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1948–49 NCAA men's basketball season

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The 1948–49 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1948, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1949 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1949, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle, Washington. The Kentucky Wildcats won their second NCAA national championship with a 46–36 victory over the Oklahoma A&M Aggies.

Rule changes

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Coaches were permitted to speak to players during time-outs. Previously, under a rule in place since the 1910–11 season, no coaching of players had been permitted during the progress of a game.[1]

Season headlines

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Conference membership changes

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School Former conference New conference
Bradley Braves Independent Missouri Valley Conference
Creighton Bluejays Missouri Valley Conference Independent
Eastern Kentucky State Colonels Independent Ohio Valley Conference
Evansville Purple Aces Non-major basketball program Ohio Valley Conference
Louisville Cardinals Independent Ohio Valley Conference
Marshall Thundering Herd Independent Ohio Valley Conference
Morehead State Eagles Non-major basketball program Ohio Valley Conference
Murray State Racers Non-major basketball program Ohio Valley Conference
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Non-major basketball program Ohio Valley Conference
Western Kentucky State Hilltoppers Independent Ohio Valley Conference

Regular season

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Conferences

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Conference winners and tournaments

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Conference Regular
season winner[6]
Conference
player of the year
Conference
tournament
Tournament
venue (City)
Tournament
winner
Big Seven ConferenceNebraska & OklahomaNone selectedNo Tournament
Big Ten ConferenceIllinoisNone selectedNo Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball LeagueYaleNone selectedNo Tournament
Metropolitan New York ConferenceManhattan & St. John'sNo Tournament
Mid-American ConferenceCincinnatiNone selectedNo Tournament
Middle Atlantic States Conference NorthLafayette & MuhlenbergNo Tournament
Missouri Valley ConferenceOklahoma A&MNone selectedNo Tournament
Mountain States (Skyline) ConferenceWyomingNo Tournament
Ohio Valley ConferenceWestern Kentucky StateNone selected1949 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournamentJefferson County Armory (Louisville, Kentucky)Western Kentucky State
Pacific Coast ConferenceOregon State (North); UCLA (South)No Tournament;
Oregon State defeated UCLA in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
Southeastern ConferenceKentuckyNone selected1949 SEC men's basketball tournamentJefferson County Armory,
(Louisville, Kentucky)
Kentucky
Southern ConferenceNC StateNone selected1949 Southern Conference men's basketball tournamentDuke Indoor Stadium
(Durham, North Carolina)
NC State[7]
Southwest ConferenceArkansas, Baylor, & RiceNone selectedNo Tournament
Western New York Little Three ConferenceNiagaraNo Tournament
Yankee ConferenceConnecticutNone selectedNo Tournament

