1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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]

1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
SEC champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceSoutheast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record23–5 (12–2 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coachHarry Lancaster
CaptainEd Beck
Home arenaMemorial Coliseum
Seasons
1956–57 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
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]

Roster

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1956–57 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
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
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster
Last update: January 20, 2024

Schedule and results

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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

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
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References

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  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.