1937–38 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team
The 1937–38 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College during the 1937-38 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and the school's first player recognized as an All-American, William “Red” McCrocklin.[1] The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, were the first NCAA team to win 30 games in a season,[2] and received an invitation to the 1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament;[3] however, the team was unable to make the trip and withdrew from the tournament.[4] The NAIA lists the game as a forfeit, but Western Kentucky does not officially recognize the contest.[5] Ralph Dudgeon, Harry Saddlerand, and McCrocklin were selected to the All-SIAA and All-KIAC teams.[6]
1937–38 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball | |
---|---|
SIAA Champions KAIC Champions | |
NIBT Tournament, Withdrew / Forfeit | |
Conference | Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
1937–38 record | 30–3 (9–1 KIAC) |
Head coach | Edgar Diddle (16th season) |
Home arena | Health & Physical Education Building |
Schedule
Date time, TV |
Opponent | Result | Record | Site city, state | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular Season | |||||||||||
12/9/1937* |
at McKendree | W 51–33 | 1–0 |
Lebanon, IL | |||||||
12/10/1937* |
at Bradley | L 33–39 | 1–1 |
Peoria Armory Peoria, IL | |||||||
12/11/1937* |
at Illinois College | W 38–36 | 2–1 |
Jacksonville, IL | |||||||
12/15/1937* |
McKendree | W 37–28 | 3–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
12/16/1937* |
at New Albany CCC | W 36–19 | 4–1 |
New Albany, IN | |||||||
12/17/1937* |
at Edantide AC | W 34–28 | 5–1 |
| |||||||
12/18/1937* |
Ft. Knox Ind | W 38–32 | 6–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
12/20/1937* |
Beechmont AC | W 60–48 | 7–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/3/1938* |
at Southeast Missouri | W 27–25 | 8–1 |
Houck Field House Cape Girardeau, MO | |||||||
1/8/1938* |
at Vanderbilt | W 39–25 | 9–1 |
Old Gymnasium Nashville, TN | |||||||
1/13/1938* |
at Tennessee Tech | W 40–33 | 10–1 |
Memorial Gymnasium Cookeville, TN | |||||||
1/15/1938* |
Evansville | W 44–30 | 11–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/19/1938 |
at Louisville | W 62–42 | 12–1 |
Belknap Gymnasium Louisville, KY | |||||||
1/22/1938 |
Murray State | W 29–26 | 13–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/24/1938* |
Vanderbilt | W 38–18 | 14–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/28/1938 |
Eastern Kentucky | W 51–34 | 15–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/1/1938 |
at Morehead State | W 38–30 | 16–1 |
Button Auditorium Morehead, KY | |||||||
2/3/1938 |
Louisville | W 53–32 | 17–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/5/1938 |
at Murray State | L 18–30 | 17–2 |
Lovett Auditorium Murray, KY | |||||||
2/8/1938* |
Tennessee Tech | W 31–19 | 18–2 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/11/1938* |
Bradley | L 24–32 | 18–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/12/1938 |
at Eastern Kentucky | W 34–21 | 19–3 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/14/1938 |
at Berea | W 53–23 | 20–3 |
Berea, KY | |||||||
2/16/1938 |
Morehead State | W 42–25 | 21–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/17/1938* |
at Evansville | W 52–42 | 22–3 |
Evansville, IN | |||||||
2/18/1938 |
Cumberland (KY) | W 49–36 | 23–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1938 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
2/25/1938 |
vs. Union (KY) KIAC Tournament |
W 28–22 | 24–3 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/26/1938 |
vs. Morehead State KIAC Tournament Semifinal |
W 46–25 | 25–3 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/26/1938 |
vs. Murray State KIAC Tournament Final |
W 35–23 | 26–3 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
1938 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament | |||||||||||
3/3/1938 |
Louisiana Normal SIAA Tournament |
W 45–30 | 27–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
3/4/1938 |
Union (KY) SIAA Tournament Quarterfinal |
W 49–28 | 28–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
3/5/1938 |
Delta State SIAA Tournament Semifinal |
W 59–40 | 29–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
3/5/1938 |
Murray State SIAA Tournament Final |
W 44–39 | 30–3 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament | |||||||||||
3/8/1938* |
vs. Simpson First Round |
L 0–2 Forfeit | * |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, MO | |||||||
- Western Kentucky does not recognize the NIBT game as part of their official records
References
- Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.
- E. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved October 6, 2018
- NAIA Through the Decades, NAIA.org retrieved May 20, 2020
- The Historical NAIA Tournament VSN (admin) Published Wednesday, July 04, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2020
- Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
- 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
- Western Kentucky Men's Basketball Archive, retrieved 14 May 2020