The University of Arkansas Razorbacks squad, who were supposed to appear in the tournament, were victimized by an automobile accident.

While attempting to fix a flat tire, Deno Nichols and Ben Jones were injured when another car rammed into the back of the station wagon.

The severity of the accident caused Arkansas to withdraw from the upcoming NCAA tournament and the Redskins were tapped as a replacement.

[8] In need of a replacement, the NCAA committee turned to Utah, despite the fact that the Redskins had 4 losses and had just lost their first-round game in the NIT tournament.

These players included Arnie Ferrin, Fred Sheffield, and Wat Misaka, who was of Japanese descent.