# 1934–35 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1934–35 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1934, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded in March 1935.

## Rules changes

The regulation basketball was reduced in circumference, from 32 inches (81 cm) to between 29.5 and 30.25 inches (74.9 and 76.8 cm).

## Season headlines

* Ned Irish began to promote college basketball doubleheaders between New York City-area teams at Madison Square Garden and intersectional games there between New York City-area teams and teams from other regions. The first intersectional game — an NYU 25–18 victory over Notre Dame on December 29, 1934 — drew 16,138 fans, a world record for attendance at a college basketball game. In the next game on January 5, 1935, NYU defeated Kentucky 23–22 before another new world record crowd of 16,539. After the NYU–Kentucky game, Kentucky head coach Adolph Rupp called for the creation of a round-robin national championship college basketball tournament.
* The American Legion Bowl, promoted as a basketball game "for the national collegiate championship," took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the end of the season. LSU defeated Pittsburgh 41–37 and called itself the national collegiate basketball champion for the 1934–35 season, although this assertion was unofficial.

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Brooklyn Bulldogs | Metropolitan New York Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| Bucknell Bison | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
| Butler Bulldogs | Missouri Valley Conference | Independent |
| CCNY Beavers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Fordham Rams | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Long Island Blackbirds | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Manhattan Jaspers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| NYU Violets | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Pratt Cannoneers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| St. Francis (NY) Terriers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| St. John's Redmen | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Tulsa Golden Hurricane | Independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Washburn Ichabods | Independent | Missouri Valley Conference |

## 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 | Illinois, Purdue, & Wisconsin | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Border Conference | Texas Tech | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | Penn | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Pittsburgh & West Virginia | None selected | No Tournament; Pittsburgh defeated West Virginia in a single-game conference playoff | No Tournament; Pittsburgh defeated West Virginia in a single-game conference playoff | No Tournament; Pittsburgh defeated West Virginia in a single-game conference playoff |
| Metropolitan New York Conference | Did not play as a conference | Did not play as a conference | Did not play as a conference | Did not play as a conference | Did not play as a conference |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Creighton & Drake | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Conference | Oregon State (North); USC (South) | | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series |
| Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | Colorado State College (Eastern); Utah State (Western) | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & LSU | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | North Carolina | None selected | 1935 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Thompson Gym (Raleigh, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Southwest Conference | Arkansas, Rice, & SMU | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1934–35 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1934–35 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Iowa State8–2 .80013–3  .813 Kansas12–4 .75015–5  .750 Oklahoma8–8 .5009–9  .500 Missouri7–9 .4387–11  .389 Nebraska3–7 .3006–12  .333 Kansas State4–12 .2505–15  .250 | 1934–35 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Purdue9–3 .75017–3  .850 Illinois9–3 .75015–5  .750 Wisconsin9–3 .75015–5  .750 Indiana8–4 .66714–6  .700 Ohio State8–4 .66713–6  .684 Iowa6–6 .50010–9  .526 Minnesota5–7 .41711–9  .550 Northwestern3–9 .25010–10  .500 Michigan2–10 .1678–12  .400 Chicago1–11 .0832–18  .100 | 1934–35 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Tech9–1 .90015–9  .625 Arizona State–Flagstaff10–4 .71412–8  .600 New Mexico7–9 .43810–10  .500 Arizona5–7 .41711–8  .579 New Mexico A&M4–6 .40012–6  .667 Arizona State–Tempe3–9 .2508–11  .421 |
| 1934–35 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Penn†10–2 .83316–4  .800 Columbia10–2 .83313–6  .684 Dartmouth7–5 .58312–9  .571 Yale5–7 .41711–10  .524 Princeton4–8 .3336–14  .300 Harvard3–9 .2507–12  .368 Cornell3–9 .2505–15  .250 † Conference championship winner | 1934–35 Eastern Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pittsburgh†6–2 .75018–6  .750 West Virginia6–2 .75016–6  .727 Temple5–3 .62517–7  .708 Carnegie Tech2–6 .2503–6  .333 Georgetown1–7 .1256–13  .316 † Postseason conference championship playoff game winner | 1934–35 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Creighton8–4 .66712–8  .600 Drake8–4 .66714–11  .560 Grinnell7–5 .58311–8  .579 Washington University6–6 .5007–11  .389 Oklahoma A&M5–7 .4179–9  .500 Washburn5–7 .4177–13  .350 Tulsa3–9 .2506–10  .375 |
| 1934–35 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Oregon State12–4 .75019–9  .679 Washington11–5 .68816–8  .667 Oregon7–9 .43816–12  .571 Washington State6–10 .37512–12  .500 Idaho4–12 .25011–16  .407 South USC †11–1 .91720–6  .769 California5–7 .41711–14  .440 Stanford4–8 .3339–18  .333 UCLA4–8 .33311–12  .478 † Conference playoff series winner | 1934–35 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Eastern Northern Colorado†9–3 .75012–14  .462 Wyoming10–4 .71411–5  .688 Colorado College9–5 .64313–10  .565 Denver7–5 .58313–7  .650 Colorado Agricultural6–6 .5006–6  .500 Western State3–7 .3003–7  .300 Colorado3–9 .2503–9  .250 Colorado Mines3–11 .2143–11  .214 Western Utah State†9–3 .75017–5  .773 BYU6–6 .50018–10  .643 Utah5–7 .41710–9  .526 Montana State4–8 .33316–13  .552 † Division championship winner | 1934–35 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT LSU †12–0 1.00014–1  .933 Kentucky †11–0 1.00019–2  .905 Tennessee7–4 .63611–5  .688 Vanderbilt9–6 .6009–11  .450 Florida4–3 .5718–7  .533 Alabama8–7 .5339–8  .529 Mississippi State5–5 .50012–6  .667 Georgia Tech5–6 .4556–8  .429 Georgia4–5 .44412–8  .600 Ole Miss5–7 .4178–10  .444 Auburn3–9 .2504–13  .235 Sewanee1–7 .1252–12  .143 Tulane1–16 .0591–16  .059 † Conference co-championship winner |
| 1934–35 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Carolina †12–1 .92323–2  .920 Clemson3–1 .75015–3  .833 Duke10–4 .71418–8  .692 Virginia7–5 .58313–9  .591 Maryland4–3 .5718–10  .444 North Carolina State6–5 .54510–9  .526 South Carolina5–7 .41715–9  .625 Washington and Lee4–8 .33310–10  .500 VMI2–9 .1823–14  .176 Virginia Tech1–11 .0833–16  .158 † Southern Conference Tournament winner | 1934–35 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rice9–3 .75020–3  .870 SMU9–3 .75014–3  .824 Arkansas9–3 .75014–5  .737 Texas5–7 .41716–7  .696 Texas A&M4–8 .33310–10  .500 Baylor4–8 .3338–9  .471 TCU2–10 .1676–13  .316 |

