# 1967–68 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1967–68 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1967, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 23, 1968, at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The UCLA Bruins won their fourth NCAA national championship with a 78–55 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

## Rule changes

The slam dunk — criticized as a move that rewards height rather than skill — is prohibited in NCAA basketball both during games and during pre-game warm-ups. It will not become legal again until the 1976–77 season.

## Season headlines

* Marketed as the "Game of the Century," a meeting of the Houston Cougars and the UCLA Bruins on January 20, 1968, was the first college basketball game televised nationwide in prime time in the United States. Syndicated by the TVS Television Network with Dick Enberg as play-by-play announcer and Bob Pettit providing color commentary, the broadcast established college basketball as a sports commodity on American television and paved the way for the television coverage of the NCAA tournament known today.
* UCLA won its second NCAA championship in a row, fourth overall, and fourth in five seasons. In the Athletic Association of Western Universities, it also won its second of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 14 to 16 teams.

## 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 | Houston |
| 3 | Louisville |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Kansas |
| 6 | Dayton |
| 7 | Boston College |
| 8 | Princeton |
| 9 | Vanderbilt |
| 10 | Davidson |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Houston |
| 3 | Kansas |
| 4 | Louisville |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 | Dayton |
| 7 | Boston College |
| 8 | Princeton |
| 9 | Vanderbilt |
| 10 | Tennessee |
| 11 | Indiana |
| 12 | Davidson |
| 13 | Cincinnati |
| 14 | UTEP |
| 15 (tie) | Loyola-Chicago |
| 15 (tie) | St. John's |
| 15 (tie) | Wyoming |
| 18 | Marquette |
| 19 (tie) | Duke |
| 19 (tie) | Niagara |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Memphis State Tigers | NCAA University Division independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| NYU Violets | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |

## Regular season
### Conference
#### 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 | UCLA | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | Larry Miller, North Carolina | 1968 ACC men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | Donald Smith, Iowa State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Iowa & Ohio State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Columbia | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | St. Peter's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Bowling Green State | Fred Foster, Miami (OH) | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | La Salle | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Drake & Louisville | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | East Tennessee State & Murray State | Wayne Chapman, Western Kentucky, & Skeeter Swift, East Tennessee State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Pete Maravich, LSU | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Ron Williams, West Virginia | 1968 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Davidson |
| Southwest Conference | TCU | Billy Arnold, Texas | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Santa Clara | Rick Adelman, Loyola (Calif.) | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | New Mexico | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Massachusetts & Rhode Island | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1967–68 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1967–68 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 UCLA14–0 1.00029–1  .967 USC11–3 .78618–8  .692 Washington State8–6 .57116–9  .640 California7–7 .50016–9  .640 Oregon State5–9 .35712–13  .480 Stanford5–9 .35711–15  .423 Washington4–10 .28612–14  .462 Oregon2–12 .1437–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 North Carolina †12–2 .85728–4  .875 No. 10 Duke11–3 .78622–6  .786 NC State9–5 .64316–10  .615 South Carolina9–5 .64315–7  .682 Virginia5–9 .3579–16  .360 Maryland4–10 .2868–16  .333 Clemson3–11 .2144–20  .167 Wake Forest3–11 .2145–21  .192 † 1968 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Kansas State11–3 .78619–9  .679 Kansas10–4 .71422–8  .733 Nebraska8–6 .57115–10  .600 Oklahoma8–6 .57113–13  .500 Iowa State8–6 .57112–13  .480 Missouri5–9 .35710–16  .385 Oklahoma State3–11 .21410–16  .385 Colorado3–11 .2149–16  .360 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1967–68 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State12–3 .80021–6  .778 Idaho9–3 .75015–11  .577 Idaho State7–8 .46713–13  .500 Montana State6–9 .40010–15  .400 Gonzaga6–9 .4009–17  .346 Montana5–10 .3338–17  .320 | 1967–68 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Ohio State10–4 .71421–8  .724 Iowa10–4 .71416–9  .640 Purdue9–5 .64315–9  .625 Northwestern8–6 .57113–10  .565 Wisconsin7–7 .50013–11  .542 Michigan State6–8 .42912–12  .500 Illinois6–8 .42911–13  .458 Michigan6–8 .42911–13  .458 Indiana4–10 .28610–14  .417 Minnesota4–10 .2867–17  .292 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Columbia†12–2 .85723–5  .821 Princeton12–2 .85720–6  .769 Yale8–6 .57115–9  .625 Cornell6–8 .42914–11  .560 Dartmouth6–8 .4298–18  .308 Brown4–10 .2869–16  .360 Pennsylvania4–10 .2869–17  .346 Harvard4–10 .2867–14  .333 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1967–68 Metropolitan Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Saint Peter's8–0 1.00024–4  .857 LIU7–1 .87522–2  .917 Wagner5–3 .62521–8  .724 Iona4–4 .50013–9  .591 Fairleigh Dickinson4–4 .50010–12  .455 Seton Hall4–4 .5009–15  .375 Manhattan3–5 .3758–14  .364 Hofstra1–7 .12513–12  .520 St. Francis (NY)0–8 .0007–16  .304 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Bowling Green State10–2 .83318–7  .720 Marshall9–3 .75017–8  .680 Toledo8–4 .66716–8  .667 Western Michigan5–7 .41711–13  .458 Miami (Ohio)4–8 .33311–12  .478 Kent State3–9 .2509–15  .375 Ohio3–9 .2507–16  .304 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT La Salle†8–0 1.00020–8  .714 Delaware7–2 .77816–7  .696 American5–2 .71414–12  .538 Temple5–3 .62519–9  .679 Saint Joseph's2–2 .50017–9  .654 Lehigh5–5 .50012–11  .522 Gettysburg5–6 .45514–11  .560 Bucknell4–6 .40012–11  .522 Rider1–6 .1439–15  .375 Lafayette1–11 .0835–19  .208 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1967–68 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Louisville14–2 .87521–7  .750 Bradley12–4 .75019–9  .679 Cincinnati11–5 .68818–8  .692 Drake9–7 .56318–8  .692 Saint Louis9–7 .56315–11  .577 Wichita State7–9 .43812–14  .462 Tulsa5–11 .31311–12  .478 North Texas State3–13 .1888–18  .308 Memphis State2–14 .1258–17  .320 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Tennessee State10–4 .71419–8  .704 Murray State10–4 .71416–8  .667 Western Kentucky9–5 .64318–7  .720 Morehead State8–6 .57112–9  .571 Middle Tennessee7–7 .50015–9  .625 Eastern Kentucky6–8 .42910–14  .417 Tennessee Tech4–10 .28610–16  .385 Austin Peay State2–12 .1438–16  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Kentucky15–3 .83322–5  .815 Tennessee13–5 .72220–6  .769 Vanderbilt12–6 .66720–6  .769 Georgia11–7 .61117–8  .680 Florida11–7 .61115–10  .600 LSU8–10 .44414–12  .538 Auburn8–10 .44413–13  .500 Mississippi State5–13 .2789–17  .346 Ole Miss4–14 .2227–17  .292 Alabama3–15 .16710–16  .385 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1967–68 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Davidson †9–1 .90024–5  .828 West Virginia9–2 .81819–9  .679 The Citadel6–5 .54511–14  .440 VMI8–7 .5339–12  .429 Furman6–6 .50013–14  .481 Richmond8–8 .50012–13  .480 East Carolina6–7 .4629–16  .360 William & Mary4–10 .2866–18  .250 George Washington2–12 .1435–19  .208 † 1968 Southern Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT TCU9–5 .64315–11  .577 Baylor8–6 .57115–9  .625 Texas A&M8–6 .57114–10  .583 Texas8–6 .57111–13  .458 Arkansas7–7 .50010–14  .417 Rice6–8 .4298–16  .333 Texas Tech5–9 .3579–15  .375 SMU5–9 .3576–18  .250 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Santa Clara11–1 .91722–4  .846 Loyola (Calif.)10–2 .83319–6  .760 San Francisco8–4 .66716–10  .615 San Jose State– –13–12  .520 Pacific5–7 .41717–9  .654 UC Santa Barbara3–9 .2509–17  .346 Saint Mary's3–9 .2504–20  .167 Pepperdine2–10 .1679–17  .346 Rankings from AP poll |
| 1967–68 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 New Mexico8–2 .80023–5  .821 Wyoming5–5 .50018–9  .667 Utah5–5 .50017–9  .654 BYU4–6 .40013–12  .520 Arizona4–6 .40011–13  .458 Arizona State4–6 .40011–17  .393 Rankings from AP Poll | 1967–68 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island 8–2 .80015–11  .577 Massachusetts 8–2 .80014–11  .560 Connecticut 7–3 .70011–13  .458 Vermont 5–5 .50012–12  .500 Maine 2–8 .2007–17  .292 New Hampshire 0–10 .0001–22  .043 |

