1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

Men's collegiate basketball season April 2021 March 2026 1965 UCLA BruinsESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia 978-0-345-51392-2 Random House 2009 846 March 7–19, 1966 Cole Field House College Park, Maryland Texas Western Miners Texas Western Miners BYU Cougars Cazzie Russell, Michigan Wolverines The 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1965, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Texas Western Miners won their first NCAA national championship with a 72–65 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Season headlines After introducing a preseason Top 20 the previous season, the Associated Press (AP) Poll contracted its preseason poll to a Top 10, aligning with the Top 10 format for in-season polls it had used since the 1961–62 season.sports-reference.com Matchup Finder The NCAA tournament contracted from 23 to 22 teams. On March 19, 1966, Texas Western became both the first team to begin an NCAA tournament final game with an all-African American starting lineup and the first team with an all-African American starting line-up to win the NCAA championship. The players were Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy, Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, and Willie Worsley.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 11 The Metropolitan Collegiate Conference, consisting of schools in the New York City-New Jersey area, began play. Season outlook Pre-season polls 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings The Top 10 from the AP Poll and Top 20 from the Coaches Poll during the pre-season.ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia 978-0-345-51392-2 Random House 2009 836 Associated PressRankingTeam1UCLA2Michigan3Duke4Saint Joseph's5Vanderbilt6Providence7Minnesota8Kansas9Bradley10Kansas State UPI CoachesRankingTeam1UCLA2Michigan3Minnesota4Saint Joseph's5Duke6Vanderbilt7Providence8Kansas9Bradley10BYU11San Francisco12Kansas State13NC State14Dayton15(tie)Boston CollegeSt. John's17(tie)LouisvilleTennesseeWest Virginia20(tie)IowaNew MexicoPrinceton Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Fairleigh Dickinson Fairleigh Dickinson Knights non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Hofstra Hofstra Flying Dutchmen non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Iona Iona Gaels University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Long Island Long Island Blackbirds non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Manhattan Manhattan Jaspers University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference New York NYU Violets University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Saint Peter's Saint Peter's Peacocks non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Saint Francis St. Francis Terriers University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Seton Hall Seton Hall Pirates University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies Southern Conference University Division independent Wagner Wagner Seahawks non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference West Chester West Chester Golden Rams non-NCAA University Division Middle Atlantic Conference NOTES: East Carolina did not begin University Division play until the 1966–1967 season. Fairleigh Dickinson did not begin University Division play until the 1967–1968 season. Hofstra did not begin University Division play until the 1966–1967 season. Long Island did not begin University Division play until the 1968–1969 season. West Chester did not begin University Division play until the 1973–1974 season. Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments ConferenceRegular season winnerhttp://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Standings.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section 2009 NCAA February 14, 2009Conference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAthletic Association of Western Universities Oregon State None selected No TournamentAtlantic Coast Conference Duke Steve Vacendak,Duke2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192652/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf March 3, 2016 , retrieved February 14, 2009 1966 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum(Raleigh, North Carolina) DukeBig Eight Conference Kansas None selected No TournamentBig Sky Conference Gonzaga & Weber State None selected No TournamentBig Ten Conference Michigan None selected No TournamentIvy League Penn None selected No TournamentMetropolitan Collegiate Conference Manhattan No TournamentMid-American Conference Miami (OH) None selected No TournamentMiddle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph's No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Cincinnati None selected No TournamentOhio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State Clem Haskins, Western Kentucky State 1966 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Jefferson County Armory(Louisville, Kentucky) Western Kentucky StateSoutheastern Conference Kentucky Clyde Lee, Vanderbilt (UPI selection), &Pat Riley, Kentucky (AP selection)2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved February 6, 2009 No TournamentSouthern Conference Davidson Dick Snyder, Davidson2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151437/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 