# 1970–71 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

The 1970–71 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University in the 1970–71 college basketball season. This was head coach Stan Watts's 22nd season at BYU. The Cougars finished the regular season with a record of 18–11, 10–4 in the Western Athletic Conference.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| December 4* | Stanford | W 70–62 | 1–0 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| December 5* | Stanford | W 85–64 | 2–0 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| December 7* | No. 15 New Mexico State | W 86–75 | 3–0 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| December 11* | at No. 9 USC | L 65–101 | 3–1 | L.A. Sports Arena Los Angeles, California |
| December 12* | at Oregon State | L 80–99 | 3–2 | Gill Coliseum Corvallis, Oregon |
| December 14* | at Seattle | L 80–99 | 3–3 | KeyArena Seattle, Washington |
| December 16* | Denver | W 100–72 | 4–3 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| December 19* | No. 15 Utah State | W 111–83 | 5–3 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| December 22* | at Santa Clara | W 68–67 | 6–3 | |
| December 26* | vs. No. 13 Villanova Rainbow Classic | W 102–93 | 7–3 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| December 27* | at Hawaii Rainbow Classic | L 90–94 | 7–4 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| January 8 | at New Mexico | W 72–62 | 8–4 (1–0) | University Arena Albuquerque, NM |
| January 9 | at UTEP | L 64–66 | 8–5 (1–1) | Memorial Gym El Paso, Texas |
| January 15 | Colorado State | W 75–73 | 9–5 (2–1) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| January 16 | Wyoming | W 82–68 | 10–5 (3–1) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| January 23* | at Utah State | L 70–72 | 10–6 (3–1) | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Logan, Utah |
| January 28 | at Arizona State | L 86–87 | 10–7 (3–2) | Sun Devil Gymnasium Tempe, Arizona |
| January 30 | at Arizona | L 76–81 | 10–8 (3–3) | Bear Down Gym Tucson, Arizona |
| February 6 | Utah | W 103–89 | 11–8 (4–3) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| February 11 | UTEP | W 75–48 | 12–8 (5–3) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| February 13 | New Mexico | W 70–68 | 13–8 (6–3) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| February 19 | at Wyoming | L 72–78 | 13–9 (6–4) | War Memorial Fieldhouse Laramie, Wyoming |
| February 20 | at Colorado State | W 98–92 | 14–9 (7–4) | Moby Arena Fort Collins, Colorado |
| February 26 | Arizona | W 95–83 | 15–9 (8–4) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| February 27 | Arizona State | W 83–74 | 16–9 (9–4) | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, Utah |
| March 6 | at Utah | W 98–87 | 17–9 (10–4) | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| March 13 | vs. Utah State NCAA Tournament • First Round | W 91–82 | 18–9 (10–4) | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Logan, Utah |
| March 18 | vs. UCLA NCAA Tournament • Semifinal | L 73–91 | 18–10 (10–4) | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| March 20 | vs. Pacific NCAA Tournament • Third Place | L 81–84 | 18–11 (10–4) | Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 7 | 113 | Steve Kelly | Detroit Pistons |