1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball season explained

Year:1968
Preseason Ap:UCLA[1] [2]
Tourney Start:March 8
Nc Date:22, 1969
Champ Stad:Freedom Hall
Champ City:Louisville, Kentucky
Champ:UCLA
Helmschamp:UCLA
Nit Champ:Temple
Playeroftheyear:Lew Alcindor, UCLA (Naismith)
Helmspoy:Lew Alcindor, UCLA

The 1968–69 NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association) University Division men's basketball season began in December 1968, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 22, 1969, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The UCLA Bruins won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 92–72 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.

Season headlines

Pre-season polls

See main article: 1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings.

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.[5] [6]

Associated Press
RankingTeam
1UCLA
2North Carolina
3Kentucky
4Notre Dame
5Kansas
6Davidson
7St. Bonaventure
8Houston
9New Mexico
10Purdue
11Villanova
12Ohio State
13Vanderbilt
14Cincinnati
15Marquette
16Western Kentucky
17Duke
18Detroit
19Florida
20Tennessee
UPI Coaches
RankingTeam
1UCLA
2North Carolina
3Kentucky
4Notre Dame
5Kansas
6Houston
7Davidson
8New Mexico
9Villanova
10Cincinnati
11Purdue
12St. Bonaventure
13New Mexico State
14Ohio State
15
(tie)
Duke
Western Kentucky
17Santa Clara
18USC
19Florida
20California

Conference membership changes

SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference
Metropolitan Collegiate ConferenceNCAA University Division independent
Southern ConferenceNCAA University Division independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

ConferenceRegular
season winner[7]
Conference
player of the year
Conference
tournament
Tournament
venue (City)
Tournament
winner
John Roche,
South Carolina[8]
Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
North Carolina
Cliff Meely, Colorado[9] No Tournament
None selected No Tournament
None selected No Tournament
None selected No Tournament
Manhattan & No Tournament
Steve Mix, Toledo[10] No Tournament
No Tournament
No Tournament
& No Tournament
None selected No Tournament
Pete Maravich, LSU[11] No Tournament
Mike Maloy, Davidson[12] Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
Davidson[13]
Larry Jeffries, Trinity[14] No Tournament
No Tournament
No Tournament
None selected No Tournament
None selected No Tournament

Conference standings

University Division independents

A total of 56 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, (24–4) had the best winning percentage (.857). Boston College, Marquette (24–5), and (24–5) finished with the most wins.[15]

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

See main article: 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game.

Final Four

National Invitation tournament

See main article: 1969 National Invitation Tournament.

Semifinals & finals

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

See main article: 1969 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

Consensus First Team
PlayerPositionClassTeam
Lew AlcindorCSeniorUCLA
Spencer HaywoodFSophomoreDetroit
Pete MaravichG/FJuniorLouisiana State
Rick MountG/FJuniorPurdue
Calvin MurphyGJuniorNiagara

Consensus Second Team
Player PositionClassTeam
Dan IsselF/CJuniorKentucky
Mike MaloyFJuniorDavidson
Bud OgdenFSeniorSanta Clara
Charlie ScottFSeniorNorth Carolina
Jo Jo WhiteGSeniorKansas

Major player of the year awards

Major coach of the year awards

Other major awards

Coaching changes

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

TeamFormer
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
Boston CollegeBob CousyChuck Daly
CreightonRed McManusEddie Sutton
DavidsonLefty DriesellTerry Holland
MarshallEllis T. JohnsonStewart WayJohnson resigned at the end of the season. He was replaced by his assistant coach, Stewart Way.
MarylandFrank FellowsLefty DriesellSuccessful Davidson coach Driesell was hired and proclaimed his intention to turn Maryland into the “UCLA of the East.”

Notes and References

  1. Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia . 978-0-345-51392-2 . . 2009 . 846.
  2. Web site: 1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll. College Poll Archive. August 8, 2020.
  3. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/matchup_finder.cgi?request=1&year_min=1950&year_max=2021&school_id=georgetown&opp_id=saint-josephs&comp_school=le&rank_school=ANY&comp_opp=le&rank_opp=ANY&game_type=A&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&is_overtime=&order_by=date_game sports-reference.com Matchup Finder
  4. Web site: Playing Rules History . . . ncaa.org . NCAA . June 25, 2024 . 11.
  5. Book: ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia . 978-0-345-51392-2 . . 2009 . 836.
  6. Web site: 1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll. College Poll Archive. August 8, 2020.
  7. News: 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section. 2009. NCAA. 2009-02-14.
  8. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section
  9. http://www.big12sports.com//pdf1/147025.pdf 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section
  10. http://mac-sports.com/pdf5/153033.pdf?ATCLID=1620714&SPSID=42971&SPID=3803&DB_OEM_ID=9400 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section
  11. http://secsports.com/doc_lib/bkc_record_book.pdf 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book
  12. http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section
  13. http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section
  14. http://www.southland.org/pdf7/153625.pdf?ATCLID=1287496&SPSID=97316&SPID=10825&temp_site=NO&DB_OEM_ID=18400 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide
  15. Web site: 1968-69 Men's Independent Season Summary . . August 15, 2024.