1970–71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball none 1970–71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers WKU Hilltoppers wordmark.png 150 Ohio Valley Conference 7 7 OVC 24–6 (Official record 20–5) 12–2 John Oldham Jim Richards E. A. Diddle Arena NCAA Mideast Region Champion (Vacated)Ohio Valley Conference Champion NCAA Tournament Final Four Third Place (Vacated) The 1970–71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year John Oldham and consensus All-American player Jim McDaniels. Ruby Earl Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University American National Bank and Trust Co. 1979 WKU won the OVC season championship, as well as the conference's automatic bid to the 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament. No conference tournament was held, so the conference bid was awarded to the season champion.(PDF) - Ohio Valley Conference http://ovcsports.com/documents/2019/10/21/2019_20_OVC_Basketball_Media_Guide.pdf?id=10175 2022-10-16 ovcsports.com en The Hilltoppers advanced to the NCAA Final Four, though the tournament games were later vacated by the NCAA due to McDaniels having signed a contract with an agent. Harrison Lowell Western Kentucky University University Press of Kentucky 1987 978-0813116204 For the second consecutive year, McDaniels was OVC Player of the Year and set the school record for most points scored in season and career, and highest scoring average. Jerry Dunn and Jim Rose joined McDaniels on the All-OVC Team.2019-20 Hilltopper Basketball Media Guide https://wkusports.com/documents/2019/10/7/2019_20_WKU_Hilltopper_Basketball_Media_Guide.pdf 2022-10-16 Western Kentucky University Athletics en This team was one of the most talented in school history with several players being drafted by the NBA and ABA including McDaniels, Dunn, Rose, Clarence Glover, and Jerome Perry.1971 NBA Draft, Basketball Reference, retrieved 7 May 2020Bradley Robert D. The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts 2013 Scarecrow Press 9780810890695 Cultural Relevance This year's Western Kentucky team was the first non-historically black Kentucky college to start five African-American players: McDaniels, Rose, Glover, Dunn, and Rex Bailey.Thamel Pete Thamel Pete 2008-03-27 Recalling Forward Thinking at Western Kentucky en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/sports/ncaabasketball/27western.html 2022-10-16 0362-4331 Coach Oldham was pressured, and even threatened, not to start all five together, but resisted the pressure saying "they are my best five players".https://wkuherald.com/sports/standing-alone-wku-s-final-four-team-remains-in-a/article_81bea07a-baaa-11e3-8f3a-001a4bcf6878.html Standing Alone: WKU's 1971 Final Four team remains in a league of its own Elliott Pratt College Heights Herald 2020-05-08 2016-05-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20160521131104/http://wkuherald.com/sports/standing-alone-wku-s-final-four-team-remains-in-a/article_81bea07a-baaa-11e3-8f3a-001a4bcf6878.html dead NCAA Sanctions WKU's NCAA tournament games were later vacated by the NCAA after it was discovered that McDaniels had signed with a professional agent prior to the tournament. "I admit I made a mistake," McDaniels told the Courier-Journal in an interview. "There was a lot of pressure. I got around some people who did not have my best interests at heart."Looking Back on the Life of Jim McDaniels https://www.allen.kyschools.us/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=63GUP2I&dasi=33I2 2022-10-16 www.allen.kyschools.us en The sanctions reduced their officially recognized record to 20–5. Schedule 1970-71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 6 May 2020 1970-71 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1971 |- !colspan=6| Regular Season 12/3/1970 yes 9 ODU E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 96–82 1–0 |- 12/5/1970 yes 9 UC Davis E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 88–65 2–0 12/10/1970 yes 13 VCU E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 96–71 3–0 12/12/1970 yes 13 Duquesne E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 69–62 4–0 12/19/1970 yes yes 11 Butler Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN 100–90 5–0 12/23/1970 yes yes 10 Jacksonville 4 Freedom Hall Louisville, KY 97–84 6–0 12/26/1970 yes yes 10 Saint Peter's Madison Square Garden New York, NY ECAC Holiday Festival 108–97 7–0 12/28/1970 yes yes 10 St. John's 19 Madison Square Garden New York, NY ECAC Holiday Festival 86–67 8–0 12/30/1970 yes yes 5 South Carolina 2 Madion Square Garden New York, NY ECAC Holiday Festival 84–86 8–1 1/2/1971 yes 5 East Tennessee Memorial Center Johnson City, TN 86–83 9–1 (1-0) 1/4/1971 yes 5 Tennessee Tech Memorial Gymnasium Cookeville, TN 95–82 10–1 (2-0) 1/9/1971 6 Eastern Kentucky E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 83–64 11–1 (3-0) 1/11/1971 6 Morehead State E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 85–63 12–1 (4-0) 1/16/1971 yes yes 5 La Salle Palestra Philadelphia, PA 76–91 12–2 1/23/1971 yes 7 Murray State Racer Arena Murray, KY 71–73 12–3 (4-1) 1/25/1971 7 Austin Peay E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 117–72 13–3 (5-1) 1/30/1971 7 Middle Tennessee E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 80–66 14–3 (6-1) 2/2/1971 yes 12 Middle Tennessee Murphy Center Murfreesboro, TN 87–73 15–3 (7-1) 2/8/1971 yes yes 12 Dayton UD Arena Dayton, OH 60–63 15–4 2/13/1971 7 Tennessee Tech E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 67–57 16–4 (8-1) 2/15/1971 7 East Tennessee E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY 83–65 17–4 (9-1) 2/20/1971 yes 9 Morehead State Wetherby Gymnasium Morehead, KY 89–70 18–4 (10-1) 2/22/1971 yes 9 Eastern Kentucky Alumni Coliseum Richmond, KY 94–93 OT 19–4 (11-1) 2/27/1971 9 Murray State E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, KY Record attendance 14,277 73–59 20–4 (12-1) 3/1/1971 yes 9 Austin Peay Memorial Health Gymnasium Clarksville, TN 94–96 20–5 (12-2) |- !colspan=6| 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament 3/13/1971 yes yes 7 Jacksonville 9 Athletic & Convocation Center Notre Dame, IN Mideast Region First Round 74–72 21–5 3/18/1971 yes yes 7 Kentucky 8 Georgia Coliseum Athens, GA Sweet Sixteen 107–83 22–5 3/20/1971 yes yes 7 Ohio State 10 Georgia Coliseum Athens, GA Mideast Regional Final 81–78 OT 23–5 3/25/1971 yes yes 7 Villanova 19 Astrodome Houston, TX Final Four 89–92 2OT 23–6 3/25/1971 yes yes 7 Kansas 4 Astrodome Houston, TX Final Four Consolation 77–75 24–6 AP PollNCAA Tournament Games Vacated References Category:Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons Western Kentucky Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Western Kentucky Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's