1971 National Invitation Tournament

Last updated
1971 National Invitation Tournament
Season 197071
Teams16
Finals site Madison Square Garden
New York City
Champions North Carolina Tar Heels (1st title)
Runner-up Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1st title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coach Dean Smith (1st title)
MVP Bill Chamberlain (North Carolina)
National Invitation Tournaments
« 1970 1972 »

The 1971 National Invitation Tournament was the 1971 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. 1971 was unique because it was the only time that major rivals Duke and North Carolina had played each other after the ACC tournament until the 2022 NCAA Final Four clash. Eventual ACC member Georgia Tech also made the semis, and lost to North Carolina in the championship. The fourth semifinalist, St. Bonaventure, was playing its first season following the departure of All-American Bob Lanier, who led the Brown Indians to the 1970 Final Four (Lanier was injured in the 1970 regional final vs. Villanova and did not play in either Final Four game).

Contents

Selected teams

Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament. [1]

TeamConferenceOverall recordAppearanceLast bid
Dayton Independent 18–812th 1968
Duke ACC 18–84th 1970
Georgia Tech Independent 20–82nd 1970
Hawaii Independent 22–41stNever
La Salle Middle Atlantic 20–68th 1965
Louisville Missouri Valley 20–89th 1970
Michigan Big Ten 18–61stNever
North Carolina ACC 22–62nd 1970
Oklahoma Big Eight 19–72nd 1970
Providence Independent 19–77th 1967
Purdue Big Ten 18–61stNever
St. Bonaventure Independent 18–58th 1964
St. John's Independent 18–820th 1970
Syracuse Independent 19–65th 1967
Tennessee SEC 20–63rd 1969
UMass Yankee 23–32nd 1970

Bracket

Below is the tournament bracket. [1]

First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
            
North Carolina 90
UMass 49
North Carolina86
Providence 79
Providence 64
Louisville 58
North Carolina73
Duke 69
Tennessee 84
St. John's 83
Tennessee 64
Duke78
Duke 68
Dayton 60
North Carolina84
Georgia Tech 66
Michigan 86
Syracuse 76
Michigan 70
Georgia Tech78
Georgia Tech 70
La Salle 67
Georgia Tech76
St. Bonaventure 71
St. Bonaventure 94
Purdue 79
St. Bonaventure73
Hawaii 64
Hawaii 87
Oklahoma 86
Third place game
   
Duke 88
St. Bonaventure92

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Coast Conference</span> American collegiate athletics conference

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I. ACC football teams compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The ACC sponsors competition in twenty-five sports with many of its member institutions held in high regard nationally. Current members of the conference are Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Florida State University, North Carolina State University, Syracuse University, the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Wake Forest University.

Tobacco Road is a term used in college sports, mainly basketball, for the four rival universities of North Carolina that play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The term refers to the area's history as a major tobacco producer. The Tobacco Road teams represent the following universities:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank McGuire</span> American basketball coach (1913–94)

Frank Joseph McGuire was an American basketball coach. At the collegiate level, he was head coach for three major programs: St. John's, North Carolina, and South Carolina, winning over a hundred games at each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament</span> Edition of USA college basketball tournament

The 1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 at the San Diego Sports Arena, now known as Pechanga Arena San Diego, in San Diego, California. A total of 36 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This was the first 32-team tournament.

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. As a result of this action, the NCAA now forbids its members from playing in other postseason tournaments if offered an NCAA bid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament</span> Edition of USA college basketball tournament

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Foster (basketball, born 1929)</span> American college basketball coach

William Edwin Foster was the head men's basketball coach at Rutgers University, University of Utah, Duke University, University of South Carolina, and Northwestern University. He is best known for guiding Duke to the NCAA championship game in 1978, and that year he was named national Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Foster was inducted into the Rutgers Basketball Hall of Fame and was the first NCAA coach to guide four teams to 20-win seasons. Foster was a graduate of Elizabethtown College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of South Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NC State Wolfpack men's basketball</span> NCAA Division I basketball program representing North Carolina State University

The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. N.C. State is one of the seven founding members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to joining the ACC in 1954, the Wolfpack was a member of the Southern Conference, where they won seven conference championships. As a member of the ACC, the Wolfpack has won ten conference championships, as well as two national championships in 1974 and 1983. State's unexpected 1983 title was one of the most memorable in NCAA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Tar Heels</span> University sports teams

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State. The campus at Chapel Hill is referred to as the University of North Carolina for the purposes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was chartered in 1789, and in 1795 it became the first state-supported university in the United States. Since the school fostered the oldest collegiate team in the Carolinas, the school took on the nickname Carolina, especially in athletics. The Tar Heels are also referred to as UNC or The Heels.

The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Virginia. The school competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Virginia has won the NCAA Championship, two National Invitation Tournaments, and three ACC tournament titles. The team is coached by Tony Bennett and plays home games at the on-campus John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) which opened in 2006. They have been called the Cavaliers since 1923, predating the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA by half a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball</span> Intercollegiate basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The North Carolina Tar Heels Men's basketball program is the college basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships, in addition to a Helms Athletic Foundation retroactive title (1924), and participated in a record twenty-one Final Fours. It is the only school to have reached at least one Final Four for nine straight decades and at least two Final Fours for six straight decades, all while averaging more wins per season played (20.7) than any other program in college basketball. In 2012, ESPN ranked North Carolina No. 1 on its list of the 50 most successful programs of the past fifty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Forest Demon Deacons</span> Intercollegiate athletics teams of Wake Forest University

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Terrapins men's basketball</span> Mens basketball team of the University of Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. Maryland, a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), left the ACC in 2014 to join the Big Ten Conference. Gary Williams, who coached the Terrapins from 1989 to 2011, led the program to its greatest success, including two consecutive Final Fours in 2001 and 2002, which culminated in the 2002 NCAA National Championship. Maryland has appeared in 30 NCAA tournaments and won their conference tournament 4 times. The Terrapins have competed in 100 seasons, accumulating an overall record of 1,641–1,086 as of the 2022–23 season. Maryland is currently coached by Kevin Willard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball</span> University basketball team

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained national attention under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, the 1971 ACC Tournament title, and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971 to 1974. The program also won the 1997 SEC championship, National Invitation Tournament (NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006, and a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern division title. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history. Lamont Paris is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake Bulldogs men's basketball</span> Drake Universitys mens basketball team

The Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition and is coached by Darian DeVries. The program is best known for making the 1969 Final Four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 1973-74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolfpack played their home games at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina, and competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. While losing only one game throughout the season, the team finished undefeated in the ACC conference play, and went on to win the 1974 ACC men's basketball title. The Wolfpack then won the NCAA tournament, finishing the season as the national champions.

The AIAW women's basketball tournament was a national tournament for women's collegiate basketball teams in the United States, held annually from 1972 to 1982. The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years.

The 1956–57 NCAA men's University Division basketball season began in December 1956. It progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1957 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 23, 1957, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The North Carolina Tar Heels won their first NCAA national championship with a 54–53 triple-overtime victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

References

  1. 1 2 Tournament Results (1970's) at nit.org, URL accessed November 7, 2009. Archived 11/7/09