1956 Dixie Classic
| Season | 1956–57 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 8 | ||||
| Finals site | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina | ||||
| Champions | North Carolina (1st title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Wake Forest (1st title game) | ||||
| Winning coach | Frank McGuire (1st title) | ||||
| MVP | Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina) | ||||
| Attendance | 71,200 | ||||
| Top scorer | Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina) (86 points) | ||||
| |||||
The 1956 Dixie Classic was a mid-season college basketball tournament held December 27–29, 1956 at NC State's Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the eighth iteration of the Dixie Classic and it was part of the 1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season.
Coming into the tournament, there was no clear favorite among the strong field, with reigning champion NC State holding the worst record of any team.[1] Some noted teams were the 8th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, the 2nd-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, and the 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils.[2] The Mountaineers were considered a serious threat as an undefeated team with two victories over teams in the "Big Four" already; however, no team outside of the Big Four had ever won the Dixie Classic.[3][4]
In the first round, the Big Four teams swept their invited opponents.[5] West Virginia's undefeated streak fell apart, as they lost all three games to finish last in the tournament.[6] Wake Forest and North Carolina advanced out of the semifinal, and North Carolina won the final by a score of 63–55 to continue their undefeated streak.[7] This streak ultimately lasted through the end of their season, and the Tar Heels would go on to win the NCAA tournament.[8]
Lennie Rosenbluth of North Carolina was voted as the most outstanding player of the tournament. Across North Carolina's three games, he scored 86 points and led the tournament in rebounds, field goals, and free throws.[9] Across the three days of six double-headers, the total attendance was 71,200.[10]
Teams[edit]
Each year, the Dixie Classic included the "Big Four" teams (Duke, NC State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest), as well as four other invited teams. The 1956 teams were:[11]
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- DePaul Blue Demons
- NC State Wolfpack
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Duke Blue Devils
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Utah Redskins
Bracket[edit]
| Consolation final | Consolation semifinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 27, 2:00pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 74 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 28, 2:00pm | DePaul | 68 | Dec. 28, 4:00pm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 73 | Wake Forest | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 72 | Dec. 27, 4:00pm | NC State | 66 | |||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 29, 4:00pm | Iowa | 70 | Dec. 29, 9:30pm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 79 | Wake Forest | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 86 | Dec. 27, 7:30pm | North Carolina | 63 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 28, 7:30pm | West Virginia | 67 | Dec. 28, 9:30pm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Seventh place | West Virginia | 66 | Duke | 71 | Third place | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dec. 29, 2:00pm | Utah | 83 | Dec. 27, 9:30pm | North Carolina | 81 | Dec. 29, 7:30pm | |||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 79 | North Carolina | 97 | NC State | 102 | ||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 76 | Utah | 76 | Duke | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
Game log[edit]
December 27
2:00pm |
| Wake Forest 74, DePaul 68 | ||
| Scoring by half: 38–34, 36–34 | ||
| Pts: Murdock (19) | Pts: Heise (26) | |
No. 1[12]
Attendance: 12,000 |
December 27
4:00pm |
| NC State 84, Iowa 70 | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–29, 52–41 | ||
| Pts: Maglio (21) | Pts: Martel (17) | |
December 27
7:30pm |
| Duke 73, West Virginia 67 | ||
| Scoring by half: 38–34, 35–33 | ||
| Pts: Newcome (19) | Pts: Hundley (24) | |
December 27
9:30pm |
| North Carolina 97, Utah 76 | ||
| Scoring by half: 42–32, 55–44 | ||
| Pts: Rosenbluth (26) | Pts: Kane (12) | |
No. 4[14]
Attendance: 12,400 |
December 28
2:00pm |
| DePaul 73, Iowa 72 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by half: 38–32, 27–33 Overtime: 8–7 | ||
| Pts: Heise (23) | Pts: Wordlaw (23) | |
December 28
4:00pm |
| Wake Forest 73, NC State 66 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–33, 42–33 | ||
| Pts: Carr (21) | Pts: Maglio (22) | |
December 28
7:30pm |
| West Virginia 66, Utah 83 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–50, 35–33 | ||
| Pts: Hundley (16) | Pts: Kane (22) | |
December 28
9:30pm |
| Duke 71, North Carolina 87 | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–43, 39–44 | ||
| Pts: Newcome (19) | Pts: Rosenbluth (32) | |
No. 8[15]
|
December 29
2:00pm |
| Iowa 79, West Virginia 76 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–37, 43–39 | ||
| Pts: Wordlaw (21) | Pts: Sharrar (20) | |
No. 9[7]
|
December 29
4:00pm |
| DePaul 79, Utah 86 | ||
| Scoring by half: 33–41, 46–45 | ||
| Pts: Heise (32) | Pts: Hale (19) | |
No. 10[7]
|
December 29
7:30pm |
| NC State 102, Duke 80 | ||
| Scoring by half: 47–39, 55–41 | ||
| Pts: Richter (25) | Pts: Robertson (13) | |
No. 11[7]
Attendance: 12,400 |
December 29
9:30pm |
| Wake Forest 55, North Carolina 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 20–31, 35–32 | ||
| Pts: Williams (15) | Pts: Rosenbluth (18) | |
No. 12[7]
Attendance: 12,400 |
References[edit]
- ^ "Duke Meets W. Virginia At 7:30 P.M." The Durham Sun. UPI. December 27, 1956. p. 14.
- ^ "Eight Southern Teams In Action". Rocky Mount Telegram. Associated Press. December 24, 1956. p. 15.
- ^ "Mountaineers Biggest Outside Cage Threat". The Daily Times-News. Associated Press. December 24, 1956. p. 8.
- ^ "Outsider Has Never Won Classic". The Durham Sun. December 27, 1956. p. 14.
- ^ a b Breibart, Jack (December 28, 1956). "Devils Hand Mounties First Defeat, 73 to 67". The News and Observer. pp. 13–14.
- ^ Brooks, Bob (December 30, 1956). "Mounties' Fold Is Bitter Disappointment to Coach". The News and Observer. p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e "N. Carolina Wins Dixie Final, 63–55". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 30, 1956. p. S3. ProQuest 113598080.
- ^ Herbert, Dick (March 24, 1957). "Carolina Is New Cage King". The News and Observer. p. 17.
- ^ "Rosenbluth Wins Award". The News and Observer. December 30, 1956. p. 16.
- ^ Herbert, Dick (December 30, 1956). "The Sports Observer". The News and Observer. p. 13.
- ^ "1956 Dixie Classic program (eBay listing photos)". Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Schramm, Earl (December 28, 1956). "Wake Forest Wins, 74–68, Over DePaul". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
- ^ Tieda, Joe (December 28, 1956). "Pack Wallops Iowa, 84–70". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
- ^ a b Herbert, Dick (December 28, 1956). "Carolina Trounces Utah, 97 to 76". The News and Observer. pp. 13, 15.
- ^ a b c d "N.C. State Bows to Wake Forest". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 29, 1956. p. 22. ProQuest 113621199.
- ^ Schramm, Earl (December 29, 1956). "DePaul Captures Overtime Victory". The News and Observer. p. 9.
- ^ Brooks, Bob (December 29, 1956). "Wake Beats State, 73–66 For Revenge". The News and Observer. pp. 9–10.
- ^ Tiede, Joe (December 29, 1956). "Utah Turns Back Mounties, 83–66". The News and Observer. p. 9.
External links[edit]
- NC State vs. Duke game video via NC State University Libraries