# 1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in November 1972, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1973, at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The UCLA Bruins won their ninth NCAA national championship with an 87–66 victory over the Memphis State Tigers.

## Key Events and Highlights

* UCLA's Dominance:
** UCLA won its seventh consecutive NCAA Championship and its ninth overall under John Wooden.
** The Bruins completed the season with a 30–0 record, extending their winning streak to 75 games, a record that remains one of the most remarkable in sports history.
** The team was led by Bill Walton, who was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
* NCAA Tournament:
** The 1973 NCAA Tournament featured 25 teams.
** The Final Four was held at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.
** UCLA defeated the Memphis State Tigers (now the University of Memphis) in the championship game, 87–66.
** Bill Walton delivered an iconic performance in the championship game, scoring 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting, one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA history.
* Rule Changes:
** The 1972–73 season was the first in which the NCAA allowed freshmen to play varsity basketball at all schools, except in the University Division's football and basketball programs.
* Awards:
** Naismith College Player of the Year: Bill Walton (UCLA).
** Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Bill Walton.
** AP Coach of the Year: John Wooden (UCLA).

## Final Rankings

* UCLA was ranked #1 in the final AP and Coaches' polls.
* The Bruins were considered one of the greatest teams in college basketball history.

## Notable players

* Bill Walton (UCLA): A dominant center who became one of the most celebrated players in college basketball history.
* Larry Finch (Memphis State): Starred for the Tigers and played a key role in their run to the championship game.

## Historical Impact

* UCLA's continued dominance cemented their legacy as a college basketball dynasty.
* Bill Walton's championship game performance remains a benchmark for individual excellence in NCAA Tournament history.
* The season helped popularize college basketball as a major American sport.

## Rule changes

* Freshmen became eligible to play on varsity teams. Previously, they had played on separate freshman teams.
* The free throw on a common foul for the first six personal fouls in a half was eliminated. Instead, the team that was fouled threw the ball in from out of bounds after each such foul.
* A "flop" — an unnecessary fall to the floor to get a charging call against a player dribbling the ball — was deemed a form of unsportsmanlike conduct.

