# 1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1968–69 NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association ) University Division men's basketball season began in December 1968, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 22, 1969, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The UCLA Bruins won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 92–72 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.

## Season headlines

* The Associated Press (AP) Poll returned to a Top 20 format, expanding from the Top 10 format it used from the 1961–62 season through the 1967–68 season. It previously had used a Top 20 format from its inception in the 1948–49 season through the 1960–61 season.
* On December 7, 1968, Calvin Murphy of Niagara scored 68 points in a game against Syracuse, setting the record for points scored by a single player against an NCAA University Division (later NCAA Division I) opponent. His record stood until February 1970, when Pete Maravich of LSU scored 69 points in a game against Alabama.
* The NCAA tournament expanded from 23 to 25 teams.
* UCLA won its third NCAA championship in a row, fifth overall, and fifth in six seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its third of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), informally known as the "Pacific 8," formally renamed itself the Pacific 8 Conference. It became the Pacific 10 Conference in 1978 and the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
* The Southland Conference, founded in 1963, began NCAA University Division-level play.
* The NCAA tournament's Final Four games were played on Thursday and Saturday for the first time.
* Lew Alcindor of UCLA became the first three-time NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. He previously had been the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1967 and 1968.
* The Metropolitan Collegiate Conference was dissolved at the end of the season.

### Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | North Carolina |
| 3 | Kentucky |
| 4 | Notre Dame |
| 5 | Kansas |
| 6 | Davidson |
| 7 | St. Bonaventure |
| 8 | Houston |
| 9 | New Mexico |
| 10 | Purdue |
| 11 | Villanova |
| 12 | Ohio State |
| 13 | Vanderbilt |
| 14 | Cincinnati |
| 15 | Marquette |
| 16 | Western Kentucky |
| 17 | Duke |
| 18 | Detroit |
| 19 | Florida |
| 20 | Tennessee |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | North Carolina |
| 3 | Kentucky |
| 4 | Notre Dame |
| 5 | Kansas |
| 6 | Houston |
| 7 | Davidson |
| 8 | New Mexico |
| 9 | Villanova |
| 10 | Cincinnati |
| 11 | Purdue |
| 12 | St. Bonaventure |
| 13 | New Mexico State |
| 14 | Ohio State |
| 15 (tie) | Duke |
| 15 (tie) | Western Kentucky |
| 17 | Santa Clara |
| 18 | USC |
| 19 | Florida |
| 20 | California |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| St. Francis Terriers | Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Southern 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 |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | John Roche, South Carolina | 1969 ACC men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Big Eight Conference | Colorado | Cliff Meely, Colorado | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Purdue | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Princeton | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | Manhattan & St. Peter's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Ohio | Steve Mix, Toledo | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | Temple | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Drake & Louisville | Bingo Smith, Tulsa | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Morehead State & Murray State | Claude Virden, Murray State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific 8 Conference | UCLA | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Pete Maravich, LSU | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Mike Maloy, Davidson | 1969 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Davidson |
| Southland Conference | Trinity | Larry Jeffries, Trinity | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Texas A&M | Ronnie Peret, Texas A&M & Greg Williams, Rice | 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 | BYU, New Mexico, & Wyoming | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Massachusetts | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1968–69 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1968–69 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 North Carolina †12–2 .85727–5  .844 No. 13 South Carolina11–3 .78621–7  .750 Duke8–6 .57115–13  .536 NC State8–6 .57115–10  .600 Wake Forest8–6 .57118–9  .667 Virginia5–9 .35710–15  .400 Maryland2–12 .1438–18  .308 Clemson2–12 .1436–19  .240 † 1969 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Colorado10–4 .71421–7  .750 No. 19 Kansas9–5 .64320–7  .741 Kansas State9–5 .64314–12  .538 Iowa State8–6 .57114–12  .538 Missouri7–7 .50014–11  .560 Oklahoma State5–9 .35712–13  .480 Nebraska5–9 .35712–14  .462 Oklahoma3–11 .2147–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State15–0 1.00027–3  .900 Montana State11–4 .73317–8  .680 Gonzaga6–9 .40011–15  .423 Idaho6–9 .40011–15  .423 Montana4–11 .2679–17  .346 Idaho State3–12 .2008–18  .308 |
| 1968–69 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Purdue13–1 .92923–5  .821 No. 20 Illinois9–5 .64319–5  .792 Ohio State9–5 .64317–7  .708 Michigan7–7 .50013–11  .542 Northwestern6–8 .42914–10  .583 Minnesota6–8 .42912–12  .500 Michigan State6–8 .42911–12  .478 Iowa5–9 .35712–12  .500 Wisconsin5–9 .35711–13  .458 Indiana4–10 .2869–15  .375 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton14–0 1.00019–7  .731 Columbia11–3 .78620–4  .833 Penn10–4 .71415–10  .600 Cornell7–7 .50012–13  .480 Yale6–8 .4299–16  .360 Dartmouth4–10 .28610–15  .400 Harvard3–11 .2147–18  .280 Brown1–13 .0713–23  .115 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Metropolitan Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Saint Peter's7–1 .87521–7  .750 Manhattan7–1 .87513–9  .591 LIU6–2 .75017–6  .739 Iona4–4 .50011–11  .500 Hofstra4–4 .50012–13  .480 Seton Hall4–4 .5009–16  .360 Fairleigh Dickinson2–6 .2509–13  .409 Wagner– –18–10  .643 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1968–69 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Miami (Ohio)10–2 .83315–12  .556 Ohio9–3 .75017–9  .654 Kent State6–6 .50014–10  .583 Western Michigan6–6 .50011–13  .458 Toledo5–7 .41713–11  .542 Bowling Green State3–9 .2509–15  .375 Marshall3–9 .2509–15  .375 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 La Salle†5–0 1.00023–1  .958 Temple6–1 .85722–8  .733 Bucknell7–2 .77813–11  .542 Gettysburg6–4 .60014–10  .583 Delaware5–4 .55611–10  .524 Saint Joseph's2–2 .50017–11  .607 Lehigh4–6 .4007–17  .292 Rider2–5 .28611–14  .440 Lafayette3–9 .2509–17  .346 American0–7 .0004–19  .174 West Chester (Pa.)*– –12–13  .480 † Regular-season championship winner * – Played as non-major program Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 11 Drake13–3 .81326–5  .839 No. 15 Louisville13–3 .81321–6  .778 Tulsa11–5 .68819–8  .704 Cincinnati8–8 .50017–9  .654 North Texas State8–8 .50015–10  .600 Bradley7–9 .43814–12  .538 Wichita State7–9 .43811–15  .423 Saint Louis5–11 .3136–20  .231 Memphis State0–16 .0006–19  .240 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1968–69 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Murray State11–3 .78622–6  .786 Morehead State11–3 .78618–9  .667 Western Kentucky9–5 .64316–10  .615 Eastern Kentucky7–7 .50013–9  .591 East Tennessee State6–8 .42915–11  .577 Tennessee Tech5–9 .35713–11  .542 Middle Tennessee4–10 .28613–13  .500 Austin Peay State3–11 .21410–14  .417 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 UCLA13–1 .92929–1  .967 Washington State11–3 .78618–8  .692 USC8–6 .57115–11  .577 Washington6–8 .42913–13  .500 Oregon5–9 .35713–13  .500 Oregon State5–9 .35712–14  .462 California4–10 .28612–13  .480 Stanford4–10 .2868–17  .320 As of April 15, 1969 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Kentucky16–2 .88923–5  .821 Tennessee13–5 .72221–7  .750 Florida12–6 .66718–9  .667 Auburn10–8 .55615–10  .600 Vanderbilt9–9 .50015–11  .577 Georgia9–9 .50013–12  .520 LSU7–11 .38913–13  .500 Ole Miss7–11 .38910–14  .417 Mississippi State6–12 .3338–17  .320 Alabama1–17 .0564–20  .167 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1968–69 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Davidson †9–0 1.00027–3  .900 East Carolina9–2 .81817–11  .607 George Washington7–5 .58314–11  .560 Richmond6–7 .46213–14  .481 Furman5–6 .4559–17  .346 The Citadel5–8 .38513–12  .520 William & Mary3–8 .2736–20  .231 VMI3–11 .2145–18  .217 † 1969 Southern Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Trinity (Tex.)*– –19–5  .792 Lamar*– –20–4  .833 Texas-Arlington– –8–18  .308 Arkansas State*– –6–16  .273 Abilene Christian*– –5–20  .200 * – Played as non-major program Rankings from AP poll | 1968–69 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas A&M12–2 .85718–9  .667 Baylor10–4 .71418–6  .750 SMU8–6 .57112–12  .500 Texas Tech6–8 .42911–13  .458 Rice6–8 .42910–14  .417 Texas5–9 .3579–15  .375 TCU5–9 .35712–12  .500 Arkansas4–10 .28610–14  .417 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1968–69 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Santa Clara13–0 1.00027–2  .931 San Jose State– –16–8  .667 Pacific7–5 .58317–9  .654 UC Santa Barbara8–4 .66717–9  .654 Pepperdine6–6 .50014–12  .538 Loyola (Calif.)3–9 .2506–19  .240 Saint Mary's3–9 .2506–19  .240 San Francisco3–10 .2317–18  .280 Rankings from AP poll | 1968–69 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Wyoming6–4 .60019–9  .679 BYU6–4 .60016–12  .571 Arizona5–5 .50017–10  .630 Utah5–5 .50013–13  .500 New Mexico4–6 .40017–9  .654 Arizona State4–6 .40011–15  .423 Rankings from AP Poll | 1968–69 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Massachusetts 9–1 .90017–7  .708 Rhode Island 7–3 .70010–15  .400 Maine 5–5 .50010–13  .435 Vermont 3–7 .30014–11  .560 New Hampshire 3–7 .3009–15  .375 Connecticut 3–7 .3005–19  .208 |

