1971–72 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
1971–72 UCLA Bruins men's basketball | |
---|---|
Pacific-8 Championship Bruin Classic Championship | |
NCAA National Championship Game vs. Florida State, W, 81–76 | |
Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 1 |
AP | No. 1 |
1971–72 record | 30–0 (14–0 Pac-8) |
Head coach | John R. Wooden |
Assistant coach | Gary Cunningham |
The 1971–72 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team won the National Collegiate Champion on March 25, 1972, in the Los Angeles Sports Arena with an 81–76 victory over Florida State. It became the eighth championship in nine years under head coach John Wooden, who was coaching his 25th year at UCLA. The 1971–72 UCLA basketball team had a record of 30–0, in the process winning its games by an average margin of more than 30 points. The season was also part of UCLA's NCAA record 88-game winning streak. The UCLA streak contributed to a personal winning streak that lasted almost five years. It began "The Walton Years" for Coach Wooden.
Season Summary
Sophomore Bill Walton lived up to his advance billing, leading the Bruins to a 30-0 record and the National Championship while averaging a double-double (21.1 PPG, 15.5 RPG). Greg Lee and Henry Bibby formed a solid back court, and forwards Keith Wilkes and Larry Farmer were double-digit scorers. Walton’s backup, 7-1 Swen Nater, could have been a star at other schools.
Starting lineup
Position | Player | Class |
---|---|---|
F | Larry Farmer | Jr. |
F | Keith Wilkes | So. |
C | Bill Walton | So. |
G | Greg Lee | So. |
G | Henry Bibby | Sr. |
Players
- Henry Bibby
- Vince Carson
- Jon Chapman
- Tommy Curtis
- Larry Farmer
- Gary Franklin
- Larry Hollyfield
- Greg Lee
- Swen Nater
- Bill Walton
- Keith Wilkes
- Andy Hill
Schedule and results
Date | Opponent | Results | Record |
---|---|---|---|
Dec. 3 | The Citadel | W 105–49 | 1–0 |
Dec. 4 | Iowa | W 106–72 | 2–0 |
Dec. 10 | Iowa St. | W 110–81 | 3–0 |
Dec. 11 | Texas A&M | W 117–53 | 4–0 |
Dec. 22 | Notre Dame | W 114–56 | 5–0 |
Dec. 23 | TCU | W 119–81 | 6–0 |
Dec. 29 | Texas | W 115–65 | 7–0 |
Dec. 30 | Ohio St. | W 79–53 | 8–0 |
Jan. 7 | Oregon St. | W 78–72 | 9–0 |
Jan. 8 | Oregon | W 93–68 | 10–0 |
Jan. 14 | Stanford | W 118–79 | 11–0 |
Jan. 15 | California | W 82–43 | 12–0 |
Jan. 21 | Santa Clara | W 92–57 | 13–0 |
Jan. 22 | Denver | W 108–61 | 14–0 |
Jan. 28 | (n) Loyola (IL) | W 92–64 | 15–0 |
Jan. 29 | at Notre Dame | W 57–32 | 16–0 |
Feb. 5 | USC | W 81–56 | 17–0 |
Feb. 11 | Wash. St. | W 89–58 | 18–0 |
Feb. 12 | Washington | W 109–70 | 19–0 |
Feb. 19 | at Washington | W 100–83 | 20–0 |
Feb. 21 | at Wash. St. | W 85–55 | 21–0 |
Feb. 25 | Oregon | W 92–70 | 22–0 |
Feb. 26 | Oregon St. | W 91–72 | 23–0 |
Mar. 3 | at California | W 85–71 | 24–0 |
Mar. 4 | at Stanford | W 102–73 | 25–0 |
Mar. 10 | at USC | W 79–66 | 26–0 |
Mar. 16 (Sweet 16) | Weber St. | W 90–58 | 27–0 |
Mar. 18 (Elite 8) | Long Beach St. | W 73–57 | 28–0 |
Mar. 23 (Final Four) | Louisville | W 96–77 | 29–0 |
Mar. 25 (Championship) | Florida State | W 81–76 | 30–0 |
Notes
- The team opened the season as the No. 1 team in both the AP and UPI polls
- Prior to joining the varsity team, Lee (17.9 ppg), Wilkes (20.0 ppg), and Walton (18.1, 68.6 per cent) were members of the 20–0 Frosh team[1]
- Bruins won the Bruin Classic in Pauley Pavilion
- Bill Walton and Henry Bibby were named to the 1972 Consensus All-America first team
Awards and honors
- Bill Walton, USBWA College Player of the Year [2]
- Bill Walton, Naismith College Player of the Year [3]
- Bill Walton, Adolph Rupp Trophy [4]
Team players drafted into the NBA
- Henry Bibby, New York
- Bill Walton, San Antonio (ABA)
See also
References
- ↑ 1972 Official Collegiate Basketball Guide, College Athletics Publishing Service, 1971
- ↑ http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/awards/robertson/index.html
- ↑ http://www.naismithawards.com/History/NaismithTrophy/tabid/58/Default.aspx
- ↑ http://www.ruppawards.com/index_files/Page356.htm
External links
- Media related to 1971–72 UCLA Bruins men's basketball season at Wikimedia Commons
- 1971–72 UCLA Bruins at Sports-Reference.com