| Year: | 1970 |
| Teams: | 25 |
| Finalfourarena: | Cole Field House |
| Finalfourcity: | College Park, Maryland |
| Champions: | UCLA Bruins |
| Titlecount: | 6th |
| Champgamecount: | 6th |
| Champffcount: | 7th |
| Runnerup: | Jacksonville Dolphins |
| Gamecount: | 1st |
| Runnerffcount: | 1st |
| Semifinal1: | New Mexico State Aggies |
| Finalfourcount: | 1st |
| Semifinal2: | St. Bonaventure Brown Indians |
| Finalfourcount2: | 1st |
| Coach: | John Wooden |
| Coachcount: | 6th |
| Mop: | Sidney Wicks |
| Mopteam: | UCLA |
| Attendance: | 146,794 |
| Topscorer: | Austin Carr |
| Topscorerteam: | Notre Dame |
| Points: | 158 |
The 1970 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1970, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in College Park, Maryland. A total of 29 games were played, including a third-place game in each region and a national third-place game. This tournament was notable for the number of small schools that reached the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and championship Game. Another notable aspect of the tournament was that Marquette became the first team to turn down an announced NCAA Tournament bid for the National Invitation Tournament. Coach Al McGuire took issue with being seeded in the Midwest regional instead of the geographically closer Mideast. They were replaced in the field by Dayton.[1] As a result of this action, the NCAA now forbids its members from playing in other postseason tournaments if offered an NCAA bid.
There were three first-time participants in the Final Four: New Mexico State, St. Bonaventure, and Jacksonville, a feat not repeated until the 2023 tournament. UCLA, coached by John Wooden, won the national title with an 80–69 victory in the final game over Jacksonville, coached by Joe Williams. Sidney Wicks of UCLA was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1970 tournament:
First round
Regional semifinals, 3rd-place games, and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)
| Region | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | ||||||
| East | Southern | First round | St. Bonaventure | L 85–72 | ||
| East | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | NC State | L 108–88 | ||
| East | Atlantic Coast | Regional third place | Niagara | W 108–88 | ||
| East | Ivy League | First round | Niagara | L 79–69 | ||
| East | Independent | Fourth Place | New Mexico State | L 79–73 | ||
| East | Middle Atlantic | First round | Villanova | L 77–69 | ||
| East | Independent | Regional Runner-up | St. Bonaventure | L 97–74 | ||
| Mideast | ||||||
| Mideast | Big Ten | Regional third place | Notre Dame | W 121–106 | ||
| Mideast | Independent | Runner Up | UCLA | L 80–69 | ||
| Mideast | Southeastern | Regional Runner-up | Jacksonville | L 106–100 | ||
| Mideast | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Iowa | L 121–106 | ||
| Mideast | Mid-American | First round | Notre Dame | L 112–82 | ||
| Mideast | Ohio Valley | First round | Jacksonville | L 109–96 | ||
| Midwest | ||||||
| Midwest | Independent | First round | Houston | L 71–64 | ||
| Midwest | Missouri Valley | Regional Runner-up | New Mexico State | L 87–78 | ||
| Midwest | Independent | Regional Fourth Place | Kansas State | L 107–98 | ||
| Midwest | Big Eight | Regional third place | Houston | W 107–98 | ||
| Midwest | Independent | Third Place | St. Bonaventure | W 79–73 | ||
| Midwest | Southwest | First round | New Mexico State | L 101–77 | ||
| West | ||||||
| West | Pacific Coast | Regional Fourth Place | Santa Clara | L 89–86 | ||
| West | West Coast | Regional third place | Long Beach State | W 89–86 | ||
| West | Western Athletic | First round | Utah State | L 91–81 | ||
| West | Pacific-8 | Champion | Jacksonville | W 80–69 | ||
| West | Independent | Regional Runner-up | UCLA | L 101–79 | ||
| West | Big Sky | First round | Long Beach State | L 92–73 | ||
Curt Gowdy, Charlie Jones, and Jim Simpson - First Round at Dayton, Ohio (Jacksonville-Western Kentucky, Notre Dame-Ohio State);