern Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Virginia Cavaliers | Independent | Atlantic Coast Conference |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Duke | Dickie Hemric, Wake Forest | 1954 ACC men's basketball tournament | Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina) | NC State |
| Big Seven Conference | Colorado & Kansas | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Border Conference | Texas Tech | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| California Basketball Association | Santa Clara | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | Cornell | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan New York Conference | St. Francis (NY) | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Toledo | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Oklahoma A&M | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mountain States (Skyline) Conference | Colorado A&M | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Western Kentucky State | None selected | 1954 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Jefferson County Armory (Louisville, Kentucky) | Western Kentucky State |
| Pacific Coast Conference | Oregon State (North); USC (South) | | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & LSU | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | George Washington | Frank Selvy, Furman | 1954 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | WVU Fieldhouse (Morgantown, West Virginia) | George Washington |
| Southwest Conference | Rice & Texas | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western New York Little Three Conference | Niagara | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Connecticut | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1953–54 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1953–54 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Duke9–1 .90021–6  .778 No. 20 Maryland7–2 .77823–7  .767 Wake Forest8–4 .66717–12  .586 NC State †5–3 .62526–7  .788 North Carolina5–6 .45511–10  .524 South Carolina2–8 .20010–16  .385 Virginia1–4 .20016–11  .593 Clemson0–9 .0005–18  .217 † 1954 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Big Seven Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Kansas10–2 .83316–5  .762 Colorado10–2 .83311–11  .500 Missouri6–6 .50011–10  .524 Kansas State5–7 .41711–10  .524 Nebraska5–7 .4178–13  .381 Oklahoma4–8 .3338–13  .381 Iowa State2–10 .1676–15  .286 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Indiana12–2 .85720–4  .833 No. 13 Iowa11–3 .78617–5  .773 No. 19 Illinois10–4 .71417–5  .773 Minnesota10–4 .71417–5  .773 Wisconsin6–8 .42912–10  .545 Northwestern6–8 .4299–13  .409 Ohio State5–9 .35711–11  .500 Michigan State4–10 .2869–13  .409 Michigan3–11 .2149–13  .409 Purdue3–11 .2149–13  .409 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1953–54 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Tech11–1 .91720–5  .800 West Texas State9–3 .75013–7  .650 Arizona8–4 .66714–10  .583 Texas Western4–8 .3338–14  .364 Hardin–Simmons4–8 .3337–17  .292 New Mexico A&M3–9 .2506–12  .333 Arizona State–Tempe3–9 .2505–18  .217 † Regular-season co-championship winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 California Basketball Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Santa Clara9–3 .75020–7  .741 San Francisco8–4 .66714–7  .667 San Jose State6–6 .50012–15  .444 Saint Mary's4–8 .33310–14  .417 Pacific3–9 .2509–17  .346 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Cornell†11–3 .78617–7  .708 Princeton11–3 .78616–9  .640 Pennsylvania10–4 .71417–8  .680 Yale7–7 .50012–14  .462 Columbia6–8 .42911–13  .458 Dartmouth5–9 .35713–13  .500 Brown4–10 .28613–11  .542 Harvard2–12 .1439–16  .360 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1953–54 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT St. Francis (NY)5–0 1.00023–5  .821 Fordham3–1 .75018–6  .750 Manhattan3–3 .50015–11  .577 NYU2–2 .5009–9  .500 St. John's2–3 .4009–11  .450 CCNY2–4 .33310–8  .556 Brooklyn0–4 .0006–11  .353 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Toledo10–2 .83313–10  .565 Bowling Green10–3 .76917–7  .708 Miami (Ohio)7–5 .58312–10  .545 Marshall6–7 .46212–9  .571 Western Michigan4–5 .44410–11  .476 Ohio5–7 .41712–10  .545 Kent State3–9 .2508–13  .381 Western Reserve2–9 .1827–17  .292 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Oklahoma A&M9–1 .90024–5  .828 Wichita Municipal8–2 .80027–4  .871 Tulsa5–5 .50015–4  .789 Saint Louis4–6 .40014–12  .538 Houston3–7 .30011–15  .423 Detroit1–9 .10011–17  .393 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1953–54 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Colorado A&M12–2 .85722–7  .759 Wyoming10–4 .71419–9  .679 BYU9–5 .64318–11  .621 Utah State7–7 .50014–13  .519 Utah7–7 .50012–14  .462 New Mexico5–9 .35711–11  .500 Montana3–11 .2147–20  .259 Denver3–11 .2146–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Western Kentucky State†9–1 .90029–3  .906 Murray State6–4 .60015–16  .484 Morehead State– –16–7  .696 Eastern Kentucky State4–6 .4007–16  .304 Tennessee Tech– –12–10  .545 Middle Tennessee– –12–17  .414 † Ohio Valley Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Oregon State11–5 .68822–8  .733 Idaho9–7 .56315–8  .652 Oregon9–7 .56317–10  .630 Washington7–9 .4388–18  .308 Washington State4–12 .25010–17  .370 South No. 11 USC †8–4 .66719–14  .576 UCLA7–5 .58318–7  .720 California6–6 .50017–7  .708 Stanford3–9 .25015–10  .600 † Conference playoff series winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1953–54 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Kentucky14–0 1.00025–0  1.000 No. 14 LSU14–0 1.00020–5  .800 Alabama10–4 .71416–8  .667 Tulane10–4 .71415–8  .652 Auburn8–6 .57116–8  .667 Ole Miss7–7 .50012–12  .500 Tennessee7–7 .50011–12  .478 Vanderbilt5–9 .35712–10  .545 Mississippi State5–9 .35711–10  .524 Florida3–11 .2147–15  .318 Georgia2–12 .1437–18  .280 Georgia Tech0–14 .0002–22  .083 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 George Washington †10–0 1.00023–3  .885 Furman6–1 .85723–9  .719 Richmond10–3 .76923–8  .742 West Virginia6–4 .60012–11  .522 William & Mary6–5 .5459–14  .391 VMI6–7 .46211–12  .478 Davidson3–5 .3757–15  .318 Washington and Lee3–9 .2506–17  .261 Virginia Tech3–13 .1883–24  .111 The Citadel1–7 .1252–17  .105 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rice9–3 .75023–5  .821 Texas9–3 .75016–9  .640 Arkansas6–6 .50013–9  .591 SMU6–6 .50013–9  .591 Baylor6–6 .50012–11  .522 TCU5–7 .41710–14  .417 Texas A&M1–11 .0832–20  .091 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1953–54 Western New York Little Three Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 Niagara3–1 .75024–6  .800 St. Bonaventure2–2 .50012–11  .522 Canisius1–3 .2509–14  .391 Rankings from AP Poll | 1953–54 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Connecticut 7–0 1.00023–3  .885 Massachusetts 5–1 .83313–9  .591 Rhode Island 4–4 .5007–14  .333 New Hampshire 2–6 .2508–10  .444 Vermont 1–2 .33313–7  .650 Maine 1–7 .1256–12  .333 |

