1953–54 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1953–54 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1953, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 20, 1954, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The La Salle Explorers won their first NCAA national championship with a 92–76 victory over the Bradley Braves.

Season headlines

 * The Atlantic Coast Conference began play, with eight original members.
 * Frank Selvy of Furman scored 100 points in a 149–95 victory over Newberry in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 13, 1954, becoming the first player to score 100 or more points in a game. Selvy finished the season with 1,209 points for the year, the first player to score 1,000 or more points in a single season. He also averaged 41.7 points per game for the season, the first player to average 40 or more points per game in a season, and finished his career (1952–1954) averaging 32.5 points a game, the first player to average 30 or more points per game during a collegiate career.
 * The NCAA tournament expanded from 22 to 24 teams.
 * Kentucky went undefeated, finishing with a 25–0 record. The Helms Athletic Foundation awarded its national championship to Kentucky rather than to the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament champion, La Salle. It was the fourth and final time that the NCAA champion and the Helms champion differed. In the final AP Poll, taken after the completion of the 1954 NCAA basketball tournament and the then-presitigious National Invitation Tournament, Kentucky was ranked No. 1 ahead of No. 2 La Salle (NCAA tournament champion) and No. 3 Holy Cross (1954 National Invitation Tournament champion).
 * The NCAA tournament's Final Four games were played on Friday and Saturday for the first time.
 * The NCAA tournament's championship game was televised nationally for the first time. The broadcast rights fee was $7,500.

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

Final Four

 * Third Place – Penn State 70, USC 61

Semifinals & finals

 * Third Place – Niagara 71, Western Kentucky State 66

Major player of the year awards

 * Helms Player of the Year: Tom Gola, La Salle

Other major awards

 * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Ed Conlin, Fordham

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