A revolutionary rule change in 1938 unshackled college basketball from the cumbersome, mandatory jump ball at the center of the court after every basket. The decision brought speed and nonstop action to the game and opened up new styles of play, including the jump shot. Washington State coach Jack Friel said, "Ironically, I didn't believe in the shot at first. I simply couldn't conceive of a kid jumping off the floor and shooting accurately from the distance they do. I was soon converted, however, and the jump shot is the big weapon now. I think the present teams score more by accident, with their excellent jump shooters, than our old teams did by design."
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament was in its infancy as the decade opened. The first NCAA tournament, staged in 1939, was won by Oregon in a small gym on the campus of Northwestern.....
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