The 1947–48 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Teachers College (now known as Western Kentucky University) during the 1947-48 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle.[1] The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, were NCAA Annual Team Champions,[2] and received an invitation to the 1948 National Invitation Tournament, where they advanced to the semifinals.[3] During this period, the NIT was considered by many to be the premiere college basketball tournament, with the winner being recognized as the national champion.[4][5] This was one of the finest teams in Western Kentucky history, they had the best winning percentage in the NCAA,[6] all five starters were named to the All-KIAC Team (Odie Spears, John Oldham, Don “Duck” Ray, Dee Gibson, and Oran McKinney) and three players were listed on various All-American teams, Spears, Ray, and Gibson.[7]
| 1947–48 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Annual Team Champions KAIC champion | |
NIT Tournament, Semifinals National 3rd Place | |
| Conference | Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 28–2 (10–0 KIAC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coach | Ted Hornback |
| Home arena | Health & Physical Education Building |
Schedule
edit| Date time, TV |
Opponent | Result | Record | Site city, state | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| 12/2/1947 |
Kentucky Wesleyan | W 51–31 | 1–0 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 12/5/1947* |
vs. Canterbury | W 82–34 | 2–0 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 12/10/1947* |
at Evansville | W 58–42 | 3–0 |
Evansville, IN | |||||||
| 12/13/1947 |
Morehead State | W 78–40 | 4–0 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 12/15/1947* |
at Fort Knox | W 101–68 | 5–0 |
Fort Knox, KY | |||||||
| 12/27/1947* |
vs. Utah State | W 80–49 | 6–0 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 12/29/1947* |
at Bowling Green State | L 64–75 | 6–1 |
Bowling Green, OH | |||||||
| 1/2/1948* |
Georgetown (DC) | W 58–37 | 7–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 1/5/1948* |
Evansville | W 67–44 | 8–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 1/10/1948* |
Maryville | W 77–37 | 9–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 1/14/1948 |
at Louisville | W 71–44 | 10–1 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 1/17/1948* |
at Canisius | W 74–52 | 11–1 |
Buffalo, NY | |||||||
| 1/20/1948* |
vs. Long Island | W 62–47 | 12–1 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
| 1/24/1948* |
at Saint Joseph's (PA) | W 84–73 | 13–1 |
Philadelphia, PA | |||||||
| 1/29/1948* |
Arkansas State | W 76–37 | 14–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 1/31/1948 |
at Eastern Kentucky | W 49–42 | 15–1 |
Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY | |||||||
| 2/2/1948 |
at Kentucky Wesleyan | W 83–52 | 16–1 |
Owensboro, KY | |||||||
| 2/4/1948* |
Bowling Green State | W 66–52 | 17–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 2/7/1948 |
at Murray State | W 59–46 | 18–1 |
Lovett Auditorium Murray, KY | |||||||
| 2/10/1948* |
North Dakota | W 62–47 | 19–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 2/14/1948 |
Murray State | W 76–65 | 20–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 2/17/1948 |
Louisville | W 77–55 | 21–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 2/19/1948 |
at Morehead State | W 43–40 | 22–1 |
Button Auditorium Morehead, KY | |||||||
| 2/21/1948 |
Eastern Kentucky | W 65–51 | 23–1 |
Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY | |||||||
| 1948 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament | |||||||||||
| 2/26/1948 |
vs. Berea KIAC Tournament Quarterfinal |
W 87–51 | 24–1 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 2/27/1948 |
vs. Eastern Kentucky KIAC Tournament Semifinal |
W 62–52 | 25–1 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 2/28/1948 |
at Louisville KIAC Tournament Final |
W 63–62 | 26–1 |
Jefferson County Armory Louisville, KY | |||||||
| 1948 National Invitation Tournament | |||||||||||
| 3/12/1948* |
vs. La Salle NIT Quarterfinal |
W 68–61 | 27–1 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
| 3/15/1948* |
vs. Saint Louis NIT Semifinal |
L 53–60 | 27–2 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
| 3/17/1948* |
vs. DePaul NIT Consolation |
W 61–59 | 28–2 |
Madison Square Garden New York, NY | |||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
| |||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
- ^ 2011 NCAA Division I Basketball Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^ 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
- ^ "NCAA Tournament History". Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
The tournament now determines the national champion, but that wasn't always the case. Until the 1950s, the NIT was just as big a tournament as the NCAA, and teams often chose to enter the NIT and bypass the NCAA tourney
- ^ Davies, Richard O. (2007). "Sports in American Life: A History." Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. p. 155. ISBN 9781405106474.
- ^ E. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved May 13, 2020
- ^ Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.
- ^ Western Kentucky Men's Basketball Archive, retrieved 14 May 2020
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