# 1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1961, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 24, 1962, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Cincinnati Bearcats won their second NCAA national championship with a 71–59 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

## Season headlines

* The Associated Press (AP) Poll changed format, abandoning the Top 20 format it had used since its inception in the 1948–49 season and becoming a Top 10 poll.
* Cincinnati's national championship was its second in a row as well as second overall, and the national championship game was a rematch from the year before between Cincinnati and Ohio State.
* The 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament set a new attendance record for an NCAA tournament, with a combined 177,469 fans attending its 29 games.
* The Border Conference and Mountain States (or Skyline) Conference both disbanded at the end of the season.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 10 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | Cincinnati |
| 3 | Wake Forest |
| 4 | USC |
| 5 | Providence |
| 6 | Purdue |
| 7 | Duke |
| 8 | Kansas State |
| 9 | St. John's |
| 10 | Seattle |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Ohio State |
| 2 | Cincinnati |
| 3 | Kansas State |
| 4 | Providence |
| 5 | Duke |
| 6 | Purdue |
| 7 | USC |
| 8 | Arizona State |
| 9 | West Virginia |
| 10 | Wake Forest |

## 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 | Wake Forest | Len Chappell, Wake Forest | 1962 ACC men's basketball tournament | Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina) | Wake Forest |
| Big Eight Conference | Colorado | 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 | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Yale | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan New York Conference | St. John's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Bowling Green State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | Saint Joseph's | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mountain States (Skyline) Conference | Utah | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Bradley & Cincinnati | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Western Kentucky State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & Mississippi State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | West Virginia | Rod Thorn, West Virginia | 1962 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Richmond Arena (Richmond, Virginia) | West Virginia |
| Southwest Conference | SMU & Texas Tech | Carroll Broussard, Texas A&M | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pepperdine | Harry Dinnel, Pepperdine, & Steve Gray, Saint Mary's | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Massachusetts | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1961–62 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1961–62 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UCLA10–2 .83318–11  .621 Stanford8–4 .66716–6  .727 Washington5–7 .41716–10  .615 USC5–7 .41714–11  .560 California2–10 .1678–17  .320 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Wake Forest †12–2 .85722–9  .710 No. 10 Duke11–3 .78620–5  .800 NC State10–4 .71411–6  .647 North Carolina7–7 .5008–9  .471 South Carolina7–7 .50015–12  .556 Clemson4–10 .28612–15  .444 Maryland3–11 .2148–17  .320 Virginia2–12 .1435–18  .217 † 1962 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Colorado13–1 .92919–7  .731 No. 6 Kansas State12–2 .85722–3  .880 Iowa State8–6 .57113–12  .520 Oklahoma State7–7 .50014–11  .560 Nebraska5–9 .3579–16  .360 Oklahoma5–9 .3577–17  .292 Missouri3–11 .2149–16  .360 Kansas3–11 .2147–18  .280 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1961–62 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Ohio State13–1 .92926–2  .929 Wisconsin10–4 .71417–7  .708 Purdue9–5 .64317–7  .708 Illinois7–7 .50015–8  .652 Indiana7–7 .50013–11  .542 Iowa7–7 .50013–11  .542 Minnesota6–8 .42910–14  .417 Michigan5–9 .3577–17  .292 Michigan State3–11 .2148–14  .364 Northwestern3–11 .2148–15  .348 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Arizona State–Tempe8–0 1.00023–4  .852 Texas Western5–3 .62518–6  .750 New Mexico State3–5 .37510–14  .417 West Texas State3–5 .3755–18  .217 Hardin–Simmons1–7 .1258–17  .320 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Yale13–1 .92918–6  .750 Pennsylvania11–3 .78617–8  .680 Princeton10–4 .71413–10  .565 Cornell9–5 .64318–7  .720 Brown6–8 .42911–14  .440 Harvard3–11 .21410–14  .417 Dartmouth3–11 .2146–18  .250 Columbia1–13 .0713–21  .125 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1961–62 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT St. John's5–0 1.00021–5  .808 CCNY2–1 .6679–9  .500 NYU3–2 .60020–5  .800 St. Francis (NY)2–3 .4008–15  .348 Manhattan1–3 .25012–10  .545 Fordham1–3 .25010–14  .417 Brooklyn0–2 .0004–13  .235 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Bowling Green State11–1 .91721–4  .840 Ohio8–4 .66713–10  .565 Toledo7–5 .58314–10  .583 Western Michigan6–6 .50013–11  .542 Marshall6–6 .50010–13  .435 Miami (Ohio)3–9 .2507–17  .292 Kent State1–11 .0832–19  .095 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Saint Joseph's†9–1 .90018–10  .643 Temple8–2 .80018–9  .667 Delaware9–3 .75018–5  .783 Lafayette9–3 .75018–6  .750 La Salle5–3 .62516–9  .640 Gettysburg7–5 .58318–6  .750 Lehigh4–10 .2867–12  .368 Rutgers2–8 .20010–13  .435 Bucknell2–9 .1827–15  .318 Muhlenberg1–12 .0775–17  .227 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1961–62 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Cincinnati10–2 .83329–2  .935 No. 5 Bradley10–2 .83321–7  .750 Wichita Municipal7–5 .58318–9  .667 Drake6–6 .50016–8  .667 Saint Louis5–7 .41711–15  .423 Tulsa4–8 .3337–19  .269 North Texas State0–12 .0003–23  .115 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 Utah13–1 .92923–3  .885 Utah State12–2 .85722–7  .759 Colorado State10–4 .71418–9  .667 Montana5–9 .35710–14  .417 BYU5–9 .35710–16  .385 Denver5–9 .3578–17  .320 Wyoming3–11 .2149–17  .346 New Mexico3–11 .2146–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Kentucky State11–1 .91717–10  .630 Tennessee Tech7–5 .58316–6  .727 Morehead State7–5 .58314–8  .636 Eastern Kentucky State7–5 .58310–6  .625 Murray State5–7 .41713–12  .520 East Tennessee State3–9 .25011–14  .440 Middle Tennessee2–10 .1676–12  .333 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1961–62 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Mississippi State13–1 .92924–1  .960 No. 3 Kentucky13–1 .92923–3  .885 Auburn11–3 .78618–6  .750 Florida8–6 .57112–11  .522 LSU7–7 .50013–11  .542 Tulane6–8 .42912–10  .545 Vanderbilt6–8 .42912–12  .500 Alabama6–8 .42911–15  .423 Ole Miss5–9 .35712–13  .480 Georgia Tech4–10 .28610–16  .385 Georgia3–11 .2148–16  .333 Tennessee2–12 .1434–19  .174 Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT West Virginia †12–1 .92324–6  .800 Virginia Tech9–3 .75019–6  .760 Furman8–5 .61515–12  .556 George Washington6–7 .4629–15  .375 Davidson5–6 .45514–11  .560 VMI6–8 .4299–11  .450 The Citadel4–8 .3338–15  .348 Richmond5–11 .3136–21  .222 William & Mary5–11 .3137–17  .292 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT SMU11–3 .78618–7  .720 Texas Tech11–3 .78619–8  .704 Texas A&M9–5 .64315–9  .625 Texas8–6 .57116–8  .667 Rice7–7 .50012–11  .522 Arkansas5–9 .35714–10  .583 TCU4–10 .2865–19  .208 Baylor1–13 .0714–20  .167 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1961–62 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pepperdine11–1 .91720–7  .741 Santa Clara8–4 .66719–6  .760 Saint Mary's8–4 .66713–11  .542 Loyola (Calif.)6–6 .50018–9  .667 Pacific5–7 .41710–16  .385 San Francisco4–8 .33310–15  .400 San Jose State– –13–11  .542 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1961–62 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Massachusetts 8–2 .80015–9  .625 Connecticut 7–3 .70016–8  .667 Rhode Island 7–3 .70014–12  .538 Maine 4–6 .40011–13  .458 Vermont 3–7 .30012–12  .500 New Hampshire 1–9 .1003–20  .130 |

