1938–39 NCAA men's basketball season

Men's collegiate basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1938 March 17 27, 1939 Patten Gymnasium Evanston, Illinois Oregon Webfoots Long Island Blackbirds (retroactive selection in 1943) Long Island Chet Jaworski, Rhode Island Rams (retroactive selection in 1944) The 1938–39 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1938, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1939 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 27, 1939, at Patten Gymnasium in Evanston, Illinois. The Oregon Webfoots won the first NCAA national championship with a 46–33 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. Rule changes After a team makes a free throw as a result of a technical foul, it retains possession and throws the ball in from out of bounds. Previously, a jump ball at center court had taken place after a team shot a free throw as a result of a technical foul.orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes Season headlines The Mountain States Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Mountain States Conference and the Skyline Conference, began play, with seven original members. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference became a non-major conference after the departure of seven of its larger members for the Skyline Conference. The practice of naming a Consensus All-American Second Team began. The NCAA tournament was held for the first time, operated by the National Association of Basketball Coaches rather than the National Collegiate Athletic Association itself. Eight teams competed.Anonymous, "How the NCAA Overtook Its Rival, the NIT," Sport History Weekly, March 24, 2019 Accessed May 4, 2021 In the first game, Villanova defeated Brown 42–30 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 17, and Oregon defeated Ohio State 46–33 in Evanston, Illinois, in the first championship game on March 27.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 11 Jimmy Hull of Ohio State was named the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. The tournament lost $2,500; although 5,000 fans attended the championship game, many of the tickets were given away. The NCAA viewed its champion as the official national champion,May 2025 the National Invitation Tournament, which had debuted the previous year, widely was considered the more prestigious of the two tournaments and the "true" national championship tournament through at least the mid-1950s, with better teams often choosing the NIT over the NCAA or playing in both tournaments in the same year. Howard Hobson of Oregon became the first head coach to win the NCAA tournament at his alma mater.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 12 Bruce Drake of Oklahoma became the first head coach to lead his team to a finish among the final four teams in the NCAA tournament in his first season as a head coach. The Eastern Intercollegiate Conference and the Northern California Conference both disbanded at the end of the season. In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Long Island, the 1938 National Invitation Tournament winner, as its national champion for the 1938–39 season.Jon Scott Nov 9, 2010 The truth behind the Helms Committee http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/helms.html 2015-12-14 In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Long Island as its top-ranked team for the 1938–39 season.ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game ESPN ESPN Books New York, NY 2009 526, 529–587 978-0-345-51392-2 Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Brigham Young BYU Cougars Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Colorado Colorado Buffaloes Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Colorado State Colorado State Rams Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Denver Denver Pioneers Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Utah Utah Redskins Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Utah State Utah State Aggies Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Wyoming Wyoming Cowboys Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Mountain States (Skyline) Conference Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season winnerhttps://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Standings.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section 2009 NCAA 2009-02-14Conference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerBig Six Conference Missouri & Oklahoma None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Ohio State None selected No TournamentBorder Conference New Mexico State None selected No TournamentEastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Dartmouth None selected No TournamentEastern Intercollegiate Conference Carnegie Tech & Georgetown None selected No TournamentMetropolitan New York Conference Long Island None selected No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Drake & Oklahoma A&M None selected No TournamentMountain States (Skyline) Conference Colorado No TournamentNew England Conference Rhode Island State No TournamentNorthern California Conference Santa Clara No TournamentPacific Coast Conference Oregon (North); USC (South) No Tournament;Oregon defeated USC in best-of-three conference championship playoff seriesSoutheastern Conference Kentucky None selected 1939 SEC men's basketball tournament Alumni Memorial Gym (Knoxville, Tennessee) KentuckySouthern Conference Wake Forest None selected 1939 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Thompson Gym(Raleigh, North Carolina) Clemson2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110930163611/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 September 30, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southwest Conference Texas None selected No Tournament Conference standings Major independents A total of 48 college teams played as major independents. 1938 Loyola University Chicago Loyola Ramblers Loyola of Illinois (21–1) had the best winning percentage (.955). 1938 Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Western Kentucky State| (22–3) and 1938 Marshall University Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall (22–5) finished with the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1939.html Sports Reference 1938-39 Men's Independent Season Summary August 1, 2024 Post-Season Tournaments thumb|The inaugural NCAA tournament championship game was played on March 27, 1939 at Patten Gymnasium on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. thumb|Patten Gymnasiun in April 2008. It hosted the 1939 NCAA men's Final Four. NCAA Tournament 1939 NCAA basketball tournament 1939 NCAA basketball championship game Semifinals & final no National Semifinals National Final Villanova 36   Ohio State 53   Oregon 55   Oklahoma 37   Ohio State 33   Oregon 46 National Invitation Tournament 1939 National Invitation Tournament Semifinals & finals no Semifinals Finals Third place   Bradley 32   Long Island 36   Loyola (Ill.) 51   St. John's 46   Long Island 44   Loyola (Ill.) 32   Bradley 40   St. John's 35 Awards Consensus All-American teams 1939 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Class Team Ernie Andres Senior Indiana Jimmy Hull Senior Ohio State Chet Jaworski Senior Rhode Island State Irving Torgoff Senior Long Island Slim Wintermute Senior Oregon + Consensus Second Team Player Class Team Bobby Anet Senior Oregon Bob Calihan Junior Detroit Bob Hassmiller Senior Fordham Mike Novak Senior Loyola-Chicago Bernard Opper Senior Kentucky Major player of the year awards Helms Player of the Year: Chet Jaworski, Rhode Island State (retroactive selection in 1944) Other major awards NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Irv Torgoff, Long Island Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonArizona State—TempeEarl PomeroyRudy Lavik ArmyLeo NovakValentine Lentz CincinnatiRip Van WinkleClark BallardVan Winkle left to coach Miami (OH).ColgateJohn GallowayPaul Bixler DaytonJoe HolsingerJames Carter Kansas StateFrank RootJack Gardner Miami (OH)Weeb EwbankRip Van Winkle New HampshireGeorge SauerHenry Swasey New Mexico A&MJerry HinesJulius H. Johnston North CarolinaWalter SkidemoreBill Lange Ole MissFrank JohnsonFrank Jaskwhich Saint Mary's (CA)Jack OttenLouis Conlan Siena SaintsJack CarrollHenry Bunoski TempleJames UsiltonErnest MessikomerUsilton died during the offseasonTulsaChet BenefielH. B. "Tex" Ryon UCLACaddy WorksWilbur Johns WyomingWillard WitteEverett Shelton References 2