1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season

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.

1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season
NCAA Tournament	1940
Tournament dates	March 20 – 30, 1940
National Championship	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Helms National Champions	USC Trojans (retroactive selection in 1943)
Other champions	Colorado Buffaloes (NIT)
Player of the Year (Helms)	George Glamack, North Carolina Tar Heels (retroactive selection in 1944)

Rule changes

After a foul, teams received the option of either taking a free throw or taking the ball at mid-court.

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.
• 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

School	Former conference	New conference
Carnegie Tech Tartans	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Non-major basketball program
Columbia Lions	Metropolitan New York Conference	See note
Georgetown Hoyas	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Independent
Grinnell Pioneers	Missouri Valley Conference	Non-major basketball program
Long Island Blackbirds	Metropolitan New York Conference	Independent
Pacific Tigers	Northern California Conference	Non-major basketball program
Penn State Nittany Lions	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Independent
Pittsburgh Panthers	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Independent
Saint Mary's (Calif.) Gaels	Northern California Conference	Independent
San Francisco Dons	Northern California Conference	Independent
San Jose State Spartans	Northern California Conference	Non-major basketball program
Santa Clara Broncos	Northern California Conference	Independent
Temple Owls	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Independent
West Virginia Mountaineers	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

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Big Six Conference	Kansas, Missouri, & Oklahoma	None selected	No Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Purdue	None selected	No Tournament
Border Conference	New Mexico State	None selected	No Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Dartmouth	None selected	No Tournament
Metropolitan New York Conference	Did not play as conference
Missouri Valley Conference	Oklahoma A&M	None selected	No Tournament
Mountain States (Skyline) Conference	Colorado		No Tournament
New England Conference	Rhode Island State		No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference	Oregon State (North); USC (South)		No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky	None selected	1940 SEC men's basketball tournament	Alumni Memorial Gym (Knoxville, Tennessee)	Kentucky
Southern Conference	Duke	None selected	1940 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Thompson Gym (Raleigh, North Carolina)	North Carolina
Southwest Conference	Rice	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

