1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament

Edition of USA college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 January 2022 1971 NCAA 70s logo.svg NCAA logo from 1971 to 1979 25 Astrodome Houston, Texas UCLA Bruins 7th 7th 8th Villanova Wildcats (Vacated) 1st 2nd Kansas Jayhawks 5th Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Vacated) 1st John Wooden 7th Howard Porter Villanova, vacated 207,200 Jim McDaniels Western Kentucky 147 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. The 33rd annual edition of the tournament began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27, at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This was the last time the Final Four was held in Houston until 2011. UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won its fifth consecutive national title (its seventh all-time, all in the last eight years) 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 at this time), 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 third-place game, Western Kentucky defeated Kansas, 77–75.1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, Published by College Athletics Publishing Service, Phoenix, Arizona 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.http://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/LSDBi/LSDBi.LSDBi_Menu.HomePage NCAA Legislative Service Database Home Page goomer.ncaa.org 13 January 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20070304182319/http://goomer.ncaa.org/wdbctx/LSDBi/LSDBi.LSDBi_Menu.HomePage 4 March 2007 dead 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.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 Schedule and venues The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1971 tournament: First round March 13 East Region Alumni Hall, Jamaica, New York (Host: St. John's University) WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia (Host: West Virginia University) The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League) Mideast Region Athletic & Convocation Center, Notre Dame, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame) Midwest Region Hofheinz Pavilion, Houston, Texas (Host: University of Houston) West Region USU Assembly Center, Logan, Utah (Host: Utah State University) Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 18 and 20 East Regional, Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University) Mideast Regional, Georgia Coliseum, Athens, Georgia (Host: University of Georgia) Midwest Regional, Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas (Host: Wichita State University) West Regional, Special Events Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah) National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship) March 25 and 27 Astrodome, Houston, Texas (Hosts: Rice University, Southwest Conference) Teams Region Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score East East Duquesne John Manning Independent First roundPennL 70–65 East Fordham Digger Phelps Independent Regional third placeSouth CarolinaW 100–90 East Furman Joe Williams Southern First roundFordhamL 105–74 East Penn Dick Harter Ivy League Regional Runner-upVillanovaL 90–47 East South Carolina Frank McGuire Atlantic Coast Regional Fourth PlaceFordhamL 100–90 East Saint Joseph's Jack McKinney Middle Atlantic First roundVillanovaL 93–75 East Villanova Jack Kraft Independent Runner UpUCLAL 68–62 Mideast Mideast Jacksonville Tom Wasdin Independent First roundWestern KentuckyL 74–72 Mideast Kentucky Adolph Rupp Southeastern Regional Fourth PlaceMarquetteL 91–74 Mideast Marquette Al McGuire Independent Regional third placeKentuckyW 91–74 Mideast Miami (OH) Darrell Hedric Mid-American First roundMarquetteL 62–47 Mideast Ohio State Fred Taylor Big Ten Regional Runner-upWestern KentuckyL 81–78 Mideast Western Kentucky Johnny Oldham Ohio Valley Third PlaceKansasW 77–75 Midwest Midwest Drake Maury John Missouri Valley Regional Runner-upKansasL 73–71 Midwest Houston Guy Lewis Independent Regional third placeNotre DameW 119–106 Midwest Kansas Ted Owens Big Eight Fourth PlaceWestern KentuckyL 77–75 Midwest New Mexico State Lou Henson Missouri Valley First roundHoustonL 72–69 Midwest Notre Dame Johnny Dee Independent Regional Fourth PlaceHoustonL 119–106 Midwest TCU Johnny Swaim Southwest First roundNotre DameL 102–94 West West BYU Stan Watts Western Athletic Regional Fourth PlacePacificL 84–81 West Long Beach State Jerry Tarkanian Pacific Coast Regional Runner-upUCLAL 57–55 West Pacific Dick Edwards West Coast Regional third placeBYUW 84–81 West UCLA John Wooden Pacific-8 ChampionVillanovaW 68–62 West Utah State LaDell Andersen Independent First roundBYUL 91–82 West Weber State Phil Johnson Big Sky First roundLong Beach StateL 77–66 Bracket * – Denotes overtime period East region 1 y high no 1970 Penn Quakers Penn 70 Duquesne 65 Villanova# 93 1970 Saint Joseph's Hawks Saint Joseph's 75 1970 Fordham Rams Fordham 105 1970 Furman Paladins Furman 74 South Carolina 64 Penn 79 Villanova# 85 Fordham 75 Penn 47 Villanova# 90 East Regional third place South Carolina 90 Fordham 100 Mideast region 1 y high no Western Kentucky# 74 1970 Jacksonville Dolphins Jacksonville 72 Marquette 62 1970 Miami Redskins Miami (OH) 47 Kentucky 83 Western Kentucky# 107 Ohio State 60 Marquette 59 Western Kentucky# 81 Ohio State 78* Mideast Regional third place Kentucky 74 Marquette 91 Midwest region 1 y high no Houston 72 1970 none New Mexico State Aggies New Mexico State 69 Notre Dame 102 1970 none TCU Horned Frogs TCU 94 Kansas 78 Houston 77 Drake 79 Notre Dame 72* Kansas 73   Drake 71 Midwest Regional third place Houston 119 Notre Dame 106 West region 1 y high no BYU 91 1970 Utah State Aggies Utah State 82 1970 Long Beach State 49ers Long Beach State 77 Weber State 66 UCLA 91 BYU 73 Pacific 65 Long Beach State 78 UCLA 57 Long Beach State 55 West Regional third place BYU 81 Pacific 84 Final Four thumb|upright|Kenny Booker of UCLA against Kansas in the Final Four. National semifinals National championship game National third-place game high E Villanova# 92 ME Western Kentucky# 89** MW Kansas 60 W UCLA 68 E Villanova# 62 W UCLA 68 ME Western Kentucky# 77 MW Kansas 75 # — The NCAA vacated 23 of Villanova's wins in the 1970–71 season including its appearance in the 1971 NCAA Tournament due to issues with the eligibility of Howard Porter.https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/the-only-ncaa-holy-war-between-st-joes-villanova-came-in-1971/ Santoliquito Joseph The Only NCAA Tourney Holy War Came In 1971 CBS News March 18, 2014 April 25, 2024 Western Kentucky also vacated its NCAA Tournament appearance in 1971 due to issues with the eligibility of Jim McDaniels. Harrison Lowell Western Kentucky University University Press of Kentucky 1987 978-0813116204 Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with the removal of any Villanova and Western Kentucky wins from all records. 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. Villanova and Western Kentucky became the first two teams to have an officially vacated NCAA Final Four result due to rules violations. This would be repeated by five teams that reached the national championship (as Villanova did), including one winner, among others who lost in the national semifinals (as Western Kentucky did). Announcers Curt Gowdy, Tom Hawkins, and Jim Simpson (Final Four only) - First Round at Notre Dame, Indiana (Marquette-Miami Ohio, Western Kentucky-Jacksonville); Mideast Regional Final at Athens, Georgia; Final Four in Houston, Texas Jim Simpson and Pat Hernon - East Regional Final at Raleigh, North Carolina See also 1971 NCAA College Division basketball tournament 1971 National Invitation Tournament 1971 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 1971 National Women's Invitation Tournament References Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Ncaa NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:Basketball competitions in Houston NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, 1971 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Category:College basketball tournaments in Texas