1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team
The 1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team was a college basketball team that represented the University of Oregon. The Webfoots, coached by Howard Hobson, played in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) and compiled a 29–5 win–loss record in regular and postseason competition. After winning the PCC title, they became the champions of the inaugural NCAA basketball tournament.
| 1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball | |
|---|---|
NCAA tournament National champions PCC champions | |
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| North | |
| Record | 29–5 (14–2 PCC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home arena | McArthur Court |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon † | 14 | – | 2 | .875 | 29 | – | 5 | .853 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 20 | – | 5 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 13 | – | 11 | .542 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 1 | – | 15 | .063 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | 24 | – | 8 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | 20 | – | 5 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 16 | – | 9 | .640 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 0 | – | 12 | .000 | 7 | – | 20 | .259 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † Conference playoff series winner As of 1939 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coming off a season in which the Webfoots were defeated in the PCC championship series by Stanford, the team returned all five of their starters. Known for their fast break offense, Oregon's players were nicknamed the "Tall Firs" and held a height advantage over most teams. After several early-season wins, the Webfoots went on an extended road trip to the East Coast, becoming the first West Coast team to do so. The team suffered two losses on the trip, to City College of New York (CCNY) and Bradley, but posted seven victories as well. Oregon won 10 consecutive games at one point in PCC competition, and clinched a Northern Division championship with a win in the next-to-last contest of the regular season. In the best-of-three PCC championship series, against California, the Webfoots won in two games to earn the team's first conference championship since 1919.
Oregon was invited to compete in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament, and beat Texas in their first game to reach the regional final, where the team won against Oklahoma. At the first NCAA tournament final, versus Ohio State, the Webfoots claimed a 46–33 victory behind a game-high 15 points by John H. Dick. Three players from the 1938–39 Oregon men's basketball team were selected as All-Americans, and Hobson and Lauren Gale have been honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame.