# 1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team won the National Collegiate Championship on March 27, 1971, in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was UCLA's fifth consecutive national title, and seventh in eight years under head coach John Wooden. The Bruins defeated Villanova 68–62, but the Wildcats' runner-up finish was later vacated by the NCAA.
Smith Barrier, executive sports editor at the Daily News and Record of Greensboro, North Carolina, wrote: "Mister John Wooden has a watch factory out in Los Angeles. It's a bit different from most Swiss works. They don't make watches, they win 'em."
The Bruins' only blemish was a 89–82 loss at Notre Dame on January 23. The victory over UC Santa Barbara on January 30 began UCLA's record 88-game winning streak; it lasted nearly three years, broken on January 19, 1974, again at Notre Dame.
UCLA averaged 83.5 points per game, and allowed 71.1 points. Seniors Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe were selected to the consensus All-America team.
The Bruins opened NCAA West Regional in Salt Lake City with a 91–73 win over BYU, then edged Long Beach State 57–55 in the regional final.
At the Final Four in Houston, UCLA defeated fourth-ranked Kansas 68–60 in the semifinal game on Thursday night.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| December 4, 1970* | No. 1 | Baylor | W 108–77 | 1–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles |
| December 5, 1970* | No. 1 | Rice | W 124–78 | 2–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 11, 1970* | No. 1 | Pacific | W 100–88 | 3–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 12, 1970* | No. 1 | Tulsa | W 95–75 | 4–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 22, 1970* | No. 1 | Missouri | W 94–75 | 5–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 23, 1970* | No. 1 | Saint Louis | W 79–65 | 6–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 29, 1970* | No. 1 | vs. William & Mary Steel Bowl | W 90–71 | 7–0 | Civic Arena Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 30, 1970* | No. 1 | at Pittsburgh Steel Bowl | W 77–65 | 8–0 | Civic Arena Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 2, 1971* | No. 1 | Dayton | W 106–82 | 9–0 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 8, 1971 | No. 1 | Washington | W 78–69 | 10–0 (1–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 9, 1971 | No. 1 | Washington State | W 95–71 | 11–0 (2–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 15, 1971 | No. 1 | at Stanford | W 58–53 | 12–0 (3–0) | Maples Pavilion Stanford, CA |
| January 16, 1971 | No. 1 | at California | W 94–76 | 13–0 (4–0) | Harmon Gym Berkeley, CA |
| January 22, 1971* | No. 1 | at Loyola–Chicago | W 87–62 | 14–0 | Chicago Stadium Chicago, IL |
| January 23, 1971* | No. 1 | at No. 9 Notre Dame | L 82–89 | 14–1 | Athletic & Convocation Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 30, 1971* | No. 2 | UC Santa Barbara | W 74–61 | 15–1 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| February 6, 1971 | No. 3 | at No. 2 USC | W 64–60 | 16–1 (5–0) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles, CA |
| February 12, 1971 | No. 1 | at Oregon | W 69–68 | 17–1 (6–0) | McArthur Court Eugene, OR |
| February 13, 1971 | No. 1 | at Oregon State | W 67–65 | 18–1 (7–0) | Gill Coliseum Corvallis, OR |
| February 19, 1971 | No. 1 | Oregon State | W 94–64 | 19–1 (8–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| February 20, 1971 | No. 1 | Oregon | W 74–67 | 20–1 (9–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| February 27, 1971 | No. 1 | at Washington State | W 57–53 | 21–1 (10–0) | Bohler Gymnasium Pullman, WA |
| March 1, 1971 | No. 1 | at Washington | W 71–69 | 22–1 (11–0) | Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle, WA |
| March 5, 1971 | No. 1 | California | W 103–69 | 23–1 (12–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| March 6, 1971 | No. 1 | Stanford | W 107–72 | 24–1 (13–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| March 13, 1971 | No. 1 | No. 3 USC | W 73–62 | 25–1 (14–0) | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| March 18, 1971* 8:20 pm | No. 1 | vs. No. 20 BYU Regional semifinals | W 91–73 | 26–1 | Special Events Center (15,032) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 20, 1971* 3:30 pm, NBC | No. 1 | vs. No. 16 Long Beach State Regional Final | W 57–55 | 27–1 | Special Events Center (14,003) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 25, 1971* 6:30 pm, NBC | No. 1 | vs. No. 4 Kansas National semifinal | W 68–60 | 28–1 | Astrodome (31,428) Houston, TX |
| March 27, 1971* 1:15 pm, NBC | No. 1 | vs. No. 19 Villanova National Final | W 68–62 | 29–1 | Astrodome (31,765) Houston, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific time. ||||||
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