# 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1969, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 21, 1970, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The UCLA Bruins won their sixth NCAA national championship with an 80–69 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins.

## Season headlines

* UCLA won its fourth NCAA championship in a row, sixth overall, and sixth in seven seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its fourth of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* The Pacific Coast Athletic Association began play. It was renamed the Big West Conference in 1988.
* LSU’s Pete Maravich established several NCAA records during his career. Two of the most notable came during this season — single-season scoring average (44.5 in 1969–70, besting his 44.2 average from the prior season) and career scoring (3,667 points). In addition to leading the NCAA in scoring for the third consecutive season, Maravich was named a consensus first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year for the third time. He was the first player to score 3,000 or more points in his career (1968–1970), and his career average of 44.2 points per game made him the first player to average more than 40 points a game for his career. In a game against Alabama on February 7, 1970, Maravich scored 69 points, setting a record for points scored by a single player in a game against an NCAA University Division (later NCAA Division I) opponent; Maravich broke the record of 68 points set by Calvin Murphy of Niagara in December 1968, and no one outscored Maravich until Kevin Bradshaw scored 72 points in a game in January 1991.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | South Carolina |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Purdue |
| 4 | UCLA |
| 5 | Davidson |
| 6 | New Mexico State |
| 7 | North Carolina |
| 8 | Marquette |
| 9 | Villanova |
| 10 | Colorado |
| 11 | Duquesne |
| 12 | Santa Clara |
| 13 | Notre Dame |
| 14 | St. John's |
| 15 | Louisville |
| 16 | USC |
| 17 | St. Bonaventure |
| 18 | Ohio State |
| 19 | Drake |
| 20 | Houston |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | South Carolina |
| 3 | Kentucky |
| 4 | Purdue |
| 5 | New Mexico State |
| 6 | Colorado |
| 7 | North Carolina |
| 8 | Davidson |
| 9 | USC |
| 10 | Duquesne |
| 11 | Santa Clara |
| 12 | Kansas |
| 13 | Marquette |
| 14 | St. John's |
| 15 | Villanova |
| 16 | St. Bonaventure |
| 17 (tie) | Arizona |
| 17 (tie) | New Mexico |
| 19 | Louisville |
| 20 | La Salle |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles | non-University Division | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Colorado State Rams | NCAA University Division independent | Western Athletic Conference |
| Fairleigh Dickinson Knights | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| Fresno Bulldogs | non-University Division | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Hofstra Flying Dutchmen | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | Middle Atlantic Conference |
| Iona Gaels | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| Long Beach State 49ers | non-University Division | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Long Island Blackbirds | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| Manhattan Jaspers | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| Marshall Thundering Herd | Mid-American Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| Nevada Wolfpack | non-University Division | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| UNLV Runnin' Rebels | non-University Division | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| Saint Peter's Peacocks | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| San Diego State Aztecs | non-University Division | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| San Jose State Spartans | West Coast Athletic Conference | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | West Coast Athletic Conference | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Seton Hall Pirates | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| UTEP Miners | NCAA University Division independent | Western Athletic Conference |
| Wagner Seahawks | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | non-NCAA University Division |

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

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | South Carolina | John Roche, South Carolina | 1970 ACC men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | NC State |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | Dave Robisch, Kansas | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Iowa | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Penn | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Ohio | Jim Penix, Bowling Green | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | St. Joseph's (East); Lafayette, Lehigh, & Rider (West) | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Drake | Jim Ard, Cincinnati | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Western Kentucky | Jim McDaniels, Western Kentucky | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific 8 Conference | UCLA | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Long Beach State | George Trapp, Long Beach State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Pete Maravich, LSU | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Mike Maloy, Davidson | 1970 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Davidson |
| Southland Conference | Lamar | Kenny Haynes, Lamar | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Rice | Gene Phillips, SMU | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Santa Clara | Dennis Awtrey, Santa Clara | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | UTEP | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Connecticut & Massachusetts | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1969–70 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1969–70 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 South Carolina14–0 1.00025–3  .893 North Carolina9–5 .64318–9  .667 No. 10 NC State †9–5 .64323–7  .767 Duke8–6 .57117–9  .654 Wake Forest6–8 .42914–13  .519 Maryland5–9 .35713–13  .500 Virginia3–11 .21410–15  .400 Clemson2–12 .1437–19  .269 † 1970 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Kansas State10–4 .71420–8  .714 Kansas8–6 .57117–9  .654 Oklahoma7–7 .50019–9  .679 Nebraska7–7 .50016–9  .640 Missouri7–7 .50015–11  .577 Colorado7–7 .50014–12  .538 Oklahoma State5–9 .35714–12  .538 Iowa State5–9 .35712–14  .462 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State12–3 .80019–8  .704 Idaho State11–4 .73314–11  .560 Gonzaga7–8 .46710–16  .385 Idaho6–9 .40010–15  .400 Montana5–10 .3338–18  .308 Montana State4–11 .2674–22  .154 |
| 1969–70 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Iowa14–0 1.00020–5  .800 Purdue11–3 .78618–6  .750 Ohio State8–6 .57115–9  .625 Illinois8–6 .57115–9  .625 Minnesota7–7 .50013–11  .542 Michigan5–9 .35710–14  .417 Wisconsin5–9 .35710–14  .417 Michigan State5–9 .3579–15  .375 Northwestern4–10 .2869–15  .375 Indiana3–11 .2147–17  .292 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 13 Pennsylvania14–0 1.00025–2  .926 Columbia11–3 .78620–5  .800 Princeton9–5 .64316–9  .640 Dartmouth7–7 .50013–12  .520 Yale7–7 .50011–13  .458 Cornell4–10 .2867–16  .304 Brown3–11 .2146–20  .231 Harvard1–13 .0717–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Ohio9–1 .90020–5  .800 Bowling Green State7–3 .70015–9  .625 Miami (Ohio)6–4 .60015–9  .625 Toledo5–5 .50015–9  .625 Kent State2–8 .2007–17  .292 Western Michigan1–7 .1255–18  .217 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1969–70 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT University–Eastern Saint Joseph's5–0 1.00015–12  .556 La Salle3–2 .60014–12  .538 Temple †2–3 .40015–13  .536 Hofstra2–3 .40013–13  .500 American2–3 .40011–12  .478 West Chester1–4 .20011–15  .423 University–Western Lehigh7–3 .70013–14  .481 Lafayette7–3 .70012–14  .462 Rider7–3 .70016–10  .615 Delaware6–4 .60016–9  .640 Bucknell3–7 .3006–17  .261 Gettysburg0–10 .0008–18  .308 College–Northern Philadelphia Textile †– ––  – Scranton10–4 .71415–8  .652 Upsala– ––  – Juniata8–4 .66714–8  .636 Wagner6–5 .54511–14  .440 Elizabethtown7–6 .5389–13  .409 Susquehanna8–8 .50012–11  .522 Albright7–10 .4127–18  .280 Lycoming3–12 .2004–15  .211 College–Southern Muhlenberg †13–1 .92916–6  .727 Pennsylvania Military– ––  – Johns Hopkins8–4 .66710–8  .556 Dickinson11–6 .64713–11  .542 Drexel7–6 .53811–11  .500 Ursinus8–8 .5009–9  .500 Swarthmore7–7 .50010–8  .556 Lebanon Valley6–11 .3537–13  .350 Moravian4–16 .2004–17  .190 Franklin & Marshall3–12 .2003–17  .150 Haverford2–12 .1435–14  .263 † 1970 MAC men's basketball tournament winner University division only counted games within their division. College division counted games across Northern/Southern. Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Drake14–2 .87522–7  .759 Cincinnati12–4 .75021–6  .778 North Texas State11–5 .68818–8  .692 Louisville11–5 .68818–9  .667 Tulsa9–8 .52915–11  .577 Bradley7–9 .43814–12  .538 Saint Louis5–11 .3139–17  .346 Wichita State3–13 .1888–18  .308 Memphis State1–16 .0596–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Western Kentucky14–0 1.00022–3  .880 Murray State9–5 .64317–9  .654 East Tennessee State8–6 .57115–11  .577 Eastern Kentucky8–6 .57112–10  .545 Middle Tennessee6–8 .42915–11  .577 Morehead State5–9 .35713–11  .542 Tennessee Tech4–10 .28610–15  .400 Austin Peay2–12 .1435–21  .192 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1969–70 Pacific–8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 UCLA12–2 .85728–2  .933 Washington State9–5 .64319–7  .731 No. 20 USC9–5 .64318–8  .692 Oregon8–6 .57117–9  .654 Washington7–7 .50017–9  .654 California5–9 .35711–15  .423 Oregon State4–10 .28610–16  .385 Stanford2–12 .1435–20  .200 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 Long Beach State†10–0 1.00024–5  .828 UC Santa Barbara6–4 .60012–14  .462 Cal State Los Angeles*– –18–8  .692 Fresno State*– –14–12  .538 San Diego State*– –13–13  .500 San Jose State0–10 .0003–21  .125 † Regular-season championship winner * – Played as non-major program Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Kentucky17–1 .94426–2  .929 LSU13–5 .72222–10  .688 Auburn11–7 .61115–11  .577 Georgia11–7 .61113–12  .520 Tennessee10–8 .55616–9  .640 Vanderbilt8–10 .44412–14  .462 Ole Miss6–12 .33310–15  .400 Florida6–12 .3339–17  .346 Alabama5–13 .2788–18  .308 Mississippi State3–15 .1676–18  .250 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1969–70 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Davidson †10–0 1.00022–5  .815 East Carolina9–2 .81816–10  .615 George Washington6–4 .60012–15  .444 Furman5–6 .45513–13  .500 William & Mary5–7 .41711–16  .407 The Citadel4–8 .3338–16  .333 Richmond4–9 .3089–18  .333 VMI3–10 .2316–19  .240 † Tournament winner As of April 30, 1970 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lamar7–1 .87515–9  .625 Texas-Arlington4–4 .5008–16  .333 Trinity (Tex.)*– –15–8  .652 Arkansas State*– –14–9  .609 Abilene Christian*– –10–16  .385 * – Played as non-major program Rankings from AP poll | 1969–70 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rice10–4 .71414–11  .560 Texas A&M9–5 .64314–10  .583 Baylor8–6 .57115–9  .625 Texas Tech8–6 .57114–10  .583 TCU8–6 .57110–14  .417 Texas6–8 .42911–13  .458 SMU4–10 .2865–19  .208 Arkansas3–11 .2145–19  .208 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1969–70 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Santa Clara†11–3 .78623–6  .793 Pacific11–3 .78621–6  .778 UNLV9–5 .64317–9  .654 San Francisco9–5 .64315–11  .577 Pepperdine7–7 .50014–12  .538 Loyola (Calif.)7–7 .50013–13  .500 Nevada2–12 .1435–17  .227 Saint Mary's0–14 .0003–22  .120 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP poll | 1969–70 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UTEP10–4 .71417–8  .680 Wyoming9–5 .64319–7  .731 Utah9–5 .64318–10  .643 Arizona8–6 .57112–14  .462 Colorado State7–7 .50014–9  .609 New Mexico7–7 .50013–13  .500 BYU4–10 .2868–18  .308 Arizona State2–12 .1434–22  .154 Rankings from AP Poll | 1969–70 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Massachusetts 8–2 .80018–7  .720 Connecticut 8–2 .80014–9  .609 Rhode Island 7–3 .70016–10  .615 New Hampshire 3–7 .30012–11  .522 Vermont 3–7 .3008–16  .333 Maine 1–9 .1007–17  .292 |

### University Division independents

A total of 61 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Jacksonville (27–2) had the best winning percentage (.931), and Jacksonville and New Mexico State (27–3) finished with the most wins.
1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 4 Jacksonville– –27–2
* .931
* No. 5 New Mexico State– –27–3
* .900
* No. 8 Marquette– –26–3
* .897
* No. 3 St. Bonaventure– –25–3
* .893
* No. 11 Florida State– –23–3
* .885
* No. 12 Houston– –25–5
* .833
* Army– –22–6
* .786
* No. 17 Niagara– –22–7
* .759
* No. 16 Utah State– –22–7
* .759
* Villanova– –22–7
* .759
* No. 9 Notre Dame– –21–8
* .724
* St. John's– –21–8
* .724
* Georgetown– –18–7
* .720
* Duquesne– –17–7
* .708
* Dayton– –19–8
* .704
* Manhattan– –18–8
* .692
* Hardin–Simmons– –17–9
* .654
* Holy Cross– –16–9
* .640
* Long Island– –16–9
* .640
* Georgia Tech– –17–10
* .630
* Creighton– –15–10
* .600
* Seattle– –15–10
* .600
* Boston University– –14–10
* .583
* Butler– –15–11
* .577
* Oklahoma City– –17–13
* .567
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –13–10
* .565
* Southern Illinois– –13–10
* .565
* Colgate– –14–11
* .560
* Providence– –14–11
* .560
* Denver– –13–11
* .542
* Loyola (IL)– –13–11
* .542
* Penn State– –13–11
* .542
* Rutgers– –13–11
* .542
* Saint Peter's– –13–11
* .542
* Northern Illinois– –13–12
* .520
* Air Force– –12–12
* .500
* Fairfield– –12–12
* .500
* Iona– –12–12
* .500
* NYU– –12–12
* .500
* Pittsburgh– –12–12
* .500
* Saint Francis (PA)– –12–12
* .500
* Syracuse– –12–12
* .500
* DePaul– –12–13
* .480
* West Texas State– –12–13
* .480
* Loyola (LA)– –12–14
* .462
* Boston College– –11–13
* .458
* Virginia Tech– –10–12
* .455
* St. Francis (NY)– –9–12
* .429
* West Virginia– –11–15
* .423
* Canisius– –9–13
* .409
* Fordham– –10–15
* .400
* Seton Hall– –10–15
* .400
* Marshall– –9–14
* .391
* Miami (FL)– –9–17
* .346
* Centenary– –8–16
* .333
* Pan American– –8–16
* .333
* Detroit– –7–18
* .280
* Tulane– –5–18
* .217
* Xavier– –5–20
* .200
* Navy– –4–19
* .174
* Portland– –4–22
* .154
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Penn | Ken Durrett, La Salle |
Penn 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. Bonaventure | 83 | | | |
| ME | Jacksonville | 91 | | | |
| ME | Jacksonville | 91 | ME | Jacksonville | 69 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 80 |
| MW | New Mexico State | 77 | W | UCLA | 80 |
| W | UCLA | 93 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | St. Bonaventure | 73 |
| | | | MW | New Mexico State | 79 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Army | 59 | | |
| St. John's | 60 | | |
| St. John's | 60 | St. John's | 53 |
| | | Marquette | 65 |
| Marquette | 101 | Marquette | 65 |
| LSU | 79 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Army | 75 |
| | | LSU | 68 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Dan Issel | F/C | Senior | Kentucky |
| Bob Lanier | C | Senior | St. Bonaventure |
| Pete Maravich | G/F | Senior | Louisiana State |
| Rick Mount | G/F | Senior | Purdue |
| Calvin Murphy | G | Senior | Niagara |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Austin Carr | G | Junior | Notre Dame |
| Jim Collins | G | Senior | New Mexico State |
| John Roche | G | Junior | South Carolina |
| Charlie Scott | F | Senior | North Carolina |
| Sidney Wicks | F | Junior | UCLA |

### Major player of the year awards

* Naismith Award: Pete Maravich, LSU
* Helms Player of the Year: Pete Maravich, LSU
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Pete Maravich, LSU
* UPI Player of the Year: Pete Maravich, LSU
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Pete Maravich, LSU
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Pete Maravich, LSU

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Wooden, UCLA
* NABC Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
* UPI Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): John Rinka, Kenyon
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ken Durrett, La Salle
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Jim McMillian, Columbia

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Hardin–Simmons | Paul Lambert | Glen Whitis |
| Kansas State | Cotton Fitzsimmons | Jack Hartman |
| Oklahoma State | Henry Iba | Sam Aubrey |
| St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Frank Mulzoff |
| Southern Illinois | Jack Hartman | Paul Lambert |