1929–30 NCAA men's basketball season explained

Year:	1929
Helmschamp:	Pittsburgh (retroactive selection in 1943)
Helmspoy:	Chuck Hyatt, Pittsburgh (retroactive selection in 1944)

The 1929–30 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1929, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded in March 1930.

Rules changes

The practice of enclosing basketball courts in chicken wire, chain-link fencing, or rope — giving basketball the nickname "the cage game" — ended. Intended to increase the tempo of play by keeping the ball from going out of bounds, to protect players and rowdy spectators from each other, and to prevent fans from throwing objects onto the court, the use of these "cages" had led to rough physical play in which players body-checked each other into the barrier, resulting in injuries. The slang term "cager" for a basketball player derives from the use of these "cages."^[1] ^[2]
The number of referees increased from one to two.^[1]

Season headlines

Pittsburgh defeated Montana State 37–36 in what was billed as a national championship game.^[3]
In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Pittsburgh as its national champion for the 1929–30 season.^[4]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Alabama as its national champion for the 1929–30 season.^[5]

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Regular season winner^[6]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
	None selected	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
Creighton &	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament; USC defeated Washington in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
&		No Tournament
	None selected		Municipal Auditorium (Atlanta, Georgia)	Alabama^[7]
	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

Major independents

A total of 92 college teams played as major independents. (31–0) was undefeated and finished with the most wins. (20–0) and (17–0) also were undefeated.^[8]

Statistical leaders

Awards

Consensus All-American team

See main article: 1930 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

**Consensus Team**
Player	Class	Team
Charley Hyatt	Senior	Pittsburgh
Branch McCracken	Senior	Indiana
Stretch Murphy	Senior	Purdue
Cat Thompson	Senior	Montana State
Frank Ward	Senior	Montana State
John Wooden	Sophomore	Purdue

Major player of the year awards

Helms Player of the Year: Chuck Hyatt, Pittsburgh (retroactive selection in 1944)

Coaching changes

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

Team	Former Coach	New Coach	Reason
Georgetown	Bill Dudack	John Colrick	Georgetown did not rehire Dudack to coach for a second season.
Kentucky	John Mauer	Adolph Rupp
Miami (Ohio)	Roy Tillotson	John Mauer

Notes and References

https://www.youthhoops101.com/rules-of-basketball.html Schleyer, Claudia, "The Rules of Basketball: Boy How They've Changed!", Youth Hoops 101 Accessed 15 May 2021
https://hooptactics.net/premium/basketballbasics/bb8rulesevolution.php Hoop Tactics "The Evolution of Basketball: A Chronological Look At The Major Refinements" Accessed 15 May 2021
Web site: Hall of Famers: Charles D. "Chuck" Hyatt . Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . 2009 . 2012-01-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120214003327/http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/charles-d-chuck-hyatt . 2012-02-14 .
Web site: Jon. Scott. Nov 9, 2010. The truth behind the Helms Committee. 2015-12-14.
Book: 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.
News: 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section. 2009. NCAA. 2009-02-14.
http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section
Web site: 1929-30 Men's Independent Season Summary . . July 31, 2024.