# 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1965, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Texas Western Miners won their first NCAA national championship with a 72–65 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.

## Season headlines

* After introducing a preseason Top 20 the previous season, the Associated Press (AP) Poll contracted its preseason poll to a Top 10, aligning with the Top 10 format for in-season polls it had used since the 1961–62 season.
* The NCAA tournament contracted from 23 to 22 teams.
* On March 19, 1966, Texas Western became both the first team to begin an NCAA tournament final game with an all-African American starting lineup and the first team with an all-African American starting line-up to win the NCAA championship. The players were Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy, Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, and Willie Worsley.
* The Metropolitan Collegiate Conference, consisting of schools in the New York City-New Jersey area, began play.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 10 from the AP Poll and Top 20 from the Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | Duke |
| 4 | Saint Joseph's |
| 5 | Vanderbilt |
| 6 | Providence |
| 7 | Minnesota |
| 8 | Kansas |
| 9 | Bradley |
| 10 | Kansas State |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | Minnesota |
| 4 | Saint Joseph's |
| 5 | Duke |
| 6 | Vanderbilt |
| 7 | Providence |
| 8 | Kansas |
| 9 | Bradley |
| 10 | BYU |
| 11 | San Francisco |
| 12 | Kansas State |
| 13 | NC State |
| 14 | Dayton |
| 15 (tie) | Boston College |
| 15 (tie) | St. John's |
| 17 (tie) | Louisville |
| 17 (tie) | Tennessee |
| 17 (tie) | West Virginia |
| 20 (tie) | Iowa |
| 20 (tie) | New Mexico |
| 20 (tie) | Princeton |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| East Carolina Pirates | non-NCAA University Division | Southern Conference |
| Fairleigh Dickinson Knights | non-NCAA University Division | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Hofstra Flying Dutchmen | non-NCAA University Division | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Iona Gaels | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Long Island Blackbirds | non-NCAA University Division | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Manhattan Jaspers | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| NYU Violets | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Saint Peter's Peacocks | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| St. Francis Terriers | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Seton Hall Pirates | University Division independent | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
| Virginia Tech Hokies | Southern Conference | University Division independent |
| Wagner Seahawks | non-NCAA University Division | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference |
* East Carolina did not begin University Division play until the 1966–1967 season.
* Fairleigh Dickinson did not begin University Division play until the 1967–1968 season.
* Hofstra did not begin University Division play until the 1966–1967 season.
* Long Island did not begin University Division play until the 1968–1969 season.

