1940–41 NCAA men's basketball season

• The Border Conference and the Metropolitan New York Conference did not play as conferences during the season. Their members competed as independents.
• The National Invitation Tournament — considered by some until at least the mid-1950s to be more prestigious than the NCAA tournament — expanded from six to eight teams.
• The National Association of Basketball Coaches turned over operation of the NCAA tournament to the NCAA itself.[https://www.sportshistoryweekly.com/stories/march-madness-ncaa-nit-college-basketball,697 Anonymous, "How the NCAA Overtook Its Rival, the NIT," Sport History Weekly, March 24, 2019 Accessed May 4, 2021]
• George Glamack of North Carolina became the first player to score 30 or more points in an NCAA tournament game, scoring 31 points against Dartmouth in a regional third-place game of the 1941 NCAA basketball tournament on March 22, 1941.{{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=11}}
• In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Wisconsin as its national champion for the 1940–41 season.{{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=2015-12-14}}
• In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Long Island as its national champion for the 1940–41 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}}

A total of 73 college teams played as major independents. {{cbb link|year=1940|sex=men|team=LIU Blackbirds |title=LIU}} (25–2) had the best winning percentage (.926) and finished with the most wins.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1941.html |work=Sports Reference |title=1940-41 Men's Independent Season Summary |access-date=August 2, 2024}}

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{{main|1941 NCAA basketball tournament|1941 NCAA Basketball Championship Game}}

{{4TeamBracket |seeds=no | RD1=National Semifinals | RD2=National Final

| RD1-seed1=

| RD1-team1=Wisconsin

| RD1-score1=36

| RD1-seed2= 

| RD1-team2=Pittsburgh

| RD1-score2=30

| RD1-seed3= 

| RD1-team3=Arkansas

| RD1-score3=53

| RD1-seed4= 

| RD1-team4={{nowrap|Washington State}}

| RD1-score4=64

| RD2-seed1= 

| RD2-team1=Wisconsin

| RD2-score1=39

| RD2-seed2= 

| RD2-team2={{nowrap|Washington State}}

| RD2-score2=34

}}

{{main|1941 National Invitation Tournament}}

{{4TeamBracket |seeds=no | RD1=Semifinals | RD2=Finals | RD2b=Third place

| RD1-seed1= 

| RD1-team1=CCNY

| RD1-score1=43

| RD1-seed2= 

| RD1-team2=Ohio

| RD1-score2=45

| RD1-seed3= 

| RD1-team3=Seton Hall

| RD1-score3=26

| RD1-seed4= 

| RD1-team4={{nowrap|Long Island}}

| RD1-score4=49

| RD2-seed1= 

| RD2-team1=Ohio

| RD2-score1=42

| RD2-seed2= 

| RD2-team2={{nowrap|Long Island}}

| RD2-score2=56

| RD2b-seed1= 

| RD2b-team1=CCNY

| RD2b-score1=42

| RD2b-seed2= 

| RD2b-team2=Seton Hall

| RD2b-score2=27

}}

{{main|1941 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans}}

• Helms Player of the Year: George Glamack, North Carolina (retroactive selection in 1944)

• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Jack Garfinkel, St. John's

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{{DEFAULTSORT:1940-41 Ncaa Men's Basketball Season}}