### University Division independents

A total of 56 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Boston College (24–4) had the best winning percentage (.857). Boston College, Marquette (24–5), and New Mexico State (24–5) finished with the most wins.
1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 16 Boston College– –24–4
* .857
* Rutgers– –21–4
* .840
* No. 14 Marquette– –24–5
* .828
* No. 12 New Mexico State– –24–5
* .828
* No. 9 Duquesne– –21–5
* .808
* No. 10 Villanova– –21–5
* .808
* No. 8 St. John's– –23–6
* .793
* Dayton– –20–7
* .741
* No. 17 Notre Dame– –20–7
* .741
* Seattle– –20–8
* .714
* Colorado State– –17–7
* .708
* Jacksonville– –17–7
* .708
* St. Bonaventure– –17–7
* .708
* Florida State– –18–8
* .692
* West Texas State– –18–8
* .692
* Holy Cross– –16–8
* .667
* Oklahoma City– –18–9
* .667
* Saint Francis (PA)– –16–8
* .667
* Southern Illinois– –16–8
* .667
* Fordham– –17–9
* .654
* Army– –18–10
* .643
* Texas Western– –16–9
* .640
* Detroit– –16–10
* .615
* Houston– –16–10
* .615
* Penn State– –13–9
* .591
* Boston University– –14–10
* .583
* Miami (FL)– –14–10
* .583
* Providence– –14–10
* .583
* NYU– –12–9
* .571
* DePaul– –14–11
* .560
* Northern Illinois– –13–11
* .542
* Virginia Tech– –14–12
* .538
* Creighton– –13–13
* .500
* Georgetown– –12–12
* .500
* Hardin–Simmons– –13–13
* .500
* Georgia Tech– –12–13
* .480
* Tulane– –12–14
* .462
* West Virginia– –12–14
* .462
* Air Force– –11–13
* .458
* Niagara– –11–13
* .458
* Colgate– –11–14
* .440
* Butler– –11–15
* .423
* Loyola (IL)– –9–14
* .391
* Fairfield– –10–16
* .385
* Xavier– –10–16
* .385
* Syracuse– –9–16
* .360
* Utah State– –9–17
* .346
* Centenary– –9–18
* .333
* Navy– –7–14
* .333
* Pan American– –8–17
* .320
* Canisius– –7–16
* .304
* St. Francis– –7–16
* .304
* Loyola (LA)– –5–19
* .208
* Pittsburgh– –4–20
* .167
* Portland– –3–23
* .115
* Denver– –2–24
* .077
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | La Salle | Ken Durrett, La Salle, & Howard Porter, Villanova |
La Salle 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 | North Carolina | 65 | | | |
| ME | Purdue | 92 | | | |
| ME | Purdue | 92 | ME | Purdue | 72 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 92 |
| MW | Drake | 82 | W | UCLA | 92 |
| W | UCLA | 85 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | North Carolina | 84 |
| | | | MW | Drake | 104 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Temple | 63 | | |
| Tennessee | 58 | | |
| Tennessee | 58 | Temple | 89 |
| | | Boston College | 76 |
| Army | 61 | Boston College | 76 |
| Boston College | 73 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Tennessee | 64 |
| | | Army | 52 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Lew Alcindor | C | Senior | UCLA |
| Spencer Haywood | F | Sophomore | Detroit |
| Pete Maravich | G/F | Junior | Louisiana State |
| Rick Mount | G/F | Junior | Purdue |
| Calvin Murphy | G | Junior | Niagara |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Dan Issel | F/C | Junior | Kentucky |
| Mike Maloy | F | Junior | Davidson |
| Bud Ogden | F | Senior | Santa Clara |
| Charlie Scott | F | Senior | North Carolina |
| Jo Jo White | G | Senior | Kansas |

### Major player of the year awards

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

### 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: John Wooden, UCLA

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Billy Keller, Purdue
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ken Durrett, La Salle, & Howard Porter, Villanova
* 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 | Reason |
| Boston College | Bob Cousy | Chuck Daly | |
| Creighton | Red McManus | Eddie Sutton | |
| Davidson | Lefty Driesell | Terry Holland | |
| Marshall | Ellis T. Johnson | Stewart Way | Johnson resigned at the end of the season. He was replaced by his assistant coach, Stewart Way. |
| Maryland | Frank Fellows | Lefty Driesell | Successful Davidson coach Driesell was hired and proclaimed his intention to turn Maryland into the “UCLA of the East.” |