1933–34 NCAA men's basketball season

1933–34 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
1933–34 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Helms National Champions	Wyoming (retroactive selection in 1943)
Player of the Year; (Helms)	Wesley Bennett, Westminster (Pa.) (retroactive selection in 1944)
	← 1932–33 1934–35 →

The 1933–34 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1933, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded in March 1934.

Rule changes

The "10-second" rule went into effect, requiring the team on offense to get the ball past the midcourt line within 10 seconds.^[1]
A new substitution rule allowed each player to re-enter a game twice. Previously, each player could re-enter a game only once.^[2]
The number of referees increased from one to two.^[3]

Season headlines

The Metropolitan New York Conference began play, with 10 original members.
In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Wyoming as its national champion for the 1933–34 season.^[4]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Kentucky as its national champion for the 1933–34 season.^[5]

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Brooklyn Bulldogs	Non-major basketball program	Metropolitan New York Conference
Bucknell Bison	Independent	Eastern Intercollegiate Conference
CCNY Beavers	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
Columbia Lions	See note	Metropolitan New York Conference
Fordham Rams	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
Harvard Crimson	Independent	Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League
Long Island Blackbirds	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
Manhattan Jaspers	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
NYU Violets	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
Pratt Cannoneers	Non-major basketball program	Metropolitan New York Conference
St. Francis (NY) Terriers	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference
St. John's Redmen	Independent	Metropolitan New York Conference

NOTE: Columbia joined the Metropolitan New York Conference while remaining a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League. It retained its membership in both until 1939.

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner^[6]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Big Six Conference	Kansas	None selected	No Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Purdue	None selected	No Tournament
Border Conference	Texas Tech	None selected	No Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Penn	None selected	No Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Conference	Pittsburgh	None selected	No Tournament
Metropolitan New York Conference	NYU	None selected	No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	Butler	None selected	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference	Washington (North); USC (South)		No Tournament; Washington defeated USC in best-of-three conference championship playoff series
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Wyoming (Eastern); BYU (Western)		No Tournament
Southeastern Conference	Alabama	None selected	1934 SEC men's basketball tournament	Atlanta Athletic Club (Atlanta, Georgia)	Alabama
Southern Conference	South Carolina	None selected	1934 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Thompson Gym (Raleigh, North Carolina)	Washington and Lee^[7]
Southwest Conference	TCU	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

1933–34 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Kansas	9	–	1	.900	16	–	1	.941
Missouri	6	–	4	.600	10	–	8	.556
Oklahoma	6	–	4	.600	10	–	8	.556
Nebraska	5	–	5	.500	7	–	11	.389
Iowa State	2	–	8	.200	6	–	11	.353
Kansas State	2	–	8	.200	3	–	15	.167

1933–34 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Purdue	10	–	2	.833	17	–	3	.850
Wisconsin	8	–	4	.667	14	–	6	.700
Northwestern	8	–	4	.667	11	–	8	.579
Illinois	7	–	5	.583	13	–	6	.684
Iowa	6	–	6	.500	13	–	7	.650
Indiana	6	–	6	.500	13	–	7	.650
Minnesota	5	–	7	.417	9	–	11	.450
Ohio State	4	–	8	.333	8	–	12	.400
Michigan	4	–	8	.333	6	–	14	.300
Chicago	2	–	10	.167	5	–	15	.250

1933–34 Border Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Texas Tech	7	–	1	.875	18	–	5	.783
Arizona	9	–	3	.750	18	–	9	.667
New Mexico	6	–	4	.600	16	–	4	.800
Arizona State Teachers	8	–	10	.444	9	–	11	.450
Arizona State Teachers–Flagstaff	6	–	10	.375	9	–	14	.391
New Mexico A&M	2	–	6	.250	10	–	9	.526

1933–34 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Penn	10	–	2	.833	16	–	3	.842
Cornell	9	–	3	.750	10	–	6	.625
Princeton	7	–	5	.583	13	–	8	.619
Yale	7	–	5	.583	14	–	9	.609
Dartmouth	6	–	6	.500	13	–	7	.650
Columbia	3	–	9	.250	5	–	14	.263
Harvard	0	–	12	.000	3	–	19	.136

1933–34 Eastern Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Pittsburgh	8	–	0	1.000	18	–	4	.818
West Virginia	7	–	3	.700	14	–	5	.737
Georgetown	5	–	5	.500	12	–	11	.522
Temple	5	–	5	.500	9	–	12	.429
Carnegie Tech	2	–	7	.222	1	–	8	.111
Bucknell	0	–	7	.000	2	–	16	.111

1933–34 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
NYU	9	–	0	1.000	16	–	0	1.000
LIU	4	–	0	1.000	26	–	1	.963
CCNY	4	–	1	.800	14	–	1	.933
Manhattan	4	–	4	.500	8	–	10	.444
St. John's	3	–	4	.429	16	–	3	.842
St. Francis (NY)	3	–	8	.273	13	–	11	.542
Fordham	1	–	4	.200	11	–	5	.688
Brooklyn	1	–	6	.143	14	–	7	.667
Pratt Institute		–		–	8	–	6	.571

1933–34 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Butler	9	–	1	.900	14	–	7	.667
Creighton	7	–	3	.700	14	–	3	.824
Grinnell	5	–	5	.500	8	–	7	.533
Washington University	4	–	6	.400	7	–	11	.389
Drake	4	–	6	.400	6	–	12	.333
Oklahoma A&M	1	–	9	.100	4	–	14	.222

1933–34 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
North
Washington †	14	–	2	.875	20	–	5	.800
Oregon	9	–	7	.563	17	–	8	.680
Oregon State	7	–	9	.438	14	–	10	.583
Washington State	6	–	10	.375	14	–	11	.560
Idaho	4	–	12	.250	16	–	13	.552
South
USC	9	–	3	.750	16	–	8	.667
California	8	–	4	.667	19	–	7	.731
Stanford	5	–	7	.417	8	–	12	.400
UCLA	2	–	10	.167	10	–	13	.435

† Conference playoff series winner

1933–34 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Eastern
Wyoming	14	–	0	1.000	26	–	4	.867
Colorado	7	–	5	.583	9	–	8	.529
Colorado College	7	–	5	.583	10	–	11	.476
Denver	7	–	7	.500	8	–	9	.471
Northern Colorado	6	–	8	.429	13	–	14	.481
Colorado Agricultural	5	–	7	.417	5	–	7	.417
Western State	4	–	6	.400	9	–	8	.529
Colorado Mines	1	–	13	.071	1	–	13	.071
Western
BYU	9	–	3	.750	18	–	12	.600
Utah State	7	–	5	.583	14	–	6	.700
Utah	7	–	5	.583	14	–	9	.609
Montana State	1	–	11	.083	5	–	22	.185

1933–34 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Kentucky	11	–	0	1.000	16	–	1	.941
Alabama †	13	–	2	.867	16	–	2	.889
LSU	13	–	3	.813	13	–	4	.765
Florida	4	–	2	.667	11	–	7	.611
Vanderbilt	8	–	5	.615	11	–	6	.647
Tulane	8	–	10	.444	10	–	10	.500
Georgia Tech	5	–	8	.385	6	–	12	.333
Tennessee	3	–	5	.375	10	–	7	.588
Mississippi State	4	–	8	.333	8	–	11	.421
Georgia	3	–	6	.333	10	–	9	.526
Ole Miss	2	–	8	.200	7	–	9	.438
Auburn	2	–	9	.182	2	–	11	.154
Sewanee	0	–	10	.000	0	–	13	.000

† Regular-season championship and 1934 SEC Tournament winner

1933–34 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
South Carolina	6	–	0	1.000	18	–	1	.947
North Carolina	12	–	2	.857	18	–	4	.818
Maryland	6	–	1	.857	11	–	8	.579
Duke	9	–	4	.692	18	–	6	.750
North Carolina State	6	–	5	.545	11	–	6	.647
Washington and Lee †	4	–	5	.444	10	–	6	.625
VMI	3	–	6	.333	4	–	9	.308
Virginia	1	–	9	.100	7	–	11	.389
Virginia Tech	1	–	10	.091	1	–	15	.063
Clemson	0	–	6	.000	7	–	12	.368

† Southern Conference Tournament winner

1933–34 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
TCU	10	–	2	.833	13	–	2	.867
Texas A&M	7	–	5	.583	14	–	6	.700
Arkansas	6	–	6	.500	16	–	8	.667
Texas	6	–	6	.500	14	–	8	.636
Rice	6	–	6	.500	6	–	6	.500
SMU	5	–	7	.417	6	–	9	.400
Baylor	2	–	10	.167	8	–	10	.444

Major independents

A total of 63 college teams played as major independents. DePaul (17–0) was undefeated, and Western Kentucky State (28–8) finished with the most wins.^[10]

