1940–41 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team


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
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Record20–3 (12–0 SWC)
Head coach
Home arenaMen's Gymnasium
Seasons
1940–41 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
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

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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

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Schedule 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

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  1. ^ "HogStats.com :: 1940-41 Arkansas Basketball Schedule". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "1940-41 Southwest Conference Season Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "1938-39 Southwest Conference Season Summary | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Arkansas 2020-21 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. 2020. p. 113. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Arkansas 2020-21 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF). Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas. 2020. p. 108. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "HogStats.com :: Box Score :: 1940-41 :: TCU vs. Arkansas in Fort Worth, TX (2/21/1941)". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  7. ^ "HogStats.com :: Player Information :: Gordon Carpenter". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "HogStats.com :: Player Information :: R.C. Pitts". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Games of the XIVth Olympiad -- 1948". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "HogStats.com :: 1940-41 Arkansas Basketball Schedule". HogStats.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.