1937–38 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers basketball team

1937–38 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers basketball
1937–38 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers basketball
SIAA Champions; KAIC Champions
NIBT Tournament, Withdrew / Forfeit
Conference	Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
1937–38 record	30–3 (9–1 KIAC)
Head coach	Edgar Diddle (16th season);
Home arena	Health & Physical Education Building
	Seasons ← 1936–37 1938–39 →

The 1937–38 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College (now known as Western Kentucky University) during the 1937-38 NCAA basketball season. The team was led by future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Edgar Diddle and the school's first player recognized as an All-American, William “Red” McCrocklin.^[1] The Hilltoppers won the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, were the first NCAA team to win 30 games in a season,^[2] and received an invitation to the 1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament;^[3] however, the team was unable to make the trip and withdrew from the tournament.^[4] The NAIA lists the game as a forfeit, but Western Kentucky does not officially recognize the contest.^[5] Ralph Dudgeon, Harry Saddlerand, and McCrocklin were selected to the All-SIAA and All-KIAC teams.^[6]

Schedule[]

^[7]

Date time, TV	Opponent	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular Season
12/9/1937*	at McKendree	W 51–33	1–0	Lebanon, IL
12/10/1937*	at Bradley	L 33–39	1–1	Peoria Armory Peoria, IL
12/11/1937*	at Illinois College	W 38–36	2–1	Jacksonville, IL
12/15/1937*	McKendree	W 37–28	3–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
12/16/1937*	at New Albany CCC	W 36–19	4–1	New Albany, IN
12/17/1937*	at Edantide AC	W 34–28	5–1
12/18/1937*	Ft. Knox Ind	W 38–32	6–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
12/20/1937*	Beechmont AC	W 60–48	7–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1/3/1938*	at Southeast Missouri	W 27–25	8–1	Houck Field House Cape Girardeau, MO
1/8/1938*	at Vanderbilt	W 39–25	9–1	Old Gymnasium Nashville, TN
1/13/1938*	at Tennessee Tech	W 40–33	10–1	Memorial Gymnasium Cookeville, TN
1/15/1938*	Evansville	W 44–30	11–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1/19/1938	at Louisville	W 62–42	12–1	Belknap Gymnasium Louisville, KY
1/22/1938	Murray State	W 29–26	13–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1/24/1938*	Vanderbilt	W 38–18	14–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1/28/1938	Eastern Kentucky	W 51–34	15–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
2/1/1938	at Morehead State	W 38–30	16–1	Button Auditorium Morehead, KY
2/3/1938	Louisville	W 53–32	17–1	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
2/5/1938	at Murray State	L 18–30	17–2	Lovett Auditorium Murray, KY
2/8/1938*	Tennessee Tech	W 31–19	18–2	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
2/11/1938*	Bradley	L 24–32	18–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
2/12/1938	at Eastern Kentucky	W 34–21	19–3	Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY
2/14/1938	at Berea	W 53–23	20–3	Berea, KY
2/16/1938	Morehead State	W 42–25	21–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
2/17/1938*	at Evansville	W 52–42	22–3	Evansville, IN
2/18/1938	Cumberland (KY)	W 49–36	23–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1938 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament
2/25/1938	vs. Union (KY) KIAC Tournament	W 28–22	24–3	Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY
2/26/1938	vs. Morehead State KIAC Tournament Semifinal	W 46–25	25–3	Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY
2/26/1938	vs. Murray State KIAC Tournament Final	W 35–23	26–3	Weaver Gymnasium Richmond, KY
1938 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament
3/3/1938	Louisiana Normal SIAA Tournament	W 45–30	27–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
3/4/1938	Union (KY) SIAA Tournament Quarterfinal	W 49–28	28–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
3/5/1938	Delta State SIAA Tournament Semifinal	W 59–40	29–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
3/5/1938	Murray State SIAA Tournament Final	W 44–39	30–3	Health & Phys Ed Building Bowling Green, KY
1938 National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament
3/8/1938*	vs. Simpson First Round	L 0–2 ^Forfeit	*	Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Western Kentucky does not recognize the NIBT game as part of their official records

References[]

^ Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.
^ E. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved October 6, 2018
^ NAIA Through the Decades, NAIA.org retrieved May 20, 2020
^ The Historical NAIA Tournament VSN (admin) Published Wednesday, July 04, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2020
^ Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
^ 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
^ Western Kentucky Men's Basketball Archive, retrieved 14 May 2020

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[Harrison-1] Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.

[2] E. A. Diddle CBB Records, Sports Reference, retrieved October 6, 2018

[3] NAIA Through the Decades, NAIA.org retrieved May 20, 2020

[4] The Historical NAIA Tournament VSN (admin) Published Wednesday, July 04, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2020

[Ruby-5] Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.

[6] 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020

[7] Western Kentucky Men's Basketball Archive, retrieved 14 May 2020

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v t Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
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NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

1937–38 Western Kentucky State Teachers Hilltoppers basketball

SIAA Champions KAIC Champions
NIBT Tournament, Withdrew / Forfeit
Conference	Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
1937–38 record	30–3 (9–1 KIAC)
Head coach	Edgar Diddle (16th season)
Home arena	Health & Physical Education Building
Seasons ← 1936–37 1938–39 →