1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
SEC champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Southeast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 3
Record	23–5 (12–2 SEC)
Head coach	Adolph Rupp (26th season);
Assistant coach	Harry Lancaster
Captain	Ed Beck
Home arena	Memorial Coliseum
	Seasons ← 1955–56 1957–58 →

1956–57 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 3 Kentucky	12	–	2	.857	23	–	5	.821
No. 8 Vanderbilt	11	–	4	.733	17	–	5	.773
Georgia Tech	12	–	5	.706	18	–	8	.692
No. 15 Mississippi State	9	–	5	.643	17	–	8	.680
Tulane	9	–	5	.643	15	–	9	.625
Auburn	8	–	7	.533	13	–	8	.619
Alabama	7	–	7	.500	15	–	11	.577
Florida	6	–	8	.429	14	–	10	.583
Tennessee	5	–	9	.357	13	–	9	.591
Ole Miss	4	–	11	.267	9	–	12	.429
Georgia	4	–	12	.250	8	–	16	.333
LSU	1	–	13	.071	6	–	19	.240

Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

The 1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Adolph Rupp. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Memorial Coliseum. This squad, led by a core of juniors, was often nicknamed the "Fiddlin' Five".^[2]

Roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	40	Earl Adkins	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jr	—	Ashland, KY
F	50	Jay Bayless	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	—	Knoxville, TN
C	34	Ed Beck (C)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Jr	—	Fort Valley, GA
G	70	John Brewer	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	—	Louisville, KY
G	10	Gerry Calvert (C)	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Sr	—	Maysville, KY
G/F	12	Billy Ray Cassady	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	Jr	—	Inez, KY
G	10	Lincoln Collinsworth	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	—	Salyersville, KY
F	24	Johnny Cox	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	Hazard	Hazard, KY
F	32	John Crigler	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jr	Hebron	Hebron, KY
G	66	John Hardwick	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	—	Lexington, KY
G	52	Vernon Hatton	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Lafayette	Lexington, KY
F/C	20	Dick Howe	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	—	Carbondale, IL
F/C	14	Phil Johnson	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	University	Lexington, KY
F	55	Ray Mills	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	—	Manchester, KY
G/F	33	Harold Ross	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	—	Hickman, KY
G	50	Adrian Smith	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	Jr	—	Farmington, KY
F	88	Bill Smith	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	—	Walton, KY

Head coach

Adolph Rupp

Assistant coach(es)

Harry Lancaster

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 20, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular Season
Dec 1, 1956*		Washington & Lee	W 94–66	1–0	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 3, 1956*		Miami (FL)	W 114–75	2–0	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 8, 1956*		at Temple	W 73–58	3–0	The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 10, 1956*	No. 3	Saint Louis	L 70–71	3–1	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 15, 1956*	No. 3	Maryland	W 76–55	4–1	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 18, 1956*	No. 7	at No. 13 Duke	L 84–85	4–2	Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina
Dec 21, 1956*	No. 7	No. 4 Southern Methodist UK Invitation Tournament	W 73–67	5–2	Memorial Coliseum (9,500) Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 22, 1956*	No. 7	No. 5 Illinois UK Invitation Tournament	W 91–70	6–2	Memorial Coliseum (9,500) Lexington, Kentucky
Dec 28, 1956*	No. 3	vs. Virginia Tech Sugar Bowl Tournament	W 56–55	7–2	The Field House (3,800) New Orleans, Louisiana
Dec 29, 1956*	No. 3	vs. Houston Sugar Bowl Tournament	W 111–76	8–2	The Field House (3,500) New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 5, 1957	No. 3	Georgia Tech	W 95–72	9–2 (1–0)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Jan 7, 1957*	No. 3	Loyola–Chicago	W 81–62	10–2	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Jan 12, 1957	No. 3	at Louisiana State	W 51–46	11–2 (2–0)	John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Jan 14, 1957	No. 4	at Tulane	L 60–68	11–3 (2–1)	Avron B. Fogelman Arena New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 19, 1957	No. 4	at Tennessee	W 97–72	12–3 (3–1)	Alumni Memorial Gymnasium Knoxville, Tennessee
Jan 26, 1957	No. 5	at No. 13 Vanderbilt	W 91–83	13–3 (4–1)	Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 28, 1957	No. 4	at Georgia Tech	W 76–65	14–3 (5–1)	Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 30, 1957	No. 4	Georgia	W 84–53	15–3 (6–1)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Feb 2, 1957	No. 4	Florida	W 88–61	16–3 (7–1)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Feb 8, 1957	No. 3	vs. Ole Miss	W 75–69	17–3 (8–1)	Ellis Auditorium Memphis, Tennessee
Feb 11, 1957	No. 3	at Mississippi State	L 81–89	17–4 (8–2)	McCarthy Gymnasium Starkville, Mississippi
Feb 15, 1957*	No. 3	at Loyola–Chicago	W 115–65	18–4	Chicago Stadium Chicago, Illinois
Feb 18, 1957	No. 3	No. 10 Vanderbilt	W 80–78	19–4 (9–2)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Feb 23, 1957	No. 3	Alabama	W 79–60	20–4 (10–2)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Feb 25, 1957	No. 3	Auburn	W 103–85	21–4 (11–2)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 2, 1957	No. 3	Tennessee	W 93–75	22–4 (12–2)	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
NCAA Tournament
Mar 15, 1957*	No. 3	vs. Pittsburgh Mideast Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen	W 98–92	23–4	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
Mar 16, 1957*	No. 3	vs. No. 11 Michigan State Mideast Regional Final – Elite Eight	L 68–80	23–5	Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Kentucky
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast.

^[3]^[4]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
AP	Not released	3	7	3	3	3	4	5	4	3	3	3	3	3	3
UP	14	7	7	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3

References

^ sports-reference.com 1956-57 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ Nelli, Bert; Nelli, Steve (January 20, 2024). The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-8823-2.
^ "2023-24 Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Kentucky Athletics. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^ "1956-57 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[1] sports-reference.com 1956-57 Southeastern Conference Season Summary

[2] Nelli, Bert; Nelli, Steve (January 20, 2024). The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-8823-2.

[3] "2023-24 Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Kentucky Athletics. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[4] "1956-57 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	State College Gymnasium (1903–1914) Buell Armory Gymnasium (1910–1924) Alumni Gymnasium (1924–1950) Memorial Coliseum (1950–1976) Rupp Arena (1976–present) Joe Craft Center (practice)
Rivalries	Centre (historical) Florida Indiana Louisville North Carolina Tennessee Transylvania (historical)
Culture & lore	History under Adolph Rupp Fabulous Five Point-shaving scandal Fiddlin' Five Rupp's Runts The Season Without Celebration "The Shot" Unforgettables Untouchables Comeback Cats John Wall Dance Tweakables Pursuit of Perfection 2011 Indiana game Basketbowl Champions Classic CBS Sports Classic The Rivalry: Red v. Blue The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Big Blue Nation Blue blood status
People	Head coaches Honorees NBA draftees Players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics