# 1960–61 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1960–61 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1960, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 25, 1961, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Cincinnati Bearcats won their first NCAA national championship with a 70–65 victory in overtime over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

## Season headlines

* A gambling scandal rocked the NCAA University Division and resulted in the arrests of 37 students from 22 different colleges and universities.
* In the 1961 NCAA University Division basketball tournament national third-place game, Saint Joseph's defeated Utah 127–120 in four overtimes, tying the record for the longest game in NCAA tournament history, set in 1956 in a first-round game between Canisius and North Carolina State. The Saint Joseph's victory later was vacated because of the gambling scandal.
* On March 25, 1961, two teams from Ohio, Cincinnati and Ohio State, met in the 1961 NCAA University Division basketball championship game, the first time two teams from the same U.S. state had played one another for the NCAA championship. Cincinnati defeated Ohio State 70–65 in overtime.
* Ed Jucker of Cincinnati became the first head coach to win the NCAA championship his first year at a school.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | Bradley |
| 3 | Detroit |
| 4 | Indiana |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 | St. Bonaventure |
| 7 | St. John's |
| 8 | Duke |
| 9 | Louisville |
| 10 | NC State |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Maryland |
| 13 | UCLA |
| 14 | Utah State |
| 15 | Georgia Tech |
| 16 (tie) | Kansas |
| 16 (tie) | Wichita |
| 18 | Utah |
| 19 | Illinois |
| 20 (tie) | Kansas State |
| 20 (tie) | Kentucky |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | Bradley |
| 3 | Indiana |
| 4 | Kansas |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 (tie) | St. Bonaventure |
| 6 (tie) | Utah State |
| 8 | Cincinnati |
| 9 | Detroit |
| 10 | St. John's |
| 11 | Kansas State |
| 12 | Georgia Tech |
| 13 | Providence |
| 14 | Providence |
| 15 | Utah |
| 16 | Duke |
| 17 | California |
| 18 | Washington |
| 19 | Western Kentucky State |
| 20 | Dayton |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Houston Cougars | Missouri Valley Conference | NCAA University Division independent |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Athletic Association of Western Universities | USC | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | Len Chappell, Wake Forest | 1961 ACC men's basketball tournament | Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina) | Wake Forest |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Ohio State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Border Conference | Arizona State & New Mexico State | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Princeton | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan New York Conference | St. John's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Ohio | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | Saint Joseph's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Cincinnati | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Kentucky State, Morehead State, & Western Kentucky State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Skyline Conference | Colorado State & Utah | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Mississippi State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | West Virginia | Jeff Cohen, William and Mary | 1961 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Richmond Arena (Richmond, Virginia) | George Washington |
| Southwest Conference | Texas Tech | Carroll Broussard, Texas A&M | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Loyola (Calif.) | Tom Meschery, Saint Mary's | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Rhode Island | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1960–61 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1960–61 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 USC9–3 .75021–8  .724 UCLA7–5 .58318–8  .692 Washington6–6 .50013–13  .500 California5–7 .41716–10  .615 Stanford3–9 .2507–17  .292 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 North Carolina12–2 .85719–4  .826 Wake Forest †11–3 .78619–11  .633 No. 10 Duke10–4 .71422–6  .786 NC State8–6 .57116–9  .640 Maryland6–8 .42914–12  .538 Clemson5–9 .35710–16  .385 South Carolina2–12 .1439–17  .346 Virginia2–12 .1433–23  .115 † 1961 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Kansas State12–2 .85722–5  .815 Kansas10–4 .71417–8  .680 Oklahoma State8–6 .57114–11  .560 Missouri7–7 .50011–13  .458 Iowa State6–8 .42914–11  .560 Nebraska4–10 .28610–14  .417 Oklahoma2–12 .14310–15  .400 Colorado7–7 .50015–10  .600 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1960–61 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Ohio State14–0 1.00027–1  .964 No. 8 Iowa10–4 .71418–6  .750 Purdue10–4 .71416–7  .696 Indiana8–6 .57115–9  .625 Minnesota8–6 .57110–13  .435 Northwestern6–8 .42910–12  .455 Illinois5–9 .3579–15  .375 Wisconsin4–10 .2867–17  .292 Michigan State3–11 .2147–17  .292 Michigan2–12 .1436–18  .250 Rankings from https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/big-ten/1961.html | 1960–61 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Arizona State–Tempe9–1 .90023–6  .793 New Mexico State9–1 .90019–5  .792 Arizona5–5 .50011–15  .423 Texas Western4–6 .40012–12  .500 Hardin–Simmons2–8 .20012–14  .462 West Texas State1–9 .1007–16  .304 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton11–3 .78618–8  .692 Pennsylvania10–4 .71416–9  .640 Yale8–6 .57112–12  .500 Brown8–6 .57111–14  .440 Cornell7–7 .50014–10  .583 Harvard4–10 .28611–13  .458 Columbia4–10 .2868–15  .348 Dartmouth4–10 .2865–19  .208 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1960–61 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT St. John's4–0 1.00020–5  .800 NYU2–1 .66712–11  .522 St. Francis (NY)2–1 .66710–10  .500 CCNY1–1 .5007–10  .412 Manhattan1–2 .3338–11  .421 Brooklyn0–2 .0004–14  .222 Fordham0–3 .0007–16  .304 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Ohio10–2 .83317–7  .708 Toledo8–4 .66715–8  .652 Miami (Ohio)7–5 .58312–12  .500 Marshall5–7 .41711–13  .458 Bowling Green State4–8 .33310–14  .417 Western Michigan4–8 .33310–14  .417 Kent State4–8 .3339–14  .391 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT University Saint Joseph's*8–0 1.00025–5  .833** Temple9–1 .90020–8  .714 La Salle7–2 .77815–7  .682 Gettysburg8–4 .66719–6  .760 Lafayette6–6 .50016–8  .667 Bucknell5–6 .45512–11  .522 Rutgers3–6 .33311–10  .524 Lehigh4–10 .2865–16  .238 Delaware2–7 .2228–11  .421 Muhlenberg2–12 .1435–20  .200 College–Northern Albright †12–1 .92319–9  .679 No. 6 Hofstra10–1 .90921–4  .840 Susquehanna9–4 .69217–6  .739 Moravian11–5 .68813–7  .650 Elizabethtown7–7 .50011–11  .500 Lebanon Valley8–8 .50010–9  .526 Wagner5–5 .5009–15  .375 Lycoming6–8 .4299–13  .409 Scranton4–8 .3335–18  .217 Wilkes4–11 .2677–15  .318 Upsala2–9 .182–  – Juniata1–10 .0911–17  .056 Stevens***0–3 .000–  – College–Southern Drexel11–2 .84612–5  .706 Western Maryland8–2 .80016–7  .696 Haverford8–4 .66712–5  .706 Dickinson9–5 .643–  – Franklin & Marshall6–7 .4628–11  .421 Pennsylvania Military5–10 .333–  – Ursinus4–9 .3086–11  .353 Swarthmore3–10 .2313–13  .188 Johns Hopkins1–9 .1004–16  .200 Washington (MD)***4–4 .500–  – West Chester***3–3 .500–  – † 1961 MAC College Division men's basketball tournament winner * – Regular-season University Division champion ** – Overall record later adjuted to 22–4 (.846) *** – Ineligible for championship |
| 1960–61 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Cincinnati10–2 .83327–3  .900 No. 6 Bradley9–3 .75021–5  .808 Drake7–5 .58319–7  .731 Saint Louis7–5 .58321–9  .700 Wichita Municipal6–6 .50018–8  .692 Tulsa2–10 .1678–17  .320 North Texas State1–11 .0832–22  .083 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Utah12–2 .85723–8  .742 Colorado State12–2 .85717–9  .654 BYU9–5 .64315–11  .577 Montana7–7 .50014–9  .609 Denver6–8 .42912–14  .462 Utah State4–10 .28612–14  .462 Wyoming3–11 .2147–18  .280 New Mexico3–11 .2146–17  .261 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Kentucky State9–3 .75018–8  .692 Eastern Kentucky State9–3 .75015–9  .625 Morehead State9–3 .75019–12  .613 Murray State7–5 .58313–10  .565 Middle Tennessee4–8 .3339–14  .391 Tennessee Tech3–9 .2506–13  .316 East Tennessee State1–11 .0839–15  .375 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1960–61 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Mississippi State11–3 .78619–6  .760 Vanderbilt10–4 .71419–5  .792 Kentucky10–4 .71419–9  .679 Florida9–5 .64315–11  .577 Auburn8–6 .57115–7  .682 Georgia Tech6–8 .42913–13  .500 Tulane6–8 .42911–13  .458 LSU6–8 .42911–14  .440 Ole Miss5–9 .35710–14  .417 Alabama5–9 .3577–18  .280 Tennessee4–10 .28610–15  .400 Georgia4–10 .2868–18  .308 Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 West Virginia11–1 .91723–4  .852 Virginia Tech12–3 .80015–7  .682 The Citadel10–3 .76917–8  .680 William & Mary9–6 .60014–10  .583 Furman6–7 .46215–11  .577 Richmond5–11 .3139–14  .391 George Washington †3–9 .2509–17  .346 VMI3–11 .2145–17  .227 Davidson2–10 .1679–14  .391 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Tech11–3 .78615–10  .600 Texas A&M10–4 .71416–8  .667 Arkansas9–5 .64316–7  .696 Texas8–6 .57114–10  .583 Rice7–7 .50011–12  .478 SMU6–8 .42912–12  .500 TCU3–11 .2145–19  .208 Baylor2–12 .1434–20  .167 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1960–61 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Loyola (Calif.)10–2 .83320–7  .741 Saint Mary's8–4 .66719–7  .731 Santa Clara8–4 .66718–9  .667 San Francisco8–4 .66717–11  .607 San Jose State– –11–14  .440 Pepperdine3–9 .2509–16  .360 Pacific0–12 .0005–21  .192 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1960–61 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island 9–1 .90018–9  .667 Maine 7–3 .70018–5  .783 Connecticut 6–4 .60011–13  .458 Massachusetts 4–6 .40016–10  .615 Vermont 3–7 .3009–11  .450 New Hampshire 1–9 .1006–18  .250 |

### University Division independents

A total of 46 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Memphis State (20–3) had the best winning percentage (.870), while St. Bonaventure (24–4) and Providence (24–5) finished with the most wins.
1960–61 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1960–61 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Memphis State– –20–3
* .870
* No. 3 St. Bonaventure– –24–4
* .857
* Providence– –24–5
* .828
* Holy Cross– –21–5
* .808
* Niagara– –16–5
* .762
* Miami (Fla.)– –20–7
* .741
* Louisville– –21–8
* .724
* Army– –17–7
* .708
* Seattle– –18–8
* .692
* Dayton– –20–9
* .690
* Duquesne– –15–7
* .682
* DePaul– –17–8
* .680
* Detroit– –18–9
* .667
* Loyola (Ill.)– –15–8
* .652
* Portland– –16–9
* .640
* Xavier– –17–10
* .630
* Seton Hall– –15–9
* .625
* Boston College– –14–9
* .609
* Houston– –17–11
* .607
* Marquette– –16–11
* .593
* Florida State– –14–10
* .583
* Butler– –15–11
* .577
* Canisius– –13–10
* .565
* Oregon– –15–12
* .556
* Centenary (La.)– –14–12
* .538
* Colgate– –14–12
* .538
* Oklahoma City– –14–12
* .538
* Oregon State– –14–12
* .538
* Navy– –10–9
* .526
* Georgetown– –11–10
* .524
* Pittsburgh– –12–11
* .522
* Idaho State– –13–12
* .520
* Air Force– –12–12
* .500
* Iona– –10–11
* .476
* Notre Dame– –12–14
* .462
* Penn State– –11–13
* .458
* Villanova– –11–13
* .458
* Gonzaga– –11–15
* .423
* Montana State– –10–15
* .400
* Boston University– –9–14
* .391
* Idaho– –10–16
* .385
* Washington State– –10–16
* .385
* Creighton– –8–17
* .320
* Loyola (La.)– –6–18
* .250
* Saint Francis (Pa.)– –6–19
* .240
* Syracuse– –4–19
* .174
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's | Bruce Drysdale, Temple |
Saint Joseph's finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

### Statistical leaders
## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E | St. Joseph's | 69 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 95 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 95 | ME | Ohio State | 65 |
| | | | MW | Cincinnati | 70$^{OT}$ |
| MW | Cincinnati | 82 | MW | Cincinnati | 70$^{OT}$ |
| W | Utah | 67 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | St. Joseph's | 127 $^{4OT}$ |
| | | | W | Utah | 120 |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Saint Louis | 67 | | |
| Dayton | 60 | | |
| Dayton | 60 | Saint Louis | 59 |
| | | Providence | 62 |
| Holy Cross | 83 | Providence | 62 |
| Providence | 90 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Dayton | 67 |
| | | Holy Cross | 85 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Terry Dischinger | F | Junior | Purdue |
| Roger Kaiser | G | Senior | Georgia Tech |
| Jerry Lucas | F/C | Junior | Ohio State |
| Tom Stith | G/F | Senior | St. Bonaventure |
| Chet Walker | F | Junior | Bradley |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Walt Bellamy | C | Senior | Indiana |
| Frank Burgess | G | Senior | Gonzaga |
| Tony Jackson | G | Senior | St. John's |
| Billy McGill | C | Junior | Utah |
| Larry Siegfried | G | Senior | Ohio State |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
* Associated Press Player of the Year:Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
* UPI Player of the Year: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State

### Major coach of the year awards

* Henry Iba Award: Fred Taylor, Ohio State
* NABC Coach of the Year: Fred Taylor, Ohio State
* UPI Coach of the Year: Fred Taylor, Ohio State

### Other major awards

* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Bruce Drysdale, Temple
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Tony Jackson, St. John's

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Arizona | Fred Enke | Bruce Larson | |
| Baylor | Bill Henderson | Bill Menefee | |
| Holy Cross | Roy Leenig | Frank Oftring | |
| North Carolina | Frank McGuire | Dean Smith | McGuire resigned to become head coach of the Philadelphia Warriors. Thirty-year-old assistant Smith was elevated to the head coaching spot. |
| Texas Western | Harold Davis | Don Haskins | |