### University Division independents

A total of 53 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Houston (31–2) had both the best winning percentage (.939) and the most wins.
1967–68 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1967–68 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 1 Houston– –31–2
* .939
* No. 3 St. Bonaventure– –23–2
* .920
* Army– –20–5
* .800
* Marquette– –23–6
* .793
* New Mexico State– –23–6
* .793
* St. Francis (PA)– –19–6
* .760
* Oklahoma City– –20–7
* .741
* Duquesne– –18–7
* .720
* Florida State– –19–8
* .704
* Fordham– –19–8
* .704
* St. John's– –19–8
* .704
* Dayton– –21–9
* .700
* Notre Dame– –21–9
* .700
* Boston College– –17–8
* .680
* Villanova– –19–9
* .679
* Holy Cross– –15–8
* .652
* Loyola Chicago– –15–9
* .625
* Fairfield– –16–10
* .615
* Texas Western– –14–9
* .609
* Miami (FL)– –17–11
* .607
* Rutgers– –14–10
* .583
* Utah State– –14–11
* .560
* VPI– –14–11
* .560
* Southern Illinois– –13–11
* .542
* DePaul– –13–12
* .520
* Detroit– –13–12
* .520
* Seattle– –14–13
* .519
* Jacksonville– –13–13
* .500
* Niagara– –12–12
* .500
* Tulane– –12–12
* .500
* Penn State– –10–10
* .500
* Georgia Tech– –12–13
* .480
* Georgetown– –11–12
* .478
* West Texas State– –10–11
* .476
* Colorado State– –11–13
* .458
* Navy– –9–11
* .450
* Butler– –11–14
* .440
* Denver– –11–14
* .440
* Loyola (LA)– –11–14
* .440
* Providence– –11–14
* .440
* Syracuse– –11–14
* .440
* Boston University– –10–14
* .417
* Northern Illinois– –10–14
* .417
* Colgate– –10–16
* .385
* Hardin–Simmons– –10–16
* .385
* Xavier– –10–16
* .385
* Air Force– –9–15
* .375
* NYU– –8–16
* .333
* Creighton– –8–17
* .320
* Pittsburgh– –7–15
* .318
* Canisius– –7–17
* .292
* Portland– –5–21
* .192
* Centenary– –3–23
* .115
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's | Johnny Jones, Villanova |
Saint Joseph's finished with a 3–1 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 | North Carolina | 80 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 66 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 66 | E | North Carolina | 55 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 78 |
| MW | Houston | 69 | W | UCLA | 78 |
| W | UCLA | 101 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | ME | Ohio State | 89 |
| | | | MW | Houston | 85 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Kansas | 58 | | |
| St. Peter's | 46 | | |
| St. Peter's | 46 | Kansas | 48 |
| | | Dayton | 61 |
| Dayton | 76 | Dayton | 61 |
| Notre Dame | 74 | Third place | Third place |
| | | St. Peter's | 78 |
| | | Notre Dame | 81 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Lew Alcindor | C | Junior | UCLA |
| Elvin Hayes | F/C | Senior | Houston |
| Pete Maravich | G/F | Sophomore | Louisiana State |
| Larry Miller | F | Senior | North Carolina |
| Wes Unseld | C | Senior | Louisville |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Lucius Allen | G | Junior | UCLA |
| Bob Lanier | C | Sophomore | St. Bonaventure |
| Don May | G/F | Senior | Dayton |
| Calvin Murphy | G | Sophomore | Niagara |
| Jo Jo White | G | Junior | Kansas |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Elvin Hayes, Houston
* UPI Player of the Year: Elvin Hayes, Houston
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Lew Alcindor, UCLA
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Elvin Hayes, Houston

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Guy Lewis, Houston
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Guy Lewis, Houston
* NABC Coach of the Year: Guy Lewis, Houston
* UPI Coach of the Year: Guy Lewis, Houston
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Guy Lewis, Houston

### Other major awards

* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Johnny Jones, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Jim McMillian, Columbia

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Bowling Green | Bill Fitch | Bob Conibear |
| Kansas State | Tex Winter | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| Loyola (LA) | Ron Greene | Bob Luksta |
| Minnesota | John Kundla | Bill Fitch |
| Washington | Mac Duckworth | Tex Winter |