1958

Ten years after leading an unheralded San Francisco team to the NIT championship, coach Pete Newell did the same thing in the NCAAs, this time with California.

Newell's defensive-minded Golden Bears, led by 6-10 Darrall Imhoff and 6-5 Bill McClintock, went 20–4 during the regular season, held the opposition to 51 points a game, and were ranked No.11 by AP. At the Final Four in Louisville, they had to play Oscar Robertson and Jerry West on consecutive nights.

Cal beat Cincinnati in the semifinals, 64–58, holding Robertson and the Bearcats 26 points below their per game average. In the final, West scored 28, but the Bears won 71–70. West was named tournament MVP, the fourth straight year the honor went to a member of a losing team. The other three were Hal Lear of Temple and two future L.A. Lakers teammates of West's—Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor.

The country's top two teams at the end of the regular season, Kansas State and Kentucky, were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the regionals—No.1 K-State by Cincinnati in the Midwest final and UK by cross-state rival Louisville in the Mideast semifinals.

Finally, No.3 Mississippi State (24–1), the SEC champion, refused an invitation to the NCAAs because it was an integrated event.

		Before Tourns	Head Coach	Final Record
1	Kansas St.	24–1	Tex Winter	25–2
2	Kentucky	23–2	Adolph Rupp	24–3
3	Mississippi St.	24–1	Babe McCarthy	same*
4	Bradley	23–3	Chuck Orsborn	25–4
5	Cincinnati	23–3	George Smith	26–4
6	N.C. State	22–4	Everett Case	same
7	Michigan St.	18–3	Forddy Anderson	19–4
8	Auburn	20–2	Joel Eaves	same
9	N. Carolina	20–4	Frank McGuire	20–5
10	West Virginia	25–4	Fred Schaus	29–5
11	California	20–4	Pete Newell	24–4
12	St. Louis	20–5	John Benington	20–6
13	Seattle	23–6	Vince Cazzetta	same
14	St. Joe's, PA	22–3	Jack Ramsey	22–5
15	St. Mary's, CA	18–5	Jim Weaver	19–6
16	TCU	19–5	Buster Brannon	20–6
17	Oklahoma City	20–6	Abe Lemons	20–7
18	Utah	21–5	Jack Gardner	21–7
19	St. Bonaventure	20–2	Eddie Donovan	20–3
20	Marquette	22–4	Eddie Hickey	23–6

*Mississippi St. refused invitation to NCAAs because it was an integrated event.

Consensus All-America (In alphabetical order)

1. Kansas State
2. Kentucky
3. Mississippi State
4. Bradley
5. Cincinnati
6. N.C. State
7. Michigan State
8. Auburn
9. North Carolina
10. West Virginia

1. Kansas State
2. Kentucky
3. Michigan State
4. Cincinnati
5. N.C. State
6. North Carolina
Mississippi State
8. Bradley
9. California
10. Auburn

First Round
West Virginia 82, Dartmouth 68
Boston University 60, Connecticut 58
Navy 76, North Carolina 63
Louisville 77, Eastern Kentucky 63
Marquette 89, Bowling Green 71
DePaul 57, Portland 56
Idaho State 62, New Mexico State 61
Regional Semifinals
West Virginia 95, St. Joseph's 92
Boston University 62, Navy 55
Louisville 76, Kentucky 61
Michigan State 74, Marquette 69
Kansas State 102, DePaul 70
Cincinnati 77, Texas Christian 73
St. Mary's (Calif.) 80, Idaho State 71
California 71, Utah 53
Regional Third Place
East: Navy 70, St. Joseph's 56
Mideast: Kentucky 98, Marquette 69
Midwest: TCU 71, DePaul 65
West: Idaho State 71, Utah 65
Regional Finals
East: West Virginia 86, Boston University 82
Mideast: Louisville 88, Michigan State 81
Midwest: Cincinnati 85, Kansas State 75
West: California 66, St. Mary's (Calif.) 46
National Semifinals
West Virginia 94, Louisville 79
California 64, Cincinnati 58
National Third Place
Cincinnati 98, Louisville 85
Championship Game
California 71, West Virginia 70

California leaders: F Bill McClintock, So.; F Bob Dalton, Sr.; C Darrell Imhoff, Jr.; G Denny Fitzpatrick, Sr.; G Al Buch, Sr.
All-NCAA Tournament Team

Leaders
Team
Offense: Miami (Fla.), 87.6
Defense: California, 51.0

Individual Scoring

In Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, the two finest amateur basketball players on earth, the 1959 Final Four had sufficient star quality.

