| 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.
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]
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| School | Former conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | NCAA University Division independent | |
| Southern Conference | NCAA University Division independent | |
| Conference | Regular 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 | |||||
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]
See main article: 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1969 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game.
See main article: 1969 National Invitation Tournament.
See main article: 1969 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.
| Player | Position | Class | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lew Alcindor | C | Senior | UCLA | |
| Spencer Haywood | F | Sophomore | Detroit | |
| Pete Maravich | G/F | Junior | Louisiana State | |
| Rick Mount | G/F | Junior | Purdue | |
| Calvin Murphy | G | Junior | Niagara |
| Player | Position | Class | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Issel | F/C | Junior | Kentucky | |
| Mike Maloy | F | Junior | Davidson | |
| Bud Ogden | F | Senior | Santa Clara | |
| Charlie Scott | F | Senior | North Carolina | |
| Jo Jo White | G | Senior | Kansas |
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | Bob Cousy | Chuck Daly | ||
| Creighton | Red McManus | Eddie Sutton | ||
| Davidson | Lefty Driesell | Terry Holland | ||
| Marshall | Ellis T. Johnson | Stewart Way | Johnson resigned at the end of the season. He was replaced by his assistant coach, Stewart Way. | |
| Maryland | Frank Fellows | Lefty Driesell | Successful Davidson coach Driesell was hired and proclaimed his intention to turn Maryland into the “UCLA of the East.” | |