1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season
| 1970–71 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
1971 | |
| Tournament dates | March 13 – 27, 1971 |
| National Championship | Astrodome Houston, Texas |
| NCAA Champions | UCLA |
| Helms National Champions | UCLA |
| Other champions | North Carolina (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden) | Austin Carr, Notre Dame (Naismith) |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | Austin Carr, Notre Dame, & Sidney Wicks, UCLA |
The 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1970, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 27, 1971, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The UCLA Bruins won their seventh NCAA national championship with a 68–62 victory over the Villanova Wildcats.
Season headlines
- The NCAA introduced a new rule prohibiting any team which turned down an invitation to the NCAA tournament from playing in any other postseason tournament. The effect of the rule is to prevent NCAA Tournament invitees from accepting a National Invitation Tournament instead, diminishing the quality of the pool of teams eligible to play in the NIT.[3]
- UCLA won its fifth NCAA championship in a row, seventh overall, and seventh in eight seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its fifth of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The Top 20 from the
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Conference membership changes
| School | Former conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bearcats | Missouri Valley Conference | University Division independent |
Colonials
|
Southern Conference | University Division independent |
| New Mexico State Aggies | University Division independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
Buffaloes
|
University Division independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
Informal championships
| Affiliation | Regular season winner |
Big 5 MVP | Affiliation Tournament |
Tournament venue (City) |
Tournament winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Penn (4–0) | Ken Durrett, La Salle | No official tournament | ||
Statistical leaders
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2021) |
Postseason tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
| National semifinals | National finals | ||||||||
| E | Villanova | 92 | |||||||
| ME | Western Kentucky | 89 | |||||||
| E | Villanova | 62 | |||||||
| W | UCLA | 68 | |||||||
| MW | Kansas | 60 | |||||||
| W | UCLA | 68 | |||||||
- Third Place – Western Kentucky 77, Kansas 75
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| North Carolina | 73 | ||||||||
| Duke | 69 | ||||||||
| North Carolina | 84 | ||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 66 | ||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 76 | ||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 71 | ||||||||
- Third Place – St. Bonaventure 92, Duke 88
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Carr | G | Senior | Notre Dame |
| Artis Gilmore | C | Senior | Jacksonville |
| Jim McDaniels | C | Senior | Western Kentucky
|
| Dean Meminger | G | Senior | Marquette |
| Sidney Wicks | F | Senior | UCLA |
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Durrett | F | Senior | La Salle |
| Johnny Neumann | F | Sophomore | Mississippi |
| Howard Porter | F | Senior | Villanova |
| John Roche | G | Senior | South Carolina |
| Curtis Rowe | F | Senior | UCLA |
Major player of the year awards
- Naismith Award: Austin Carr, Notre Dame
- Helms Player of the Year: Austin Carr, Notre Dame, & Sidney Wicks, UCLA
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Austin Carr, Notre Dame
- UPI Player of the Year: Austin Carr, Notre Dame
- Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Sidney Wicks, UCLA
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Sidney Wicks, UCLA
Major coach of the year awards
- Associated Press Coach of the Year: Al McGuire, Marquette
- Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Wooden, UCLA
- NABC Coach of the Year: Jack Kraft, Villanova
- UPI Coach of the Year: Al McGuire, Marquette
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: Al McGuire, Marquette
Other major awards
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Charles Johnson, California
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ken Durrett, La Salle
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.
References
- ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ John Feinstein (February 1, 2016). "Kryzyzewski, Knight coached at Army. It still lacks an NCAA tournament appearance". The Washington Post.
- ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
- ^ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
- ^ 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
- ^ 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- ^ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07