1937–38 NCAA men's basketball season explained

Year:	1937
Helmschamp:	Temple (retroactive selection in 1943)
Nit Champ:	Temple
Helmspoy:	Hank Luisetti, Stanford (retroactive selection in 1944)

The 1937–38 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1937, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded in March 1938.

Rule changes

After a field goal, the opposing team receives possession of the ball. Previously, a jump ball at center court had taken place after every field goal.^[1]

Season headlines

The New England Conference played its first season at the major-program level.
The Northern California Conference began play.
Hank Luisetti of Stanford became the first player to score 50 or more points in one game when he scored 50 in a win over Duquesne on January 1, 1938.^[2]
The Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association founded the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which was played for the first time in 1938. A field of six teams participated, with the Temple Owls winning the first NIT championship. Although the NCAA tournament began play the following season, the NIT, playing its games at Madison Square Garden and easily accessible to the New York City media, was considered the more glamorous and prestigious of the two tournaments until at least the mid-1950s ^[3]
In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Temple as its national champion for the 1937–38 season.^[4]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Temple as its national champion for the 1937–38 season.^[5]

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Non-major basketball program
	Non-major basketball program	New England Conference
	Non-major basketball program	Northern California Conference
	Independent	Missouri Valley Conference
	Independent	Northern California Conference
	Independent	Northern California Conference
	Non-major basketball program	Northern California Conference
	Independent	Northern California Conference
	Southern Conference	Independent

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
	None selected	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
	None selected	No Tournament
		No Tournament
&		No Tournament
		No Tournament; Stanford defeated in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
		No Tournament
	None selected		Huey Long Field House Louisiana)	Georgia Tech
	None selected		Thompson Gym (Raleigh,	Duke^[7]
	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

Major independents

A total of 46 college teams played as major independents. (9–0) was undefeated, and (30–3) finished with the most wins.^[8]

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

National Invitation Tournament

See main article: 1938 National Invitation Tournament.

Semifinals & finals

Awards

Consensus All-American team

See main article: 1938 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

**Consensus Team**
Player	Class	Team
Meyer Bloom	Senior	Temple
Hank Luisetti	Senior	Stanford
John Moir	Senior	Notre Dame
Paul Nowak	Senior	Notre Dame
Fred Pralle	Senior	Kansas
Jewell Young	Senior	Purdue

Major player of the year awards

Helms Player of the Year: Hank Luisetti, Stanford (retroactive selection in 1944)

Other major awards

NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Bernie Fliegel, CCNY

Coaching changes

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

Team	Former Coach	New Coach	Reason
Georgetown	Fred Mesmer	Elmer Ripley	Mesmer stepped aside after seven seasons to allow Ripley to return for a second stint as head coach.
Indiana	Everett Dean	Branch McCracken
Oklahoma	Hugh McDermott	Bruce Drake
Stanford	John Bunn	Everett Dean

Notes and References

http://www.orangehoops.org/NCAA/NCAA%20Rule%20Changes.htm orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
Web site: Playing Rules History . . . ncaa.org . NCAA . June 25, 2024 . 13.
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
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: 1937-38 Men's Independent Season Summary . . August 1, 2024.