1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

American college basketball season

1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Celebrating another national championship
NCAA tournament National champions
Pac-8 champions
ConferencePacific-8 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record29–1 (14–0 Pac-8)
Head coach
  • John Wooden (23rd season)
Assistant coaches
  • Denny Crum (8th season)
  • Gary Cunningham
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
Seasons
1970–71 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 UCLA 14 0   1.000 29 1   .967
No. 5 USC 12 2   .857 24 2   .923
Oregon 8 6   .571 17 9   .654
California 8 6   .571 16 9   .640
Washington 6 8   .429 15 13   .536
Oregon State 4 10   .286 12 14   .462
Washington State 2 12   .143 12 14   .462
Stanford 2 12   .143 6 20   .231
As of 1971[1][2]
Rankings from AP Poll[3]


The 1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team won the National Collegiate Championship on March 27, 1971, in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.[4] It was UCLA's fifth consecutive national title, and seventh in eight years under head coach John Wooden. The Bruins defeated Villanova 68–62,[4] but the Wildcats' runner-up finish was later vacated by the NCAA.[5]

Smith Barrier, executive sports editor at the Daily News and Record of Greensboro, North Carolina, wrote: "Mister John Wooden has a watch factory out in Los Angeles. It's a bit different from most Swiss works. They don't make watches, they win 'em."[5]

The Bruins' only blemish was a 89–82 loss at Notre Dame on January 23. The victory over UC Santa Barbara on January 30 began UCLA's record 88-game winning streak; it lasted nearly three years, broken on January 19, 1974, again at Notre Dame.

UCLA averaged 83.5 points per game, and allowed 71.1 points. Seniors Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe were selected to the consensus All-America team.[6]

The Bruins opened NCAA West Regional in Salt Lake City with a 91–73 win over BYU,[7] then edged Long Beach State 57–55 in the regional final.[8][9]

At the Final Four in Houston, UCLA defeated fourth-ranked Kansas 68–60 in the semifinal game on Thursday night.[10]

Roster

1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 24 Rick Betchley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Sr
G 45 Henry Bibby 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Jr Franklinton, North Carolina
G 23 Kenny Booker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Sr Long Beach, California
C 34 Jon Chapman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
G 22 Tommy Curtis Current redshirt 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
F 52 John Ecker 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Sr
F 54 Larry Farmer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
So
G 25 Andy Hill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Jr Los Angeles, California
G/F 53 Larry Hollyfield 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
C 32 Steve Patterson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Sr Riverside, California
F 30 Curtis Rowe 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Sr Bessemer, Alabama
G 42 Terry Schofield 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Sr Los Angeles, California
F 35 Sidney Wicks 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Sr Los Angeles, California
Head coach

John Wooden (Purdue)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2016-Mar-20

Schedule

Sidney Wicks was a consensus All-American
Henry Bibby against Stanford
Kenny Booker against Kansas in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular Season
December 4, 1970*
No. 1 Baylor W 108–77  1–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles
December 5, 1970*
No. 1 Rice W 124–78  2–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 11, 1970*
No. 1 Pacific W 100–88  3–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 12, 1970*
No. 1 Tulsa W 95–75  4–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 1970*
No. 1 Missouri W 94–75  5–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 23, 1970*
No. 1 Saint Louis W 79–65  6–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 29, 1970*
No. 1 vs. William & Mary
Steel Bowl
W 90–71  7–0
Civic Arena 
Pittsburgh, PA
December 30, 1970*
No. 1 at Pittsburgh
Steel Bowl
W 77–65  8–0
Civic Arena 
Pittsburgh, PA
January 2, 1971*
No. 1 Dayton W 106–82  9–0
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 8, 1971
No. 1 Washington W 78–69  10–0
(1–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 9, 1971
No. 1 Washington State W 95–71  11–0
(2–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
January 15, 1971
No. 1 at Stanford W 58–53  12–0
(3–0)
Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
January 16, 1971
No. 1 at California W 94–76  13–0
(4–0)
Harmon Gym 
Berkeley, CA
January 22, 1971*
No. 1 at Loyola–Chicago W 87–62  14–0
Chicago Stadium 
Chicago, IL
January 23, 1971*
No. 1 at No. 9 Notre Dame L 82–89  14–1
Athletic & Convocation Center 
Notre Dame, IN
January 30, 1971*
No. 2 UC Santa Barbara W 74–61  15–1
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 6, 1971
No. 3 at No. 2 USC W 64–60  16–1
(5–0)
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 
Los Angeles, CA
February 12, 1971
No. 1 at Oregon W 69–68  17–1
(6–0)
McArthur Court 
Eugene, OR
February 13, 1971
No. 1 at Oregon State W 67–65  18–1
(7–0)
Gill Coliseum 
Corvallis, OR
February 19, 1971
No. 1 Oregon State W 94–64  19–1
(8–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 20, 1971
No. 1 Oregon W 74–67  20–1
(9–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
February 27, 1971
No. 1 at Washington State W 57–53  21–1
(10–0)
Bohler Gymnasium 
Pullman, WA
March 1, 1971
No. 1 at Washington W 71–69  22–1
(11–0)
Hec Edmundson Pavilion 
Seattle, WA
March 5, 1971
No. 1 California W 103–69  23–1
(12–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
March 6, 1971
No. 1 Stanford W 107–72  24–1
(13–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
March 13, 1971
No. 1 No. 3 USC W 73–62  25–1
(14–0)
Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
NCAA Tournament
March 18, 1971*
8:20 pm
No. 1 vs. No. 20 BYU
Regional semifinals
W 91–73  26–1
Special Events Center (15,032)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 20, 1971*
3:30 pm, NBC
No. 1 vs. No. 16 Long Beach State
Regional Final
W 57–55  27–1
Special Events Center (14,003)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 25, 1971*
6:30 pm, NBC
No. 1 vs. No. 4 Kansas
National semifinal
W 68–60  28–1
Astrodome (31,428)
Houston, TX
March 27, 1971*
1:15 pm, NBC
No. 1 vs. No. 19 Villanova
National Final
W 68–62  29–1
Astrodome (31,765)
Houston, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific time.
Source:[11]

