1971 National Invitation Tournament

Annual NCAA basketball competition August 2023 April 2026 NIT 1971 16 Madison Square Garden New York City North Carolina Tar Heels 1st 1970 men Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 1st 1970 men St. Bonaventure Bonnies St. Bonaventure Bonnies 5th Duke Blue Devils 1st Dean Smith 1st Bill Chamberlain North Carolina 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). Selected teams Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.Tournament Results (1970's) at nit.org, URL accessed November 7, 2009. Archived 11/7/09 TeamConferenceOverall recordAppearanceLast bid1970 men Dayton Flyers DaytonIndependent 18–8 12th 1968DukeACC 18–8 4th 19701970 men Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Georgia TechIndependent 20–8 2nd 19701970 none Hawaii Rainbow Warriors HawaiiIndependent 22–4 1st Never1970 men La Salle Explorers La SalleMiddle Atlantic 20–6 8th 19651970 men Louisville Cardinals LouisvilleMissouri Valley 20–8 9th 1970MichiganBig Ten 18–6 1st NeverNorth CarolinaACC 22–6 2nd 19701970 men Oklahoma Sooners OklahomaBig Eight 19–7 2nd 19701970 men Providence Friars ProvidenceIndependent 19–7 7th 1967PurdueBig Ten 18–6 1st Never1970 men St. Bonaventure Bonnies St. BonaventureIndependent 18–5 8th 1964St. John'sIndependent 18–8 20th 19701970 none Syracuse Orangemen SyracuseIndependent 19–6 5th 19671970 none Tennessee Volunteers TennesseeSEC 20–6 3rd 19691970 none UMass Redmen UMassYankee 23–3 2nd 1970 Bracket Below is the tournament bracket. First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals North Carolina 90 1970 men UMass Redmen UMass 49 1970 men Providence Friars Providence 64 1970 men Louisville Cardinals Louisville 58 1970 none Tennessee Volunteers Tennessee 84 St. John's 83 Duke 68 1970 men Dayton Flyers Dayton 60 Michigan 86 1970 none Syracuse Orangemen Syracuse 76 1970 men Georgia Tech Yellowjackets Georgia Tech 70 1970 men La Salle Explorers La Salle 67 1970 men St. Bonaventure Bonnies St. Bonaventure 94 Purdue 79 1970 none Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Hawaii 87 1970 men Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma 86 North Carolina 86 Providence 79 Tennessee 64 Duke 78 Michigan 70 Georgia Tech 78 St. Bonaventure 73 Hawaii 64 North Carolina 73 Duke 69 Georgia Tech 76 St. Bonaventure 71 North Carolina 84 Georgia Tech 66 Third place game Duke 88 St. Bonaventure 92 See also 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament 1971 NCAA College Division basketball tournament 1971 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament 1971 National Women's Invitational Tournament References National Invitation National Invitation Tournament Category:1970s in Manhattan National Invitation Tournament Category:National Invitation Tournament Category:College basketball tournaments in New York City Category:Sports competitions in Manhattan