July 23, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved February 9, 2009 1966 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum(Charlotte, North Carolina) Davidson2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110930163611/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 September 30, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved February 9, 2009Southwest Conference SMU John Beasley, Texas A&M No TournamentWest Coast Athletic Conference Pacific Keith Swagerty, Pacific No TournamentWestern Athletic Conference Utah None selected No TournamentYankee Conference Connecticut & Rhode Island None selected No Tournament Conference standings University Division independents A total of 49 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Texas Western (28–1) had both the best winning percentage (.966) and the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1966.html Sports Reference 1965-66 Men's Independent Season Summary August 13, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 Saint Joseph's Bill Melchionni, Villanova Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5. Post-season tournaments NCAA tournament 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game Final Four National Semi-finals National finals Third place E Duke 79 ME Kentucky 83 MW Texas Western 85 W Utah 78 ME Kentucky 65 MW Texas Western 72 E Duke 79 W Utah 77 National Invitation tournament 1966 National Invitation Tournament Semi-finals and Finals no Semi-finals Finals Third place   BYU 66   Army 60   NYU 69   Villanova 63   BYU 97 NYU 84   Army 65 Villanova 76 Awards Consensus All-American teams 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Dave Bing G Senior Syracuse Clyde Lee F Senior Vanderbilt Cazzie Russell F Senior Michigan Dave Schellhase G/F Senior Purdue Jimmy Walker G Junior Providence + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Louie Dampier G Junior Kentucky Matt Guokas G Junior St. Joseph's Jack Marin F Senior Duke Dick Snyder F Senior Davidson Bob Verga G Senior Duke Walt Wesley C Senior Kansas Major player of the year awards Helms Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan Associated Press Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan UPI Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Cazzie Russell, Michigan Sporting News Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan Major coach of the year awards Henry Iba Award: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky NABC Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky UPI Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky Sporting News Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky Other major awards Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Bill Melchionni, Villanova NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Albie Grant, LIU Brooklyn Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonArkansasGlen RoseDuddy WallerBoston UniversityJohn H. Burke Jr.Charlie LuceDelawareIrv WisniewskiDan PetersonEast CarolinaWendell CarrTom QuinnFairleigh DickinsonDick HolubJack DevineFloridaNorm SloanTommy BartlettSloan left to coach NC State. Florida hired Tennessee assistant coach Bartlett.Florida StateJ. K. KennedyHugh DurhamFurmanLyles AlleyFrank SelvyGeorge WashingtonBill ReinhartBabe McCarthyGeorgetownTommy O'KeefeJack MageeAble to sustain himself financially only by working outside of basketball to supplement the low salary of Georgetown's head coaching position, and lacking the time to recruit players properly while coaching only part-time, O'Keefe — Georgetown's head coach for six seasons — resigned after the season to devote himself full-time to his business concerns. His resignation prompted Georgetown to commit to hiring a full-time coach beginning with the following season.http://www.hoyabasketball.com/coaches/bb-coach.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: Head Coaches December 22, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20170527235527/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/coaches/bb-coach.htm May 27, 2017 dead http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/t_okeefe.htm The Georgetown Basketball History Project: The Top 100: 46. Tom O'Keefe February 5, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924031611/http://www.hoyabasketball.com/features/top100/t_okeefe.htm September 24, 2015 dead Hardin–SimmonsLou HensonPaul Lambert IdahoJim GoddardWayne AndersonKent StateRobert F. DollFrank TruittLehighTony PackerPete CarrilLoyola (LA)Bill GardinerRon Greene LSUFrank TruittPress MaravichTruitt left to coach Kent State. Maravich was hired from NC State.MassachusettsJohnny OrrJack LeamanMemphis StateDean EhlersMoe IbaMiami (OH)Dick ShriderTates LockeNavyBen CarnevaleDave SmalleyNC StatePress MaravichNorm Sloan Maravich left to coach LSU. Sloan was hired from Florida.New HampshireBill OlsonBill HaubrichNew Mexico StateJim McGregorLou HensonPennsylvaniaJack McCloskeyDick HarterMcCoskey left to coach Wake Forest.RiceGeorge CarlisleDon KnodelSaint FrancisSkip HughesJohn ClarkSaint Joseph'sJack RamsayJack McKinneySan FranciscoPete PelettaPhil VukicevichUC Santa BarbaraArt GallonRalph BarkeyUSCForrest TwogoodBob BoydWake ForestJack MurdockJack McCloskeyWestern MichiganDon BovenSonny MeansWilliam & MaryBill ChambersWarren Mitchell References 2