1947–48 NCAA men's basketball season
{{Short description|Men's collegiate basketball season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I men's basketball season
| year = 1947
| image =
| caption =
| preseason_ap =
| regular_season =
| tourney_start = March 19
| nc_date = 23, 1948
| champ_stad = Madison Square Garden
| champ_city = New York, New York
| champ = Kentucky
| helmschamp = Kentucky
| nit_champ = Saint Louis
| cbi_champ =
| playeroftheyear =
| helmspoy = Ed Macauley, {{nowrap|Saint Louis}}
}}
The 1947–48 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1947, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1948 NCAA basketball tournament championship game on March 23, 1948, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The Kentucky Wildcats won their first NCAA national championship with a 58–42 victory over the Baylor Bears.
Season headlines
- In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Kentucky as its national champion for the 1947–48 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}}
- The Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball won the N.I.T{{Cite web |title=NIT history {{!}} NCAA.com |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-02-05/nit-history?amp |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}
- The dispute among basketball fans over which was more prestigious, the National Invitation Tournament(more commonly referred to as the N.I.T.) or the NCAA Tournament, continued throughout the entire year.{{Cite journal |last=Criblez |first=Adam J. |date=2018-11-01 |title=Making March Madness: The Early Years of the NCAA, NIT, and College Basketball Championships, 1922-1951 |url=https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/shr/49/2/article-p206.xml |journal=Sport History Review |language=en-US |volume=49 |issue=2 |pages=206–207 |doi=10.1123/shr.2018-0028 |issn=1543-2947}}
Conference membership changes
| class="wikitable sortable"
!School !Former conference !New conference |
| {{sort|Colorado|Colorado Buffaloes}} |
| {{sort|Dickinson College|Dickinson College Red Devils}}
| Middle Atlantic States Conference North | No NCAA basketball program |
| {{sort|Miami|Miami (OH) Redskins}} |
| {{sort|Washington|Washington University Bears}} |
| {{sort|Wayne State|Wayne Warriors}} |
| {{sort|Western Michigan|Western Michigan Broncos}} |
Regular season
=Conferences=
== Conference winners and tournaments ==
==Conference standings==
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Big Nine Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Border Conference men's basketball standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Middle Atlantic States Conference North men's basketball standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Southern Conference men's basketball standings}} |
| valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings}}
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Western New York Little Three Conference men's basketball standings}} |valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings}} |
=Major independents=
A total of 56 college teams played as major independents. {{cbb link|year=1947|school=Western Kentucky University|team=Western Kentucky Hilltoppers|title=Western Kentucky State}} (28–2) had the best winning percentage (.933) and {{cbb link|1=1947|sex=men|team=Louisville Cardinals|title=Louisville}} (29–6) finished with the most wins.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1948.html |work=Sports Reference |title=1947-48 Men's Independent Season Summary |access-date=August 6, 2024}}
| cellpadding="5"
|valign="top" width=25em|{{1947–48 NCAA men's basketball independents standings}} |
= Statistical leaders =
{{empty section|date=April 2021}}
Post-season tournaments
= NCAA tournament =
{{main|1948 NCAA basketball tournament|1948 NCAA Basketball Championship Game}}
== Semifinals & finals ==
{{4TeamBracket |seeds=no | RD1=National Semifinals | RD2=National Finals | RD2b=Third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Kentucky
| RD1-score1=60
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Holy Cross
| RD1-score2=52
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=Kansas State
| RD1-score3=52
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=Baylor
| RD1-score4=60
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Kentucky
| RD2-score1=58
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=Baylor
| RD2-score2=42
| RD2b-seed1=
| RD2b-team1=Holy Cross
| RD2b-score1=60
| RD2b-seed2=
| RD2b-team2=Kansas State
| RD2b-score2=54
}}
= National Invitation tournament =
{{main|1948 National Invitation Tournament}}
== Semifinals & finals ==
{{4TeamBracket |seeds=no | RD1=Semifinals | RD2=Finals | RD2b=Third place
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1={{nowrap|Western Kentucky State}}
| RD1-score1=53
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=Saint Louis
| RD1-score2=60
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3=NYU
| RD1-score3=72
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4=DePaul
| RD1-score4=59
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1=Saint Louis
| RD2-score1=65
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2=NYU
| RD2-score2=52
| RD2b-seed1=
| RD2b-team1={{nowrap|Western Kentucky State}}
| RD2b-score1=61
| RD2b-seed2=
| RD2b-team2=DePaul
| RD2b-score2=59
}}
Awards
= Consensus All-American teams =
{{main|1948 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans}}
| style="width:600px" "border:'1' 'solid' 'gray'"
|+ Consensus First Team |
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:40%" | Player
! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:4%" | Position ! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:16%" | Class ! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:40%" | Team |
|---|
| Ralph Beard
| G | Junior | Kentucky |
| Ed Macauley
| F | Junior |
| Jim McIntyre
| C | Junior |
| Kevin O'Shea
| G | Sophomore |
| Murray Wier
| G | Senior | Iowa |
| style="width:600px" "border:'1' 'solid' 'gray'"
|+ Consensus Second Team |
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:40%" | Player
! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:4%" | Position ! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:16%" | Class ! bgcolor="#CCCCCC" style="width:40%" | Team |
|---|
| Dick Dickey
| F | Sophomore | NC State |
| Arnie Ferrin
| F | Senior | Utah |
| Alex Groza
| C | Junior | Kentucky |
| Hal Haskins
| F/G | Sophomore | Hamline |
| George Kaftan
| F | Senior |
| Duane Klueh
| G | Junior |
| Tony Lavelli
| F | Junior | Yale |
| Jack Nichols
| C | Senior |
| Andy Wolfe
| G/F | Senior |
= Major player of the year awards =
= Other major awards =
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Dolph Schayes, NYU
Coaching changes
{{expand section|date=January 2022}}
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Team !Former !Interim !New !Reason |
| Holy Cross
| | |
| Rhode Island State
| | |