1933–34 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
DePaul		–		–	17	–	0	1.000
Kansas State Teachers		–		–	17	–	1	.944
Akron		–		–	15	–	1	.938
Duquesne		–		–	19	–	2	.905
Xavier		–		–	9	–	1	.900
Syracuse		–		–	15	–	2	.882
Navy		–		–	11	–	2	.846
Notre Dame		–		–	20	–	4	.833
Westminster (Pa.)		–		–	24	–	5	.828
La Salle		–		–	14	–	3	.824
Rhode Island State		–		–	13	–	3	.813
Marquette		–		–	15	–	4	.789
Western Kentucky State		–		–	28	–	8	.778
Villanova		–		–	9	–	3	.750
George Washington		–		–	11	–	4	.733
Carleton		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Michigan State Normal		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Providence		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Western State Teachers		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Springfield (Mass.)		–		–	11	–	5	.688
Colgate		–		–	13	–	6	.684
Bowling Green State		–		–	10	–	5	.667
Penn State		–		–	8	–	4	.667
Richmond		–		–	10	–	5	.667
Muhlenberg		–		–	11	–	6	.647
Louisville		–		–	16	–	9	.640
Cincinnati		–		–	12	–	7	.632
Marshall		–		–	13	–	8	.619
Montana		–		–	16	–	10	.615
San Francisco		–		–	8	–	5	.615
Rutgers		–		–	9	–	6	.600
Dayton		–		–	9	–	7	.563
Santa Clara		–		–	9	–	7	.563
Saint Louis		–		–	10	–	8	.556
Niagara		–		–	11	–	9	.550
Canisius		–		–	7	–	6	.538
Army		–		–	8	–	7	.533
The Citadel		–		–	8	–	7	.533
St. Bonaventure		–		–	3	–	3	.500
Valparaiso		–		–	9	–	9	.500
Indiana State		–		–	8	–	9	.471
Detroit		–		–	7	–	8	.467
Loyola (Ill.)		–		–	7	–	8	.467
Washburn		–		–	7	–	8	.467
Brown		–		–	7	–	9	.438
Saint Mary's (Calif.)		–		–	6	–	8	.429
Tulsa		–		–	6	–	8	.429
Boston University		–		–	5	–	7	.417
Toledo		–		–	6	–	9	.400
Kent State		–		–	5	–	9	.357
Lehigh		–		–	5	–	9	.357
Wake Forest		–		–	5	–	9	.357
St. Joseph's		–		–	6	–	11	.353
Connecticut		–		–	5	–	10	.333
Davidson		–		–	6	–	13	.316
William & Mary		–		–	4	–	9	.308
Furman		–		–	5	–	12	.294
Miami (Ohio)		–		–	4	–	11	.267
Ohio		–		–	5	–	14	.263
Lafayette		–		–	3	–	9	.250
Loyola (Md.)		–		–	2	–	8	.200
Bradley		–		–	3	–	14	.176
Texas State M&M		–		–	3	–	16	.158

Statistical leaders

Awards

Consensus All-American team

**Consensus Team**
Player	Class	Team
Norman Cottom	Junior	Purdue
Claire Cribbs	Junior	Pittsburgh
Moose Krause	Senior	Notre Dame
Hal Lee	Senior	Washington
Les Witte	Senior	Wyoming

Major player of the year awards

Helms Player of the Year: Wesley Bennett, Westminster (Pa.) (retroactive selection in 1944)

Coaching changes

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

Team	Former Coach	New Coach
Colorado	Henry Iba	Dutch Clark
Oklahoma A&M	Harold James	Henry Iba
Toledo	David V. Connelly	Harold Anderson
Wisconsin	Walter Meanwell	Harold E. Foster

References

^ Hoop Tactics "The Evolution of Basketball: A Chronological Look At The Major Refinements" Accessed 15 May 2021
^ orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
^ Schleyer, Claudia, "The Rules of Basketball: Boy How They've Changed!", Youth Hoops 101 Accessed 15 May 2021
^ Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved December 14, 2015.
^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
^ sports-reference.com 1933-34 Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Season Summary
^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
^ "1933-34 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2024.

[hooptactics-1] Hoop Tactics "The Evolution of Basketball: A Chronological Look At The Major Refinements" Accessed 15 May 2021

[2] rangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes

[youthhoops-3] Schleyer, Claudia, "The Rules of Basketball: Boy How They've Changed!", Youth Hoops 101 Accessed 15 May 2021

[4] Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved December 14, 2015.

[ESPN_526-5] ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[6] "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.

[7] 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09

[8] sports-reference.com 1933-34 Eastern Intercollegiate Conference Season Summary

[9] "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.

[10] "1933-34 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 31, 2024.

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[10]

v t e NCAA Division I men's basketball seasons
Pre-regulation	1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898-99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06
IAAUS / NCAA pre-Tournament era	1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38
NCAA Tournament era	1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

1933–34 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Helms National Champions	Wyoming (retroactive selection in 1943)
Player of the Year (Helms)	Wesley Bennett, Westminster (Pa.) (retroactive selection in 1944)
← 1932–33 1934–35 →