## 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 | Oregon State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Duke | Steve Vacendak, Duke | 1966 ACC men's basketball tournament | Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina) | Duke |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Gonzaga & Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Michigan | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Penn | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | Manhattan | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Miami (OH) | 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 | Western Kentucky State | Clem Haskins, Western Kentucky State | 1966 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Jefferson County Armory (Louisville, Kentucky) | Western Kentucky State |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Clyde Lee, Vanderbilt (UPI selection), & Pat Riley, Kentucky (AP selection) | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Dick Snyder, Davidson | 1966 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Davidson |
| Southwest Conference | SMU | John Beasley, Texas A&M | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pacific | Keith Swagerty, Pacific | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | Utah | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Connecticut & Rhode Island | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1965–66 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1965–66 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Oregon State12–2 .85721–7  .750 UCLA10–4 .71418–8  .692 Stanford8–6 .57113–12  .520 Washington State6–8 .42915–11  .577 Oregon6–8 .42913–13  .500 USC6–8 .42913–13  .500 Washington4–10 .28610–15  .400 California4–10 .2869–16  .360 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Duke †12–2 .85726–4  .867 NC State9–5 .64318–9  .667 Clemson8–6 .57115–10  .600 North Carolina8–6 .57116–11  .593 Maryland7–7 .50014–11  .560 South Carolina4–10 .28611–13  .458 Virginia4–10 .2867–15  .318 Wake Forest4–10 .2868–18  .308 † 1966 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Kansas13–1 .92923–4  .852 Nebraska12–2 .85720–5  .800 Kansas State9–5 .64314–11  .560 Oklahoma7–7 .50011–14  .440 Colorado6–8 .42912–13  .480 Iowa State6–8 .42911–14  .440 Oklahoma State2–12 .1434–21  .160 Missouri1–13 .0713–21  .125 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1965–66 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State8–2 .80020–5  .800 Gonzaga8–2 .80019–7  .731 Montana6–5 .54514–10  .583 Montana State5–5 .5007–15  .318 Idaho2–8 .20012–14  .462 Idaho State1–9 .1007–19  .269 | 1965–66 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Michigan11–3 .78618–8  .692 Michigan State10–4 .71415–7  .682 Iowa8–6 .57117–7  .708 Illinois8–6 .57112–12  .500 Minnesota7–7 .50014–10  .583 Northwestern7–7 .50012–12  .500 Wisconsin6–8 .42911–13  .458 Ohio State5–9 .35711–13  .458 Indiana4–10 .2868–16  .333 Purdue4–10 .2868–16  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pennsylvania12–2 .85719–6  .760 Columbia10–4 .71418–6  .750 Cornell10–4 .71415–9  .625 Princeton9–5 .64316–7  .696 Yale6–8 .4299–12  .429 Harvard6–8 .42910–14  .417 Brown3–11 .2149–17  .346 Dartmouth0–14 .0003–21  .125 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1965–66 Metropolitan Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Manhattan8–1 .88913–9  .591 LIU7–2 .77822–4  .846 NYU7–2 .77818–10  .643 Hofstra6–3 .66716–10  .615 Fairleigh Dickinson5–4 .55615–10  .600 Saint Peter's5–4 .55611–12  .478 Seton Hall3–6 .3336–18  .250 Iona3–6 .3335–16  .238 Wagner1–8 .11114–12  .538 St. Francis (NY)0–9 .0005–17  .227 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Miami (Ohio)11–1 .91718–7  .720 Toledo8–4 .66713–11  .542 Ohio6–6 .50013–10  .565 Bowling Green State6–6 .5009–15  .375 Marshall4–8 .33312–12  .500 Western Michigan4–8 .3338–14  .364 Kent State3–9 .2508–16  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Saint Joseph's†4–0 1.00024–5  .828 Bucknell7–2 .77815–10  .600 Lafayette7–4 .6369–11  .450 Temple5–3 .62521–7  .750 La Salle3–3 .50010–15  .400 Delaware4–5 .4449–15  .375 Gettysburg3–7 .3009–15  .375 Lehigh0–9 .0004–17  .190 West Chester (Pa.)*– –6–17  .261 † Regular-season championship winner * – Played as non-major program Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1965–66 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Cincinnati10–4 .71421–7  .750 Bradley9–5 .64320–6  .769 Wichita State9–5 .64317–10  .630 Louisville8–6 .57116–10  .615 Saint Louis8–6 .57115–10  .600 Tulsa6–8 .42916–13  .552 Drake6–8 .42913–12  .520 North Texas State0–14 .0005–20  .200 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Western Kentucky State14–0 1.00025–3  .893 Eastern Kentucky State9–5 .64316–9  .640 Tennessee Tech8–6 .57117–8  .680 Murray State8–6 .57113–12  .520 Morehead State8–6 .57112–12  .500 Austin Peay State3–11 .2147–14  .333 East Tennessee State3–11 .2147–14  .333 Middle Tennessee3–11 .2147–17  .292 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Kentucky15–1 .93827–2  .931 No. 8 Vanderbilt13–3 .81322–4  .846 Tennessee10–6 .62518–8  .692 Mississippi State10–6 .62514–11  .560 Alabama9–7 .56316–10  .615 Florida9–7 .56316–10  .615 Auburn8–8 .50016–10  .615 Georgia5–11 .31310–15  .400 Tulane5–11 .3139–16  .360 LSU2–14 .1256–20  .231 Ole Miss2–14 .1255–18  .217 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1965–66 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Davidson †11–1 .91721–7  .750 West Virginia8–2 .80019–9  .679 William & Mary8–3 .72713–12  .520 Richmond9–7 .56312–13  .480 East Carolina5–7 .41711–15  .423 Furman4–8 .3339–17  .346 VMI5–11 .3135–18  .217 The Citadel4–9 .3087–16  .304 George Washington3–9 .2503–18  .143 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT SMU11–3 .78617–9  .654 Texas A&M10–4 .71415–9  .625 Texas Tech8–6 .57113–11  .542 Arkansas7–7 .50013–10  .565 Texas7–7 .50012–12  .500 Baylor6–8 .4298–16  .333 TCU6–8 .4298–16  .333 Rice1–13 .0711–22  .043 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pacific13–1 .92922–6  .786 San Francisco11–3 .78622–6  .786 Santa Clara8–6 .57116–11  .593 Loyola (Calif.)7–7 .50011–15  .423 San Jose State– –11–13  .458 UC Santa Barbara5–9 .35710–16  .385 Saint Mary's4–10 .2868–17  .320 Pepperdine1–13 .0712–24  .077 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1965–66 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Utah7–3 .70023–8  .742 BYU6–4 .60020–5  .800 Wyoming5–5 .50017–9  .654 Arizona5–5 .50015–11  .577 New Mexico4–6 .40016–8  .667 Arizona State3–7 .30012–14  .462 Rankings from AP Poll | 1965–66 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island 9–1 .90020–8  .714 Connecticut 9–1 .90016–8  .667 Massachusetts 5–5 .50011–13  .458 Maine 4–6 .4009–13  .409 Vermont 3–7 .30012–8  .600 New Hampshire 0–10 .0003–21  .125 |

