# 1971–72 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1971–72 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1971, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1972 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 25, 1972, at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The UCLA Bruins won their eighth NCAA national championship with an 81–76 victory over the Florida State Seminoles.

## Season headlines

* At Illinois State, Will Robinson became the first African-American head coach at an NCAA University Division (now NCAA Division I) school.
* UCLA went undefeated (30–0) and won its sixth NCAA championship in a row, eighth overall, and eighth in nine seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its sixth of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* The NCAA national championship game was played on Saturday for the last time. It moved to Monday night in 1973.

## 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 | North Carolina |
| 3 | USC |
| 4 | Marquette |
| 5 | Ohio State |
| 6 | Maryland |
| 7 | Houston |
| 8 | Long Beach State |
| 9 | Louisville |
| 10 | Kentucky |
| 11 | Jacksonville |
| 12 | South Carolina |
| 13 | Michigan |
| 14 | Kansas |
| 15 | Penn |
| 16 | New Mexico |
| 17 | St. John's |
| 18 | Villanova |
| 19 | BYU |
| 20 | Oklahoma |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Marquette |
| 3 | USC |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | Ohio State |
| 6 | Houston |
| 7 | Maryland |
| 8 | Louisville |
| 9 | Long Beach State |
| 10 | Kentucky |
| 11 | Jacksonville |
| 12 | New Mexico State |
| 13 | South Carolina |
| 14 | BYU |
| 15 | St. John's |
| 16 | Kansas |
| 17 | Villanova |
| 18 | Michigan |
| 19 | Harvard |
| 20 | Pacific |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Gulf States Conference | Southland Conference |
| Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes | University Division independent | Discontinued basketball program |
| NYU Violets | University Division independent | Discontinued basketball program |
| Pacific Tigers | West Coast Athletic Conference | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| Seattle Redhawks | University Division independent | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| South Carolina Gamecocks | Atlantic Coast Conference | University Division independent |
| Southwest Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | Gulf States Conference | Southland Conference |

