1971 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament

Last updated
1971 NCAA University Division
Basketball Tournament
NCAA 70s logo.svg
NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979
Season 197071
Teams25
Finals site Astrodome
Houston, Texas
Champions UCLA Bruins (7th title, 7th title game,
8th Final Four)
Runner-up Villanova Wildcats (Vacated) (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coach John Wooden (7th title)
MOP Howard Porter (Villanova, vacated)
Attendance207,200
Top scorer Jim McDaniels Western Kentucky
(147 points)
NCAA Division I Men's Tournaments
« 1970 1972 »

The 1971 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 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas. A total of 29 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.

Contents

UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won its fifth consecutive national title (its seventh all-time) with a 68–62 victory in the final game over Villanova, coached by Jack Kraft. Howard Porter of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. However, Villanova's placement in the tournament was later vacated because it was found that Porter had signed with an agent prior to the competition. Having lost to undefeated, second-ranked Penn (coached by Dick Harter) twice before, Porter did not think they would make it past the regionals where third-ranked South Carolina was also in their path. However, Penn vanquished South Carolina by 15 points, then had their worst game of the year against Villanova in the East Regional final, losing 90–47. Villanova's first-place finish in the East Regional was relinquished to Penn, with the regional consolation game winner, Fordham (coached by Digger Phelps, a former Penn assistant coach), receiving second place.

Championship Game

UCLA was a heavy favorite over Villanova in the title game. But the Bruins did not cruise through the season in their accustomed fashion. They were severely threatened in their own conference (and backyard) by second-ranked USC, who lost only twice all season – both to UCLA. In addition, UCLA lost at Notre Dame and had several other close calls against Washington, Oregon, and Oregon State. In the West Regional final, the Bruins trailed Long Beach State by 11 points midway through the second half, and their star player Sidney Wicks was on the bench with four personal fouls. But Wicks returned and avoided his fifth foul (and disqualification), and the Bruins rallied to take a 55–53 lead. With 20 seconds remaining, Wicks sank two clinching free throws and UCLA escaped 57–55.

In the national championship game, UCLA jumped out to an early lead, but star players Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe struggled against Villanova's stingy zone defense. Only the outside shooting of Henry Bibby and a career best 29 points from center Steve Patterson kept the Bruins in the lead. In the meantime, Villanova stars Howard Porter and Chris Ford overcame early struggles to keep the Wildcats in the game. Midway through the second half, UCLA coach John Wooden ordered the Bruins to go into a four-corner stall offense (there was no shot clock in college basketball in 1971), a tactic he rarely employed. Wooden said after the game he did so to bring Villanova out of their zone, and because he wanted to use the stage of the national championship game to show the NCAA that they should adopt a shot clock (something Wooden had long argued for). However, the tactic almost backfired as Villanova started forcing turnovers with an aggressive man-to-man defense. In addition, the stall took UCLA out of its offensive rhythm. Villanova closed the gap to 63–60 and had the ball with one minute to play. However, Porter missed a 15-foot off-balance jumper, Wicks grabbed the rebound, and UCLA made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to win 68–62.

In the national 3rd place game, Western Kentucky defeated Kansas 77–75. [1]

In a situation similar to Villanova's, Western Kentucky's placement in the tournament was vacated due to an NCAA investigation that showed Jim McDaniels had signed a professional contract and accepted money during the 1970–71 season. Western Kentucky would be found in violation twice more in the next 10 years, earning the school a "lack of institutional control" violation. [2] This made the 1971 Final Four officially the first without a school from east of the Mississippi River. The 2021 Final Four is the first to actually have all four teams come from west of the Mississippi (Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA).

The total attendance for the tournament was 220,447, a new record. The crowd of 31,765 for the championship game was also a new record. [3]

Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1971 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)

The city of Houston became the 10th host city, and the Astrodome the 11th host venue, to host the Final Four. It was the first time the Final Four was held in the state of Texas, and the first time the Final Four was held in a domed stadium (or, for that matter, in a baseball or football venue of any kind), though the trend would not take off until the usage of the Louisiana Superdome eleven years later. The tournament saw six new venues used besides the Astrodome. The Mideast regional brought the tournament to the state of Georgia for the first time, with games held at the Georgia Coliseum on the campus of the University of Georgia. For the second time, the tournament came to the campus of the University of Utah, with the Special Events Center, a future Final Four venue, hosting games for the first time. The tournament came to West Virginia for the first time, with one of the three East sub-regional games held at the WVU Coliseum. In the Mideast sub-regional, the tournament came to its third new host city – South Bend, home of the University of Notre Dame and the Athletic & Convocation Center, just east of Notre Dame Stadium. In the Midwest sub-regional, the tournament began at the University of Houston's Hofheinz Pavilion, the on-campus home of the Houston Cougars. To date, this marks the last time two different parts of the tournament were held in the same city. In the West sub-regional, the tournament came to Logan and the campus of Utah State University for the first time, with games held at the USU Assembly Center (now known as the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum).

The tournament would mark the only time the Astrodome or the Georgia Coliseum were used. While Houston has continued to be a tournament host at various venues, this was the only time the tournament came to Athens. Houston would not host the Final Four again until 2011.

Teams

RegionTeamCoachConferenceFinishedFinal OpponentScore
East
East Duquesne John Manning IndependentFirst round Penn L 70–65
East Fordham Digger Phelps IndependentRegional third place South Carolina W 100–90
East Furman Joe Williams SouthernFirst round Fordham L 105–74
East Penn Dick Harter Ivy LeagueRegional Runner-up Villanova L 90–47
East South Carolina Frank McGuire Atlantic CoastRegional Fourth Place Fordham L 100–90
East Saint Joseph's Jack McKinney Middle AtlanticFirst round Villanova L 93–75
East Villanova Jack Kraft IndependentRunner Up UCLA L 68–62
Mideast
Mideast Jacksonville Tom Wasdin IndependentFirst round Western Kentucky L 74–72
Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp SoutheasternRegional Fourth Place Marquette L 91–74
Mideast Marquette Al McGuire IndependentRegional third place Kentucky W 91–74
Mideast Miami (OH) Darrell Hedric Mid-AmericanFirst round Marquette L 62–47
Mideast Ohio State Fred Taylor Big TenRegional Runner-up Western Kentucky L 81–78
Mideast Western Kentucky Johnny Oldham Ohio ValleyThird Place Kansas W 77–75
Midwest
Midwest Drake Maury John Missouri ValleyRegional Runner-up Kansas L 73–71
Midwest Houston Guy Lewis IndependentRegional third place Notre Dame W 119–106
Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big EightFourth Place Western Kentucky L 77–75
Midwest New Mexico State Lou Henson Missouri ValleyFirst round Houston L 72–69
Midwest Notre Dame Johnny Dee IndependentRegional Fourth Place Houston L 119–106
Midwest TCU Johnny Swaim SouthwestFirst round Notre Dame L 102–94
West
West BYU Stan Watts Western AthleticRegional Fourth Place Pacific L 84–81
West Long Beach State Jerry Tarkanian Pacific CoastRegional Runner-up UCLA L 57–55
West Pacific Dick Edwards West CoastRegional third place BYU W 84–81
West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8Champion Villanova W 68–62
West Utah State LaDell Andersen IndependentFirst round BYU L 91–82
West Weber State Phil Johnson Big SkyFirst round Long Beach State L 77–66

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

East region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 South Carolina 64
 Penn79
 Penn70
 Duquesne 65
 Penn 47
 Villanova90
 Villanova93
 Saint Joseph's 75
 Villanova85
 Fordham 75
 Fordham105
 Furman 74
East Regional third place
   
South Carolina 90
Fordham100

Mideast region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 Kentucky 83
 Western Kentucky107
 Western Kentucky74
 Jacksonville 72
 Western Kentucky81
 Ohio State 78*
 Ohio State60
 Marquette 59
 Marquette62
 Miami (OH) 47
Mideast Regional third place
   
Kentucky 74
Marquette91

Midwest region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 Kansas78
 Houston 77
 Houston72
 New Mexico State 69
 Kansas73
 Drake 71
 Drake79
 Notre Dame 72*
 Notre Dame102
 TCU 94
Midwest Regional third place
   
Houston119
Notre Dame 106

West region

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
 UCLA91
 BYU 73
 BYU91
 Utah State 82
 UCLA57
 Long Beach State 55
 Pacific 65
 Long Beach State78
 Long Beach State77
 Weber State 66
West Regional third place
   
BYU 81
Pacific84

Final Four

Kenny Booker of UCLA against Kansas in the Final Four. Kenny Booker vs Kansas (cropped).png
Kenny Booker of UCLA against Kansas in the Final Four.
National Semifinals National Championship Game
      
E Villanova92
ME Western Kentucky 89**
E Villanova 62
W UCLA68
MW Kansas 60
W UCLA68National Third Place Game
ME Western Kentucky77
MW Kansas 75

Tournament notes

See also

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References

  1. 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, Published by College Athletics Publishing Service, Phoenix, Arizona
  2. "NCAA Legislative Service Database Home Page". goomer.ncaa.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. Smith Barrier, "Unusual West Coast Watch Factory – They Don't Make Any, Just Win Them", 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, Published by College Athletics Publishing Service

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