1944–45 NCAA men's basketball season
Appearance
1944–45 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
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NCAA Tournament | 1945 |
Tournament dates | March 22, 1945 – March 27, 1945 |
National Championship | Madison Square Garden New York City |
NCAA Champions | Oklahoma A&M Cowboys |
Helms National Champions | Oklahoma A&M Cowboys |
Other champions | DePaul (NIT) |
Player of the Year (Helms) | George Mikan, DePaul |
Season headlines
- More than 18,000 fans attended Madison Square Garden for the final installment of an annual American Red Cross benefit game between the NCAA Tournament and NIT champions. Oklahoma A&M, led by Bob Kurland, defeated George Mikan's DePaul 52–44.[1] Kurland scored 14 points while Mikan scored 9 before fouling out in only 14 minutes of playing time.[1]
Major rule changes
Beginning in 1944–45, the following rules changes were implemented:
- Along with the ball on the rim, defensive interference by touching the ball after it had started its downward flight during an opponent's field goal attempt was declared a goal for the shooting team.
- Five personal fouls disqualify a player. An extra foul was not permitted in overtime games.
- Unlimited substitution was permitted.
- It became a violation for an offensive player to remain in the free-throw lane for more than three seconds.[2]
Premo-Porretta power poll
The first official college basketball poll appeared during the 1948–49 season. St. Bonaventure University accounting professor Patrick M. Premo and computer programmer Phil Porretta researched teams before that year, back to the 1892–93 season. The Premo-Porretta Power Polls were compiled by reviewing results, opponents and margins of victory.[1][3]
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Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
Conference | Regular Season Winner[4] |
Conference Player of the Year |
Conference Tournament |
Tournament Venue (City) |
Tournament Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Big Six Conference | Iowa State | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Big Ten Conference | Iowa | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Border Conference | New Mexico | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Eastern Intercollegiate League | Penn | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Missouri Valley Conference | Oklahoma A&M | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Mountain States Conference | Utah | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Pacific Coast Conference | Oregon | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Rocky Mountain Conference | Colorado College | None Selected | No Tournament | ||
Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & Tennessee | None Selected | 1945 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament | Louisville Gardens (Louisville, Kentucky) |
Kentucky |
Southern Conference | South Carolina | None Selected | 1945 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament | Thompson Gym (Raleigh, North Carolina) |
North Carolina |
Southwest Conference | Rice | None Selected | No Tournament |
Conference standings
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Statistical leaders
- Scoring leader – George Mikan averaged 23.3 points per game and was retroactively declared the "unofficial" season scoring leader. Between 1935–36 and 1946–47, there were no official NCAA scoring champions. The statistics during that era were compiled from the National Basketball Committee Official Basketball Guide, which was not regulated by NCAA authorities. Therefore, those players are included in the annual NCAA men's basketball media guide, but are listed as unofficial season scoring leaders.[5] No other personal statistics were tracked during the 1944–45 basketball season.
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Arnie Ferrin | F | Sophomore | Utah |
Wyndol Gray | F | Junior | Bowling Green |
William Hassett | G | Junior | Notre Dame |
Bill Henry | C | Senior | Rice |
Walt Kirk | G/F | Junior | Illinois |
Bob Kurland | C | Junior | Oklahoma A&M |
George Mikan | C | Junior | DePaul |
Player | Position | Class | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Howie Dallmar | F | Junior | Pennsylvania |
Don Grate | G | Senior | Ohio State |
Dale Hall | F | Senior | Army |
Vince Hanson | C | Sophomore | Washington State |
Dick Ives | F | Sophomore | Iowa |
Max Morris | F | Senior | Northwestern |
Herb Wilkinson | G | Sophomore | Iowa |
Major player of the year awards
- Helms Foundation Player of the Year: George Mikan, DePaul
- Sporting News Player of the Year: George Mikan, DePaul
Other major awards
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in NYC area): Bill Kotsores, St. John's
References
- ^ a b c ESPN (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ Official 2008 NCAA men's basketball records book. NCAA. 2007.p. 277
- ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 529–87. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). 2009–10 NCAA Men's Basketball Media Guide. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2011.