# 1944–45 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1944–45 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1944, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1945 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 27, 1945, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The Oklahoma A&M Aggies won their first NCAA national championship with a 49–45 victory over the NYU Violets.

## Rule changes

* 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.
* A player fouls out after committing five fouls, including fouls committed in overtime. Previously, a player fouled out after committing four fouls in regulation or a fifth foul in overtime. An extra foul was not permitted in overtime games.
* Unlimited substitution is permitted for the first time. Previously, a player could re-enter a game only twice.
* It became a violation for an offensive player to remain in the free-throw lane for more than three seconds.

## Season headlines

* The three-point shot — called a "long goal" at the time — was used experimentally for the first time in a college basketball game, played between Columbia and Fordham on February 7, 1945, with the three-point line 21 feet (6.4 m) from the basket. Columbia made 11 "long goals," while Fordham made nine. The game also experimented with allowing free-throw shooters to take their shots from the normal 15 feet (4.6 m) for one point or to attempt a "long foul" shot from 21 feet (6.4 m) for two points. The teams combined for eight "long fouls" during the game, which Columbia won 73–58.
* The February 7, 1945, game between Columbia and Fordham also saw the first use of the 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) free-throw lane, an experiment at a time when the free-throw lane was standardized at 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. The 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) free-throw lane eventually was adopted for the 1955–56 season.
* After its football team won the 1945 Cotton Bowl Classic on January 1, Oklahoma A&M's basketball team won the 1945 NCAA tournament on March 27, making Oklahoma A&M the first school to win both a college football bowl game and the NCAA basketball tournament in the same academic year.
* More than 18,000 fans attended the final installment of an annual American Red Cross benefit game between the NCAA Tournament and NIT champions at Madison Square Garden. Oklahoma A&M, led by Bob Kurland, defeated George Mikan's DePaul 52–44. Kurland scored 14 points while Mikan scored 9 before fouling out in only 14 minutes of playing time.
* In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Iowa as its national champion for the 1944–45 season.

## Premo-Porretta Power Poll

In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively ranked teams during the 1944–45 season as follows by reviewing results, opponents, and margins of victory.
1945 Premo-Porretta Poll :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Iowa (17–1) |
| 2 | Oklahoma A&M (27–4) |
| 3 | DePaul (21–3) |
| 4 | Rice (20–1) |
| 5 | Army (14–1) |
| 6 | Navy (12–2) |
| 7 | Ohio State (15–5) |
| 8 | Bowling Green (24–4) |
| 9 | Notre Dame (15–5) |
| 10 | Kentucky (22–4) |
| 11 | St. John's (21–3) |
| 12 | RPI (13–1) |
| 13 | Akron (21–2) |
| 14 | NYU (16–8) |
| 15 | Muhlenberg (24–4) |
| 16 | South Carolina (19–3) |
| 17 | Valparaiso (21–3) |
| 18 | Tennessee (18–5) |
| 19 | Rhode Island State (20–5) |
| 20 | Hamline (20–4) |
| 21 | North Carolina (22–6) |
| 22 | Temple (16–7) |
| 23 | Illinois (13–7) |
| 24 | Penn (12–5) |
| 25 | Yale (14–4) |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Harvard Crimson | Independent | Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League |
| Yale Bulldogs | Independent | Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular Season Winner | Conference player of the year | Conference Tournament | Tournament Venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Big Six Conference | Iowa State | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Iowa | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Border Conference | New Mexico | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | Penn | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Oklahoma A&M | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mountain States (Skyline) Conference | Utah | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| New England Conference | Rhode Island State | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Conference | Oregon & Washington State (North); UCLA (South) | None Selected | No Tournament; Oregon defeated Washington State in North Division best-of-three championship playoff series and defeated UCLA in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; Oregon defeated Washington State in North Division best-of-three championship playoff series and defeated UCLA in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; Oregon defeated Washington State in North Division best-of-three championship playoff series and defeated UCLA in best-of-three conference championship playoff series |
| Rocky Mountain Conference | Colorado College | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & Tennessee | None Selected | 1945 SEC men's basketball tournament | Jefferson County Armory (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 | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1944–45 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1944–45 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Iowa State8–2 .80011–5  .688 Kansas7–3 .70012–5  .706 Oklahoma5–5 .50012–13  .480 Missouri5–5 .50012–13  .480 Kansas State4–6 .40010–13  .435 Nebraska1–9 .1002–17  .105 | 1944–45 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Iowa11–1 .91717–1  .944 Ohio State10–2 .83315–5  .750 Illinois7–5 .58313–7  .650 Purdue6–6 .5009–11  .450 Michigan5–7 .41712–7  .632 Wisconsin4–8 .33310–11  .476 Minnesota4–8 .3338–13  .381 Northwestern4–8 .3337–12  .368 Indiana3–9 .25010–11  .476 Chicago0–0 –7–8  .467 | 1944–45 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT New Mexico12–0 1.00014–2  .875 West Texas State9–3 .75016–10  .615 Arizona State–Flagstaff4–2 .6675–6  .455 New Mexico A&M4–3 .5719–5  .643 Texas Tech7–6 .53810–14  .417 Arizona3–4 .4297–11  .389 Arizona State–Tempe3–5 .3755–9  .357 Texas State M&M4–11 .26710–13  .435 Hardin–Simmons2–14 .1257–23  .233 |
| 1944–45 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pennsylvania†5–1 .83312–5  .706 Cornell4–2 .66712–5  .706 Dartmouth2–4 .3336–8  .429 Columbia1–5 .1679–10  .474 Yale– –14–4  .778 Princeton– –7–12  .368 Harvard– –2–13  .133 † Regular-season championship winner | 1944–45 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Oklahoma A&M†– –27–4  .871 Saint Louis– –10–4  .714 Washington University– –10–9  .526 Drake– –11–13  .458 Tulsa– –4–8  .333 † Regular-season championship winner | 1944–45 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Utah8–0 1.00017–4  .810 Colorado9–1 .90013–3  .813 Wyoming7–5 .58310–18  .357 BYU5–5 .50011–12  .478 Utah State3–7 .3009–10  .474 Colorado State1–5 .1677–11  .389 Denver1–11 .0837–16  .304 |
| 1944–45 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Oregon †11–5 .68830–15  .667 Washington State11–5 .68823–13  .639 Oregon State10–6 .62520–8  .714 Washington5–11 .31322–18  .550 Idaho3–13 .18813–20  .394 South UCLA3–1 .75012–12  .500 USC2–2 .50015–9  .625 California1–3 .2507–8  .467 † North division playoff series and conference playoff series winner | 1944–45 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Tennessee8–2 .80018–5  .783 Kentucky †4–1 .80022–4  .846 Ole Miss3–1 .75015–8  .652 Florida4–2 .6677–12  .368 Georgia Tech7–4 .63611–6  .647 Alabama5–3 .62510–5  .667 LSU3–3 .50015–9  .625 Tulane3–3 .5008–11  .421 Auburn2–6 .2503–14  .176 Mississippi State2–9 .1825–13  .278 Georgia2–9 .1825–16  .238 Vanderbilt– –6–6  .500 † Regular-season championship and SEC Tournament winner |
| 1944–45 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT South Carolina9–0 1.00019–3  .864 Richmond2–0 1.0003–4  .429 Duke6–1 .85713–9  .591 North Carolina †11–3 .78622–6  .786 The Citadel8–4 .66716–7  .696 North Carolina State7–5 .58310–11  .476 William & Mary3–4 .4297–11  .389 Clemson3–5 .3758–8  .500 Maryland2–5 .2862–14  .125 Virginia Tech1–3 .2506–8  .429 Davidson2–7 .2229–9  .500 VMI1–4 .2002–10  .167 Wake Forest0–6 .0003–14  .176 Furman0–8 .0002–15  .118 † Southern Conference Tournament winner | 1944–45 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rice12–0 1.00020–1  .952 Arkansas9–3 .75017–9  .654 SMU7–5 .58311–10  .524 TCU7–5 .5839–20  .310 Texas5–7 .41710–10  .500 Texas A&M2–10 .1673–18  .143 Baylor0–12 .0000–17  .000 |

### Major independents

A total of 62 college teams played as major independents. Army (14–1) had the best winning percentage (.933). Bowling Green State (24–4) and Muhlenberg (24–4) finished with the most wins.
1944–45 NCAA men's basketball independents standings :
* 1944–45 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Army– –14–1
* .933
* Akron– –21–2
* .913
* Lafayette– –16–2
* .889
* DePaul– –21–3
* .875
* St. John's– –21–3
* .875
* Valparaiso– –21–3
* .875
* Bowling Green State– –24–4
* .857
* Muhlenberg– –24–4
* .857
* Navy– –12–2
* .857
* Louisville– –16–3
* .842
* Hamline– –20–4
* .833
* Rhode Island State– –20–5
* .800
* Brown– –15–4
* .789
* Rutgers– –11–3
* .786
* Virginia– –13–4
* .765
* CCNY– –12–4
* .750
* Indiana State– –18–6
* .750
* Notre Dame– –15–5
* .750
* LIU– –14–5
* .737
* Butler– –14–6
* .700
* Wichita Municipal– –14–6
* .700
* Temple– –16–7
* .696
* Toledo– –9–4
* .692
* NYU– –14–7
* .667
* Pittsburgh– –8–4
* .667
* West Virginia– –12–6
* .667
* Marshall– –17–9
* .654
* Western Kentucky State– –17–10
* .630
* Bucknell– –10–7
* .588
* Penn State– –10–7
* .588
* La Salle– –11–8
* .579
* Ohio– –11–8
* .579
* Michigan State– –9–7
* .563
* Niagara– –7–6
* .538
* Miami (Ohio)– –8–7
* .533
* Canisius– –12–11
* .522
* St. Joseph's– –12–11
* .522
* St. Francis (NY)– –9–9
* .500
* Cincinnati– –8–9
* .471
* Nevada– –8–9
* .471
* Northeastern– –7–8
* .467
* Loyola (Md.)– –10–12
* .455
* Saint Mary's– –5–6
* .455
* Western Michigan– –8–10
* .444
* Montana State– –10–14
* .417
* Marquette– –7–10
* .412
* Boston University– –4–6
* .400
* Detroit– –8–12
* .400
* Syracuse– –7–12
* .368
* Villanova– –6–11
* .353
* Colgate– –5–10
* .333
* Loyola (Ill.)– –4–8
* .333
* Maine– –4–8
* .333
* Connecticut– –5–11
* .313
* Holy Cross– –4–9
* .308
* St. Bonaventure– –3–7
* .300
* Fordham– –5–15
* .250
* Montana– –7–22
* .241
* Kent State– –3–11
* .214
* Brooklyn– –3–15
* .167
* Lehigh– –2–16
* .111
* Santa Clara– –0–11
* .000

### 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. No other personal statistics were tracked during the 1944–45 basketball season.

## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Semifinals & final

| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Final | National Final | National Final |
| NYU | NYU | 70$^{OT}$ | | | |
| Ohio State | Ohio State | 65 | | | |
| Ohio State | Ohio State | 65 | NYU | NYU | 45 |
| | | | Oklahoma A&M | Oklahoma A&M | 49 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas | 41 | Oklahoma A&M | Oklahoma A&M | 49 |
| Oklahoma A&M | Oklahoma A&M | 68 | | | |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Rhode Island State | 53 | | |
| DePaul | 97 | | |
| DePaul | 97 | DePaul | 71 |
| | | Bowling Green State | 54 |
| Bowling Green State | 57 | Bowling Green State | 54 |
| St. John's | 44 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Rhode Island State | 57 |
| | | St. John's | 64 |

## Award winners
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| 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 |
Consensus Second Team :
| 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

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Columbia | Elmer Ripley | | Paul Mooney | |
| Georgetown | None | | Ken Engles | After a two-year suspension of all athletic programs during World War II, Georgetown University decided to reconstitute its basketball program during the 1945–46 season with a mostly walk-on team. Engles – a Georgetown player returning to school for the 1945–46 academic year after military service – was named the coach, becoming the only player-coach in Georgetown men's basketball history. |
| Holy Cross | Albert Riopel | | Doggie Julian | |
| Notre Dame | Clem Crowe | | Elmer Ripley | |
| Ole Miss | Edwin Hale | | Buster Poole | |
| Oregon | John A. Warren | | Howard Hobson | |
| Penn | Red Kellett | | Rob Dougherty | |
| Princeton | William Francis Logan | Leonard Hattinger | Wes Fesler | |