In addition to the superstar-led Cincinnati and West Virginia teams, it also had something dear to every promoter's heart, a hometown team, this one representing the University of Louisville. Last and least in terms of advance publicity was California, the mystery guest from the West.

These were the survivors of a particularly formless NCAA Tournament in which Kansas State and Kentucky, ranked first and second in the nation, were eliminated by Cincinnati and Louisville, respectively. North Carolina and Michigan State were other favored teams that fell short of the national semifinals, scheduled for Freedom Hall.

Before the start of the weekend activities, it was clear only that the new champion would be something of a surprise.

West Virginia and Cincinnati had been expected to contend for the ultimate honor the previous year when they lost a total of three games between them during the regular season.

Although they weren't quite so powerful in the 1959 season, the Mountaineers and Bearcats still had the two players acknowledged as the finest in the land. If West wasn't better than Robertson, he was better than any other mortal. The latter obviously belonged in some higher league.

For the second consecutive season, the 6-foot-5 Robertson had led the nation in scoring. He averaged 32.6 points per game after posting a 35.1 mark as a sophomore and was adept at every phase of the game -- dribbling, passing and rebounding, as well as shooting.

"There's never been one like him," said Joe Lapchick, the St. John's coach who had been associated with basketball for nearly half a century.

Perhaps the only proper comparison of Robertson and West was to note that West was two inches shorter. The West Virginia standout was a remarkably complete player. Besides possessing outstanding shooting range, West was the Mountaineers' finest defender and leading rebounder.

"If you sat down to build the perfect 6-foot, 3-inch basketball player," said his coach, Fred Schaus, "you'd come up with Jerry West."

"If I were a coach," West said, "I'd take Robertson. He's a better passer and a better dribbler. He has bigger hands, and his ballhandling is superior. He has quicker reactions.

But that's what basketball people were calling West after his one-man show in the East Regional. Against St. Joseph's, he accounted for 36 points and 15 rebounds and almost single-handedly rallied the Mountaineers from an 18-point deficit in the final 13 minutes. In the regional final, another close game, he responded with 33 points and 17 rebounds in an 86-82 victory over Boston University.

Meanwhile, in the Midwest Regional, Robertson showcased a talent other than scoring when top-ranked Kansas State ganged up on him. He foiled the double team with his passing and was credited with 13 assists as well as 24 points in Cincinnati's stunning 85-75 triumph.

The draw made it possible, even likely, that the two stars -- only juniors -- would oppose each other for the first time in the NCAA title game. West Virginia did its part against Mideast champion Louisville, battering the Cardinals, 94-79. West gave an awesome performance. He scored 27 points in the first half and contented himself with passing for much of the second half. He finished with 38 points and 15 rebounds.

But the great showdown between the two future Olympians and professional stars never materialized. California, the Far West Regional kingpin, was the culprit. The anonymous team from Berkeley that placed defense ahead of individual glory thoroughly baffled high-powered Cincinnati in the other national semifinal.

The confusion started just seconds before the opening tap when Cal's Bob Dalton, a 6-3 senior forward who had been given the assignment of his life, extended his hand to the great Robertson.

If the Bears were largely unknown outside the West Coast, they didn't seem to mind. They were supremely confident in their ability to function as a unit. And if the Associated Press didn't rank that unit in the top 10 despite its 21-4 regular-season record (United Press International ranked Cal ninth), the Golden Bears were convinced no team -- and certainly no individual -- in Louisville could beat them. After all, they had been prepared by Pete Newell.

Newell was an intense 43-year-old who had coached successfully at San Francisco and Michigan State before taking on the challenge at Berkeley. The Bears had made but one appearance in the NCAA Tournament before Newell's arrival four seasons earlier. Now Cal was back for its third successive year, corresponding with its third consecutive Pacific Coast Conference championship.

The Golden Bears' strength was in their system and conditioning. Newell had his players run the back hills of Berkeley once a day in preseason. It readied them for the full-court press he would employ throughout a game against a difficult opponent.

The Bears also participated in extensive drills, including one in which they were required to simulate defensive movement while holding one hand above their heads. The period of time ranged from five minutes in the beginning to nearly half an hour.

California was a small team other than at center, where 6-10 junior Darrall Imhoff had made tremendous strides. He reported to Berkeley with few credentials and little mobility. Under Newell, he had developed into an efficient player with good quickness and a soft touch. Imhoff didn't score a lot of points, but sizable production wasn't necessary. The Bears won by stopping the other team from scoring. In 1959, they yielded only 51 points per game.

