1895–96 collegiate men's basketball season in the United States

American college basketball season July 2024 March 2026 1895 File:1895-96 Yale University Bulldogs "Basket Ball" Broadside from The Mabel Welton Collection.jpg The 1895–96 collegiate men's basketball season in the United States began in December 1895, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1896. Rule changes During the 1895–96 season, teams adhered to the 13 original rules of basketball written by the game's inventor, James Naismith, in December 1891 and published in January 1892,http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA July 17, 2024 2 as well as a rule change made in 1894 which set the free-throw line at 20 ft.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA July 17, 2024 2, 6 For the 1895–96 season, the following rules changes also were implemented: The points awarded for a field goal were reduced from three to two. The points awarded for a successful free throw were reduced from three to one. Season headlines The first game between two colleges with five players on the floor for each team was played on January 16, 1896, when Chicago defeated Iowa 15–12 in a game played at Close Hall in Iowa City, Iowa. (Previously, as many as nine players were on the floor for each team in college games.) However, the NCAA does not consider the game a "true" college game, because Iowa's starting line-up consisted of members of a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) team who all happened to be attending the University of Iowa.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA July 17, 2024 11 The NCAA considers the first "true" college game with five players on the floor for each team (i.e., between teams composed of members of the student body who did not made up a separate team outside of their college or university) to have taken place the following season. In 1995, the Premo Power Poll retroactively selected Temple (15–7) as its top-ranking team for the 1895–96 season.Douchant Mike 1995 Encyclopedia of College Basketball 17–22 https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofco00douc/page/17/ Detroit Visible Ink Press 0-8103-9483-9 PREMO POWER POLL: The first wire-service national poll wasn't conducted until the 1948–49 season by the Associated Press. In an attempt to recognize some of the premier teams in the history of men's college basketball before that time, Patrick M. Premo, a professor of accounting at St. Bonaventure, analyzed every season since 1892–93. By 2009, the ranking had become the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and this season's selection had changed to Yale (8–5).ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia ((Editors of ESPN)) ESPN Books; Ballantine Books New York 2009 526–587 978-0-345-51392-2 The Early Years: The Premo-Porretta Polls (1895–96 through 1947–48 seasons) provide a rare snapshot of the sport's hierarchy in the years before national polling. Pat Premo, a professor emeritus at St. Bonaventure University, and Phil Porretta, a former computer programmer, have 40 years' experience each researching college basketball games. Their archival work, first published in 1995, has helped them retroactively determine rankings, because they often uncover game results that were not reported in record books or media guides, including competition against YMCA, club and AAU teams. Regular season No college basketball conferences existed, but 16 college teams played as major independents. During the season, college teams played against non-collegiate opponents such as athletic clubs, high schools, and Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) teams as well as against other colleges and universities. The only teams to play 10 or more games were Minnesota A&M (10–2), Temple (15–7), and Yale (8–5).https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1896.html Sports Reference 1895-96 Men's Independent Season Summary July 17, 2024 References 2