1907–08 IAAUS men's basketball season

1907–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
1907–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Helms National Champions	Chicago (retroactive selection in 1943)
Player of the Year; (Helms)	Charles Keinath, Penn (retroactive selection in 1944)
	← 1906–07 1908–09 →

The 1907–08 IAAUS men's basketball season began in December 1907, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1908.

Rule changes

The position of inspector, a type of game official, was abolished. Previously, two inspectors — who had no decision-making powers — had worked each game as assistants to the referee, stationed at each end of the court and responsible for determining whether goals were scored in accordance with the rules, which they reported to the referee.^[1]

Season headlines

The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association began play, with six original members for basketball.
Wabash (24–0) went undefeated during the season.
Plagued by disagreements over playing rules and player eligibility, violent play, and teams failing to meet their obligation to play a complete league schedule on some occasions, the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) collapsed after the season.^[2] For the next two seasons, its teams played as independents. After a reorganization, the EIBL resumed competition in the 1910–11 season.
In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Chicago as its national champion for the 1907–08 season.^[3]
In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Wabash as its national champion for the 1907–08 season.^[4]

Conference membership changes

School	Former Conference	New Conference
Drake Bulldogs	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Harvard Crimson	Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Independent
Iowa State Cyclones	No major basketball program	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Kansas Jayhawks	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Missouri Tigers	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nebraska Cornhuskers	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Washington University Bears	Independent	Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners

Conference	Regular Season Winner^[5]	Conference Player of the Year	Conference Tournament
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League	Penn	None selected	No Tournament^[6]
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association	Nebraska (North); Kansas (South)	None selected	No Tournament; Kansas was conference champion^[7]
Western Conference	Chicago & Wisconsin	None selected	No Tournament^[8]

Conference standings

1907–08 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Penn	8	–	0	1.000	24	–	4	.857
Yale	5	–	3	.625	20	–	9	.690
Columbia	5	–	3	.625	10	–	11	.476
Princeton	1	–	7	.125	7	–	10	.412
Cornell	1	–	7	.125	5	–	8	.385

1907–08 Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
North Division
Nebraska	0	–	0	–	7	–	3	.700
Iowa State	1	–	0	1.000	1	–	1	.500
Drake	0	–	1	.000	1	–	6	.143
South Division
Kansas†	6	–	0	1.000	18	–	6	.750
Washington University	1	–	0	1.000	4	–	2	.667
Missouri	0	–	5	.000	8	–	10	.444

† Conference championship winner

1907–08 Western Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Chicago	7	–	1	.875	23	–	2	.920
Wisconsin	7	–	1	.875	10	–	2	.833
Illinois	6	–	5	.545	20	–	6	.769
Minnesota	2	–	6	.250	12	–	7	.632
Purdue	0	–	8	.000	5	–	9	.357
Iowa	-	–	-	–	10	–	6	.625
Indiana	-	–	-	–	9	–	6	.600
Northwestern	-	–	-	–	2	–	7	.222

Independents

A total of 98 college teams played as major independents. Among independents that played at least 10 games, Wabash (24–0), Allegheny (12–0), and Bucknell (12-0) were undefeated, and Wabash and Haskell (24–11) finished with the most wins.^[9]

1907–08 IAAUS men's basketball independents standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Allegheny		–		–	12	–	0	1.000
Bucknell		–		–	12	–	0	1.000
California		–		–	1	–	0	1.000
Cincinnati		–		–	9	–	0	1.000
Colorado Mines		–		–	5	–	0	1.000
Wabash		–		–	24	–	0	1.000
Washington and Lee		–		–	8	–	0	1.000
Brigham Young College		–		–	10	–	1	.909
Montana State		–		–	8	–	1	.889
Canisius		–		–	6	–	1	.857
Lehigh		–		–	6	–	1	.857
Mount Union		–		–	18	–	3	.857
Georgetown		–		–	5	–	1	.833
Illinois State		–		–	5	–	1	.833
Grinnell		–		–	14	–	3	.824
CCNY		–		–	9	–	2	.818
St. Lawrence		–		–	9	–	2	.818
Muhlenberg		–		–	4	–	1	.800
Washington State		–		–	12	–	3	.800
Nebraska Wesleyan		–		–	11	–	3	.786
Dayton		–		–	10	–	3	.769
Syracuse		–		–	10	–	3	.769
Army		–		–	9	–	3	.750
Michigan State		–		–	15	–	5	.750
Notre Dame		–		–	12	–	4	.750
Temple		–		–	6	–	2	.750
Dartmouth		–		–	11	–	4	.733
Hope		–		–	8	–	3	.727
Wake Forest		–		–	8	–	3	.727
Penn State		–		–	10	–	4	.714
Loyola (Md.)		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Wesleyan (Conn.)		–		–	12	–	5	.706
Southwestern (Kan.)		–		–	14	–	6	.700
Denison		–		–	11	–	5	.688
Haskell (Kan.)		–		–	24	–	11	.686
Baker		–		–	13	–	6	.684
Brigham Young		–		–	4	–	2	.667
Holy Cross		–		–	12	–	6	.667
Kalamazoo		–		–	2	–	1	.667
Bradley		–		–	9	–	5	.643
New York University		–		–	9	–	5	.643
Ohio		–		–	7	–	4	.636
Oregon Agricutural		–		–	7	–	4	.636
Pittsburgh		–		–	10	–	6	.625
Springfield (Mass.)		–		–	5	–	3	.625
Tulane		–		–	5	–	3	.625
Wooster		–		–	10	–	6	.625
Marietta		–		–	8	–	5	.615
Fordham		–		–	18	–	12	.600
Grove City		–		–	9	–	6	.600
North Dakota Agricultural		–		–	6	–	4	.600
Brown		–		–	11	–	8	.579
Oklahoma		–		–	4	–	3	.571
Auburn		–		–	5	–	5	.500
Butler		–		–	4	–	4	.500
Colorado		–		–	6	–	6	.500
Georgia		–		–	2	–	2	.500
Idaho		–		–	4	–	4	.500
Maine		–		–	5	–	5	.500
Navy		–		–	2	–	2	.500
Niagara		–		–	6	–	6	.500
Rhode Island A&M		–		–	8	–	8	.500
Southern California		–		–	3	–	3	.500
Virginia		–		–	5	–	5	.500
Wisconsin–Stevens Point		–		–	4	–	4	.500
Colgate		–		–	8	–	9	.471
Oregon		–		–	8	–	9	.471
Delaware		–		–	5	–	6	.455
Kentucky		–		–	5	–	6	.455
Ohio State		–		–	5	–	6	.455
Akron		–		–	4	–	5	.444
Manhattan		–		–	7	–	9	.438
Colorado Agricultural		–		–	2	–	3	.400
Connecticut		–		–	6	–	9	.400
Trinity (N.C.)		–		–	2	–	3	.400
Oklahoma A&M		–		–	2	–	3	.400
Westminster (Pa.)		–		–	6	–	9	.400
Fairmount		–		–	2	–	3	.400
Wyoming		–		–	2	–	3	.400
Vanderbilt		–		–	6	–	10	.375
Arizona		–		–	1	–	2	.333
Denver		–		–	1	–	2	.333
St. John's (NY)		–		–	4	–	8	.333
West Virginia		–		–	3	–	7	.300
Lake Forest		–		–	3	–	8	.273
Bloomsburg		–		–	3	–	9	.250
Harvard		–		–	4	–	12	.250
Indiana State		–		–	2	–	6	.250
William & Mary		–		–	1	–	4	.200
Trinity (Conn.)		–		–	2	–	10	.167
Union (N.Y.)		–		–	2	–	10	.167
Miami (Ohio)		–		–	1	–	7	.125
Kansas State		–		–	1	–	12	.077
New Mexico A&M		–		–	0	–	1	.000
Utah State		–		–	0	–	8	.000
Widener		–		–	0	–	2	.000

Statistical leaders

Awards

Helms College Basketball All-Americans

The practice of selecting a Consensus All-American Team did not begin until the 1928–29 season. The Helms Athletic Foundation later retroactively selected a list of All-Americans for the 1907–08 season.^[10]

Player	Team
Hugh Harper	Wisconsin
Julian Hayward	Wesleyan (Conn.)
Charles Keinath	Penn
Haskell Noyes	Yale
Pat Page	Chicago
John Pryor	Brown
John Ryan	Columbia
John Schommer	Chicago
Ira Streusand	CCNY
Helmer Swenholt	Wisconsin

Major player of the year awards

Helms Player of the Year: Charles Keinath, Penn (retroactive selection in 1944)

Coaching changes

References

^ "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. pp. 2, 7. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^ For disputes about playing rules, see “Basketball News,” Daily Princetonian, October 17, 1906, p. 1, col. 2; for disputes about eligibility, see “Intercollegiate Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, December 19, 1905, p. 8, col. 4. For roughness in the game, see “Princeton withdraws from basketball league,” Daily Princetonian, March 20, 1908, p. 1, col. 2, and “Review of 1908 Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 3, 1908, p. 1, col. 1. For games not being played, see “Basketball Practice Ceases,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 26, 1902, p. 3, col. 2, and “Athletic Committee Meeting,” The Harvard Crimson, February 18, 1904. All retrieved January 17, 2015.
^ Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved May 13, 2021.
^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
^ "1907-08 Men's Ivy League Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
^ "1907-08 Men's Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
^ "1907-08 Men's Western Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
^ "1907-08 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
^ The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"

[ncaaruleshistory-1] "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. pp. 2, 7. Retrieved June 25, 2024.

[2] For disputes about playing rules, see “Basketball News,” Daily Princetonian, October 17, 1906, p. 1, col. 2; for disputes about eligibility, see “Intercollegiate Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, December 19, 1905, p. 8, col. 4. For roughness in the game, see “Princeton withdraws from basketball league,” Daily Princetonian, March 20, 1908, p. 1, col. 2, and “Review of 1908 Basketball,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 3, 1908, p. 1, col. 1. For games not being played, see “Basketball Practice Ceases,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 26, 1902, p. 3, col. 2, and “Athletic Committee Meeting,” The Harvard Crimson, February 18, 1904. All retrieved January 17, 2015.

[jps-3] Scott, Jon (November 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved May 13, 2021.

[ESPN_526-4] ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. pp. 526, 529–587. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[5] "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.

[6] "1907-08 Men's Ivy League Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.

[7] "1907-08 Men's Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.

[8] "1907-08 Men's Western Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 18, 2024.

[9] "1907-08 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 24, 2024.

[10] The Association for Professional Basketball Research "NCAA All-American Teams, 1919–20 to 1998–99"

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