### Major independents

A total of 69 college teams played as major independents. Richmond (20–0) was undefeated. LIU (24–2) and Western Kentucky State (24–3) finished with the most wins.
1934–35 NCAA men's basketball independents standings :
* 1934–35 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Richmond– –20–0
* 1.000
* Duquesne– –18–1
* .947
* New York University– –18–1
* .947
* DePaul– –15–1
* .938
* LIU– –24–2
* .923
* Ohio Wesleyan– –17–2
* .895
* Western Kentucky State– –24–3
* .889
* Syracuse– –15–2
* .882
* Canisius– –14–2
* .875
* Cincinnati– –16–3
* .842
* Westminster (Pa.)– –22–5
* .815
* Navy– –13–3
* .813
* Rutgers– –13–3
* .813
* Toledo– –13–3
* .813
* St. Joseph's– –12–3
* .800
* Michigan State Normal– –14–4
* .778
* Xavier– –14–4
* .778
* Providence– –17–5
* .773
* Indiana State– –13–4
* .765
* Muhlenberg– –14–5
* .737
* Saint Mary's (Calif.)– –14–5
* .737
* La Salle– –15–6
* .714
* Brown– –12–5
* .706
* Santa Clara– –12–5
* .706
* George Washington– –14–6
* .700
* Springfield (Mass.)– –14–6
* .700
* Saint Louis– –11–5
* .688
* Western State Teachers– –11–5
* .688
* Manhattan– –13–6
* .684
* Niagara– –13–6
* .684
* Army– –10–5
* .667
* Rhode Island State– –12–6
* .667
* William & Mary– –10–5
* .667
* Butler– –13–7
* .650
* Villanova– –13–7
* .650
* CCNY– –10–6
* .625
* St. John's (N.Y.)– –13–8
* .619
* Marquette– –11–7
* .611
* Marshall– –12–8
* .600
* Notre Dame– –13–9
* .591
* Kent State– –8–6
* .571
* Davidson– –13–10
* .565
* Ohio– –11–9
* .550
* Furman– –9–8
* .529
* Loyola (Md.)– –9–9
* .500
* Saint Francis (N.Y.)– –12–12
* .500
* Penn State– –8–9
* .471
* Connecticut– –7–8
* .467
* Fordham– –7–9
* .438
* Bowling Green State– –6–9
* .400
* The Citadel– –6–9
* .400
* Colgate– –8–13
* .381
* Wake Forest– –6–10
* .375
* Louisville– –5–9
* .357
* Wichita Municipal– –7–13
* .350
* Lafayette– –5–10
* .333
* San Francisco– –7–14
* .333
* Detroit– –4–10
* .286
* Lehigh– –4–10
* .286
* Dayton– –4–11
* .267
* Seton Hall– –4–11
* .267
* Loyola (Ill.)– –5–14
* .263
* Montana– –6–18
* .250
* Miami (Ohio)– –3–12
* .200
* St. Bonaventure– –1–5
* .167
* Valparaiso– –2–13
* .133
* Boston University– –2–14
* .125
* Bradley– –1–13
* .071
* Bucknell– –0–14
* .000

### Statistical leaders
## Awards
### Consensus All-American team

Consensus Team :
| Player | Class | Team |
| Omar Browning | Senior | Oklahoma |
| Claire Cribbs | Senior | Pittsburgh |
| Leroy Edwards | Sophomore | Kentucky |
| Jack Gray | Senior | Texas |
| Lee Guttero | Senior | USC |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Leroy Edwards, Kentucky (retroactive selection in 1944)

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Oregon | William Reinhart | | Howard Hobson | |
| Yale | Elmer Ripley | | Ken Loeffler | |