1900–01 collegiate men's basketball season in the United States

The 1900–01 collegiate men's basketball season in the United States began in December 1900, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1901.

1900–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Helms National Champions	Yale (retroactive selection in 1943)

Rule changes

Beginning in 1900–01, a dribbler could dribble only once, had to use use both hands to dribble, and could not shoot for a field goal. Previously, a player in possession of the ball had been permitted only to pass it to another player.

Season headlines

• In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Yale as its national champion for the 1900–01 season.
• In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Bucknell as its national champion for the 1900–01 season.

Regular season

During the season, college teams played against non-collegiate opponents such as athletic clubs, high schools, and Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) teams as well as against other colleges and universities.

Conference play

The Western Conference (the future Big Ten Conference) was the only college basketball conference. It did not sponsor an official conference season or recognize a regular-season champion until the 1905–06 season, although a few intermural games between conference members took place during the 1900–01 season. Among conference members which played more than 10 games, Purdue (12–0) went undefeated, and Minnesota finished with a record of 11–1.

1900–01 Western Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Purdue† 2 – 0   1.000 12 – 0   1.000 Minnesota 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917 Wisconsin 0 – 1   .000 1 – 1   .500 Indiana 0 – 2   .000 1 – 4   .200 † Intermural play only; the conference did not have an official championship winner

Independents

A total of 41 college teams played as major independents during the 1900–01 season. Among independents that played more than 10 games, Bucknell (12–1) and Allegheny (14–2) posted the best records.

1900–01 collegiate men's basketball independents standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Amherst –   – 4 – 0   1.000 Connecticut –   – 1 – 0   1.000 Michigan State –   – 3 – 0   1.000 Washington –   – 1 – 0   1.000 Bucknell –   – 12 – 1   .923 Allegheny –   – 14 – 2   .875 Geneva –   – 10 – 2   .833 Penn State –   – 5 – 1   .833 Hiram –   – 9 – 2   .818 Williams –   – 9 – 2   .818 Illinois State –   – 4 – 1   .800 North Dakota Agrcultural –   – 4 – 1   .800 Wisconsin–Superior –   – 8 – 2   .800 Butler –   – 2 – 1   .667 Western Reserve –   – 5 – 3   .625 Mount Union –   – 10 – 6   .625 Yale –   – 10 – 2   .833 Princeton –   – 7 – 5   .583 Dartmouth –   – 11 – 8   .579 Harvard –   – 11 – 8   .579 Grinnell –   – 4 – 3   .571 Lafayette –   – 4 – 3   .571 Holy Cross –   – 6 – 6   .500 Muhlenberg –   – 4 – 3   .571 Nebraska –   – 3 – 3   .500 Rensselaer –   – 4 – 4   .500 Syracuse –   – 2 – 2   .500 Vanderbilt –   – 2 – 2   .500 Wisconsin–Stevens Point –   – 4 – 4   .500 Brown –   – 3 – 4   .429 Colgate –   – 5 – 8   .385 Cornell –   – 2 – 4   .333 Kansas –   – 4 – 8   .333 Westminster (Pa.) –   – 2 – 5   .286 Ohio State –   – 1 – 3   .250 Columbia –   – 1 – 4   .200 Grove City –   – 2 – 8   .200 Gettysburg –   – 1 – 5   .167 Wabash –   – 2 – 10   .167 Indiana State –   – 0 – 4   .000 Wooster –   – 0 – 2   .000