### University Division independents

A total of 48 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Loyola of Illinois (23–4) had the best winning percentage (.852), while Oregon State (24–5) and Dayton (24–6) finished with the most wins.
1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Loyola (Ill.)– –23–4
* .852
* Oregon State– –24–5
* .828
* Creighton– –21–5
* .808
* Dayton– –24–6
* .800
* Butler– –22–6
* .786
* Houston– –21–6
* .778
* Holy Cross– –20–6
* .769
* Providence– –20–6
* .769
* Duquesne– –22–7
* .759
* Villanova– –21–7
* .750
* Air Force– –16–7
* .696
* Boston College– –15–7
* .682
* Memphis State– –15–7
* .682
* Niagara– –16–8
* .667
* St. Bonaventure– –14–7
* .667
* Seattle– –18–9
* .667
* Centenary (La.)– –17–9
* .654
* Idaho State– –17–9
* .654
* Florida State– –15–8
* .652
* Saint Francis (Pa.)– –14–8
* .636
* Seton Hall– –15–9
* .625
* Navy– –13–8
* .619
* Georgetown– –14–9
* .609
* Louisville– –15–10
* .600
* Marquette– –15–11
* .577
* Canisius– –12–9
* .571
* DePaul– –13–10
* .565
* Detroit– –15–12
* .556
* Gonzaga– –14–12
* .538
* Miami (Fla.)– –14–12
* .538
* Oklahoma City– –14–12
* .538
* Xavier– –14–12
* .538
* Penn State– –12–11
* .522
* Pittsburgh– –12–11
* .522
* Idaho– –13–13
* .500
* Loyola (La.)– –12–13
* .480
* Army– –10–11
* .476
* Regis– –10–11
* .476
* Arizona– –12–14
* .462
* Montana State– –10–13
* .435
* Iona– –8–11
* .421
* Colgate– –8–15
* .348
* Oregon– –9–17
* .346
* Portland– –8–18
* .308
* Washington State– –8–18
* .308
* Notre Dame– –7–16
* .304
* Boston University– –5–15
* .250
* Syracuse– –2–22
* .083
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Villanova | Hubie White, Villanova |
Villanova 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 | Wake Forest | 68 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 84 | | | |
| ME | Ohio State | 84 | ME | Ohio State | 59 |
| | | | MW | Cincinnati | 71 |
| MW | Cincinnati | 72 | MW | Cincinnati | 71 |
| W | UCLA | 70 | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| | | | E | Wake Forest | 82 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 80 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Dayton | 98 | | |
| Loyola (Ill.) | 82 | | |
| Loyola (Ill.) | 82 | Dayton | 73 |
| | | St. John's | 67 |
| Duquesne | 65 | St. John's | 67 |
| St. John's | 75 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Loyola (Ill.) | 95 |
| | | Duquesne | 84 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Len Chappell | C/F | Senior | Wake Forest |
| Terry Dischinger | F | Senior | Purdue |
| Jerry Lucas | F/C | Senior | Ohio State |
| Billy McGill | C | Senior | Utah |
| Chet Walker | F | Senior | Bradley |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Jack Foley | G/F | Senior | Holy Cross |
| John Havlicek | F | Senior | Ohio State |
| Art Heyman | F | Junior | Duke |
| Cotton Nash | F | Sophomore | Kentucky |
| John Rudometkin | F | Senior | USC |
| Rod Thorn | G/F | Junior | West Virginia |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: Paul Hogue, Cincinnati
* 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): Hubie White, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): LeRoy Ellis, St. John's

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Hardin–Simmons | Bill Scott | | Lou Henson | |