| National championship game | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | March 23, 1957 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Venue | Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Kansas by 3[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | Joe Conway & Hagan Anderson[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 7,778[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||
The 1957 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game took place on March 23, 1957, between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The matchup was the final one of the nineteenth edition of the single-elimination tournament now known as the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament—commonly referred to as the NCAA Tournament—organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It was used to crown a national men's basketball champion in the NCAA's University Division, known since 1973 as the NCAA Division I.
After surviving numerous close games during the regular season, the conference tournament, and lastly, a triple-overtime game against Michigan State in the national semifinal, North Carolina came into the national championship game with an unblemished record of 31–0. Led by coach Frank McGuire and Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year Lennie Rosenbluth, the Tar Heels were ranked first overall in the AP Poll. Kansas came into the national championship game with two losses, which were credited to poor ball control on the Jayhawks' part. The Jayhawks, led by sophomore phenom and first-team All-American Wilt Chamberlain, were favored to win against the Tar Heels.
The game attracted heavy media attention with over ten television stations and sixty–three news reporters in attendance. The North Carolina Tar Heels jumped out to an early 19–7 lead in the first half until the Jayhawks reduced the Tar Heels' lead to seven points (29–22) at halftime. In the second half, the Jayhawks took the lead. The Tar Heels tied the game in the final minute, sending the game into overtime. In the first overtime, each team scored a basket before time ran out; in the second overtime, no points were scored due to lack of offensive execution by both teams. More action took place in the third overtime. The Tar Heels won the game 54–53 as Joe Quigg made two free throws in the closing seconds to give them their first NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship.
The team received a large welcome at Raleigh–Durham International Airport when they arrived back in North Carolina. Due to the successful televising of the national championship game in North Carolina, the broadcasting of Atlantic Coast Conference collegiate basketball games expanded greatly. Kansas' Chamberlain was criticized for his inability to win the national championship. He eventually left Kansas after his junior year to join the Harlem Globetrotters.
- ^ "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Earl Morey (May 23, 1957). "3/23/57 - K.U. in Dream Clash With Tar Heel Quint". KUsports.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ a b Kirschner 2008, p. 114.
- ^ Bill Mayer (March 15, 2007). "KU fans fired up for semifinals". KUsports.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.