### Major independents

A total of 42 college teams played as major independents. Among them, Holy Cross (26–2) and Seattle (26–2) had the best winning percentage (.929), and Holy Cross, Seattle, Duquesne (26–3), and La Salle (26–4) finished with the most wins.
1953–54 NCAA men's basketball independents standings :
* 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 3 Holy Cross– –26–2
* .929
* No. 17 Seattle– –26–2
* .929
* No. 5 Duquesne– –26–3
* .897
* No. 6 Notre Dame– –22–3
* .880
* No. 2 La Salle– –26–4
* .867
* Dayton– –25–7
* .781
* Louisville– –22–7
* .759
* No. 9 Penn State– –18–6
* .750
* Oklahoma City– –18–7
* .720
* Navy– –18–8
* .692
* Army– –15–7
* .682
* Villanova– –20–11
* .645
* Lafayette– –17–10
* .630
* Saint Joseph's– –14–9
* .609
* Xavier– –18–12
* .600
* No. 7 Bradley– –19–13
* .594
* John Carroll– –15–11
* .577
* Seton Hall– –13–10
* .565
* Temple– –15–12
* .556
* Muhlenberg– –12–10
* .545
* Washington University– –12–10
* .545
* Syracuse– –10–9
* .526
* Cincinnati– –11–10
* .524
* DePaul– –11–10
* .524
* Iona– –11–10
* .524
* Butler– –13–12
* .520
* Boston College– –11–11
* .500
* Loyola (Calif.)– –14–16
* .467
* Rutgers– –11–13
* .458
* Creighton– –14–17
* .452
* Gonzaga– –12–15
* .444
* Valparaiso– –10–13
* .435
* Marquette– –11–15
* .423
* Lehigh– –8–12
* .400
* Pittsburgh– –9–14
* .391
* Georgetown– –11–18
* .379
* Siena– –7–14
* .333
* Portland– –9–19
* .321
* Loyola (IL)– –7–15
* .318
* Drake– –7–16
* .304
* Colgate– –5–12
* .294
* Bucknell– –4–16
* .200
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Statistical leaders
## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals |
| Penn State | 54 | | |
| La Salle | 69 | | |
| La Salle | 69 | La Salle | 92 |
| | | Bradley | 76 |
| Bradley | 74 | Bradley | 76 |
| USC | 72 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Penn State | 70 |
| | | USC | 61 |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Western Kentucky State | 69 | | |
| Holy Cross | 75 | | |
| Holy Cross | 75 | Holy Cross | 71 |
| | | Duquesne | 62 |
| Duquesne | 66 | Duquesne | 62 |
| Niagara | 51 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Western Kentucky State | 66 |
| | | Niagara | 71 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Tom Gola | F | Junior | La Salle |
| Cliff Hagan | F | Senior | Kentucky |
| Bob Pettit | C | Senior | Louisiana State |
| Don Schlundt | C | Junior | Indiana |
| Frank Selvy | G | Senior | Furman |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Bobby Leonard | G | Senior | Indiana |
| Tom Marshall | F | Senior | Western Kentucky State |
| Bob Mattick | C | Senior | Oklahoma A&M |
| Frank Ramsey | G/F | Senior | Kentucky |
| Dick Ricketts | F/C | Junior | Duquesne |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Tom Gola, La Salle

### Other major awards

* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Ed Conlin, Fordham

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| John Carroll | Fred George | | Silvio Cornachione | |