Conference standings

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1948–49 Big Seven Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Nebraska93 .7501610  .615
Oklahoma93 .7501410  .583
Kansas State84 .6671311  .542
Missouri66 .5001113  .458
Colorado48 .333612  .333
Kansas39 .2501212  .500
Iowa State39 .250814  .364
Rankings from AP Poll[8]
1948–49 Big Nine Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 4 Illinois102 .833214  .840
No. 6 Minnesota93 .750183  .857
Michigan75 .583156  .714
No. 20 Ohio State66 .500147  .667
Indiana66 .500148  .636
Purdue66 .500139  .591
Wisconsin57 .4171210  .545
Iowa39 .2501010  .500
Northwestern210 .167516  .238
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 11 Yale93 .750228  .733
Columbia84 .667146  .700
Pennsylvania84 .667158  .652
Princeton84 .667139  .591
Cornell57 .4171115  .423
Dartmouth48 .3331511  .577
Harvard012 .000320  .130
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Manhattan51 .833188  .692
St. John's51 .833159  .625
CCNY32 .600178  .680
NYU32 .600128  .600
St. Francis (NY)22 .5002112  .636
Fordham15 .167916  .360
Brooklyn06 .000814  .364
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Cincinnati91 .900235  .821
No. 18 Butler82 .800185  .783
Western Michigan46 .4001210  .545
Western Reserve46 .400915  .375
Miami (Ohio)37 .300813  .381
Ohio28 .200616  .273
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Middle Atlantic States Conference North men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Lafayette62 .750209  .690
Muhlenberg62 .750178  .680
Gettysburg53 .6251610  .615
Lehigh35 .375711  .389
Bucknell08 .000218  .100
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 2 Oklahoma A&M91 .900235  .821
No. 3 Saint Louis82 .800224  .846
No. 7 Bradley64 .600278  .771
Drake46 .4001313  .500
Wichita State37 .3001016  .385
Tulsa010 .000420  .167
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 17 Wyoming155 .7502510  .714
No. 12 Utah146 .700248  .750
Denver137 .6501815  .545
BYU119 .5502113  .618
Utah State416 .2001021  .323
Colorado State317 .1501421  .400
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 Western Kentucky State82 .800254  .862
Eastern Kentucky State73 .700174  .810
Louisville63 .6672310  .697
Marshall22 .5001612  .571
Evansville45 .4441411  .560
Murray State39 .2501312  .520
Morehead State27 .222149  .609
Tennessee Tech01 .0001010  .500
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
North
Oregon State124 .7502412  .667
Washington State88 .500219  .700
Oregon79 .4381218  .400
Idaho79 .4381715  .531
Washington610 .3751115  .423
South
No. 15 UCLA102 .833227  .759
USC84 .6671410  .583
Stanford57 .417199  .679
California111 .0831419  .424
† Conference playoff series winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Rocky Mountain Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Colorado State–Greeley71 .875134  .765
Colorado College62 .75079  .438
Montana State53 .6251415  .483
Western State (CO)17 .125714  .333
Colorado Mines17 .125212  .143
1948–49 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Kentucky130 1.000322  .941
No. 9 Tulane123 .800244  .857
Tennessee83 .727197  .731
Vanderbilt95 .643148  .636
LSU76 .5381510  .600
Alabama99 .5001312  .520
Georgia Tech79 .4381113  .458
Georgia69 .4001713  .567
Florida48 .3331116  .407
Auburn511 .313915  .375
Ole Miss412 .250813  .381
Mississippi State312 .200413  .235
1949 SEC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[9]
1948–49 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 13 North Carolina State141 .933258  .758
William & Mary103 .7692410  .706
North Carolina135 .722208  .714
George Washington94 .692188  .692
Davidson116 .647188  .692
South Carolina76 .5381012  .455
Wake Forest77 .5001113  .458
Maryland77 .500917  .346
Virginia Tech68 .4291013  .435
Duke57 .417139  .591
Clemson69 .4001011  .476
Washington and Lee59 .3571012  .455
Richmond510 .333815  .348
Furman411 .267814  .364
VMI38 .273316  .158
The Citadel011 .000117  .056
Southern Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Arkansas93 .7501511  .577
Baylor93 .7501410  .583
Rice93 .7501311  .542
Texas75 .583177  .708
SMU57 .4171113  .458
Texas A&M210 .167519  .208
TCU111 .083420  .167
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Western New York Little Three Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Niagara31 .750247  .774
Canisius22 .5001612  .571
St. Bonaventure13 .250188  .692
Rankings from AP Poll
1948–49 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Connecticut 71 .875196  .760
Rhode Island State 51 .833166  .727
Vermont 21 .667155  .750
Massachusetts 22 .500612  .333
New Hampshire 26 .250710  .412
Maine 07 .000414  .222

Major independents

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A total of 43 college teams played as major independents. Villanova (23–4) had the best winning percentage (.852). San Francisco (25–5) and Loyola of Illinois (25–6) finished with the most wins.[10][11]

Although not considered a major independent during the season,[10] Hamline (28–3) played as an independent[10] and was ranked No. 19 in the season's final AP Poll.[12]

1948–49 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 14 Villanova 234  .852
No. 8 San Francisco 255  .833
No. 16 Loyola (Ill.) 256  .806
No. 10 Bowling Green State 247  .774
Duquesne 175  .773
Siena 227  .759
La Salle 217  .750
West Virginia 186  .750
Akron 166  .727
Syracuse 187  .720
Notre Dame 177  .708
Holy Cross 198  .704
Miami (Fla.) 198  .704
Seton Hall 168  .667
DePaul 169  .640
Brown 138  .619
Xavier 1610  .615
Colgate 117  .611
Temple 149  .609
LIU 1812  .600
Baldwin Wallace 139  .591
Washington University 139  .591
Navy 129  .571
Virginia 1310  .565
Detroit 1210  .545
Rutgers 1412  .538
Dayton 1614  .533
St. Joseph's 1211  .522
Toledo 1312  .520
Boston College 99  .500
Pittsburgh 1213  .480
Wayne 1113  .458
Saint Mary's 1317  .433
Army 710  .412
Penn State 710  .412
Creighton 914  .391
Marquette 813  .381
Georgetown 915  .375
Santa Clara 815  .348
Boston University 612  .333
Valparaiso 817  .320
John Carroll 717  .292
Providence 719  .269
Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