### University Division independents

A total of 49 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Texas Western (28–1) had both the best winning percentage (.966) and the most wins.
1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 3 Texas Western– –28–1
* .966
* No. 6 Loyola Chicago– –22–3
* .880
* Oklahoma City– –24–5
* .828
* Providence– –22–5
* .815
* Boston College– –21–5
* .808
* Dayton– –23–6
* .793
* Houston– –23–6
* .793
* Fairfield– –19–5
* .792
* VPI– –19–5
* .792
* Syracuse– –22–6
* .786
* Hardin–Simmons– –20–6
* .769
* Penn State– –18–6
* .750
* Rutgers– –17–7
* .708
* St. Bonaventure– –16–7
* .696
* Army– –18–8
* .692
* DePaul– –18–8
* .692
* St. John's– –18–8
* .692
* Detroit– –17–8
* .680
* Georgetown– –16–8
* .667
* Colorado State– –14–8
* .636
* Villanova– –18–11
* .621
* Butler– –16–10
* .615
* Seattle– –16–10
* .615
* Duquesne– –14–9
* .609
* Miami (FL)– –15–11
* .577
* Denver– –14–11
* .560
* Florida State– –14–11
* .560
* Air Force– –14–12
* .538
* Crieghton– –14–12
* .538
* Marquette– –14–12
* .538
* Georgia Tech– –13–13
* .500
* Xavier– –13–13
* .500
* Loyola (LA)– –12–12
* .500
* Centenary– –12–14
* .462
* Utah State– –12–14
* .462
* Niagara– –11–13
* .458
* Holy Cross– –10–13
* .435
* Fordham– –10–15
* .400
* Memphis State– –10–15
* .400
* Navy– –7–12
* .368
* Colgate– –8–14
* .364
* Canisius– –7–15
* .318
* Saint Francis (PA)– –8–18
* .308
* West Texas State– –6–17
* .261
* Portland– –6–19
* .240
* Pittsburgh– –5–17
* .227
* Notre Dame– –5–21
* .192
* Boston University– –4–19
* .174
* New Mexico State– –4–22
* .154
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's | Bill Melchionni, Villanova |
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 Semi-finals | National Semi-finals | National Semi-finals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E | Duke | 79 | | | |
| ME | Kentucky | 83 | | | |
| ME | Kentucky | 83 | ME | Kentucky | 65 |
| | | | MW | Texas Western | 72 |
| MW | Texas Western | 85 | MW | Texas Western | 72 |
| W | Utah | 78 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | Duke | 79 |
| | | | W | Utah | 77 |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semi-finals and Finals

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals |
| BYU | 66 | | |
| Army | 60 | | |
| Army | 60 | BYU | 97 |
| | | NYU | 84 |
| NYU | 69 | NYU | 84 |
| Villanova | 63 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Army | 65 |
| | | Villanova | 76 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Dave Bing | G | Senior | Syracuse |
| Clyde Lee | F | Senior | Vanderbilt |
| Cazzie Russell | F | Senior | Michigan |
| Dave Schellhase | G/F | Senior | Purdue |
| Jimmy Walker | G | Junior | Providence |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Louie Dampier | G | Junior | Kentucky |
| Matt Guokas | G | Junior | St. Joseph's |
| Jack Marin | F | Senior | Duke |
| Dick Snyder | F | Senior | Davidson |
| Bob Verga | G | Senior | Duke |
| Walt Wesley | C | Senior | Kansas |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan
* UPI Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Cazzie Russell, Michigan
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Cazzie Russell, Michigan

### Major coach of the year awards

* Henry Iba Award: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky
* NABC Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky
* UPI Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp, Kentucky

### Other major awards

* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Bill Melchionni, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Albie Grant, LIU Brooklyn

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Georgetown | Tommy O'Keefe | Jack Magee | Able to sustain himself financially only by working outside of basketball to supplement the low salary of Georgetown's head coaching position, and lacking the time to recruit players properly while coaching only part-time, O'Keefe — Georgetown's head coach for six seasons — resigned after the season to devote himself full-time to his business concerns. His resignation prompted Georgetown to commit to hiring a full-time coach beginning with the following season. |
| Hardin–Simmons | Lou Henson | Paul Lambert | |
| Loyola (LA) | Bill Gardiner | Ron Greene | |
| New Mexico State | Lou Henson | Jim McGregor | |