The 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1939, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament Championship Game on March 30, 1940, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Indiana Hoosiers won their first NCAA national championship with a 60–42 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.
Rule changes After a foul, teams received the option of either taking a free throw or taking the ball at mid-court.orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
Season headlines
College basketball was televised for the first time when W2XBS broadcast a doubleheader played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 28, 1940. In the first game, Pittsburgh defeated Fordham 50–37, and in the second game New York University defeated Georgetown 50–27. Duquesne became the first school to play in both the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA tournament. The Dukes finished as runner-up in the NIT and lost in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. In its second year, the NCAA tournament turned a profit (of $9,500) for the first time.Anonymous, "How the NCAA Overtook Its Rival, the NIT," Sport History Weekly, March 24, 2019 Accessed May 4, 2021 In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected USC as its national champion for the 1939–40 season. In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Indiana as its top-ranked team for the 1939–40 season.
Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Non-major basketball program Metropolitan New York Conference See note Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Independent Missouri Valley Conference Non-major basketball program Metropolitan New York Conference Independent Northern California Conference Non-major basketball program Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Independent Northern California Conference Independent Northern California Conference Independent Northern California Conference Non-major basketball program Northern California Conference Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Independent
NOTE: Columbia left the Metropolitan New York Conference while retaining membership in the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League. It was a member of both from 1933 until 1939.
Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments
ConferenceRegular season winnerConference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerBig Six Conference Kansas, Missouri, & Oklahoma None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Purdue None selected No TournamentBorder Conference New Mexico State None selected No TournamentEastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Dartmouth None selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference Did not play as conferenceMissouri Valley Conference Oklahoma A&M None selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Colorado No TournamentNew England Conference Rhode Island State No TournamentPacific Coast Conference ; No Tournament;USC defeated in best-of-three conference championship playoff seriesSoutheastern Conference Kentucky None selected 1940 SEC men's basketball tournament Alumni Memorial Gym (Knoxville, Tennessee) KentuckySouthern Conference Duke None selected 1940 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Thompson Gym(Raleigh, North Carolina2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference Rice None selected No Tournament Conference standings
Major independents A total of 66 college teams played as major independents. (19–0) was undefeated, and (26–3) finished with the most wins.
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Semifinals & final
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
+ Consensus First Team Player Class Team Gus Broberg Junior Dartmouth John Dick Senior Oregon George Glamack Junior North Carolina Bill Hapac Senior Illinois Ralph Vaughn Senior USC
+ Consensus Second Team Player Class Team Jack Harvey Senior Colorado Marv Huffman Senior Indiana Jimmy McNatt Senior Oklahoma Jesse Renick Senior Oklahoma A&M
Major player of the year awards
Helms Player of the Year: George Glamack, North Carolina (retroactive selection in 1944)
Other major awards
NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Ben Auerbach, NYU
Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonArizona State-FlagstaffAaron McCrearyFrank Brickey The CitadelRock NormanBen ParkersNorman left to coach Clemson.ClemsonJoe DavisRock Norman DenverCac HubbardEllison Ketchum DePaulTom HaggertyBill Wendt LouisvilleLaurie ApitzJohn Heldman Jr. Apitz continued to be the football coach and athletic director.NC StateRay SermonBob Warren NebraskaWilliam BrowneAdolph J. Lewandowski New MexicoRoy W. JohnsonBenjamin Sacks Johnson continued to be athletic director.Saint LouisJack SterrettBob Klenck Sterrett left to coach Tulsa.South CarolinaTed PetoskeyFrank Johnson Petoskey left to coach South Carolina's baseball team.TulsaTex RyonJack Sterrett
References