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Conference Regular
season winner[13]
Conference
player of the year
Conference
tournament
Tournament
venue (City)
Tournament
winner
Middle Three ConferenceRutgersNone selectedNo Tournament

NOTE: Despite its name, the Middle Three Conference was an informal scheduling alliance rather than a true conference, and its members played as independents. In play among the three member schools in 1948–49, Rutgers finished with a 3–1 record.[14]

Post-season tournaments

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NCAA tournament

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Semifinals & finals

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National semifinals National Finals
    
Illinois 47
Kentucky 76
Kentucky 46
Oklahoma A&M 36
Oklahoma A&M 55
Oregon State 30 Third place
Illinois 57
Oregon State 53

National Invitation tournament

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Semifinals & finals

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Semifinals Finals
    
Loyola (Ill.) 55
Bradley 50
Loyola (Ill.) 47
San Francisco 48
San Francisco 49
Bowling Green State 39 Third place
Bradley 77
Bowling Green State 82

Awards

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Consensus All-American teams

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Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Ralph Beard G Senior Kentucky
Vince Boryla F Junior Denver
Alex Groza C Senior Kentucky
Tony Lavelli F Senior Yale
Ed Macauley F Senior Saint Louis


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Bill Erickson G Junior Illinois
Vern Gardner F Senior Utah
Wallace Jones F Senior Kentucky
Jim McIntyre C Senior Minnesota
Ernie Vandeweghe G Senior Colgate

Major player of the year awards

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Other major awards

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Coaching changes

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A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team Former
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
Arkansas Eugene Lambert Presley Askew
Auburn Danny Doyle Joel Eaves
Boston University Charles Cummings Vin Cronin
BYU Floyd Millet Stan Watts
Colgate Karl J. Lawrence Howard Hartman
Colorado State E. D. Taylor Bebe Lee
Davidson Norman Shepard Boydson Baird Shepard left to coach Harvard.
Denver Ellison Ketchum Hoyt Brawner
Furman Lyles Alley Melvin Bell
George Washington George Garber Bill Reinhart
Georgetown Elmer Ripley Buddy O'Grady
Harvard Bill Barclay Norman Shepard
John Carroll Norb Rascher Elmer Ripley[15]
Lafayette Bill Anderson Ray Stanley
La Salle Charles McGlone Ken Loeffler
Maine George E. Allen Rome Rankin
Miami (Ohio) Blue Foster John Brickels
Ohio Dutch Trautwein Jim Snyder
Ole Miss Jim Whatley B. L. Graham
Penn State John Lawther Elmer Gross
Providence Lawrence Drew James Cuddy
Rice Joe Davis Don Suman
Seton Hall Jack Reitmeier Honey Russell
Tulsa John Garrison Clarence Iba
Valparaiso Don Warnke Wilbur Allen
VMI Frank Summers Bill O'Hara
Washington & Lee Bob Spessard Conn Davis
Western Michigan Buck Read William Pergio

References

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  1. orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
  2. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. p. 590. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  3. sports-reference.com Matchup Finder
  4. "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  5. "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  6. "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  7. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section Archived September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  8. sports-reference.com 1948-49 Big Seven Conference Season Summary
  9. sports-reference.com 1948-49 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  10. 1 2 3 "1948-49 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  11. "1948-49 Men's Middle Three Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  12. "1948-49 Men's College Basketball AP Polls". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  13. "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  14. 1948–49 Men's Middle Three Conference Season Summary @ sports-reference.com
  15. "2021 John Carroll Blue Streaks men's basketball history & records guide, page 28" (PDF). John Carroll Blue Streaks. Retrieved May 9, 2021.