1915–16 NCAA men's basketball season

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) adopted a new set of rules nationally for amateur basketball in the United States, standardizing the rules used in college, YMCA, and AAU basketball. Officially appointed representatives of the three organizations prepared the uniform set of rules, the NCAA, YMCA, and AAU having decided that working together in this way was in the best interests of the game's welfare and of the organizations themselves.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf |title=Playing Rules History |author= |date= |website=ncaa.org |publisher=NCAA |access-date=June 25, 2024 |page=3}}
• The Pacific Coast Conference began play with four original members, three of which fielded basketball teams for the 1915–16 season.
• Utah won the post-season Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championship tournament— in which a mix of collegiate and non-collegiate amateur teams competed — in 1916 to become the first of only four collegiate teams to win the tournament. No college team would win the tournament again until 1920.{{cite web|first=Jon|last=Scott|date=Nov 9, 2010|title=The truth behind the Helms Committee|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/helms.html|access-date=13 May 2021}}
• In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Wisconsin as its national champion for the 1915–16 season.
• In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Wisconsin as its national champion for the 1915–16 season.{{cite book|title=ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game|editor-last=ESPN|publisher=ESPN Books|location=New York, NY|year=2009|pages=526, 529–587|ISBN=978-0-345-51392-2}}

• "Class A" fouls — general fouls called for delay of game; "tackling" the ball (i.e., touching the ball while a teammate already was touching it); kicking, striking, advancing, or hugging the ball; tackling, holding, or pushing an opponent; and addressing the game officials — were changed to violations. "Class B" fouls — striking, kicking, shouldering, tripping, or hacking an opponent; unnecessary roughness; and using profane or abusive language — became technical and personal fouls.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf |title=Playing Rules History |author= |date= |website=ncaa.org |publisher=NCAA |access-date=June 25, 2024 |pages=2, 3, 6}}
• A player is disqualified after committing his fourth personal foul in a game. Previously, a player was disqualified if he committed two "Class B" fouls in a game.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf |title=Playing Rules History |author= |date= |website=ncaa.org |publisher=NCAA |access-date=June 25, 2024 |pages=3, 6}}
• If a player was fouled in the act of shooting, his team was awarded two free-throw attempts regardless of whether he made the field goal. Previously, the shooting team had been awarded one point and one free-throw attempt if a shooter was fouled. If the shooting player made the shot, it counted for two points, just as it had before this rule change.
• The shooting team was awarded one free-throw attempt if a defending player interfered with the ball or basket while the ball was on the basket's rim. Previously, the shooting team had been awarded one point under these circusmtances.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf |title=Playing Rules History |author= |date= |website=ncaa.org |publisher=NCAA |access-date=June 25, 2024 |pages=2, 3, 7}}
• All players were required to wear plain numbers at least {{convert|6|in|cm|1}} high and {{convert|1|in|cm|2}} wide fastened securely on the backs of their shirts.{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf |title=Playing Rules History |author= |date= |website=ncaa.org |publisher=NCAA |access-date=June 25, 2024 |pages=3, 8}}

NOTE: Although Oregon joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915, it did not field a basketball team during the 1915–16 season.

A total of 122 college teams played as major independents. Among independents that played at least 10 games, {{cbb link|year=1915|school=Carleton College|team=Carleton Knights|title=Carleton}} (15–0), {{cbb link|year=1915|school=North Dakota State University|team=North Dakota State Bison|title=North Dakota Agricultural}} (18–0), Tennessee (12–0), and {{cbb link|year=1915|school=University of Utah|team=Utah Utes|title=Utah}} (11–0) were undefeated, and {{cbb link|year=1915|school=Nebraska Wesleyan University|team=Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves|title=Nebraska Wesleyan}} (20–2) finished with the most wins.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1916.html |work=Sports Reference |title=1915-16 Men's Independent Season Summary |access-date=July 27, 2024}}

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{{main|1916 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans}}

The practice of selecting a Consensus All-American Team did not begin until the 1928–29 season. The Helms Athletic Foundation later retroactively selected a list of All-Americans for the 1915–16 season.[http://www.apbr.org/ncaa-aa.html The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"]

• Helms Player of the Year: George Levis, Wisconsin (retroactive selection in 1944)

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