1940 NCAA Tournament (March Madness)
Elite 8 Final 4 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Winning Team highlighted in Green Box
| Region | Team | Coach | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| East | |||
| East | Duquesne | Chick Davies | Independent |
| East | Indiana | Branch McCracken | Big Ten |
| East | Springfield | Ed Hickox | Independent |
| East | Western Kentucky | Ed Diddle | SIAA |
| West | |||
| West | Colorado | Frosty Cox | Mountain States |
| West | Kansas | Phog Allen | Big Six |
| West | Rice | Buster Brannon | Southwest |
| West | USC | Sam Barry | Pacific Coast |
The second edition of the tournament began on March 20, 1940, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of eight games were played, including a single third place game in the West region.
Elite 8; ;
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East REGIONAL at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana -March 20 and 21 |
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| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Duquesne | Western Kentucky | 30-29 | ||
| Indiana | Springfield (Mass.) |
48-24 |
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West REGIONAL at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Kansas | Rice | 50-44 | ||
| Southern Cal | Colorado |
38-22 |
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Western Regional Third Place: Rice 60, Colorado 56 (OT)
at
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NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS |
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| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
|
Indiana |
Duquense |
39-30 |
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|
Kansas |
Southern Cal |
43-42 |
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at Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri -March 30
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| Favorite | Team | Team | Score | Star Efforts |
| Indiana | Kansas | 60-42 | ||
Top 10 Teams
Polls not compiled until 1948.
Indiana's Leaders: F Curly Armstrong 8.9; G-F Herman Schaefer 8.0; C Bill Menke 7.7; F-G Bob Dro 6.3; F-G Jay McCreary 4.5; G Marv Huffman 4.3
All-America Team
| Pos | Name | Cl. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | John Dick | Sr. | Oregon |
| F | Bill Hapac | Sr. | Illinois |
| F | Ralph Vaughn | Sr. | Southern Cal |
| C | George Glamack | Jr. | North Carolina |
| G-F | Gus Broberg | Jr. | Dartmouth |
All NCAA Tournament Team
| Name | Cl. | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Engleman | Jr. | F | Kansas |
| Bob Allen | Jr. | C | Indiana |
| Bill Menke | Sr. | G-F | Indiana |
| Jay McCreary | Jr. | G-F | Indiana |
| Marv Huffman (MVP) | Sr. | G-F | Indiana |
Notes
• Dr. James Naismith, basketball's founder, died Nov. 28, 1939.
• The first basketball games to be televised occurred on Feb. 28, 1940, at
New York's Madison Square Garden. The teams: Pittsburgh vs. Fordham; NYU
vs. Georgetown.
• Colorado, behind tournament MVP Bob Doll's 15 points, defeated Duquense,
51-40, for the NIT championship.
• Future baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson led UCLA and the Pacific
Coast Conference in scoring at 12.3 ppg.