# 1961–62 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 1961–62 UCLA basketball team was coached by John Wooden in his 14th year. The Bruins finished 1st in the AAWU (10–2), and accepted a bid to the 1962 NCAA Tournament. The Bruins won the NCAA Far West Regional and played in the Final Four, the first in the school's history and the first of 12 for coach John Wooden. UCLA lost 72–70 to Cincinnati and then in the third-place game on March 24, 1962, in Louisville, Ky. (Freedom Hall), Wake Forest defeated UCLA 82–80. The Bruins finished the season as the 4th best team in the nation.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| December 1, 1961* | at BYU | L 66–68 | 0–1 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, UT |
| December 2, 1961* | at BYU | L 83–86 | 0–2 | Smith Fieldhouse Provo, UT |
| December 9, 1961* | Kansas | W 69–61 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| December 15, 1961* | DePauw | W 91–62 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| December 16, 1961* | Colorado State | L 68–69 | 2–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| December 20, 1961* | at Creighton | L 72–74 | 2–4 | Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, NE |
| December 22, 1961* | at Houston Houston Holiday Classic | L 65–91 | 2–5 | Jeppesen Gymnasium Houston, TX |
| December 23, 1961* | vs. Texas A&M Houston Holiday Classic | W 81–71 | 3–5 | Jeppesen Gymnasium Houston, TX |
| December 27, 1961* | Army Los Angeles Classic | W 86–72 | 4–5 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| December 28, 1961* | No. 1 Ohio State Los Angeles Classic | L 84–105 | 4–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| December 29, 1961* | Utah Los Angeles Classic | L 79–88 | 4–7 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| January 5, 1962 | Washington | W 72–57 | 5–7 (1–0) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| January 6, 1962 | Washington | W 75–63 | 6–7 (2–0) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| January 13, 1962 | at California | W 71–60 | 7–7 (3–0) | Harmon Gym Berkeley, CA |
| January 26, 1962* | Texas Tech | W 89–60 | 8–7 | Santa Monica City College Santa Monica, CA |
| January 27, 1962* | Texas Tech | W 87–58 | 9–7 | Santa Monica City College Santa Monica, CA |
| February 2, 1962 | No. 5 USC | W 73–59 | 10–7 (4–0) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 10, 1962 | Stanford | W 82–64 | 11–7 (5–0) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 16, 1962 | USC | L 60–74 | 11–8 (5–1) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 17, 1962 | USC | W 69–62 | 12–8 (6–1) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 23, 1962 | California | W 68–62 | 13–8 (7–1) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 24, 1962 | Stanford | W 75–65 | 14–8 (8–1) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| March 2, 1962 | at Washington | W 69–66 | 15–8 (9–1) | Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle, WA |
| March 9, 1962 | at Stanford | L 67–82 | 15–9 (9–2) | Stanford Pavilion Stanford, CA |
| March 10, 1962 | at California | W 66–54 | 16–9 (10–2) | Harmon Gym Berkeley, CA |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| March 16, 1962* | vs. Utah State Regional semifinal | W 73–62 | 17–9 | Smith Fieldhouse (10,186) Provo, UT |
| March 17, 1962* | vs. Oregon State Regional Final | W 88–69 | 18–9 | Smith Fieldhouse (9,826) Provo, UT |
| March 23, 1962* | vs. No. 2 Cincinnati National semifinal | L 70–72 | 18–10 | Freedom Hall (18,274) Louisville, KY |
| March 24, 1962* | vs. Wake Forest National third-place game | L 80–82 | 18–11 | Freedom Hall Louisville, KY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||
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