1952–53 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1952–53 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1952, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1953 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 18, 1953, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Indiana Hoosiers won their second NCAA national championship with a 69–68 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Rule changes
Teams must take a free throw after a foul, as had been the practice through the 1938–39 season. Previously, under a rule that had been in effect since the 1939–40 season, a team could waive its free throw and instead take the ball at mid-court after a foul.

Season headlines

 * Prior to the season, the NCAA ruled that colleges and universities could no longer count games played against non-collegiate opponents in their annual won-loss records. Previously, it had been a common practice for many years for colleges and universities to include non-collegiate opponents in their schedules, with the games recognized as part of their official record for the season.
 * The California Basketball Association began play, with five original members. It would be renamed the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956 and the West Coast Conference in 1989.
 * The NCAA forced Kentucky to suspend its men's basketball program for the entire 1952–53 season as a result of the CCNY point-shaving scandal, which had been revealed in 1951.
 * The NCAA tournament expanded from 16 to 22 teams.
 * Bill Chambers of William and Mary grabbed 51 rebounds against Virginia on February 14, 1953, becoming the first player with more than 50 rebounds in one game.
 * Bob Houbregs of Washington became the first player to score 40 or more points in an NCAA tournament Final Four game when he scored 42 against LSU in the national third-place game on March 18, 1953.
 * Walter Dukes of Seton Hall finished the season with 734 rebounds for the year, the first player to grab 700 rebounds in a single season.

Pre-season polls
The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UP Coaches Poll during the pre-season.

Final Four

 * Third Place – Washington 88, LSU 69

Semifinals & finals

 * Third Place – Duquesne 81, Manhattan 67

Major player of the year awards

 * Helms Player of the Year: Bob Houbregs, Washington

Other major awards

 * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Walter Dukes, Seton Hall

Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.