| Mode: | Basketball |
| Sex: | none |
| Year: | 1939–40 |
| Team: | Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers |
| Conference: | Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Short Conf: | KIAC |
| Record: | 24–6 |
| Conf Record: | 7–2 |
| Hc Year: | 18th |
| Asst Coach1: | Ted Hornback |
| Stadium: | Health & Physical Education Building |
| Champion: | SIAA Champions KAIC Champions |
| Bowl: | NCAA Tournament |
| Bowl Result: | Elite Eight |
The 1939–40 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College (now known as Western Kentucky University) during the 1939-40 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and All-American center Carlisle Towery.[1] The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, and received an invitation to the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament.[2] This was the first team from Kentucky to participate in the NCAA tournament[3] Herb Ball and Howard “Tip” Downing were selected to the All-SIAA team, while Towery made the All-KIAC Team.[4]
[5] |-!colspan=6| Regular Season|- |-!colspan=6| 1940 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament|-!colspan=6| 1940 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament|-!colspan=6| 1940 NCAA basketball tournament