The 1939–40 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represented Indiana University. Their head coach was Branch McCracken, who was in his 2nd year. The team played its home games in The Fieldhouse in Bloomington, Indiana, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The Hoosiers finished the regular season with an overall record of 17–3 and a conference record of 9–3, finishing 2nd in the Big Ten Conference to the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue was invited to participate in the 8-team NCAA tournament, but declined their bid recommending IU play in the tournament in their place. In only the second national tournament, IU won their first NCAA Tournament Championship by defeating Kansas, 60–42, in the final. Indiana was also retroactively listed as the top team of the season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.
Roster No.NamePositionHt.YearHometown7Andy ZimmerC6–4So.Goodland, Indiana9Chet FrancisG6–1Jr.Avon, Indiana10Harold ZimmerF5–8Jr.Springfield, Ohio11Everett HoffmanC6–3So.Evansville, Indiana12Jim GridleyG6–1Jr.Vevay, Indiana13Jim OoleyG6–2Sr.Spencer, Indiana16James CliftonC6–3Jr.Bentonville, Indiana18Cliff WiethoffF6–1So.Seymour, Indiana19Ed NewbyG5–11So.Indianapolis, Indiana20Jack StevensonF6–1Sr.Indianapolis, Indiana21Max HaslerG5–10So.Elnora, Indiana22Jay McCrearyG5–10Jr.Frankfort, Indiana23Don HuckleberryG5–9So.Salem, Indiana24John TorphyF5–11So.Bedford, Indiana25Bill FreyF6–1So.Kokomo, Indiana26Tom MotterF6–1Jr.Fort Wayne, Indiana28William TorphyG6–1So.Bedford, Indiana29Robert MenkeF6–3Jr.Huntingburg, Indiana30Ralph DorseyF5–10Sr.Horse Cave, Kentucky32Herm SchaeferF6–1Jr.Fort Wayne, Indiana33Curly ArmstrongF5–11Jr.Fort Wayne, Indiana34Marv HuffmanG6–2Sr.New Castle, Indiana35William MenkeC6–3Jr.Huntingburg, Indiana38Bob DroG5–11Sr.Berne, Indiana
Schedule/results
!colspan=8| Regular season
!colspan=8| NCAA tournament
Awards and honors Marv Huffman, Consensus second team All-American Marv Huffman, NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player Bill Menke, Third team All-American (Converse)
References