The 1940–41 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas in the 1940–41 college basketball season. The Razorbacks played their home games in the Men's Gymnasium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was former Razorback All-American Glen Rose's eighth season as head coach of the Hogs. Arkansas won the Southwest Conference championship for the ninth time overall and first time since the 1937–38 season, finishing with a perfect 12–0 record in conference play and 20–3 overall.[1][2] It was Arkansas's second perfect conference season (along with 1927–28) and its last until 1976–77. The Razorbacks did not lose a game against collegiate competition during the regular season, but lost two out of three games away from Fayetteville against the Amateur Athletic Union powerhouse Phillips 66ers. Arkansas was invited to the NCAA tournament for the first time (narrowly missing out on the inaugural tournament in 1939, with rival Texas winning the SWC by one game and gaining the league's bid to the tournament)[3] and won its first ever NCAA Tournament game against Wyoming, 52–40. The Razorbacks advanced to their first ever Final Four, where they fell to eventual national runner-up, Washington State.
| 1940–41 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
Southwest Conference Champions | |
NCAA tournament, Final Four | |
| Conference | Southwest Conference |
| Record | 20–3 (12–0 SWC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home arena | Men's Gymnasium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 12 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 20 | – | 3 | .870 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rice | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | 18 | – | 6 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | 14 | – | 10 | .583 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 10 | – | 12 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 3 | – | 9 | .250 | 7 | – | 13 | .350 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 0 | – | 12 | .000 | 5 | – | 16 | .238 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Multiple Razorbacks had outstanding seasons, with Johnny Adams, Howard Hickey, and John Freiberger all garnering First Team All-SWC honors.[4] Adams, a pioneer of the jump shot, was also recognized as a First Team All-American by Helms.[5] Adams set the SWC scoring record during the February 21 game against TCU with 36 points.[6] Gordon Carpenter and R.C. Pitts would go on to be Olympic gold medalists in basketball during the 1948 Summer Olympics.[7][8][9]
Roster
edit| 1940–41 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball roster | ||||||||
| Roster retrieved from HogStats.com. [1] | ||||||||
| Name | Number | Position | Height | Hometown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Adams | 41 | Forward | 6'3" | Beebe, Arkansas | ||||
| O'Neal Adams | 71 | Guard/Forward | 6'3" | Beebe, Arkansas | ||||
| Gordon Carpenter | 75 | Center | 6'8" | Ash Flat, Arkansas | ||||
| John Freiburger | 37 | Center | 6'8" | Point, Texas | ||||
| Howard Hickey | 35 | Forward | 6'2" | Clarksville, Arkansas | ||||
| Robert Honea | 56 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||
| Ken McCormick | 37 | Forward | N/A | Prairie Grove, Arkansas | ||||
| A.E. Mitchell | 35 | Forward | N/A | N/A | ||||
| R.C. Pitts | 74 | Forward | 6'5" | Pontotoc, Mississippi | ||||
| Billy Reyenga | 34 | Guard | N/A | Emmet, Arkansas | ||||
| Noble Robbins | 76 | N/A | N/A | Ash Flat, Arkansas | ||||
| Clayton Wynne | 70 | Guard | N/A | West Memphis, Arkansas | ||||
Schedule and Results
editSchedule retrieved from HogStats.com.[10]
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| December 13, 1940* |
Drury | W 62–17 | 1–0 |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| December 14, 1940* |
Drury | W 46–20 | 2–0 |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| December 19, 1940* |
at Murray State | W 52–30 | 3–0 |
Lovett Auditorium Murray, Kentucky | |||||||
| December 20, 1940* |
vs. Southwestern Presbyterian | W 58–35 | 4–0 |
Marion, Arkansas | |||||||
| December 21, 1940* |
vs. Phillips 66ers | W 38–24 | 5–0 |
Little Rock, Arkansas | |||||||
| January 3, 1941* |
at Phillips 66ers | L 33–35 | 5–1 |
Bartlesville High School Bartlesville, Oklahoma | |||||||
| January 4, 1941* |
at Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg | W 48–45 | 6–1 |
Pittsburg, Kansas | |||||||
| January 10, 1941 |
at Texas | W 50–38 | 7–1 (1–0) |
Gregory Gymnasium Austin, Texas | |||||||
| January 11, 1941 |
at Texas | W 44–34 | 8–1 (2–0) |
Gregory Gymnasium Austin, Texas | |||||||
| January 17, 1941 |
at Texas A&M | W 68–33 | 9–1 (3–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| January 18, 1941 |
at Texas A&M | W 58–36 | 10–1 (4–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 1, 1941* |
at Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg | W 71–45 | 11–1 (4–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 7, 1941 |
at Baylor | W 62–48 | 12–1 (5–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 8, 1941 |
at Baylor | W 36–31 | 13–1 (6–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 12, 1941 |
at Rice | W 66–41 | 14–1 (7–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 13, 1941 |
at Rice | W 48–43 | 15–1 (8–0) |
Men's Gymnasium Fayetteville, Arkansas | |||||||
| February 18, 1941* |
vs. Phillips 66ers | L 26–31 | 15–2 (8–0) |
Tulsa, Oklahoma | |||||||
| February 21, 1941 |
at TCU | W 67–42 | 16–2 (9–0) |
TCU Fieldhouse Fort Worth, Texas | |||||||
| February 22, 1941 |
at TCU | W 66–43 | 17–2 (10–0) |
TCU Fieldhouse Fort Worth, Texas | |||||||
| February 28, 1941 |
at SMU | W 40–23 | 18–2 (11–0) |
Old Gym Dallas, Texas | |||||||
| March 1, 1941 |
at SMU | W 40–32 | 19–2 (12–0) |
Old Gym Dallas, Texas | |||||||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 21, 1941* |
vs. Wyoming Elite Eight |
W 52–40 | 20–2 (12–0) |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||
| March 22, 1941* |
vs. Washington State Final Four |
L 53–64 | 20–3 (12–0) |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "HogStats.com :: 1940-41 Arkansas Basketball Schedule". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "1940-41 Southwest Conference Season Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "1938-39 Southwest Conference Season Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Arkansas 2020-21 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. 2020. p. 113. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Arkansas 2020-21 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. 2020. p. 108. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "HogStats.com :: Box Score :: 1940-41 :: TCU vs. Arkansas in Fort Worth, TX (2/21/1941)". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "HogStats.com :: Player Information :: Gordon Carpenter". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "HogStats.com :: Player Information :: R.C. Pitts". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "Games of the XIVth Olympiad -- 1948". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "HogStats.com :: 1940-41 Arkansas Basketball Schedule". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.