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Standings
| Team | Big 5 | All | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph’s | 4-0 | 23-6 | Jack Ramsay |
| Temple | 3-1 | 27-4 | Harry Litwack |
| La Salle | 2-2 | 15-10 | Jim Pollard |
| Villanova | 1-3 | 14-12 | Al Severance |
| Pennsylvania | 0-4 | 12-13 | Ray Stanley |
| 91-45, 66.9% |
Game Results
All games were played at the Palestra.
| Date | Winner | Loser | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14 | St. Joseph’s 83 | Villanova 70 | 2,636 |
| Reserve Al Juliana comes off bench for 22 | |||
| Dec 20 | Temple 93 | Penn 72 | 3,751 |
| The Owls led by as many as 31 in the 2nd half | |||
| Jan 4 | St. Joseph’s 69 | La Salle 56 | 2,022 |
| The Hawks led by just one at intermission | |||
| Jan 11 | Temple 80 | Villanova 73 | 4,590 |
| Hal Lear made 13 of 25 FGs and had 37 pts | |||
| Jan 18 | La Salle 64 | Penn 52 | 2,047 |
| Penn trailed by just three points at 3:00 | |||
| Jan 28 | St. Joseph’s 72 | Penn 60 | 2,938 |
| Kurt Engelbert hits 13 of 14 FTs & scores 29 | |||
| Feb 8 | Villanova 89 | Penn 74 | 3,111 |
| Penn’s Joe Sturgis gets 20 points, 27 boards | |||
| Feb 15 | Temple 60 | La Salle 57 | 3,705 |
| Explorers failed to score in game’s final 5:30 | |||
| Feb 22 | St. Joseph’s 77 | Temple 68 | 9,387 |
| Hawks clinch first City Series Championship | |||
| Feb 29 | La Salle 71 | Villanova 64 | 2,843 |
| Charley Singley cans 4 FTs to ice the victory | |||
Honors
Big 5 First Team:
- Dick Csencsitz (Pennsylvania)
- Kurt Engelbert (St. Joseph’s)
- Mike Fallon (St. Joseph’s)
- Al Juliana (St. Joseph’s)
- Hal Lear (Temple)
- Bill Lynch (St. Joseph’s)
- Fran O’Malley (La Salle)
- Hal Reinfeld (Temple)
- Guy Rodgers (Temple)*
- Jimmy Smith (Villanova)
- Joe Sturgis (Pennsylvania)
* Rodgers averaged 18.5 points and more than eight assists as the Owls advanced to the Final Four. It was the first Geasey MVP Award granted.
NCAA Tournament
Temple 74, Holy Cross 72, in New York
Temple 75, Connecticut, at The Palestra
Temple 60, Canisius 58, at The Palestra
Iowa 83, Temple 76, Final 4 in Evanston, Ill.
Temple 90, SMU 81, Final 4 in Evanston, Ill.
National Invitation Tournament
St. Joseph’s 74, Seton Hall 65, at Madison Square Garden
Louisville 89, St. Joseph’s 79, Final 4 at Madison Square Garden
St. Joes 93, St. Francis/NY 82, Final 4 at Madison Square Garden