1947–48 Baylor Bears basketball team

The 1947–48 Baylor Bears men's basketball team represented the Baylor University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1947–48 NCAA men's basketball season. Led by 5th-year head coach Bill Henderson, the team played their home games at Marrs McLean Gymnasium in Waco, Texas.

1947–48 Baylor Bears men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up
Southwest Conference champions
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Record24–8 (11–1 SWC)
Head coach
Home arenaMarrs McLean Gymnasium
Seasons
1947–48 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Baylor 11 1   .917 24 8   .750
Texas 9 3   .750 20 5   .800
Arkansas 8 4   .667 16 8   .667
Rice 6 6   .500 10 14   .417
SMU 5 7   .417 13 10   .565
Texas A&M 2 10   .167 7 17   .292
TCU 1 11   .083 3 20   .130

This season marked the first Final Four appearance in program history for the Bears. Baylor would return again in 1950, but then waited another 71 years before winning the national championship in 2021.

Roster

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1947–48 Baylor Bears men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G Red Owens 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Houston, Texas
F 14 Bill DeWitt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
So
C Don Heathington 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
So
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Non-conference regular season
Dec 8, 1947*
North Texas W 51–43  1–0
Marrs McLean Gymnasium 
Waco, Texas
Dec 9, 1947*
North Texas W 64–53  2–0
Marrs McLean Gymnasium 
Waco, Texas
Dec 12, 1947*
at Wichita W 52–43  3–0
 
Wichita, Kansas
Dec 13, 1947*
at Saint Louis L 38–65  3–1
St. Louis Arena 
St. Louis, Missouri
Dec 18, 1947*
at Arizona L 54–62  3–2
 
Tucson, Arizona
Dec 19, 1947*
at UCLA W 45–42  4–2
Men's Gym 
Los Angeles, California
Dec 29, 1947*
vs. Wyoming
All-College Basketball Classic
W 36–29  7–3
 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Dec 30, 1947*
vs. Oklahoma A&M
All-College Basketball Classic
L 21–22  7–4
 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Dec 31, 1947*
vs. Alabama
All-College Basketball Classic
W 29–24  8–4
 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Southwest Conference regular season
Jan 10, 1948
at SMU W 43–42  9–4
(1–0)
Perkins Gymnasium 
Dallas, Texas
Jan 13, 1948
Texas A&M W 57–41  10–4
(2–0)
Marrs McLean Gymnasium 
Waco, Texas
Feb 17, 1948
SMU W 51–49  18–4
(10–0)
Marrs McLean Gymnasium 
Waco, Texas
Feb 25, 1948
at Texas L 28–32  18–5
(10–1)
Gregory Gymnasium 
Austin, Texas
Feb 28, 1948
TCU W 61–47  19–5
(11–1)
Marrs McLean Gymnasium 
Waco, Texas
NCAA Division Six Playoffs
Mar 12, 1948*
vs. Arizona W 65–59  20–5
 
Dallas, Texas
Mar 13, 1948*
vs. Arizona W 64–54  21–5
 
Dallas, Texas
NCAA tournament
Mar 19, 1948*
vs. Washington
Regional Semifinal – Elite Eight
W 64–62  22–5
Municipal Auditorium (9,700)
Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 20, 1948*
vs. Kansas State
Regional Final/National semifinal – Final Four
W 60–52  23–5
Municipal Auditorium 
Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 23, 1948*
vs. Kentucky
National championship game
L 42–58  23–6
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Olympic Basketball Trials
Mar 27, 1948*
at NYU W 59–57  24–6
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 30, 1948*
vs. Kentucky L 59–77  24–7
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
Mar 31, 1948*
vs. Denver Nuggets L 64–73  24–8
Madison Square Garden 
New York, New York
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ "1949–50 Baylor Bears Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Baylor University Athletics. p. 93. Retrieved August 20, 2023.