## Season headlines

* UCLA went undefeated (30–0) for the second straight season and won its seventh NCAA championship in a row, ninth overall, and ninth in 10 seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its seventh of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* This was the last season for the NCAA University Division as the subdivision of the NCAA made up of colleges and universities competing at the highest level of college sports, as well as for the NCAA College Division for colleges and universities competing at a lower level. After the season, the NCAA replaced the University Division with Division I and the College Division with Division II for schools awarding limited athletic scholarships and Division III for schools offering no athletic scholarships.
* The Final Four was played on Saturday and Monday for the first time.
* The NCAA title game was televised during prime time for the first time. NBC aired the game on March 26, 1973.
* For the first time, television broadcast rights fees for an NCAA tournament totaled more than $1 million.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Florida State |
| 3 | Maryland |
| 4 | Minnesota |
| 5 | Marquette |
| 6 | Long Beach State |
| 7 | Southwestern Louisiana |
| 8 | NC State |
| 9 | Penn |
| 10 | Ohio State |
| 11 | Memphis State |
| 12 | BYU |
| 13 | Kentucky |
| 14 | Tennessee |
| 15 | Houston |
| 16 | South Carolina |
| 17 | Kansas State |
| 18 | Oral Roberts |
| 19 | Michigan |
| 20 (tie) | Louisville |
| 20 (tie) | USC |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Florida State |
| 3 | Maryland |
| 4 | Minnesota |
| 5 | Marquette |
| 6 | Ohio State |
| 7 | Kentucky |
| 8 | Long Beach State |
| 9 | Penn |
| 10 | NC State |
| 11 | Houston |
| 12 | North Carolina |
| 13 | Southwestern Louisiana |
| 14 | Memphis State |
| 15 (tie) | BYU |
| 15 (tie) | Kansas State |
| 17 | USC |
| 18 | Providence |
| 19 | Oral Roberts |
| 20 | UTEP |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Appalachian State Moutaineers | non-University Division independent | Southern Conference |
| Trinity Tigers | Southland Conference | 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 | NC State | David Thompson, NC State | 1973 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | NC State |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | Lon Kruger, Kansas State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ivy League | Penn | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mid-American Conference | Ohio | Tom Kozelko, Toledo | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Middle Atlantic Conference | Saint Joseph's (East); Lafayette (West) | Patrick McFarland, Saint Joseph's & Walt Kocubinski, Lafayette | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Memphis State | Larry Kenon, Memphis State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Austin Peay State | Les Taylor, Murray State | 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 | Ed Ratleff, Long Beach State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Kevin Grevey, Kentucky, & Wendell Hudson, Alabama | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Aron Stewart, Richmond | 1973 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals) | Furman |
| Southland Conference | Louisiana Tech | Mike Green, Louisiana Tech | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Texas Tech | Martin Terry, Arkansas | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | San Francisco | Bird Averitt, Pepperdine | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | Arizona State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Massachusetts | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1972–73 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1972–73 ACC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 NC State †12–0 1.00027–0  1.000 No. 11 North Carolina8–4 .66725–8  .758 No. 8 Maryland7–5 .58323–7  .767 Duke4–8 .33312–14  .462 Virginia4–8 .33313–12  .520 Clemson4–8 .33312–14  .462 Wake Forest3–9 .25012–15  .444 † 1973 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 Kansas State12–2 .85723–5  .821 No. 15 Missouri9–5 .64321–6  .778 Colorado9–5 .64313–13  .500 Oklahoma8–6 .57118–8  .692 Iowa State7–7 .50016–10  .615 Nebraska7–7 .5009–17  .346 Kansas4–10 .2868–18  .308 Oklahoma State3–11 .2147–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State13–1 .92920–7  .741 Idaho State10–4 .71418–8  .692 Montana State9–5 .64317–10  .630 Montana7–7 .50013–13  .500 Gonzaga6–8 .42914–12  .538 Boise State5–9 .35711–15  .423 Idaho3–11 .2147–19  .269 Northern Arizona3–11 .2146–20  .231 |
| 1972–73 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Indiana11–3 .78622–6  .786 No. 10 Minnesota10–4 .71421–5  .808 Purdue8–6 .57115–9  .625 Illinois8–6 .57114–10  .583 Ohio State8–6 .57114–10  .583 Iowa6–8 .42913–11  .542 Michigan6–8 .42913–11  .542 Michigan State6–8 .42913–11  .542 Wisconsin5–9 .35711–13  .458 Northwestern2–12 .1435–19  .208 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Pennsylvania12–2 .85721–7  .750 Princeton11–3 .78616–9  .640 Brown10–4 .71414–12  .538 Harvard7–7 .50014–12  .538 Yale6–8 .4299–16  .360 Columbia5–9 .3577–18  .280 Dartmouth4–10 .2866–20  .231 Cornell1–13 .0714–22  .154 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Miami (Ohio)9–2 .81818–9  .667 Toledo7–5 .58315–11  .577 Bowling Green State7–5 .58313–13  .500 Ohio6–5 .54516–10  .615 Kent State5–7 .41710–16  .385 Central Michigan4–6 .40013–13  .500 Western Michigan2–10 .1678–18  .308 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1972–73 MAC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT University–Eastern Saint Joseph's †6–0 1.00022–6  .786 Temple5–1 .83317–10  .630 American4–2 .66721–4  .840 La Salle3–3 .50015–10  .600 Drexel2–4 .33314–7  .667 Hofstra1–5 .1678–16  .333 West Chester0–6 .0005–21  .192 University–Western Lafayette7–3 .70016–10  .615 Gettysburg6–4 .60014–11  .560 Delaware6–4 .60014–11  .560 Bucknell6–4 .60011–14  .440 Lehigh3–7 .3008–17  .320 Rider2–8 .20012–14  .462 † 1973 MAC men's basketball tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 Memphis State12–2 .85724–6  .800 Louisville11–3 .78623–7  .767 Saint Louis10–4 .71419–7  .731 Tulsa10–4 .71418–8  .692 New Mexico State6–8 .42912–14  .462 Wichita State6–8 .42910–16  .385 Drake5–9 .35714–12  .538 Bradley4–10 .28612–14  .462 North Texas State4–10 .2869–16  .360 West Texas State2–12 .1439–17  .346 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 Austin Peay State*11–3 .78622–7  .759 Murray State9–5 .64317–8  .680 Morehead State9–5 .64314–11  .560 Tennessee Tech7–7 .50014–11  .560 Eastern Kentucky7–7 .50012–13  .480 Western Kentucky6–8 .42910–16  .385 Middle Tennessee5–9 .35712–13  .480 East Tennessee State2–12 .1439–17  .346 * – Overall record adjusted to 21–5 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1972–73 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 UCLA14–0 1.00030–0  1.000 USC9–5 .64318–10  .643 Oregon8–6 .57116–10  .615 Stanford7–7 .50014–11  .560 Washington6–8 .42916–11  .593 Oregon State6–8 .42915–11  .577 California4–10 .28611–15  .423 Washington State2–12 .1436–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Long Beach State*10–2 .83326–3  .897 UC Santa Barbara8–4 .66717–9  .654 San Diego State7–5 .58315–11  .577 Pacific6–6 .50014–12  .538 San Jose State6–6 .50011–14  .440 Cal State Los Angeles4–8 .33311–14  .440 Fresno State1–11 .08310–16  .385 * – Overall record adjusted to 24–2 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 17 Kentucky14–4 .77820–8  .714 Vanderbilt13–5 .72220–6  .769 Alabama13–5 .72222–8  .733 Tennessee13–5 .72215–9  .625 LSU9–9 .50014–10  .583 Ole Miss8–10 .44414–12  .538 Florida7–11 .38911–15  .423 Georgia5–13 .27810–16  .385 Mississippi State4–14 .22211–15  .423 Auburn4–14 .2226–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1972–73 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Davidson9–1 .90018–9  .667 Furman †11–2 .84620–9  .690 East Carolina7–7 .50013–13  .500 The Citadel6–7 .46211–15  .423 William & Mary5–6 .45510–17  .370 Richmond5–9 .3578–16  .333 Appalachian State3–8 .2736–20  .231 VMI3–9 .2506–20  .231 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Louisiana Tech†*10–2 .83320–6  .769 McNeese State**10–2 .83321–5  .808 Texas-Arlington***8–4 .66713–13  .500 Lamar****6–6 .50011–13  .458 Arkansas State*****4–8 .3337–17  .292 Abilene Christian******4–8 .3336–20  .231 No. 7 Southwestern Louisiana*******0–12 .00023–3  .885 † Regular-season championship winner * – Played as non-major program; conference record adjusted to 10–2. ** – Played as non-major program; conference record adjusted to 10–2. *** – Disputed conference record 6–6. **** – Disputed conference record 4–8. ***** – Disputed conference record 2–10. ****** – Disputed conference record 2–10. ******* – Disputed record 12–0 conference, 24–5 overall. Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas Tech12–2 .85719–8  .704 Texas A&M9–5 .64317–9  .654 Arkansas9–5 .64316–10  .615 Baylor8–6 .57114–11  .560 Texas7–7 .50013–12  .520 SMU7–7 .50010–15  .400 Rice2–12 .1437–19  .269 TCU2–12 .1434–21  .160 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1972-73 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 20 San Francisco12–2 .85723–5  .821 Santa Clara11–3 .78619–7  .731 Pepperdine7–7 .50014–11  .560 Loyola (Calif.)7–7 .50010–16  .385 Seattle6–8 .42913–13  .500 UNLV6–8 .42913–15  .464 Nevada5–9 .35710–16  .385 Saint Mary's2–12 .1437–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 WAC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 Arizona State10–4 .71419–9  .679 New Mexico9–5 .64321–6  .778 BYU9–5 .64319–7  .731 Arizona9–5 .64316–10  .615 UTEP6–8 .42916–10  .615 Colorado State5–9 .35713–15  .464 Wyoming4–10 .2869–17  .346 Utah4–10 .2868–19  .296 Rankings from AP Poll | 1972–73 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Massachusetts 10–2 .83320–7  .741 Connecticut 9–3 .75015–10  .600 Boston University 7–4 .63615–10  .600 Maine 6–6 .50013–10  .565 Rhode Island 5–6 .4557–18  .280 New Hampshire 2–10 .16711–15  .423 Vermont 2–10 .1677–17  .292 |

### University Division independents

A total of 72 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Providence (27–4) and Marquette (27–4) had both the best winning percentage (.871) and the most wins.
1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConf.Overall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 4 Providence– –27–4
* .871
* No. 5 Marquette– –27–4
* .871
* No. 13 Houston– –23–4
* .852
* No. 14 Syracuse– –24–5
* .828
* Virginia Tech– –22–5
* .815
* Jacksonville– –21–6
* .778
* Oklahoma City– –21–6
* .778
* Oral Roberts– –21–6
* .778
* South Carolina– –22–7
* .759
* Marshall– –20–7
* .741
* Northeastern– –19–7
* .731
* St. John's– –19–7
* .731
* Centenary– –19–8
* .704
* Florida State– –18–8
* .692
* Northern Illinois– –17–8
* .680
* Duquesne– –16–8
* .667
* Fairfield– –18–9
* .667
* Cincinnati– –17–9
* .654
* Denver– –17–9
* .654
* George Washington– –17–9
* .654
* Penn State– –15–8
* .652
* Detroit– –16–9
* .640
* Hardin–Simmons– –16–9
* .640
* Indiana State– –16–10
* .615
* Manhattan– –16–10
* .615
* Utah State– –16–10
* .615
* Notre Dame– –18–12
* .600
* Air Force– –14–10
* .583
* Creighton– –15–11
* .577
* Hawaii– –15–11
* .577
* Rutgers– –15–11
* .577
* Stetson– –15–11
* .577
* DePaul– –14–11
* .560
* South Alabama– –14–11
* .560
* Trinity (TX)– –14–11
* .560
* Canisius– –13–11
* .542
* Butler– –14–12
* .538
* Charlotte– –14–12
* .538
* Illinois State– –13–12
* .520
* Long Island– –13–12
* .520
* Navy– –13–12
* .520
* Dayton– –13–13
* .500
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –13–13
* .500
* St. Bonaventure– –13–13
* .500
* Portland State– –12–12
* .500
* Georgetown– –12–14
* .462
* Pittsburgh– –12–14
* .462
* Tulane– –12–14
* .462
* Army– –11–13
* .458
* Boston College– –11–14
* .440
* Colgate– –11–14
* .440
* Villanova– –11–14
* .440
* Fordham– –12–16
* .429
* Southern Illinois– –11–15
* .423
* West Virginia– –10–15
* .400
* Cleveland State– –9–14
* .391
* Ball State– –9–15
* .375
* Niagara– –9–16
* .360
* Loyola (IL)– –8–15
* .348
* Holy Cross– –9–17
* .346
* Southern Miss– –8–16
* .333
* St. Francis (NY)– –8–16
* .333
* Portland– –9–19
* .321
* Seton Hall– –8–17
* .320
* Georgia Southern– –8–18
* .308
* Saint Peter's– –8–18
* .308
* Georgia Tech– –7–18
* .280
* Iona– –6–16
* .273
* Samford– –5–20
* .200
* Saint Francis (PA)– –5–21
* .192
* Pan American– –4–22
* .154
* Xavier– –3–23
* .115
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Penn | Tom Ingelsby, Villanova |
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 | Providence | 85 | | | |
| MW | Memphis State | 98 | | | |
| MW | Memphis State | 98 | MW | Memphis State | 66 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 87 |
| ME | Indiana | 59 | W | UCLA | 87 |
| W | UCLA | 70 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | Providence | 79 |
| | | | ME | Indiana | 97 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| North Carolina | 71 | | |
| Notre Dame | 78 | | |
| Notre Dame | 78 | Notre Dame | 91 |
| | | Virginia Tech | 92 |
| Virginia Tech | 74 | Virginia Tech | 92 |
| Alabama | 73 | Third place | Third place |
| | | North Carolina | 88 |
| | | Alabama | 69 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Doug Collins | G | Senior | Illinois State |
| Ernie DiGregorio | G | Senior | Providence |
| Dwight Lamar | G | Senior | Southwestern Louisiana |
| Ed Ratleff | F | Senior | Long Beach State |
| David Thompson | G/F | Sophomore | North Carolina State |
| Bill Walton | C | Junior | UCLA |
| Keith Wilkes | G/F | Junior | UCLA |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Jim Brewer | F/C | Senior | Minnesota |
| Tom Burleson | C | Junior | North Carolina State |
| Larry Finch | G | Senior | Memphis State |
| Kevin Joyce | G | Senior | South Carolina |
| Tom McMillen | F | Junior | Maryland |
| Kermit Washington | C | Senior | American |

### Major player of the year awards

* Naismith Award: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Helms Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* UPI Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Bill Walton, UCLA
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Bill Walton, 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: Gene Bartow, Memphis State
* 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): Robert Sherwin, Army
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Tom Ingelsby, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Billy Schaeffer, St. John's

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Georgia Tech | John Hyder | Dwane Morrison | |
| Long Beach State | Jerry Tarkanian | Lute Olson | |
| Oklahoma City | Abe Lemons | Paul Hansen | |
| Pan American | Sam Williams | Abe Lemons | |
| Rhode Island | Tom Carmody | Jack Kraft | |
| St. John's | Frank Mulzoff | Lou Carnesecca | |
| Southwestern Louisiana | Beryl Shipley | None | The NCAA shut down the Ragin' Cajun program for the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons due to over 100 rules violations. |
| Temple | Harry Litwack | Don Casey | |
| UNLV | John Bayer | Jerry Tarkanian | |
| Villanova | Jack Kraft | Rollie Massimino | |
| West Texas State | Dennis Walling | Ron Ekker | |