Now all they had to do was stop Oscar Robertson, who had scored 56 points in a game twice the previous year. Since Robertson liked to back his way toward the baseline, Newell devised a strategy to force him to spin toward the middle of the floor, where the weak-side guard would rush to help out.

Dalton, who entered school on a football scholarship and played behind quarterback Joe Kapp before an injury in his freshman year convinced him to stick to basketball, used his speed to combat the Big O. Additionally, Imhoff blocked a couple of his penetrations and senior guard Denny Fitzpatrick registered a few steals.

While Cincinnati managed a 33-29 halftime lead and expanded it to 36-29, the game was tied at 54-54 when Imhoff rejected a Robertson jump shot. Then the Bears' pivotman scored a basket of his own.

Cal never again surrendered the lead and won, 64-58, limiting the premier player to 19 points. So effective was the Bears' defense that Cincinnati attempted only 56 shots, compared Cal's 73.

There wasn't much time to savor that one, however. On the next night, the Bears had to contend with West, who could score from outside and inside with equal facility. Newell chose to make him shoot from the outside, as far from the basket as possible.

The strategy appeared vulnerable at the outset as West Virginia, forced into a control game, patiently shot its way to a 23-13 advantage. But Cal took its time, ran its patterns, applied relentless pressure and soon pulled even.

Second-half turnovers dropped the Mountaineers further back until they trailed 57-44 about midway through the period. West, who had drawn his fourth foul, was sitting on the bench at the time. Schaus sent his star back into the game and ordered a full-court press, a taste of Cal's own strategy.

Amazingly, the normally imperturbable Bears began to lose the ball and their composure. As Newell chewed on his towel for relief, West Virginia edged closer and closer as the noise in the arena rose and the drama built.

Once again, Imhoff made the big basket. With his team leading 69-68, he followed a rebound of his own miss and pushed the Bears ahead by three points with 15 seconds left. Willie Akers scored an uncontested basket for the Mountaineers eight seconds later and that's the way it ended, 71-70 in favor of the no-names from Berkeley.

As usual, Cal had won with balance. Four players scored in double figures, led by Fitzpatrick with 20 points and Dalton with 15. As pleased as the Bears were to win, the finish left them shaken.

They had been taught to be analytical; accordingly, before they could fully appreciate the enormity of their accomplishment, they had some questions to answer in their own minds.

For West, the experience was empty. He had finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, outstanding-player honors and a hole in the pit of his stomach. He fought back tears as he watched Al Buch, the Cal captain, accept the championship trophy.

"I wasn't too proud to cry," West said. "What good are the fancy records and the high honors if you lose the championship by one point? I wouldn't want to play badly in any game or any tournament, but I'd rather have just played fair and had Imhoff or Oscar get the records and have my team get the title."

Rank	Team	W-L	Post-Season Result
1.	Kansas State	25-2	Lost NCAA regionals
2.	Kentucky	24-3	Lost NCAA regionals
3	Mississippi St.	24-1	DNP
4.	Bradley	25-4	NIT 2nd Place
5.	Cincinnati	26-4	NCAA 3rd Place
6.	N. Carolina St.	22-4	Probation
7.	Michigan State	19-4	Lost NCAA regionals
8.	Auburn	20-2	Probation
9.	North Carolina	20-5	Lost NCAA regionals
10.	West Virginia	29-5	NCAA 2nd Place

1. Oscar Robertson	Cincinnati	32.6
2. Leo Byrd	Marshall	29.3
3. Jim Hagan	Tennessee Tech	28.8
4. Bailey Howell	Mississippi State	27.5
5. Jerry West	West Virginia	26.6
6. Bob Ayersman	Virginia Tech	26.5

1. Leroy Wright	Pacific	.238
2. Bailey Howell	Mississippi State	.220
3. Chris Smith	Virginia Tech	.202

First Round	Player	College
1. Cincinnati Royals	Bob Boozer	Kansas State
2. Detroit Pistons	Bailey Howell	Mississippi State
3. Minneapolis Lakers	Tom Hawkins	Notre Dame
4. Syracuse Nationals	Dick Barnett	Tennessee State
5. New York Knicks	Johnny Green	Michigan State
6. Boston Celtics	John Richter	North Carolina State

Name	Cl.	Pos	Team
Don Goldstein	Sr.	F	Louisville
Oscar Robertson	Jr.	F	Cincinnati
Jerry West	Jr.	F	West Virginia
Darrell Imhoff	Jr.	C	California
Denny Fitzpatrick	Sr.	G	California