# 1949–50 NCAA men's basketball rankings

The 1949–50 NCAA men's basketball rankings was made up of a single human poll – the AP Poll – with weekly editions released between January 5, 1950 and March 7, 1950.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | New to rankings from previous week |
| Italics | Number of first place votes |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## AP Poll

| | Week 1 Jan. 5 | Week 2 Jan. 9 | Week 3 Jan. 16 | Week 4 Jan. 23 | Week 5 Jan. 30 | Week 6 Feb. 6 | Week 7 Feb. 13 | Week 8 Feb. 20 | Week 9 Feb. 27 | Final Mar. 6 | |
| 1. | St. John's (12–1) | St. John's (13–1) | Holy Cross (13–0) | Holy Cross (14–0) | Holy Cross (14–0) | Holy Cross (17–0) | Holy Cross (20–0) | Bradley (24–3) | Bradley (25–3) | Bradley (27–3) | 1. |
| 2. | Kentucky (7–1) | Kentucky (8–1) | St. John's (14–1) | Duquesne (13–0) | Duquesne (14–0) | Bradley (19–3) | Bradley (21–3) | Holy Cross (22–0) | Ohio State (18–3) | Ohio State (19–3) | 2. |
| 3. | Bradley (10–2) | Long Island (11–1) | Long Island (12–1) | Long Island (13–2) | Bradley (17–3) | Duquesne (16–1) | Ohio State (15–3) | Ohio State (18–3) | Holy Cross (24–0) | Kentucky (24–5) | 3. |
| 4. | Long Island (10–1) | Indiana (10–0) | Bradley (14–2) | Kentucky (11–4) | Long Island (14–2) | St. John's (18–2) т | St. John's (20–2) | Duquesne (21–1) | Kentucky (22–4) | Holy Cross (26–1) | 4. |
| 5. | Indiana (9–0) | Holy Cross (11–0) | Kentucky (9–2) | St. John's (15–2) | St. John's (16–2) | Ohio State (14–3) т | Kentucky (17–4) | Kentucky (20–4) | Duquesne (22–1) | NC State (24–5) | 5. |
| 6. | Holy Cross (9–0) | Bradley (11–2) | Duquesne (12–0) | Bradley (15–3) | Kentucky (13–4) | Long Island (15–2) | Long Island (17–2) | St. John's (20–3) | UCLA (21–4) | Duquesne (22–3) | 6. |
| 7. | NC State (9–1) | CCNY (8–2) | CCNY (9–2) | La Salle (11–2) | Ohio State (11–3) | Kentucky (16–4) | Duquesne (18–1) | UCLA (19–4) | Western Kentucky (24–5) | UCLA (22–5) | 7. |
| 8. | Duquesne (9–0) | Duquesne (9–0) | Indiana (10–2) | CCNY (9–2) | La Salle (12–2) | NC State (17–3) | NC State (18–4) | Western Kentucky (22–4) | NC State (21–5) | Western Kentucky (24–5) | 8. |
| 9. | UCLA (8–3) | NC State (9–2) | UCLA (11–4) | Indiana (12–2) | NC State (15–3) | La Salle (14–2) | Western Kentucky (19–4) | NC State (20–4) | La Salle (18–3) | St. John's (22–4) | 9. |
| 10. | Minnesota (7–1) | UCLA (10–3) | La Salle (9–2) | NC State (13–3) | CCNY (10–2) | Kansas State (13–4) | UCLA (17–4) | Long Island (17–3) | St. John's (21–4) | La Salle (20–3) | 10. |
| 11. | Saint Louis (6–1) | Minnesota (8–1) | Ohio State (8–2) | UCLA (11–4) | Kansas State (12–3) | Western Kentucky (16–4) | La Salle (14–3) | San Francisco (15–6) | Villanova (22–4) | Villanova (23–4) | 11. |
| 12. | Missouri (8–1) | Cincinnati (6–0) | NC State (11–3) | Kansas State (12–3) | Indiana (12–2) | UCLA (15–4) | San Francisco (14–5) | La Salle (16–3) | Kansas State (16–5) | San Francisco (19–6) | 12. |
| 13. | Villanova (7–2) | La Salle (7–2) | Kansas State (10–3) | Ohio State (9–3) | UCLA (13–4) | Louisville (20–6) | CCNY (13–3) | Kansas State (16–5) | San Francisco (16–6) | Long Island (20–4) | 13. |
| 14. | CCNY (7–2) | Western Kentucky (6–4) | Western Kentucky (9–4) | Wyoming (17–4) | Western Kentucky (14–4) | CCNY (12–2) | Kansas State (13–5) | Toledo (19–4) | Long Island (18–4) | Kansas State (16–6) | 14. |
| 15. | Wisconsin (8–2) | Ohio State (6–2) | Tulane (11–2) | Wisconsin (10–3) | Louisville (19–5) | San Francisco (12–5) | Villanova (18–3) | Saint Louis (14–6) | Arizona (24–3) | Arizona (25–4) | 15. |
| 16. | Illinois (7–3) | Missouri (9–1) | Minnesota (9–2) | Washington (12–2) | Notre Dame (9–5) | Indiana (13–3) | Washington State (15–9) | USC (18–5) | Nebraska (16–5) | Wisconsin (16–6) | 16. |
| 17. | Oklahoma (5–2) | Villanova (8–2) | Tennessee (7–5) | Western Kentucky (12–4) | Wisconsin (10–3) | Washington State (14–8) | Arizona (20–2) | Indiana (16–4) | Toledo (21–5) | San Jose State (21–7) | 17. |
| 18. | La Salle (6–2) | Siena (14–0) | Villanova (10–2) | Minnesota (9–2) | Vanderbilt (11–5) | Arizona (17–2) | Saint Louis (13–5) | San Jose State (17–6) | Wyoming (24–5) | Washington State (19–11) | 18. |
| 19. | Bowling Green (10–4) | Oklahoma (5–3) | Louisville (14–2) | Villanova (11–2) | Oklahoma A&M (11–4) | Saint Louis (12–5) | USC (13–5) | Arizona (23–2) | San Jose State (18–7) | Kansas (13–9) | 19. |
| 20. | Kansas State (9–3) | Washington (12–1) | Cincinnati (7–1) | Illinois (10–4) | Wyoming (18–5) | Hamline (20–1) | Vanderbilt (20–6) | CCNY (14–4) | Vanderbilt (17–7) | Indiana (18–4) | 20. |
| | Week 1 Jan. 5 | Week 2 Jan. 9 | Week 3 Jan. 16 | Week 4 Jan. 23 | Week 5 Jan. 30 | Week 6 Feb. 6 | Week 7 Feb. 13 | Week 8 Feb. 20 | Week 9 Feb. 27 | Final Mar. 6 | |
| | | Dropped: Saint LouisWisconsin (8–3)Illinois (8–4)Bowling GreenKansas State (9–3) | Dropped: MissouriSienaOklahomaWashington | Dropped: TulaneTennesseeLouisvilleCincinnati | Dropped: WashingtonMinnesotaVillanovaIllinois (10–4) | Dropped: Notre DameWisconsinVanderbiltOklahoma A&MWyoming | Dropped: LouisvilleIndianaHamline | Dropped: VillanovaWashington StateVanderbilt | Dropped: Saint LouisUSCIndianaCCNY | Dropped: NebraskaToledoWyomingVanderbilt | |