1970–71 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1970–71 Drake Bulldogs Basketball Missouri Valley Conference MVC 16 18 21–8 9–5 Maury John 13th Dan Callahan Gus Guydon Veterans Memorial Auditorium Missouri Valley Conference Champions NCAA tournament Elite Eight The 1970–71 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The team was led by 13th-year head coach Maury John and played their home games at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldogs were 9–5 in Missouri Valley Conference play, finishing in a 3-way tie for the league title. Drake received a bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Notre Dame in the regional semifinal. The Bulldogs would fall one game short of the Final Four in back-to-back seasons, losing to Kansas in the regional final, 73–71.21st in Row for Kansas https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/21/archives/21st-in-row-for-kansas.html The New York Times March 21, 1971 August 5, 2023 This season marked the end of a streak the only time in program history the Bulldogs reached the NCAA tournament in three consecutive seasons (reaching the Elite Eight all three times) and the end of an era, as head coach Maury John left to become head coach at Iowa State. Previous season The Bulldogs reached the NCAA tournament for the second straight season, advancing to the Elite Eight a season after making the program's only Final Four appearance in 1969. Drake completed the season with a 22–7 record (14–2 Missouri Valley) and were ranked number 9 in the final AP poll. Roster 1970 Drake Bulldogs y Dale Gordon 5 F 6 7 205 Jr Creston, Iowa Tom Bush 23 C 6 8 210 Sr Chicago, Illinois Jeff Halliburton 42 GF 6 5 190 Sr Rockville Centre, New York y Maury John 1970-71 Men's Basketball Roster https://godrakebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/1970-71 Drake University Athletics August 5, 2023 Schedule and results |- !colspan=9 style=Drake Bulldogs| Non-conference regular season Dec 1, 1970 yes 10 1970 men Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers Wisconsin-Platteville Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 107–73 1–0 Dec 1, 1970 yes 10 1970 men Cal State Fullerton Titans Cal State Fullerton Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 101–57 2–0 Dec 8, 1970 yes yes 7 Iowa State Iowa State Armory Ames, Iowa Iowa Big Four 87–63 3–0 Dec 12, 1970 yes 7 1970 men Iowa Hawkeyes Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Big Four 72–70 4–0 Dec 18, 1970 yes yes 9 1970 men Texas–Arlington Mavericks Texas–Arlington Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Fort Worth, Texas Texas Classic 102–83 5–0 Dec 19, 1970 yes yes 9 1970 men TCU Horned Frogs TCU Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Fort Worth, Texas Texas Classic 79–78 6–0 Dec 22, 1970 yes 9 1970 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 83–66 7–0 Dec 26, 1970 yes yes 9 1970 men Canisius Golden Griffins Canisius Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, New York Queen City Classic 87–74 8–0 Dec 28, 1970 yes yes 7 1970 men Niagara Purple Eagles Niagara Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, New York Queen City Classic 77–87 8–1 Jan 2, 1971 yes yes 7 Cincinnati Armory Fieldhouse Cincinnati, Ohio 59–60 8–2 |- !colspan=9 style=Drake Bulldogs| Missouri Valley Conference regular season Jan 7, 1971 yes 16 1970 men Wichita State Shockers Wichita State Levitt Arena Wichita, Kansas 78–74 9–2 1–0 Jan 9, 1971 yes 16 1970 men Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 60–66 9–3 1–1 Jan 13, 1971 yes 1970 men Bradley Braves Bradley Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois 85–88 9–4 1–2 Jan 20, 1971 yes 1970 men UMKC Kangaroos UMKC Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 130–73 10–4 Jan 23, 1971 1970 men Louisville Cardinals Louisville Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 81–78 11–4 2–2 Jan 28, 1971 1970 men North Texas Mean Green North Texas Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 90–66 12–4 3–2 Jan 30, 1971 yes 1970 men Memphis State Tigers Memphis State Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 93–70 13–4 4–2 Feb 2, 1971 yes 1970 men DePaul Blue Demons DePaul Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 93–80 14–4 Feb 4, 1971 yes Memphis State Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee 72–73 14–5 4–3 Feb 11, 1971 Bradley Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 113–78 15–5 5–3 Feb 13, 1971 yes 1970 men Saint Louis Billikens Saint Louis St. Louis Arena St. Louis, Missouri 62–64 15–6 5–4 Feb 17, 1971 yes Louisville 19 Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 52–94 15–7 5–5 Feb 20, 1971 yes Tulsa Expo Square Pavilion Tulsa, Oklahoma 87–84 16–7 6–5 Feb 23, 1971 Wichita State Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 83–76 17–7 7–5 Feb 27, 1971 Saint Louis Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 89–85 18–7 8–5 Mar 2, 1971 yes North Texas North Texas Men's Gym Denton, Texas 65–60 19–7 9–5 |- !colspan=9 style=Drake Bulldogs| NCAA tournament Mar 18, 1971 yes yes 18 Notre Dame 12 Levitt Arena Wichita, Kansas Midwest Regional Semifinal 79–72 OT 21–7 Mar 20, 1971 yes yes 18 Kansas 4 Levitt Arena Wichita, Kansas Midwest Regional Final 71–73 21–8 AP Poll Central Time MW Midwest 1970-71 Men's Basketball Schedule https://godrakebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1970-71 Drake University Athletics August 5, 2023 Rankings 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 778–779 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 NBA draft 1971 NBA draft https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1971.html 1971 NBA Draft Basketball-reference.com August 5, 2023 References Drake Category:Drake Bulldogs men's basketball seasons Drake Drake Basketball, Men's Drake Basketball, Men's