Notes

  • The Bruins also won the "Steel Bowl" in Pittsburgh in late December, defeating William & Mary and Pittsburgh
  • Sidney Wicks was a consensus All-American and Curtis Rowe was named to the second team.
  • Sidney Wicks received player of the year awards from the USBWA and The Sporting News
  • November 21, 2010 – Sidney Wicks will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

References

  1. ^ "Pacific-8 Conference: final standings". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). March 14, 1971. p. 1D.
  2. ^ 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, College Athletics Publishing Service, 1971
  3. ^ "Both wire service polls agree-- UCLA is best club in country". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 16, 1971. p. 2B.
  4. ^ a b "Steve Patterson's greatest game sparks UCLA to fifth straight NCAA crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 28, 1971. p. 1, sports.
  5. ^ a b Official Collegiate Basketball Guide 1972, College Athletic Publishing Service, 1972
  6. ^ Jerry Crowe, "In time of great change, Sidney Wicks helped UCLA stay the same", Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2009
  7. ^ Miller, Hack (March 19, 1971). "All-California finale". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B5.
  8. ^ "Bruins escape in final seconds; Wicks' FT's give 57-55 triumph". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 21, 1971. p. 1, sports.
  9. ^ Miller, Hack (March 22, 1971). "Bruin shaky, but Houston beckons". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. C1.
  10. ^ "Iron-man quints to battle Bruins". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. March 26, 1971. p. 13.
  11. ^ "Season by Season Records" (PDF). UCLA Athletics.

External links

  • Media related to 1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball season at Wikimedia Commons
  • 1970–71 UCLA Bruins at Sports-Reference.com
  • v
  • t
  • e
UCLA Bruins men's basketball 1970–71 NCAA champions
Head coach
John Wooden
Assistant coaches
Denny Crum
Gary Cunningham
  • v
  • t
  • e
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Venues
Rivalries
Culture & lore
People
Seasons
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
  • v
  • t
  • e
NCAA Division I men's basketball champions
1939
Oregon
1940
Indiana
1941
Wisconsin
1942
Stanford
1943
Wyoming
1944
Utah
1945
Oklahoma A&M
1946
Oklahoma A&M
1947
Holy Cross
1948
Kentucky
1949
Kentucky
1950
CCNY
1951
Kentucky
1952
Kansas
1953
Indiana
1954
La Salle
1955
San Francisco
1956
San Francisco
1957
North Carolina
1958
Kentucky
1959
California
1960
Ohio State
1961
Cincinnati
1962
Cincinnati
1963
Loyola (IL)
1964
UCLA
1965
UCLA
1966
Texas Western
1967
UCLA
1968
UCLA
1969
UCLA
1970
UCLA
1971
UCLA
1972
UCLA
1973
UCLA
1974
NC State
1975
UCLA
1976
Indiana
1977
Marquette
1978
Kentucky
1979
Michigan State
1980
Louisville
1981
Indiana
1982
North Carolina
1983
NC State
1984
Georgetown
1985
Villanova
1986
Louisville
1987
Indiana
1988
Kansas
1989
Michigan
1990
UNLV
1991
Duke
1992
Duke
1993
North Carolina
1994
Arkansas
1995
UCLA
1996
Kentucky
1997
Arizona
1998
Kentucky
1999
Connecticut
2000
Michigan State
2001
Duke
2002
Maryland
2003
Syracuse
2004
Connecticut
2005
North Carolina
2006
Florida
2007
Florida
2008
Kansas
2009
North Carolina
2010
Duke
2011
Connecticut
2012
Kentucky
2013
Louisville (Vacated)
2014
UConn
2015
Duke
2016
Villanova
2017
North Carolina
2018
Villanova
2019
Virginia
2020
No tournament
2021
Baylor
2022
Kansas
2023
UConn
2024
UConn