1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1969, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 21, 1970, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The UCLA Bruins won their sixth NCAA national championship with an 80–69 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins.

Season headlines

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  • UCLA won its fourth NCAA championship in a row, sixth overall, and sixth in seven seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its fourth of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
  • The Pacific Coast Athletic Association began play. It was renamed the Big West Conference in 1988.
  • LSU’s Pete Maravich established several NCAA records during his career. Two of the most notable came during this season single-season scoring average (44.5 in 1969–70, besting his 44.2 average from the prior season) and career scoring (3,667 points). In addition to leading the NCAA in scoring for the third consecutive season, Maravich was named a consensus first-team All-American and SEC Player of the Year for the third time. He was the first player to score 3,000 or more points in his career (1968–1970),[2] and his career average of 44.2 points per game made him the first player to average more than 40 points a game for his career.[2] In a game against Alabama on February 7, 1970, Maravich scored 69 points, setting a record for points scored by a single player in a game against an NCAA University Division (later NCAA Division I) opponent;[3] Maravich broke the record of 68 points set by Calvin Murphy of Niagara in December 1968, and no one outscored Maravich until Kevin Bradshaw scored 72 points in a game in January 1991.[4]

Season outlook

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Conference membership changes

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School Former conference New conference
Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles non-University Division Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Colorado State Rams NCAA University Division independent Western Athletic Conference
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
Fresno Bulldogs non-University Division Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Hofstra Flying Dutchmen Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Middle Atlantic Conference
Iona Gaels Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
Long Beach State 49ers non-University Division Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Long Island Blackbirds Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
Manhattan Jaspers Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
Marshall Thundering Herd Mid-American Conference NCAA University Division independent
Nevada Wolfpack non-University Division West Coast Athletic Conference
UNLV Runnin' Rebels non-University Division West Coast Athletic Conference
Saint Peter's Peacocks Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
San Diego State Aztecs non-University Division Pacific Coast Athletic Association
San Jose State Spartans West Coast Athletic Conference Pacific Coast Athletic Association
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos West Coast Athletic Conference Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Seton Hall Pirates Metropolitan Collegiate Conference NCAA University Division independent
UTEP Miners NCAA University Division independent Western Athletic Conference
Wagner Seahawks Metropolitan Collegiate Conference non-NCAA University Division

Regular season

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Conferences

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Conference winners and tournaments

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Conference Regular
season winner[6]
Conference
player of the year
Conference
tournament
Tournament
venue (City)
Tournament
winner
Atlantic Coast ConferenceSouth CarolinaJohn Roche,
South Carolina[7]
1970 ACC men's basketball tournamentCharlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
NC State
Big Eight ConferenceKansas StateDave Robisch, Kansas[8]No Tournament
Big Sky ConferenceWeber StateNone selectedNo Tournament
Big Ten ConferenceIowaNone selectedNo Tournament
Ivy LeaguePennNone selectedNo Tournament
Mid-American ConferenceOhioJim Penix, Bowling Green[9]No Tournament
Middle Atlantic ConferenceSt. Joseph's (East); Lafayette, Lehigh, & Rider (West)No Tournament
Missouri Valley ConferenceDrakeJim Ard, CincinnatiNo Tournament
Ohio Valley ConferenceWestern KentuckyJim McDaniels, Western KentuckyNo Tournament
Pacific 8 ConferenceUCLANone selectedNo Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic AssociationLong Beach StateGeorge Trapp, Long Beach StateNo Tournament
Southeastern ConferenceKentuckyPete Maravich, LSU[10]No Tournament
Southern ConferenceDavidsonMike Maloy, Davidson[11]1970 Southern Conference men's basketball tournamentCharlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
Davidson[12]
Southland ConferenceLamarKenny Haynes, Lamar[13]No Tournament
Southwest ConferenceRiceGene Phillips, SMUNo Tournament
West Coast Athletic ConferenceSanta ClaraDennis Awtrey, Santa ClaraNo Tournament
Western Athletic ConferenceUTEPNone selectedNo Tournament
Yankee ConferenceConnecticut & MassachusettsNone selectedNo Tournament

Conference standings

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1969–70 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 6 South Carolina140 1.000253  .893
North Carolina95 .643189  .667
No. 10 NC State95 .643237  .767
Duke86 .571179  .654
Wake Forest68 .4291413  .519
Maryland59 .3571313  .500
Virginia311 .2141015  .400
Clemson212 .143719  .269
1970 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Kansas State104 .714208  .714
Kansas86 .571179  .654
Oklahoma77 .500199  .679
Nebraska77 .500169  .640
Missouri77 .5001511  .577
Colorado77 .5001412  .538
Oklahoma State59 .3571412  .538
Iowa State59 .3571214  .462
Rankings from AP Poll[14]
1969–70 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Weber State123 .800198  .704
Idaho State114 .7331411  .560
Gonzaga78 .4671016  .385
Idaho69 .4001015  .400
Montana510 .333818  .308
Montana State411 .267422  .154
1969–70 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 7 Iowa140 1.000205  .800
Purdue113 .786186  .750
Ohio State86 .571159  .625
Illinois86 .571159  .625
Minnesota77 .5001311  .542
Michigan59 .3571014  .417
Wisconsin59 .3571014  .417
Michigan State59 .357915  .375
Northwestern410 .286915  .375
Indiana311 .214717  .292
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 13 Pennsylvania140 1.000252  .926
Columbia113 .786205  .800
Princeton95 .643169  .640
Dartmouth77 .5001312  .520
Yale77 .5001113  .458
Cornell410 .286716  .304
Brown311 .214620  .231
Harvard113 .071719  .269
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Ohio91 .900205  .800
Bowling Green State73 .700159  .625
Miami (Ohio)64 .600159  .625
Toledo55 .500159  .625
Kent State28 .200717  .292
Western Michigan19 .100518  .217
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 MAC men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
University–Eastern
Saint Joseph's50 1.0001512  .556
La Salle32 .6001412  .538
Temple23 .4001513  .536
Hofstra23 .4001313  .500
American23 .4001112  .478
West Chester14 .2001115  .423
University–Western
Lehigh73 .7001314  .481
Lafayette73 .7001214  .462
Rider73 .7001610  .615
Delaware64 .600169  .640
Bucknell37 .300617  .261
Gettysburg010 .000818  .308
College–Northern
Philadelphia Textile   
Scranton104 .714158  .652
Upsala   
Juniata84 .667148  .636
Wagner65 .5451114  .440
Elizabethtown76 .538913  .409
Susquehanna88 .5001211  .522
Albright710 .412718  .280
Lycoming312 .200415  .211
College–Southern
Muhlenberg131 .929166  .727
Pennsylvania Military   
Johns Hopkins84 .667108  .556
Dickinson116 .6471311  .542
Drexel76 .5381111  .500
Ursinus88 .50099  .500
Swarthmore77 .500108  .556
Lebanon Valley611 .353713  .350
Moravian416 .200417  .190
Franklin & Marshall312 .200317  .150
Haverford212 .143514  .263
1970 MAC men's basketball tournament winner
University division only counted games within their division. College division counted games across Northern/Southern.
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 14 Drake142 .875227  .759
Cincinnati124 .750216  .778
North Texas State115 .688188  .692
Louisville115 .688189  .667
Tulsa98 .5291511  .577
Bradley79 .4381412  .538
Saint Louis511 .313917  .346
Wichita State313 .188818  .308
Memphis State116 .059620  .231
Rankings from AP Poll[15]
1969–70 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 18 Western Kentucky140 1.000223  .880
Murray State95 .643179  .654
East Tennessee State86 .5711511  .577
Eastern Kentucky86 .5711210  .545
Middle Tennessee68 .4291511  .577
Morehead State59 .3571311  .542
Tennessee Tech410 .2861015  .400
Austin Peay212 .143521  .192
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Pacific–8 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 2 UCLA122 .857282  .933
Washington State95 .643197  .731
No. 20 USC95 .643188  .692
Oregon86 .571179  .654
Washington77 .500179  .654
California59 .3571115  .423
Oregon State410 .2861016  .385
Stanford212 .143520  .200
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 19 Long Beach State100 1.000245  .828
UC Santa Barbara64 .6001214  .462
Cal State Los Angeles* 188  .692
Fresno State* 1412  .538
San Diego State* 1313  .500
San Jose State010 .000321  .125
† Regular-season championship winner
* – Played as non-major program
Rankings from AP Poll[16]
1969–70 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Kentucky171 .944262  .929
LSU135 .7222210  .688
Auburn117 .6111511  .577
Georgia117 .6111312  .520
Tennessee108 .556169  .640
Vanderbilt810 .4441214  .462
Ole Miss612 .3331015  .400
Florida612 .333917  .346
Alabama513 .278818  .308
Mississippi State315 .167618  .250
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 15 Davidson100 1.000225  .815
East Carolina92 .8181610  .615
George Washington64 .6001215  .444
Furman56 .4551313  .500
William & Mary57 .4171116  .407
The Citadel48 .333816  .333
Richmond49 .308918  .333
VMI310 .231619  .240
Tournament winner
As of April 30, 1970
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Lamar71 .875159  .625
Texas-Arlington44 .500816  .333
Trinity (Tex.)* 158  .652
Arkansas State* 149  .609
Abilene Christian* 1016  .385
* – Played as non-major program
Rankings from AP poll[17]
1969–70 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Rice104 .7141411  .560
Texas A&M95 .6431410  .583
Baylor86 .571159  .625
Texas Tech86 .5711410  .583
TCU86 .5711014  .417
Texas68 .4291113  .458
SMU410 .286519  .208
Arkansas311 .214519  .208
Rankings from AP Poll
1969–70 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Santa Clara113 .786236  .793
Pacific113 .786216  .778
UNLV95 .643179  .654
San Francisco95 .6431511  .577
Pepperdine77 .5001412  .538
Loyola (Calif.)77 .5001313  .500
Nevada212 .143517  .227
Saint Mary's014 .000322  .120
† Regular-season championship winner
Rankings from AP poll
1969–70 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
UTEP104 .714178  .680
Wyoming95 .643197  .731
Utah95 .6431810  .643
Arizona86 .5711214  .462
Colorado State77 .500149  .609
New Mexico77 .5001313  .500
BYU410 .286818  .308
Arizona State212 .143422  .154
Rankings from AP Poll[18]
1969–70 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Massachusetts 82 .800187  .720
Connecticut 82 .800149  .609
Rhode Island 73 .7001610  .615
New Hampshire 37 .3001211  .522
Vermont 37 .300816  .333
Maine 19 .100717  .292

University Division independents

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A total of 61 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Jacksonville (27–2) had the best winning percentage (.931), and Jacksonville and New Mexico State (27–3) finished with the most wins.[19]

1969–70 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 4 Jacksonville 272  .931
No. 5 New Mexico State 273  .900
No. 8 Marquette 263  .897
No. 3 St. Bonaventure 253  .893
No. 11 Florida State 233  .885
No. 12 Houston 255  .833
Army 226  .786
No. 17 Niagara 227  .759
No. 16 Utah State 227  .759
Villanova 227  .759
No. 9 Notre Dame 218  .724
St. John's 218  .724
Georgetown 187  .720
Duquesne 177  .708
Dayton 198  .704
Manhattan 188  .692
Hardin–Simmons 179  .654
Holy Cross 169  .640
Long Island 169  .640
Georgia Tech 1710  .630
Creighton 1510  .600
Seattle 1510  .600
Boston University 1410  .583
Butler 1511  .577
Oklahoma City 1713  .567
Fairleigh Dickinson 1310  .565
Southern Illinois 1310  .565
Colgate 1411  .560
Providence 1411  .560
Denver 1311  .542
Loyola (IL) 1311  .542
Penn State 1311  .542
Rutgers 1311  .542
Saint Peter's 1311  .542
Northern Illinois 1312  .520
Air Force 1212  .500
Fairfield 1212  .500
Iona 1212  .500
NYU 1212  .500
Pittsburgh 1212  .500
Saint Francis (PA) 1212  .500
Syracuse 1212  .500
DePaul 1213  .480
West Texas State 1213  .480
Loyola (LA) 1214  .462
Boston College 1113  .458
Virginia Tech 1012  .455
St. Francis (NY) 912  .429
West Virginia 1115  .423
Canisius 913  .409
Fordham 1015  .400
Seton Hall 1015  .400
Marshall 914  .391
Miami (FL) 917  .346
Centenary 816  .333
Pan American 816  .333
Detroit 718  .280
Tulane 518  .217
Xavier 520  .200
Navy 419  .174
Portland 422  .154
Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

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Conference Regular
season winner
Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5PennKen Durrett, La Salle

Penn finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Post-season tournaments

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NCAA tournament

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Final Four

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National semifinals National finals
      
E St. Bonaventure 83
ME Jacksonville 91
ME Jacksonville 69
W UCLA 80
MW New Mexico State 77
W UCLA 93 Third place
E St. Bonaventure 73
MW New Mexico State 79

National Invitation tournament

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Semifinals & finals

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Semifinals Finals
    
Army 59
St. John's 60
St. John's 53
Marquette 65
Marquette 101
LSU 79 Third place
Army 75
LSU 68

Awards

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Consensus All-American teams

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Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Dan Issel F/C Senior Kentucky
Bob Lanier C Senior St. Bonaventure
Pete Maravich G/F Senior Louisiana State
Rick Mount G/F Senior Purdue
Calvin Murphy G Senior Niagara


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Austin Carr G Junior Notre Dame
Jim Collins G Senior New Mexico State
John Roche G Junior South Carolina
Charlie Scott F Senior North Carolina
Sidney Wicks F Junior UCLA

Major player of the year awards

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Major coach of the year awards

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Other major awards

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Coaching changes

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A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team Former
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
Arkansas Duddy Waller Lanny Van Eman
Butler Tony Hinkle George Theofanis
Clemson Bobby Roberts Tates Locke
Denver Stan Albeck Jim Karabetsos
Fairfield Jim Lynam Fred Barakat
Fordham Ed Conlin Digger Phelps
Furman Frank Selvy Joe Williams
George Washington Wayne Dobbs Carl Stone
Hardin–Simmons Paul Lambert Glen Whitis Lambert left to coach Southern Illinois.
Iowa Ralph Miller Dick Schultz
Jacksonville Joe Williams Tom Wasdin Williams left to coach Furman.
Kansas State Cotton Fitzsimmons Jack Hartman Fitzsimmons left to coach the Phoenix Suns.
La Salle Tom Gola Paul Westhead
Memphis State Moe Iba Gene Bartow
Miami (Ohio) Tates Locke Darrell Hedric Locke left to coach Clemson.
Minnesota Bill Fitch George Harrison
Mississippi State Joe Dan Gold Kermit Davis Sr.
Montana Bob Cope Lou Rocheleau
North Texas State Dan Spika Harry Miller
Oklahoma State Henry Iba Sam Aubrey
Oregon State Paul Valenti Ralph Miller
Portland Ernie Smith Joe Etzel Jack Avina
Saint Mary's Mike Cimino Druce Hale
San Francisco Phil Vukicevich Bob Baillard
Santa Clara Dick Garibaldi Carroll Williams
Seton Hall Richie Regan Bill Raftery
St. John's Lou Carnesecca Frank Mulzoff
Southern Illinois Jack Hartman Paul Lambert Hartman left to coach Kansas State.
UNLV Rolland Todd John Bayer
Western Michigan Sonny Means Eldon Miller

References

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  1. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  2. 1 2 "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  3. "72-Point Performance Erases Maravich's Record," The New York Times, January 7, 1991.
  4. Carter, Bob (November 19, 2003). "Maravich scored at will". espn.com. ESPN Classic. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  5. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  6. "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  7. 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
  8. 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
  9. 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  10. 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  11. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  12. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  13. 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  14. sports-reference.com 1969-70 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
  15. "1969-70 Missouri Valley Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  16. "1969-70 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  17. "1969-70 Men's Southland Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  18. sports-reference.com 1969-70 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
  19. "1969-70 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 15, 2024.