1951–52 NCAA men's basketball season

Season headlines

Harlem Globetrotters vs. Seattle University

On January 21, 1952, the Harlem Globetrotters played Seattle in a game designed to raise funds for the United States Olympic efforts. Five days before the game was held, Royal Brougham received a call from Howard Hobson, who was the Yale basketball coach and a United States Olympic Committee member. It was reported that money was needed to support the country's Olympic effort for the games held in Helsinki, Finland. The Globetrotters had agreed to a three-game fund-raiser against college teams in the West, Midwest and East.[1]

Tickets cost $1.50 and they were sold out in 48 hours.[1] Jazz great Louis Armstrong played at halftime and actress Joan Caulfield performed a ceremonial opening tip off. The game was played at the University of Washington's Hec Edmondson Pavilion and was filled to its 12,500 capacity.

The Globetrotters were considered the best basketball team in the world and the club paid their two star players "Goose" Tatum and Marques Hayes twenty five thousand dollars each.[2] Entering the game with Seattle, the Globetrotters had played 3571 games winning 93 percent of their contests.[2]

Seattle player Johnny O'Brien was the nation's leading scorer at that time. O'Brien would become the first player in the history of college basketball to score 1000 points in a single season.[3] He would finish the season with 1,051 points. Against the Globetrotters, O'Brien poured in 43 points. Johnny's brother Eddie played point guard for Chieftains and his half court shot lifted the club to a 10-point lead.

After halftime, the Globetrotters got back in the game as Johnny O'Brien sat out most of the third quarter. With seconds left in the game, the Globetrotters called a time out they did not have. A free throw was made by Johnny O'Brien and there was a possession change. The Chieftains were ahead 84–81.

Globetrotter owner Abe Saperstein was so upset that he canceled the rest of the Trotters benefit schedule that year.[2]

Other

Major rule changes

Beginning in 1951–52, the following rules change was implemented:

  • Games were played in four 10-minute quarters.[6]

Regular season

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference Regular
Season Winner[7]
Conference
Player of the Year
Conference
Tournament
Tournament
Venue (City)
Tournament
Winner
Big Seven ConferenceKansasNone SelectedNo Tournament
Big Ten ConferenceIllinoisNone SelectedNo Tournament
Border ConferenceNew Mexico A&M & West Texas StateNone SelectedNo Tournament
Ivy LeaguePrincetonNone SelectedNo Tournament
Metropolitan New York ConferenceSt. John'sNone SelectedNo Tournament
Mid-American ConferenceMiami & Western MichiganNone SelectedNo Tournament
Missouri Valley ConferenceSt. LouisNone SelectedNo Tournament
Mountain States ConferenceWyomingNone SelectedNo Tournament
Ohio Valley ConferenceWestern Kentucky St.None Selected1952 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball TournamentJefferson County Armory,
(Louisville, Kentucky)
Western Kentucky St.
Pacific Coast ConferenceUCLANone SelectedNo Tournament
Southeastern ConferenceKentuckyNone Selected1952 SEC Men's Basketball TournamentJefferson County Armory,
(Louisville, Kentucky)
Kentucky
Southern ConferenceWest VirginiaDick Groat, Duke[8]1952 Southern Conference Men's Basketball TournamentReynolds Coliseum
(Raleigh, North Carolina)
North Carolina State[9]
Southwest ConferenceTexas ChristianNone SelectedNo Tournament

Statistical leaders

"Points Per GameRebounds Per GameAssists Per GameField Goal Percentage
PlayerSchoolPPGPlayerSchoolRPGPlayerSchoolAPGPlayerSchoolFG%
Clyde LovelletteKansas28.4Bill HannonArmy20.9Tom O'TooleBoston College7.9Art SpoelstraW. Kentucky51.6
Dick GroatDuke26.0Walter DukesSeton Hall19.7Dick GroatDuke7.6Gerald RogersTex. Western50.4
Bob PettitLSU25.5Ernie BeckPenn19.0Malcolm McLeanDavidson7.5Norm SwansonDetroit50.3
Chuck DarlingIowa25.5Elston TuttleCreighton18.9Larry FriedmanMuhlenberg7.3Karl KlinarVMI49.2
Frank SelvyFurman24.6Bill ChambersWilliam & Mary18.2Roger ChadwickCornell6.9Tom MarshallW. Kentucky49.1
Free Throw Percentage
Name School FT%
Sy ChadroffMiami (FL)80.5
Bob KenneyKansas80.3
Drew TurnerSt. Mary's (CA)80.2
Tommy BartlettTennessee80.2
Russell ReruchaColorado A&M80.0

Year-end polls

The final regular-season top 20 from the AP and Coaches Polls.[10]

Associated Press
Ranking Team
1 Kentucky
2 Illinois
3 Kansas State
4 Duquesne
5 Saint Louis
6 Washington
7 Iowa
8 Kansas
9 West Virginia
10 St. John's
11 Dayton
12 Duke
13 Holy Cross
14 Seton Hall
15 St. Bonaventure
16 Wyoming
17 Louisville
18 Seattle
19 UCLA
20 Texas State
Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Kentucky
2 Illinois
3 Kansas
4 Duquesne
5 Washington
6 Kansas State
7 Saint Louis
8 Iowa
9 St. John's
10 Wyoming
11 St. Bonaventure
12 Seton Hall
13 Texas Christian
14 West Virginia
15 Holy Cross
16 Western Kentucky St.
17 La Salle
18 Dayton
19 Louisville
20 UCLA
Indiana

Postseason tournaments

NCAA Tournament

Phog Allen led the Kansas Jayhawks to their first NCAA Tournament title, defeating St. John's 80–63. Jayhawk All-American Clyde Lovellette broke the NCAA record by scoring 141 points in the tournament and was named tournament Most Outstanding Player.[10]

Final Four

National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
St. John's 61
Illinois 59
St. John's 63
Kansas 80
Kansas 74
Santa Clara 55
  • Third Place – Illinois 67, Santa Clara 64

National Invitation Tournament

La Salle won the National Invitation Tournament by beating Dayton, 75–64. Tom Gola and Norm Grekin were named co-MVPs.[11]

NIT semifinals and final

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Semifinals Final
      
St. Bonaventure 62
Dayton 69
Dayton 64
La Salle 75
Duquesne 46
La Salle 59
  • Third Place – St. Bonaventure 48, Duquesne 34

Award winners

Consensus All-American team

Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Chuck Darling C Senior Iowa
Rod Fletcher G Senior Illinois
Dick Groat G Senior Duke
Cliff Hagan F Junior Kentucky
Clyde Lovellette C Senior Kansas


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Bob Houbregs F Junior Washington
Don Meineke F Senior Dayton
Johnny O'Brien G Junior Seattle
Mark Workman C Senior West Virginia
Bob Zawoluk F Senior St. John's

Major player of the year awards

Other major awards

References

  1. Raley, Dan (2002-01-20). "Fifty years ago tonight, Seattle U. upset the mighty Globetrotters". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2009-05-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.goseattleu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=89901&SPID=10773&DB_OEM_ID=18200&ATCLID=3638805
  4. Anderson, Dave (22 March 1998). "When Sherman White Threw It All Away". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  5. "2009–10 LIU Blackbirds Men's Basketball Media Guide" (Flash). issuu.com. Long Island University. 2009. p. 69. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  6. 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book – Playing-Rules History section, NCAA, retrieved 2009-05-09. Archived 2009-05-13.
  7. "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
  8. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  9. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  10. http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1952
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-12-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  • Statistical Leaders from 1953 Official Collegiate Basketball Record Book, (Copyright 1952, National Collegiate Athletic Bureau)
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