## 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 | Barry Parkhill, Virginia | 1972 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | Isaac "Bud" Stallworth, Kansas | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Weber State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Minnesota | 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 | Temple (East); Rider (West) | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Louisville & Memphis State | Larry Finch, Memphis State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, & Western Kentucky | 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 & Tennessee | Mike Edwards, Tennessee, & Tom Parker, Kentucky | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Davidson | Russ Hunt, Furman | 1972 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Greenville, South Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | East Carolina |
| Southland Conference | Louisiana Tech | Dwight "Bo" Lamar, Southwest Louisiana | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | SMU & Texas | Larry Robinson, Texas | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | San Francisco | Mike Stewart, Santa Clara | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | BYU | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Rhode Island | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1971–72 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1971–72 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 North Carolina †9–3 .75026–5  .839 No. 14 Maryland8–4 .66727–5  .844 No. 20 Virginia8–4 .66721–7  .750 Duke6–6 .50014–12  .538 NC State6–6 .50016–10  .615 Wake Forest3–9 .2508–18  .308 Clemson2–10 .16710–16  .385 † 1972 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Kansas State12–2 .85719–9  .679 Missouri10–4 .71421–6  .778 Oklahoma9–5 .64314–12  .538 Nebraska7–7 .50014–12  .538 Kansas7–7 .50011–15  .423 Iowa State5–9 .35712–14  .462 Colorado4–10 .2867–19  .269 Oklahoma State2–12 .1434–22  .154 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State10–4 .71418–11  .621 Gonzaga8–6 .57114–12  .538 Northern Arizona8–6 .57113–10  .565 Idaho State8–6 .57114–12  .538 Montana7–7 .50014–11  .560 Boise State7–7 .50014–12  .538 Montana State6–8 .4299–16  .360 Idaho2–12 .1435–14  .263 |
| 1971–72 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 11 Minnesota11–3 .78617–6  .739 No. 19 Ohio State10–4 .71418–6  .750 No. 17 Indiana9–5 .64317–8  .680 Michigan9–5 .64314–10  .583 Michigan State6–8 .42913–11  .542 Wisconsin6–8 .42913–11  .542 Purdue6–8 .42912–12  .500 Illinois5–9 .35714–10  .583 Iowa5–9 .35711–13  .458 Northwestern3–11 .2145–18  .217 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Pennsylvania13–1 .92925–3  .893 Princeton12–2 .85720–7  .741 Harvard8–6 .57115–11  .577 Dartmouth8–6 .57114–12  .538 Brown6–8 .42910–16  .385 Yale5–9 .3577–17  .292 Columbia3–11 .2144–20  .167 Cornell1–13 .0715–19  .208 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Ohio7–3 .70015–11  .577 Toledo7–3 .70018–7  .720 Kent State6–4 .6007–17  .292 Western Michigan5–5 .50010–14  .417 Miami (Ohio)4–6 .40012–12  .500 Bowling Green State1–9 .1004–20  .167 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1971–72 MAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT University–Eastern Temple †6–0 1.00023–8  .742 Saint Joseph's5–1 .83319–9  .679 American3–3 .50016–8  .667 Hofstra2–4 .33311–14  .440 Drexel2–4 .33311–14  .440 La Salle2–4 .3336–19  .240 West Chester1–5 .1679–16  .360 University–Western Rider8–2 .80015–11  .577 Lafayette7–3 .70020–5  .800 Delaware7–3 .70018–7  .720 Lehigh3–7 .30010–14  .417 Bucknell3–7 .3005–18  .217 Gettysburg2–8 .20011–12  .478 † 1972 MAC men's basketball tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Louisville12–2 .85726–5  .839 No. 13 Memphis State12–2 .85721–7  .750 Saint Louis9–5 .64318–8  .692 Bradley8–6 .57117–9  .654 Wichita State6–8 .42916–10  .615 Tulsa5–9 .35715–11  .577 North Texas State2–12 .1438–18  .308 Drake2–12 .1437–19  .269 New Mexico State– –19–6  .760 West Texas State– –14–11  .560 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Morehead State9–5 .64316–11  .593 Eastern Kentucky9–5 .64315–11  .577 Western Kentucky9–5 .64315–11  .577 Tennessee Tech7–7 .50014–11  .560 Murray State6–8 .42915–11  .577 East Tennessee State6–8 .42911–14  .440 Middle Tennessee5–9 .35715–11  .577 Austin Peay State5–9 .35710–14  .417 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1971–72 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 UCLA14–0 1.00030–0  1.000 Washington10–4 .71420–6  .769 Oregon State9–5 .64318–10  .643 USC9–5 .64316–10  .615 California6–8 .42913–16  .448 Stanford5–9 .35710–15  .400 Washington State3–11 .21411–15  .423 Oregon0–14 .0006–20  .231 As of April 15, 1972 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Long Beach State*10–2 .83325–4  .862 Pacific8–4 .66717–9  .654 San Diego State7–5 .58318–10  .643 UC Santa Barbara5–7 .41717–9  .654 Cal State Los Angeles5–7 .41714–12  .538 San Jose State5–7 .41711–15  .423 Fresno State2–10 .1679–17  .346 * – Overall record adjusted to 23–3 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Tennessee14–4 .77819–6  .760 No. 18 Kentucky14–4 .77821–7  .750 Alabama13–5 .72218–8  .692 Vanderbilt10–8 .55616–10  .615 Georgia9–9 .50014–12  .538 Ole Miss8–10 .44413–12  .520 Mississippi State6–12 .33313–13  .500 Auburn6–12 .33310–16  .385 LSU6–12 .33310–16  .385 Florida4–14 .22210–15  .400 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1971–72 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Davidson8–2 .80019–9  .679 Furman8–3 .72717–11  .607 William & Mary6–4 .60010–17  .370 East Carolina †7–5 .58314–15  .483 The Citadel5–6 .45512–13  .480 Richmond3–9 .2506–19  .240 VMI2–10 .1676–19  .240 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Louisiana Tech†*8–0 1.00023–3  .885 Lamar**7–1 .87513–13  .500 Texas-Arlington5–3 .62514–12  .538 Arkansas State***5–4 .55612–14  .462 Abilene Christian3–5 .37517–8  .680 No. 8 Southwest Louisiana****0–8 .00023–3  .885 Trinity (Tex.)0–8 .0006–18  .250 † Regular-season championship winner * – Played as non-major program; conference record adjusted to 8–0. ** – Dispute conference record 6–2. *** – Disputed conference record 4–4. **** – Disputed record 8–0 conference, 25–4 overall. Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas10–4 .71419–9  .679 SMU10–4 .71416–11  .593 TCU9–5 .64315–9  .625 Texas A&M9–5 .64316–10  .615 Texas Tech8–6 .57114–12  .538 Arkansas5–9 .3578–18  .308 Baylor4–10 .28614–12  .538 Rice1–13 .0716–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1971-72 WCAC men's basketball standings ConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT San Francisco13–1 .92920–8  .714 Santa Clara11–3 .78617–9  .654 Seattle10–4 .71417–9  .654 UNLV8–6 .57114–12  .538 Loyola (Calif.)6–8 .42911–15  .423 Pepperdine5–9 .35710–15  .400 Saint Mary's3–11 .2149–17  .346 Nevada0–14 .0002–24  .077 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 BYU12–2 .85721–5  .808 UTEP9–5 .64320–7  .741 Arizona State9–5 .64318–8  .692 Colorado State7–7 .50015–9  .625 New Mexico7–7 .50015–11  .577 Utah5–9 .35713–12  .520 Arizona4–10 .2866–20  .231 Wyoming3–11 .21412–14  .462 Rankings from AP Poll | 1971–72 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island 8–2 .80015–11  .577 Maine 6–4 .60015–10  .600 Massachusetts 6–4 .60014–12  .538 New Hampshire 5–5 .50014–9  .609 Connecticut 5–5 .5008–17  .320 Vermont 0–10 .0005–19  .208 |

### University Division independents

A total of 67 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Oral Roberts (26–2) had the best winning percentage (.929) and Florida State (28–5) finished with the most wins.
1971–72 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings :
* 1971–72 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 16 Oral Roberts– –26–2
* .929
* No. 7 Marquette– –25–4
* .862
* Hawaii– –23–4
* .852
* No. 12 Marshall– –23–4
* .852
* No. 10 Florida State– –28–5
* .848
* Northern Illinois– –21–4
* .840
* No. 6 South Carolina– –24–5
* .828
* Duquesne– –20–5
* .800
* Syracuse– –22–6
* .786
* Providence– –21–6
* .778
* Detroit– –18–6
* .750
* Houston– –20–7
* .741
* Jacksonville– –20–8
* .714
* No. 15 Villanova– –20–8
* .714
* Pan American– –17–7
* .708
* Niagara– –21–9
* .700
* Penn State– –17–8
* .680
* Fordham– –18–9
* .667
* St. Bonaventure– –16–8
* .667
* Cincinnati– –17–9
* .654
* Georgia Southern– –17–9
* .654
* Colgate– –15–8
* .652
* St. John's– –19–11
* .633
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –15–9
* .625
* Illinois State– –16–10
* .615
* Virginia Tech– –16–10
* .615
* Canisius– –15–11
* .577
* Creighton– –15–11
* .577
* Holy Cross– –15–11
* .577
* Oklahoma City– –16–12
* .571
* Loyola (LA)– –14–11
* .560
* Rutgers– –14–11
* .560
* West Virginia– –13–11
* .542
* Hardin–Simmons– –14–12
* .538
* DePaul– –12–11
* .522
* Centenary– –13–12
* .520
* Long Island– –13–12
* .520
* Boston College– –13–13
* .500
* Dayton– –13–13
* .500
* Pittsburgh– –12–12
* .500
* Air Force– –12–13
* .480
* Fairfield– –12–13
* .480
* Saint Francis (PA)– –12–13
* .480
* Saint Peter's– –12–13
* .480
* Indiana State– –12–14
* .462
* St. Francis (NY)– –12–14
* .462
* Utah State– –12–14
* .462
* Xavier– –12–14
* .462
* Army– –11–13
* .458
* Manhattan– –11–13
* .458
* George Washington– –11–14
* .440
* Navy– –10–13
* .435
* Denver– –11–15
* .423
* Portland– –10–16
* .385
* Seton Hall– –10–16
* .385
* Southern Illinois– –10–16
* .385
* Ball State– –9–15
* .375
* Loyola (IL)– –8–14
* .364
* Tulane– –8–18
* .308
* Boston University– –7–16
* .304
* South Alabama– –7–17
* .292
* Iona– –6–17
* .261
* Butler– –6–20
* .231
* Georgia Tech– –6–20
* .231
* Notre Dame– –6–20
* .231
* Stetson– –6–20
* .231
* Georgetown– –3–23
* .115
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Penn & Temple | Corky Calhoun, Penn, & Chris Ford, Villanova |
Penn and Temple both finished with 3–1 records 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 | 75 | | | |
| ME | Florida State | 79 | | | |
| ME | Florida State | 79 | ME | Florida State | 76 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 81 |
| MW | Louisville | 77 | W | UCLA | 81 |
| MW | UCLA | 96 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | North Carolina | 105 |
| | | | MW | Louisville | 91 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Jacksonville | 77 | | |
| Maryland | 91 | | |
| Maryland | 91 | Maryland | 100 |
| | | Niagara | 69 |
| St. John's | 67 | Niagara | 69 |
| Niagara | 69 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Jacksonville | 83 |
| | | St. John's | 80 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Henry Bibby | G | Senior | UCLA |
| Jim Chones | C | Junior | Marquette |
| Dwight Lamar | G | Junior | Southwestern Louisiana |
| Bob McAdoo | F | Junior | North Carolina |
| Ed Ratleff | F | Junior | Long Beach State |
| Tom Riker | F/C | Senior | South Carolina |
| Bill Walton | C | Sophomore | UCLA |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Rich Fuqua | G | Junior | Oral Roberts |
| Barry Parkhill | G | Junior | Virginia |
| Jim Price | G | Senior | Louisville |
| Bud Stallworth | F | Senior | Kansas |
| Henry Wilmore | G/F | Junior | Michigan |

### 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: 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): Scott Martin, Oklahoma
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Corky Calhoun, Penn, & Chris Ford, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Richie Garner, Manhattan, & Tom Sullivan, Fordham

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach | Reason |
| Georgetown | Jack Magee | John Thompson | McGee was fired at the end of the season after the 1971–72 Georgetown team finished with a record of 3–23. |
| Hardin–Simmons | Glen Whitis | Russell Berry | |
| Kentucky | Adolph Rupp | Joe B. Hall | Rupp retired as the NCAA all-time leader in victories. He was replaced by lead assistant Hall. |
| LSU | Press Maravich | Dale Brown | Maravich, father of NCAA career scoring leader Pete Maravich, was fired after the Tigers finished 10–16. He was succeeded by Washington State assistant Brown, who remained at LSU for 25 seasons. |
| Marshall | Carl Tacy | Bob Daniels | Tacy left after the season to become the head coach at Wake Forest. |
| Wake Forest | Jack McCloskey | Carl Tacy | McCloskey left after the season to become the head coach for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. |