1941–42 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team
The 1941–42 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College during the 1941-42 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle.[1] The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, led NCAA in wins,[2] and received an invitation to the 1942 National Invitation Tournament, where they advanced to the championship game.[3] During this period, the NIT was considered to be the premiere college basketball tournament, with the winner being recognized as the national champion.[4][5] This was the first Kentucky team to participate in the NIT.[6] Oran McKinney, Earl Shelton, and Wallace “Buck” Sydnor were selected to the All-SIAA team, while the All-KIAC Team included Howard “Tip” Downing, Shelton, and Sydnor.[7]
1941–42 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball | |
---|---|
SIAA Champions KAIC Champions | |
NIT Tournament, Finals National Runner-up | |
Conference | Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
1941–42 record | 29–5 (7–2 KIAC) |
Head coach | Edgar Diddle (20th season) |
Assistant coach | Ted Hornback |
Home arena | Health & Physical Education Building |
Schedule
Date time, TV |
Opponent | Result | Record | Site city, state | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular Season | |||||||||||
12/6/1941* |
Camp Shelby | W 52–18 | 1–0 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
12/8/1941* |
at Austin Peay | W 42–34 | 2–0 |
Clarksville, TN | |||||||
12/13/1941* |
Wichita | W 36–9 | 3–0 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
12/15/1941 |
vs. Georgetown (KY) | W 48–38 | 4–0 |
Madisonville, KY | |||||||
12/18/1941* |
at Southeast Missouri | W 47–36 | 5–0 |
Houck Field House Cape Girardeau, MO | |||||||
12/19/1941* |
at Southern Illinois | W 48–37 | 6–0 |
Davies Gym Carbondale, IL | |||||||
12/29/1941* |
Washington and Lee | W 52–24 | 7–0 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/3/1942* |
vs. Illinois Wesleyan | W 60–41 | 8–0 |
Owensboro, KY | |||||||
1/5/1942* |
vs. Great Lakes Training | L 37–64 | 8–1 |
Jeffersonville, KY | |||||||
1/7/1942* |
Austin Peay | W 46–34 | 9–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/10/1942* |
Evansville | W 69–48 | 10–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/17/1942 |
Murray State | W 29–27 | 11–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/21/1942* |
Tennessee Tech | W 32–31 | 12–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1/23/1942 |
at Morehead State | L 49–56 | 12–2 |
Button Auditorium Morehead, KY | |||||||
1/31/1942 |
Eastern Kentucky | W 45–31 | 13–2 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/3/1942* |
at Indiana State | W 41–35 | 14–2 |
Indiana State Gym Terre Haute, IN | |||||||
2/5/1942* |
at Tennessee Tech | L 34–45 | 14–3 |
Memorial Gymnasium Cookeville, TN | |||||||
2/7/1942 |
at Murray State | L 37–43 | 14–4 |
Lovett Auditorium Murray, KY | |||||||
2/9/1942 |
Morehead State | W 64–31 | 15–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/11/1942 |
at Louisville | W 62–39 | 16–4 |
Belknap Gymnasium Louisville, KY | |||||||
2/14/1942 |
at Eastern Kentucky | W 43–40 | 17–4 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/16/1942* |
Indiana State | W 53–48 | 18–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
2/19/1942* |
at Evansville | W 41–40 | 19–4 |
Evansville, IN | |||||||
2/21/1942 |
Union (KY) | W 59–50 | 20–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1942 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
2/26/1942 |
vs. Murray State KIAC Tournament |
W 46–44 | 21–4 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/27/1942 |
vs. Kentucky Wesleyan KIAC Tournament Quarterfinal |
W 49–41 | 22–4 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
2/28/1942 |
vs. Berea KIAC Tournament Semifinal |
W 53–34 | 23–4 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
3/1/1942 |
vs. Union (KY) KIAC Tournament Final |
W 43–41 | 24–4 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
1942 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament | |||||||||||
3/6/1942 |
Tennessee Tech SIAA Tournament |
W 61–35 | 25–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
3/7/1942 |
Southwestern Louisiana SIAA Tournament Semifinal |
W 49–43 | 26–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
3/8/1942 |
Delta State SIAA Tournament Final |
W 49–37 | 27–4 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
1942 National Invitation Tournament | |||||||||||
3/19/1942* |
vs. CCNY NIT Quarterfinal |
W 49–46 | 28–4 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
3/23/1942* |
vs. Creighton NIT Semifinal |
W 49–38 | 29–4 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
3/25/1942* |
vs. West Virginia NIT Final |
L 45–47 | 29–5 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
References
- Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
- E. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved October 6, 2018
- 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
- "NCAA Tournament History". Retrieved 2013-02-12.
The tournament now determines the national champion, but that wasn't always the case. Until the 1950s, the NIT was just as big a tournament as the NCAA, and teams often chose to enter the NIT and bypass the NCAA tourney
- Davies, Richard O. (2007). "Sports in American Life: A History." Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. p. 155. ISBN 9781405106474
- Tournament Results (1940s) at nit.org, URL accessed December 9, 2009. Archived 11/7/09
- Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.
- Western Kentucky Men's Basketball Archive, retrieved 14 May 2020