1940–41 NCAA men's basketball season explained

Year:	1940
Tourney Start:	March 21
Nc Date:	29, 1941
Champ Stad:	Municipal Auditorium
Champ City:	Kansas City, Missouri
Champ:	Wisconsin
Helmschamp:	Wisconsin (retroactive selection in 1943)
Nit Champ:	Long Island
Helmspoy:	George Glamack, North Carolina (retroactive selection in 1944)

The 1940–41 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1940, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1941 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 29, 1941, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Wisconsin Badgers won their first NCAA national championship with a 39–34 victory over the Washington State Cougars.

Season headlines

• The Border Conference and the Metropolitan New York Conference did not play as conferences during the season. Their members competed as independents.
• The National Invitation Tournament — considered until at least the mid-1950s to be more prestigious than the NCAA tournament — expanded from six to eight teams.
• The National Association of Basketball Coaches turned over operation of the NCAA tournament to the NCAA itself.^[1]
• George Glamack of North Carolina became the first player to score 30 or more points in an NCAA tournament game, scoring 31 points against Dartmouth in a regional third-place game of the 1941 NCAA basketball tournament on March 22, 1941.^[2]
• In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Wisconsin as its national champion for the 1940–41 season.^[3]
• In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Long Island as its national champion for the 1940–41 season.^[4]

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner^[5]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
		None selected	No Tournament
		None selected	No Tournament
	Did not play as conference
		None selected	No Tournament
	Did not play as conference
		None selected	No Tournament
			No Tournament
	Connecticut &		No Tournament
			No Tournament; Washington State defeated in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
		None selected		Jefferson County Armory, (Louisville, Kentucky)	Tennessee
		None selected		Thompson Gym (Raleigh,	Duke^[6]
		None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

Major independents

A total of 73 college teams played as major independents. (25–2) had the best winning percentage (.926) and finished with the most wins.^[7]

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

See main article: 1941 NCAA basketball tournament and 1941 NCAA Basketball Championship Game.

Semifinals & finals

National Invitation tournament

See main article: 1941 National Invitation Tournament.

Semifinals & finals

• Third Place – CCNY 42, Seton Hall 27

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

See main article: 1941 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

Consensus First Team

Player	Class	Team
John Adams	Senior	Arkansas
Gus Broberg	Senior	Dartmouth
Howard Engleman	Senior	Kansas
Gene Englund	Senior	Wisconsin
George Glamack	Senior	North Carolina

Consensus Second Team

Player	Class	Team
Frank Baumholtz	Senior	Ohio
Bob Kinney	Junior	Rice
Paul Lindemann	Senior	Washington State
Stan Modzelewski	Junior	Rhode Island State
Oscar Schectman	Senior	Long Island

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): Jack Garfinkel, St. John's

Notes and References

1. https://www.sportshistoryweekly.com/stories/march-madness-ncaa-nit-college-basketball,697 Anonymous, "How the NCAA Overtook Its Rival, the NIT," Sport History Weekly, March 24, 2019 Accessed May 4, 2021
2. Web site: Playing Rules History . . . ncaa.org . NCAA . June 25, 2024 . 11.
3. Web site: Jon. Scott. Nov 9, 2010. The truth behind the Helms Committee. 2015-12-14.
4. 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.
5. News: 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section. 2009. NCAA. 2009-02-14.
6. 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
7. Web site: 1940-41 Men's Independent Season Summary . . August 2, 2024.