Found: 1940 NCAA Basketball Final! Indiana vs. Kansas

Nice to see they muted Billy Packer back then too.

 

Those backboards are being held up by more steel than the Eiffel Tower.

 

They had that tiny little lane back then allowing big men to set up in the post only a step away from the rim, yet both of these teams seem to be running a weave offense out on the perimeter with nobody posting. How does that make sense? I guess this was before they figured out that that tall guys near the basket are kinda effective in this game.

 

That's some wild footage. Looks like an outdoor court.
My how the players/skills have evolved.

 

Is there any indication of which team is which?

 

All jokes aside, this is interesting footage because I think it's been lost for a long time.

When I was a young kid obsessed with the NCAA tournament, my parents got me a video called Final Four: The Movie (or something like that). It included championship game highlights from every title game from 1939 through 1988. I would watch that thing every other day...it's part of the reason I can name every NCAA champ ever correctly in order.

Anyway, the lone game missing from that compilation was the 1940 final between Indiana and Kansas. I always wondered why it was missing...maybe all the film was thought to be melted by that bright light near midcourt.

 

Dick Vitale thinks Marvin Huffman is a diaper dandy.

 

Everyone who makes one of these silly "Mikan would still be dominant today" type arguments should be required to watch several hours of these 1940s games until reality grinds it way into their head. You really can't aprreciate how remarkably far the game has evolved until you actually watch the old stuff. No other sport has changed as much over time as basketball.

 

Looks like they are playing on a Sorry! gameboard.

 

Actually, the 3-second rule had only been put in 3 seasons before, as well as eliminating the center jump after every basket.

If anybody had been able to do it, goaltending was still legal at this time (not outlawed until 1944).

Pretty sure Indiana is in the dark uniforms.

 

Kansas' all white. Wait, you can say that about both teams. :-\

 

Did anyone who watched that notice how they had the jump ball at the spot where it got tied up? (It's just before the 3-minute mark).

Edit: Oops, didn't see the earlier post. Carry on.