1970–71 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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
Head coach
John Wooden (Purdue )
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
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
^ "Pacific-8 Conference: final standings" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). March 14, 1971. p. 1D.
^ 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, College Athletics Publishing Service, 1971
^ "Both wire service polls agree-- UCLA is best club in country" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). Associated Press. March 16, 1971. p. 2B.
^ 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.
^ a b Official Collegiate Basketball Guide 1972 , College Athletic Publishing Service, 1972
^ Jerry Crowe, "In time of great change, Sidney Wicks helped UCLA stay the same" , Los Angeles Times , March 2, 2009
^ Miller, Hack (March 19, 1971). "All-California finale" . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B5.
^ "Bruins escape in final seconds; Wicks' FT's give 57-55 triumph" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 21, 1971. p. 1, sports.
^ Miller, Hack (March 22, 1971). "Bruin shaky, but Houston beckons" . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. C1.
^ "Iron-man quints to battle Bruins" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). Associated Press. March 26, 1971. p. 13.
^ "Season by Season Records" (PDF) . UCLA Athletics.
External links
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics