1918–19 NCAA men's basketball season

1918–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
1918–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Helms National Champions	Minnesota (retroactive selection in 1943)
Player of the Year; (Helms)	Erling Platou, Minnesota (retroactive selection in 1944)
	← 1917–18 1919–20 →

The 1918–19 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1918, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1919.

Season headlines

The 1918–19 season took place between the fall 1918 second surge and spring 1919 third surge of the so-called "Spanish flu" pandemic, forcing some schools to play shortened seasons or cancel their seasons.^[1]^[2] Young men leaving school for World War I military service also affected teams.^[2]
In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Minnesota as its national champion for the 1918–19 season.^[3]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Navy as its national champion for the 1918–19 season.^[4]

Conference membership changes

School	Former Conference	New Conference
Grinnell Pioneers	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Oklahoma A&M Aggies	Southwest Conference	Independent
SMU Mustangs	Independent	Southwest Conference
Stanford Indians	Independent	Pacific Coast Conference
Washington State Cougars	Independent	Pacific Coast Conference

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners

Conference	Regular Season Winner^[5]	Conference Player of the Year	Conference Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Minnesota	None selected	No Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Penn	None selected	No Tournament
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Kansas State	None selected	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Conference	Oregon		No Tournament
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Colorado		No Tournament
Southwest Conference	Texas	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

1918–19 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Minnesota	10	–	0	1.000	13	–	0	1.000
Chicago	10	–	2	.833	21	–	6	.778
Northwestern	6	–	4	.600	6	–	6	.500
Michigan	5	–	5	.500	18	–	6	.750
Illinois	5	–	7	.417	6	–	8	.429
Indiana	4	–	6	.400	10	–	7	.588
Iowa	4	–	7	.364	8	–	7	.533
Purdue	4	–	7	.364	6	–	8	.429
Wisconsin	3	–	9	.250	5	–	11	.313
Ohio State	2	–	6	.250	7	–	12	.368

1918–19 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Penn	7	–	1	.875	15	–	1	.938
Yale	4	–	2	.667	7	–	2	.778
Cornell	2	–	3	.400	11	–	3	.786
Princeton	2	–	5	.286	5	–	5	.500
Columbia	2	–	6	.250	3	–	7	.300

1918–19 Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Kansas State	10	–	2	.833	16	–	2	.889
Missouri	11	–	3	.786	14	–	3	.824
Nebraska	10	–	6	.625	10	–	6	.625
Grinnell	5	–	3	.625	6	–	5	.545
Kansas	5	–	9	.357	7	–	9	.438
Iowa State	3	–	8	.273	5	–	11	.313
Washington University	2	–	8	.200	9	–	9	.500
Drake	2	–	9	.182	10	–	18	.357

1918–19 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Oregon	11	–	3	.786	13	–	4	.765
Washington State	7	–	5	.583	10	–	11	.476
California	2	–	2	.500	6	–	3	.667
Washington	5	–	7	.417	6	–	10	.375
Oregon Agricultural	3	–	9	.250	3	–	13	.188
Stanford	0	–	2	.000	9	–	3	.750

As of 1919^[6]

1918–19 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Colorado		–		–	8	–	1	.889
Colorado College		–		–	8	–	3	.727
Denver		–		–	5	–	4	.556
Colorado Mines		–		–	2	–	6	.250
Colorado Agricultural		–		–	1	–	13	.071

1918–19 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Texas	11	–	2	.846	17	–	3	.850
Texas A&M	7	–	3	.700	14	–	4	.778
SMU	5	–	6	.455	7	–	8	.467
Rice	2	–	8	.200	4	–	10	.286
Baylor	2	–	8	.200	2	–	9	.182

Independents

A total of 122 college teams played as major independents. Among independents that played at least 10 games, Akron (14–0), Centre (11–0), Creighton (14–0), Navy (16–0), and Oklahoma (12–0) were undefeated, and Fordham (24–5) finished with the most wins.^[7]

1918–19 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Akron		–		–	14	–	0	1.000
Centre (Ky.)		–		–	11	–	0	1.000
The Citadel		–		–	9	–	0	1.000
Creighton		–		–	14	–	0	1.000
Louisiana State		–		–	1	–	0	1.000
Navy		–		–	16	–	0	1.000
Niagara		–		–	1	–	0	1.000
Oklahoma		–		–	12	–	0	1.000
Washington College		–		–	1	–	0	1.000
Santa Clara		–		–	14	–	1	.933
Southwestern (Kan.)		–		–	13	–	1	.929
Georgetown		–		–	9	–	1	.900
Rhode Island State		–		–	7	–	1	.875
Idaho		–		–	13	–	2	.867
Beloit		–		–	12	–	2	.857
Roanoke		–		–	12	–	2	.857
Penn State		–		–	11	–	2	.846
Toledo		–		–	10	–	2	.833
Fordham		–		–	24	–	5	.828
Virginia Tech		–		–	18	–	4	.818
Bucknell		–		–	13	–	3	.813
Denison		–		–	13	–	3	.813
Syracuse		–		–	13	–	3	.813
Delaware		–		–	8	–	2	.800
DePauw		–		–	12	–	3	.800
New Mexico A&M		–		–	8	–	2	.800
Vanderbilt		–		–	8	–	2	.800
North Carolina State		–		–	11	–	3	.786
Utah		–		–	7	–	2	.778
Wyoming		–		–	7	–	2	.778
Washington and Lee		–		–	10	–	3	.769
Wabash		–		–	13	–	4	.765
Clemson		–		–	3	–	1	.750
Lafayette		–		–	12	–	4	.750
Millikin		–		–	12	–	4	.750
Millsaps		–		–	9	–	3	.750
North Dakota		–		–	6	–	2	.750
Saint Francis (N.Y.)		–		–	9	–	3	.750
Virginia		–		–	11	–	4	.733
Western State Normal		–		–	11	–	4	.733
Carleton		–		–	8	–	3	.727
Union (N.Y.)		–		–	8	–	3	.727
Michigan State Normal		–		–	10	–	4	.714
Central Missouri		–		–	14	–	6	.700
Washington & Jefferson		–		–	7	–	3	.700
Colgate		–		–	13	–	6	.684
Arizona		–		–	6	–	3	.667
CCNY		–		–	8	–	4	.667
Indiana State		–		–	6	–	3	.667
Northern Arizona Normal		–		–	4	–	2	.667
Rutgers		–		–	6	–	3	.667
Tulane		–		–	6	–	3	.667
Utah State		–		–	6	–	3	.667
Washburn		–		–	10	–	5	.667
Gettysburg		–		–	9	–	5	.643
North Dakota Agricultural		–		–	9	–	5	.643
Louisville		–		–	7	–	4	.636
Mount Union		–		–	7	–	4	.636
Brigham Young		–		–	5	–	3	.625
Georgia		–		–	5	–	3	.625
Tulsa		–		–	5	–	3	.625
Buffalo		–		–	8	–	5	.615
Lehigh		–		–	8	–	5	.615
Stevens Institute		–		–	8	–	5	.615
WPI		–		–	8	–	5	.615
Miami (Ohio)		–		–	7	–	5	.583
Auburn		–		–	4	–	3	.571
Catholic		–		–	4	–	3	.571
Marietta		–		–	8	–	6	.571
Mississippi A&M		–		–	4	–	3	.571
VMI		–		–	8	–	6	.571
North Carolina		–		–	9	–	7	.563
Ohio		–		–	5	–	4	.556
Trinity (N.C.)		–		–	6	–	5	.545
Franklin		–		–	7	–	6	.538
Alabama		–		–	3	–	3	.500
Kalamazoo		–		–	7	–	7	.500
Michigan State		–		–	9	–	9	.500
Oklahoma A&M		–		–	5	–	5	.500
Pittsburgh		–		–	7	–	7	.500
St. Joseph's		–		–	3	–	3	.500
West Virginia		–		–	8	–	8	.500
New York University		–		–	5	–	6	.455
Swarthmore		–		–	5	–	6	.455
Detroit		–		–	4	–	5	.444
Dayton		–		–	3	–	4	.429
Tempe Normal		–		–	3	–	4	.429
Kentucky		–		–	6	–	8	.429
Wooster		–		–	6	–	8	.429
Bradley		–		–	6	–	9	.400
Duquesne		–		–	4	–	6	.400
Springfield (Mass.)		–		–	4	–	6	.400
Texas Christian		–		–	4	–	6	.400
Wake Forest		–		–	6	–	9	.400
Muhlenberg		–		–	7	–	11	.389
Nevada		–		–	5	–	8	.385
Army		–		–	3	–	5	.375
South Carolina		–		–	4	–	7	.364
Northern Colorado		–		–	5	–	9	.357
Davidson		–		–	3	–	6	.333
Manhattan		–		–	2	–	4	.333
Montana State		–		–	1	–	2	.333
New Mexico		–		–	2	–	4	.333
Saint Louis		–		–	4	–	8	.333
Saint Mary's (Calif.)		–		–	3	–	6	.333
Valparaiso		–		–	1	–	2	.333
William & Mary		–		–	3	–	6	.333
Bowling Green State		–		–	2	–	5	.286
Marshall		–		–	2	–	5	.286
Southern California		–		–	3	–	8	.273
Grove City		–		–	3	–	9	.250
Tennessee		–		–	2	–	6	.250
Cincinnati		–		–	3	–	11	.214
North Central		–		–	3	–	11	.214
Notre Dame		–		–	2	–	10	.167
Richmond		–		–	1	–	5	.167
Brown		–		–	2	–	12	.143
Fairmount		–		–	1	–	7	.125
Connecticut		–		–	1	–	8	.111
Butler		–		–	1	–	9	.100
Ole Miss		–		–	0	–	3	.000
St. John's (N.Y.)		–		–	0	–	7	.000

Statistical leaders

Awards

Helms College 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 1918–19 season.^[8]

Player	Team
Lance Farwell	Navy
Tony Hinkle	Chicago
Dutch Lonborg	Kansas
Leon Marcus	Syracuse
Dan McNichol	Penn
Arnold Oss	Minnesota
George Parrish	Virginia Tech
Erling Platou	Minnesota
Craig Ruby	Missouri
Andrew Stannard	Penn

Major player of the year awards

Helms Player of the Year: Erling Platou, Minnesota (retroactive selection in 1944)

References

^ hoyasaxa.com Basketball In a Pandemic: The 1918-19 Georgetown Varsity Accessed March 1, 2021
^ ^a ^b Dodds, John, "Pandemic: Marquette Had to Cancel Its Basketball Season in 1918–19," 247sports.com, March 13, 2020 Accessed 13 May 2021
^ Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved May 13, 2021.
^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 70. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
^ "1918-19 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
^ The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"

[1] yasaxa.com Basketball In a Pandemic: The 1918-19 Georgetown Varsity Accessed March 1, 2021

[marquette-2] Dodds, John, "Pandemic: Marquette Had to Cancel Its Basketball Season in 1918–19," 247sports.com, March 13, 2020 Accessed 13 May 2021

[jps-3] Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved May 13, 2021.

[ESPN_526-4] ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[5] "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.

[6] "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 70. Retrieved April 12, 2019.

[7] "1918-19 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 28, 2024.

[8] The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"

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v t NCAA Division I men's basketball seasons
Pre-regulation	1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898-99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06
IAAUS / NCAA pre-Tournament era	1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38
NCAA Tournament era	1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25