1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

Last updated

1970 NCAA University Division
basketball tournament
NCAA 70s logo.svg
Season 196970
Teams25
Finals site Cole Field House,
College Park, Maryland
Champions UCLA Bruins (6th title, 6th title game,
7th Final Four)
Runner-up Jacksonville Dolphins (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coach John Wooden (6th title)
MOP Sidney Wicks (UCLA)
Attendance146,794
Top scorer Austin Carr (Notre Dame)
(158 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
« 1969 1971 »

The 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This tournament was notable for the number of small schools that reached the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and championship Game. Another notable aspect of the tournament was that Marquette became the first team to turn down an announced NCAA Tournament bid for the National Invitation Tournament. Coach Al McGuire took issue with being seeded in the Midwest regional instead of the geographically closer Mideast. They were replaced in the field by Dayton. [1] As a result of this action, the NCAA now forbids its members from playing in other postseason tournaments if offered an NCAA bid.

Contents

There were three first time participants in the Final Four: New Mexico State, St. Bonaventure, and Jacksonville, a feat not repeated until the 2023 tournament. UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won their 6th national title with an 80–69 victory in the final game over Jacksonville, coached by Joe Williams. Sidney Wicks of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1970 tournament:

First round

Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal opponentScore
East
East Davidson Terry Holland SouthernFirst round St. Bonaventure L 85–72
East Niagara Frank Layden IndependentRegional Fourth Place NC State L 108–88
East NC State Norm Sloan Atlantic CoastRegional third place Niagara W 108–88
East Penn Dick Harter Ivy LeagueFirst round Niagara L 79–69
East St. Bonaventure Larry Weise IndependentFourth Place New Mexico State L 79–73
East Temple Harry Litwack Middle AtlanticFirst round Villanova L 77–69
East Villanova Jack Kraft IndependentRegional Runner-up St. Bonaventure L 97–74
Mideast
Mideast Iowa Ralph Miller Big TenRegional third place Notre Dame W 121–106
Mideast Jacksonville Joe Williams IndependentRunner Up UCLA L 80–69
Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp SoutheasternRegional Runner-up Jacksonville L 106–100
Mideast Notre Dame John Dee IndependentRegional Fourth Place Iowa L 121–106
Mideast Ohio James Snyder Mid-AmericanFirst round Notre Dame L 112–82
Mideast Western Kentucky Johnny Oldham Ohio ValleyFirst round Jacksonville L 109–96
Midwest
Midwest Dayton Don Donoher IndependentFirst round Houston L 71–64
Midwest Drake Maury John Missouri ValleyRegional Runner-up New Mexico State L 87–78
Midwest Houston Guy Lewis IndependentRegional Fourth Place Kansas State L 107–98
Midwest Kansas State Cotton Fitzsimmons Big EightRegional third place Houston W 107–98
Midwest New Mexico State Lou Henson IndependentThird Place St. Bonaventure W 79–73
Midwest Rice Don Knodel SouthwestFirst round New Mexico State L 101–77
West
West Long Beach State Jerry Tarkanian Pacific CoastRegional Fourth Place Santa Clara L 89–86
West Santa Clara Dick Garibaldi West CoastRegional third place Long Beach State W 89–86
West UTEP Don Haskins Western AthleticFirst round Utah State L 91–81
West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8Champion Jacksonville W 80–69
West Utah State LaDell Andersen IndependentRegional Runner-up UCLA L 101–79
West Weber State Phil Johnson Big SkyFirst round Long Beach State L 92–73

Bracket

East region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 NC State 68
 St. Bonaventure80
 St. Bonaventure85
 Davidson 72
 St. Bonaventure97
 Villanova 74
 Villanova77
 Temple 69
 Villanova98
 Niagara 73
 Niagara79
 Penn 69
East Regional third place
   
NC State108
Niagara 88

Mideast region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 Iowa 103
 Jacksonville104
 Jacksonville109
 Western Kentucky 96
 Jacksonville106
 Kentucky 100
 Kentucky109
 Notre Dame 99
 Notre Dame112
 Ohio 82
Mideast Regional third place
   
Iowa121
Notre Dame 106

Midwest region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 Kansas State 66
 New Mexico State70
 New Mexico State101
 Rice 77
 New Mexico State87
 Drake 78
 Drake92
 Houston 87
 Houston71
 Dayton 64
Midwest Regional third place
   
Kansas State107
Houston 98

West region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 UCLA88
 Long Beach State 65
 Long Beach State92
 Weber State 73
 UCLA101
 Utah State 79
 Santa Clara 68
 Utah State69
 Utah State91
 UTEP 81
West Regional third place
   
Long Beach State 86
Santa Clara89

Final Four

National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E St. Bonaventure 83
ME Jacksonville91
ME Jacksonville 69
W UCLA80
MW New Mexico State 77
W UCLA93National third-place game
E St. Bonaventure 73
MW New Mexico State79

See also

Tournament notes

Announcers

Curt Gowdy, Charlie Jones, and Jim Simpson - First Round at Dayton, Ohio (Jacksonville-Western Kentucky, Notre Dame-Ohio State);

References

  1. "Marquette takes NIT over NCAA bid". Great Falls Tribune . February 25, 1970. p. 11. Retrieved January 12, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg