1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1968–69 NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association ) University Division men's basketball season began in December 1968, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 22, 1969, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The UCLA Bruins won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 92–72 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.

Season headlines

• The
  Poll returned to a Top 20 format, expanding from the Top 10 format it used from the 1961–62 season through the 1967–68 season. It previously had used a Top 20 format from its inception in the 1948–49 season through the 1960–61 season.^[3]
• The NCAA tournament expanded from 23 to 25 teams.
• UCLA won its third NCAA championship in a row, fifth overall, and fifth in six seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its third of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
• The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), informally known as the "Pacific 8," formally renamed itself the Pacific 8 Conference. It became the Pacific 10 Conference in 1978 and the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
• The Southland Conference, founded in 1963, began NCAA University Division-level play.
• The Metropolitan Collegiate Conference was dissolved at the end of the season.

Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 UCLA 2 North Carolina 3 Kentucky 4 Notre Dame 5 Kansas 6 Davidson 7 St. Bonaventure 8 Houston 9 New Mexico 10 Purdue 11 Villanova 12 Ohio State 13 Vanderbilt 14 Cincinnati 15 Marquette 16 Western Kentucky 17 Duke 18 Detroit 19 Florida 20 Tennessee

UPI Coaches Ranking Team 1 UCLA 2 North Carolina 3 Kentucky 4 Notre Dame 5 Kansas 6 Houston 7 Davidson 8 New Mexico 9 Villanova 10 Cincinnati 11 Purdue 12 St. Bonaventure 13 New Mexico State 14 Ohio State 15 (tie) Duke Western Kentucky 17 Santa Clara 18 USC 19 Florida 20 California

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
St. Francis Terriers	Metropolitan Collegiate Conference	NCAA University Division independent
West Virginia Mountaineers	Southern Conference	NCAA University Division independent

Regular season

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner[6]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	John Roche, South Carolina[7]	1969 ACC men's basketball tournament	Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina )	North Carolina
Big Eight Conference	Colorado	Cliff Meely, Colorado[8]	No Tournament
Big Sky Conference	Weber State	None selected	No Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Purdue	None selected	No Tournament
Ivy League	Princeton	None selected	No Tournament
Metropolitan Collegiate Conference	St. Peter's		No Tournament
Mid-American Conference	Ohio	Steve Mix, Toledo[9]	No Tournament
Middle Atlantic Conference	Temple		No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	Drake & Louisville	Bingo Smith, Tulsa	No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference	Morehead State & Murray State	Claude Virden, Murray State	No Tournament
Pacific 8 Conference	UCLA	None selected	No Tournament
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky	LSU[10]	No Tournament
Southern Conference	Davidson	Mike Maloy, Davidson[11]	1969 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina )	Davidson[12]
Southland Conference	Trinity	Larry Jeffries, Trinity[13]	No Tournament
Southwest Conference	Texas A&M	Ronnie Peret, Texas A&M & Greg Williams, Rice	No Tournament
West Coast Athletic Conference	Santa Clara	Dennis Awtrey, Santa Clara	No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference	Wyoming	None selected	No Tournament
Yankee Conference	Massachusetts	None selected	No Tournament

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Philadelphia Big 5	La Salle	None selected	No Tournament

Statistical leaders

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2021)

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four

• Third Place – Drake 104, North Carolina 84

National Invitation tournament

Semifinals & finals

• Third Place – Tennessee 64, Army 52

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Major player of the year awards

• Naismith Award: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
• Helms Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
• UPI Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Pete Maravich, LSU
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Wooden, UCLA
• NABC Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
• UPI Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
• Sporting News Coach of the Year
  : John Wooden, UCLA

Other major awards

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Billy Keller, Purdue
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ken Durrett, La Salle, & Howard Porter, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Jim McMillian, Columbia

Coaching changes

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2021)

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
Boston College	Bob Cousy		Chuck Daly
Creighton	Red McManus		Eddie Sutton
Davidson	Lefty Driesell		Terry Holland
Marshall	Ellis T. Johnson		Stewart Way	Johnson resigned at the end of the season. He was replaced by his assistant coach, Stewart Way.
Maryland	Frank Fellows		Lefty Driesell	Successful Davidson coach Driesell was hired and proclaimed his intention to turn Maryland into the “UCLA of the East.”

References