1939–40 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Kansas 8 – 2   .800 19 – 6   .760 Missouri 8 – 2   .800 13 – 6   .684 Oklahoma 8 – 2   .800 12 – 7   .632 Iowa State 2 – 8   .200 9 – 9   .500 Kansas State 2 – 8   .200 6 – 12   .333 Nebraska 2 – 8   .200 6 – 12   .333	1939–40 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Purdue 10 – 2   .833 16 – 4   .800 Indiana 9 – 3   .750 20 – 3   .870 Ohio State 8 – 4   .667 13 – 7   .650 Illinois 7 – 5   .583 14 – 6   .700 Northwestern 7 – 5   .583 13 – 7   .650 Michigan 6 – 6   .500 13 – 7   .650 Minnesota 5 – 7   .417 12 – 8   .600 Iowa 4 – 8   .333 9 – 12   .429 Wisconsin 3 – 9   .250 5 – 15   .250 Chicago 1 – 11   .083 5 – 15   .250	1939–40 Border Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT New Mexico A&M 12 – 4   .750 16 – 7   .696 Arizona 12 – 4   .750 15 – 10   .600 Texas State M&M 10 – 6   .625 15 – 11   .577 Arizona State–Flagstaff 7 – 9   .438 8 – 12   .400 Arizona State–Tempe 7 – 11   .389 8 – 13   .381 New Mexico 1 – 15   .063 3 – 22   .120
1939–40 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Dartmouth 11 – 1   .917 15 – 6   .714 Princeton 8 – 4   .667 14 – 8   .636 Yale 7 – 5   .583 13 – 6   .684 Cornell 7 – 5   .583 10 – 13   .435 Columbia 4 – 8   .333 5 – 12   .294 Harvard 3 – 9   .250 5 – 14   .263 Penn 2 – 10   .167 5 – 13   .278	1939–40 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Oklahoma A&M 12 – 0   1.000 26 – 3   .897 Creighton 8 – 4   .667 11 – 9   .550 Drake 7 – 5   .583 13 – 12   .520 Washburn 6 – 6   .500 8 – 8   .500 Tulsa 5 – 7   .417 12 – 15   .444 Washington University 2 – 10   .167 7 – 13   .350 Saint Louis 2 – 10   .167 4 – 14   .222	1939–40 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Colorado 11 – 1   .917 17 – 4   .810 Utah 8 – 4   .667 19 – 4   .826 BYU 7 – 5   .583 17 – 8   .680 Utah State 7 – 5   .583 11 – 7   .611 Wyoming 3 – 9   .250 6 – 10   .375 Colorado State 3 – 9   .250 6 – 12   .333 Denver 3 – 9   .250 6 – 15   .286
1939–40 New England Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Rhode Island State 8 – 0   1.000 19 – 3   .864 Connecticut 6 – 2   .750 9 – 7   .563 New Hampshire 3 – 5   .375 5 – 10   .333 Northeastern 3 – 5   .375 4 – 13   .235 Maine 0 – 8   .000 3 – 9   .250	1939–40 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT North Oregon State 12 – 4   .750 27 – 11   .711 Oregon 10 – 6   .625 19 – 12   .613 Washington State 9 – 7   .563 23 – 10   .697 Washington 6 – 10   .375 10 – 15   .400 Idaho 3 – 13   .188 11 – 15   .423 South USC † 10 – 2   .833 20 – 3   .870 Stanford 6 – 6   .500 14 – 9   .609 California 5 – 7   .417 15 – 17   .469 UCLA 3 – 9   .250 8 – 17   .320 † Conference playoff series winner	1939–40 Rocky Mountain Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Montana State 3 – 1   .750 10 – 16   .385 Colorado Mines 8 – 4   .667 10 – 10   .500 Colorado College 8 – 4   .667 10 – 11   .476 Colorado State–Greeley 5 – 5   .500 11 – 10   .524 Western State (CO) 1 – 11   .083 4 – 15   .211
1939–40 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Alabama 14 – 4   .778 18 – 5   .783 Tennessee 7 – 3   .700 14 – 7   .667 Georgia 9 – 4   .692 20 – 6   .769 LSU 8 – 4   .667 10 – 8   .556 Florida 5 – 4   .556 13 – 9   .591 Georgia Tech 6 – 6   .500 7 – 8   .467 Kentucky † 4 – 4   .500 15 – 6   .714 Auburn 6 – 7   .462 7 – 10   .412 Mississippi State 4 – 5   .444 9 – 6   .600 Vanderbilt 5 – 7   .417 10 – 12   .455 Ole Miss 3 – 8   .273 9 – 10   .474 Tulane 2 – 8   .200 2 – 13   .133 Sewanee 0 – 9   .000 2 – 13   .133 † Regular-season championship and SEC Tournament winner	1939–40 Southern Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Duke 13 – 2   .867 19 – 7   .731 North Carolina † 11 – 2   .846 23 – 3   .885 Washington and Lee 7 – 3   .700 13 – 5   .722 Wake Forest 10 – 5   .667 13 – 9   .591 Maryland 7 – 5   .583 14 – 9   .609 Clemson 9 – 7   .563 9 – 12   .429 Richmond 5 – 4   .556 11 – 6   .647 The Citadel 6 – 5   .545 8 – 9   .471 William & Mary 6 – 5   .545 12 – 11   .522 Furman 4 – 6   .400 11 – 11   .500 North Carolina State 5 – 10   .333 8 – 11   .421 Davidson 4 – 11   .267 8 – 13   .381 South Carolina 3 – 10   .231 5 – 13   .278 VMI 2 – 9   .182 3 – 12   .200 Virginia Tech 1 – 9   .100 4 – 15   .211 † Southern Conference Tournament winner	1939–40 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Rice 10 – 2   .833 25 – 4   .862 Texas 8 – 4   .667 18 – 5   .783 Baylor 7 – 5   .583 12 – 9   .571 Arkansas 6 – 6   .500 12 – 10   .545 Texas A&M 5 – 7   .417 11 – 11   .500 SMU 5 – 7   .417 7 – 13   .350 TCU 1 – 11   .083 7 – 16   .304

Major independents

A total of 66 college teams played as major independents. Seton Hall (19–0) was undefeated, and Marshall (26–3) finished with the most wins.

1939–40 NCAA men's basketball independents standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Seton Hall –   – 19 – 0   1.000 NYU –   – 18 – 1   .947 Marshall –   – 26 – 3   .897 Villanova –   – 17 – 2   .895 Duquesne –   – 20 – 3   .870 Santa Clara –   – 17 – 3   .850 Indiana State –   – 15 – 3   .833 LIU –   – 19 – 4   .826 Toledo –   – 24 – 6   .800 Western Kentucky State –   – 24 – 6   .800 DePaul –   – 22 – 6   .786 Bowling Green State –   – 16 – 5   .762 Virginia –   – 16 – 5   .762 Ohio –   – 19 – 6   .760 St. John's –   – 15 – 5   .750 Texas Tech –   – 21 – 7   .750 Butler –   – 17 – 6   .739 Army –   – 11 – 4   .733 St. Francis (NY) –   – 13 – 5   .722 Notre Dame –   – 15 – 6   .714 Bradley –   – 14 – 6   .700 Michigan State Normal –   – 14 – 6   .700 Brown –   – 13 – 6   .684 George Washington –   – 13 – 6   .684 West Virginia –   – 13 – 6   .684 Montana –   – 17 – 8   .680 Colgate –   – 12 – 6   .667 Miami (Ohio) –   – 12 – 6   .667 St. Joseph's –   – 10 – 5   .667 Penn State –   – 15 – 8   .652 Bucknell –   – 13 – 7   .650 St. Bonaventure –   – 11 – 6   .647 Loyola (Md.) –   – 14 – 8   .636 Niagara –   – 12 – 7   .632 Siena –   – 12 – 7   .632 Detroit –   – 14 – 9   .609 Manhattan –   – 14 – 9   .609 La Salle –   – 12 – 8   .600 Fordham –   – 11 – 8   .579 Lafayette –   – 11 – 8   .579 Kent State –   – 13 – 10   .565 Temple –   – 13 – 10   .565 Syracuse –   – 10 – 8   .556 Wichita Municipal –   – 10 – 8   .556 Muhlenberg –   – 11 – 9   .550 San Francisco –   – 9 – 8   .529 Western State Teachers –   – 10 – 9   .526 Brooklyn –   – 9 – 9   .500 CCNY –   – 8 – 8   .500 Canisius –   – 8 – 9   .471 Cincinnati –   – 8 – 9   .471 Pittsburgh –   – 8 – 9   .471 Boston University –   – 6 – 7   .462 Georgetown –   – 8 – 10   .444 Marquette –   – 7 – 9   .438 Holy Cross –   – 2 – 3   .400 Montana State –   – 10 – 16   .385 Saint Mary's –   – 7 – 12   .368 Lehigh –   – 5 – 10   .333 Valparaiso –   – 6 – 14   .300 Loyola (Ill.) –   – 5 – 14   .263 Rutgers –   – 5 – 14   .263 Xavier –   – 6 – 17   .261 Navy –   – 3 – 11   .214 Dayton –   – 4 – 17   .190 Louisville –   – 1 – 18   .053

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1940 NCAA basketball tournament and 1940 NCAA Basketball Championship Game

Semifinals & final

	National Semifinals				National Final
	Indiana	39
	Duquesne	30
					Indiana	60
					Kansas	42
	USC	42
	Kansas	43

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1940 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

	Semifinals				Finals
	Colorado	52
	DePaul	37
					Colorado	51
					Duquesne	40
	Oklahoma A&M	30
	Duquesne	34			Third place
					DePaul	22
					Oklahoma A&M	23

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1940 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

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.

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
Arizona State-Flagstaff	Aaron McCreary		Frank Brickey
The Citadel	Rock Norman		Ben Parkers	Norman left to coach Clemson.
Clemson	Joe Davis		Rock Norman
Denver	Cac Hubbard		Ellison Ketchum
DePaul	Tom Haggerty		Bill Wendt
Louisville	Laurie Apitz		John Heldman	Apitz continued to be the football coach and athletic director.
NC State	Ray Sermon		Bob Warren
Nebraska	William Browne		Adolph J. Lewandowski
New Mexico	Roy W. Johnson		Benjamin Sacks	Johnson continued to be athletic director.
Saint Louis	Jack Sterrett		Bob Klenck	Sterrett left to coach Tulsa.
South Carolina	Ted Petoskey		Frank Johnson	Petoskey left to coach South Carolina's baseball team.
Tulsa	Tex Ryon		Jack Sterrett