1971 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament

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1971 NCAA University Division
Basketball Tournament
NCAA 70s logo.svg
NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979
Season1970–71
Teams25
Finals siteAstrodome
Houston, Texas
ChampionsUCLA Bruins (7th title, 7th title game,
8th Final Four)
Runner-upVillanova Wildcats (Vacated) (1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJohn Wooden (7th title)
MOPHoward Porter (Villanova, vacated)
Attendance207,200
Top scorerJim 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.

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)

  • March 18 and 20
    • East Regional, Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina
    • Mideast Regional, Georgia Coliseum, Athens, Georgia
    • Midwest Regional, Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas
    • West Regional, Special Events Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

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.

Teams[]

Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score
East
East Duquesne Independent First round Penn L 70–65
East Fordham Digger Phelps Independent Regional Third Place South Carolina W 100–90
East Furman Joe Williams Southern First round Fordham L 105–74
East Penn Dick Harter Ivy League Regional Runner-up Villanova L 90–47
East South Carolina Frank McGuire Atlantic Coast Regional Fourth Place Fordham L 100–90
East Saint Joseph's Jack McKinney Middle Atlantic First round Villanova L 93–75
East Villanova Jack Kraft Independent Runner Up UCLA L 68–62
Mideast
Mideast Jacksonville Independent First round Western Kentucky L 74–72
Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Regional Fourth Place Marquette L 91–74
Mideast Marquette Al McGuire Independent Regional Third Place Kentucky W 91–74
Mideast Miami (OH) Darrell Hedric Mid-American First round Marquette L 62–47
Mideast Ohio State Fred Taylor Big Ten Regional Runner-up Western Kentucky L 81–78
Mideast Western Kentucky Johnny Oldham Ohio Valley Third Place Kansas W 77–75
Midwest
Midwest Drake Maury John Missouri Valley Regional Runner-up Kansas L 73–71
Midwest Houston Guy Lewis Independent Regional Third Place Notre Dame W 119–106
Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Fourth Place Western Kentucky L 77–75
Midwest New Mexico State Lou Henson Missouri Valley First round Houston L 72–69
Midwest Notre Dame Johnny Dee Independent Regional Fourth Place Houston L 119–106
Midwest TCU Johnny Swaim Southwest First round Notre Dame L 102–94
West
West BYU Stan Watts Western Athletic Regional Fourth Place Pacific L 84–81
West Long Beach State Jerry Tarkanian Pacific Coast Regional Runner-up UCLA L 57–55
West Pacific Dick Edwards West Coast Regional Third Place BYU W 84–81
West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8 Champion Villanova W 68–62
West Utah State LaDell Andersen Independent First round BYU L 91–82
West Weber State Phil Johnson Big Sky First round Long Beach State L 77–66

Bracket[]

* – Denotes overtime period

East region[]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
  South Carolina 64
  Penn 79
  Penn 70
  Duquesne 65
  Penn 47
  Villanova 90
  Villanova 93
  Saint Joseph's 75
  Villanova 85
  Fordham 75
  Fordham 105
  Furman 74
East Regional Third Place
   
South Carolina 90
Fordham 100

Mideast region[]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
  Kentucky 83
  Western Kentucky 107
  Western Kentucky 74
  Jacksonville 72
  Western Kentucky 81
  Ohio State 78*
  Ohio State 60
  Marquette 59
  Marquette 62
  Miami (OH) 47
Mideast Regional Third Place
   
Kentucky 74
Marquette 91

Midwest region[]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
  Kansas 78
  Houston 77
  Houston 72
  New Mexico State 69
  Kansas 73
  Drake 71
  Drake 79
  Notre Dame 72*
  Notre Dame 102
  TCU 94
Midwest Regional Third Place
   
Houston 119
Notre Dame 106

West region[]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
  UCLA 91
  BYU 73
  BYU 91
  Utah State 82
  UCLA 57
  Long Beach State 55
  Pacific 65
  Long Beach State 78
  Long Beach State 77
  Weber State 66
West Regional Third Place
   
BYU 81
Pacific 84

Final Four[]

Kenny Booker of UCLA against Kansas in the Final Four.
  National Semifinals     National Championship Game
                 
  E Villanova 92  
  ME Western Kentucky 89**    
      E Villanova 62
      W UCLA 68
  MW Kansas 60    
  W UCLA 68   National Third Place Game
 
ME Western Kentucky 77
  MW Kansas 75

Tournament notes[]

  • Jim McDaniels of Western Kentucky had 147 points, top scorer in the playoffs.
  • Austin Carr of Notre Dame scored 289 career tournament points in seven games.
  • As a result of the Villanova’s forfeit to Penn, the 1971 Penn Quakers technically went undefeated but did not win the national championship. North Carolina State went undefeated in 1972–73 but did not win the national championship because they were on NCAA probation and were not eligible to participate in the NCAA tournament.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, Published by College Athletics Publishing Service, Phoenix, Arizona
  2. ^ "Archived copy". goomer.ncaa.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  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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