# 1970–71 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

The 1970–71 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1970–71 season.
Guard Austin Carr was the team's captain and leading scorer, averaging 38.0 points per game. After the season, Carr was selected as a first-team player on the 1971 All-America team. Center Collis Jones was the leading rebounder with an average of 13.2 rebounds per game.
The team's sole loss was by a 79–72 score against Drake in the NCAA Tournament.
Following the season, Austin Carr was drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick 1971 NBA draft.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| December 1 | No. 5 | at Michigan | W 94–81 | 1–0 | Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| December 5 | No. 5 | No. 2 South Carolina | L 82–85 | 1–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 10 | No. 6 | vs. Northwestern | W 94–88 | 2–1 | Chicago Stadium Chicago, Illinois |
| December 12 | No. 6 | at Saint Louis | W 68–67 | 3–1 | St. Louis Arena St. Louis, Missouri |
| December 15 | No. 7 | No. 13 Indiana | L 103–106 | 3–2 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 29 | No. 15 | at No. 8 Kentucky | W 99–92 | 4–2 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| December 31 | No. 15 | Santa Clara | W 85–83 | 5–2 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 2 | No. 15 | Minnesota | W 97–73 | 6–2 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 10 | No. 9 | at Air Force | W 75–71 | 7–2 | Clune Arena Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| January 12 | No. 9 | at No. 2 Marquette | L 66–71 | 7–3 | Milwaukee Arena Milwaukee, WI |
| January 14 | No. 9 | Detroit | W 93–79 | 8–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 18 | No. 9 | at Duquesne | L 78–81 | 8–4 | Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| January 23 | No. 9 | No. 1 UCLA | W 89–82 | 9–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 26 | No. 7 | Michigan State | W 104–80 | 10–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 30 | No. 7 | vs. No. 18 Illinois | L 66–69 $^{OT}$ | 10–5 | Chicago Stadium (17,000) Chicago, Illinois |
| February 6 | No. 12 | Creighton | W 102–91 | 11–5 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 8 | No. 9 | Butler | W 93–81 | 12–5 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 11 | No. 9 | at No. 18 Villanova | L 81–99 | 12–6 | Villanova Field House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 13 | No. 9 | at DePaul | W 107–76 | 13–6 | Alumni Hall Chicago, Illinois |
| February 15 | | Valparaiso | W 100–75 | 14–6 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 18 | No. 14 | at No. 18 Fordham | L 88–94 | 14–7 | Madison Square Garden New York |
| February 20 | No. 14 | at West Virginia | W 107–98 | 15–7 | WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV |
| February 23 | No. 19 | New York | W 106–68 | 16–7 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 27 | No. 19 | at St. John's | W 92–79 | 17–7 | Alumni Hall Queens, NY |
| March 1 | No. 16 | Dayton | W 83–82 | 18–7 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 4 | No. 16 | Western Michigan | W 110–79 | 19–7 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 13 | No. 14 | vs. TCU NCAA tournament • First Round | W 102–94 | 20–7 | Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, Texas |
| March 18 | No. 12 | vs. No. 18 Drake NCAA tournament • Semifinal | L 72–79 $^{OT}$ | 20–8 | Henry Leavitt Arena Wichita, Kansas |
| March 20 | No. 12 | vs. No. 14 Houston NCAA tournament • Third Place | L 106–119 | 20–9 | Henry Leavitt Arena Wichita, Kansas |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 1 | Austin Carr | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1 | 17 | Collis Jones | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 4 | 55 | Sid Catlett | Cincinnati Royals |