1956-57 North Carolina Team Profile

All week, we will be profiling the seven undefeated NCAA Champions ... 

1956-57 NORTH CAROLINA (32-0)

Click here for their game-by-game results

Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bid: Automatic.

Opponents' Final Record: 459-377 (.549).

NCAA Tournament/Through That Season: 7-2 (1 Title, 1 Final Four).
NCAA Tournament/Since That Season: 105-42 (4 Titles, 17 Final Fours).

Head Coach: Frank McGuire
Through That Season — School: 88-36 (5 years). Overall: 190-72 (10 years).
Career — School: 164-58 (9 years). Overall: 549-236 (30 years).

Title Game Starters, Pos., Hgt., Yr., Pts., Reb., FG%, FT%
Pete Brennan, F, 6-6, Jr., 14.7, 10.3, 39.3, 70.6
Lennie Rosenbluth, F, 6-5, Sr., 28.0, 8.8, 48.3, 75.8
Joe Quigg, C, 6-9, Jr., 10.3, 8.7, 43.4, 71.9
Bob Young, C, 6-6, Sr., 1.9, 2.1, 25.6, 53.8
Tommy Kearns, G, 5-11, Jr., 12.8, 3.1, 43.4, 71.0

Title Game Key Subs
Bob Cunningham, G, 6-4, Jr., 7.3, 6.6, 39.3, 59.8
Danny Lotz, F, 6-7, So., 0.9, 1.6, 35.0, 39.1

About the Tar Heels: Survived three overtimes against Wilt Chamberlain's Kansas team in the championship game in Kansas City, 54-53, despite Rosenbluth (20 points) fouling out in regulation. Quigg (10 points, 9 rebounds) made two free throws with six seconds left to win it. Brennan finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds ... Chamberlain had 23 points and 14 rebounds in the title game, but missed five free throws ... UNC had outlasted Michigan State in triple overtime, 74-70, in the semifinals the day before ... Some would have you believe Dean Smith either played for Kansas in this game (he had graduated in 1953) or was an assistant for UNC (he wouldn't begin there until 1958) ... Rosenbluth scored 47 in the season opener against Furman, exactly half of the 94 put up by the Tar Heels ... Each NCAA game got increasingly tighter. They won by 16, 12, 9, 4 and 1 ... Their 817 free throws made remain a school record ... The Tar Heels had only three players on the roster from North Carolina. None played in the title game.