| Year: | 1974 |
| Preseason Ap: | NC State[1] [2] |
| Tourney Start: | March 15 |
| Nc Date: | 31, 1975 |
| Champ Stad: | San Diego Sports Arena |
| Champ City: | San Diego, California |
| Champ: | UCLA |
| Helmschamp: | UCLA |
| Nit Champ: | Princeton Tigers |
| Playeroftheyear: | David Thompson, NC State |
| Helmspoy: | David Thompson, NC State |
The 1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1974, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 31, 1975, at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. The UCLA Bruins won their tenth NCAA national championship with a 92–85 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.
See main article: 1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[8] [9]
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| Conference | Regular season winner[10] | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Thompson, NC State[11] | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina | ||||
| Alvan Adams, Oklahoma[12] | No Tournament | |||||
| None selected | No Tournament | |||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
| American & Lafayette (West) | Wilbur Thomas, American (East) &<br/>Henry Horne, Lafayette (West) | Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pennsylvania) | La Salle | |||
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | 1975 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York, New York) | Rutgers | ||
| 1975 ECAC New England Region tournament | Springfield Civic Center (Springfield, Massachusetts) | Boston College | ||||
| 1975 ECAC Southern Region tournament | WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia) | Georgetown | ||||
| 1975 ECAC Upstate Region tournament | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (Buffalo, New York) | Syracuse | ||||
| Ron Haigler, Penn[13] | No Tournament | |||||
| Dan Roundfield, Central Michigan[14] | No Tournament | |||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| George Sorrell, | Murphy Center (Murfreesboro, Tennessee) (Semifinals and Finals) | Middle Tennessee | ||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| Kevin Grevey, Kentucky, &<br/> Bernard King, Tennessee[15] | No Tournament | |||||
| Clyde Mayes, Furman[16] | Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Greenville, South Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | Furman[17] | ||||
| Henry Ray, McNeese State[18] | No Tournament | |||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
A total of 83 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, (22–2) had the best winning percentage (.917) and Centenary (25–4) finished with the most wins.[20]
See main article: 1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and 1975 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game.
See main article: 1975 National Invitation Tournament.
See main article: 1975 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.
| Player | Position | Class | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Dantley | F | Sophomore | Notre Dame | |
| John Lucas | G | Junior | Maryland | |
| Scott May | F | Junior | Indiana | |
| Dave Meyers | F | Senior | UCLA | |
| David Thompson | G/F | Senior | North Carolina State |
| Player | Position | Class | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Burden | G | Junior | Utah | |
| Leon Douglas | F/C | Junior | Alabama | |
| Kevin Grevey | G | Senior | Kentucky | |
| Ron Lee | G | Junior | Oregon | |
| Gus Williams | G | Senior | Southern California |
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Dan Dougherty | Mike Krzyzewski | ||
| Hardin–Simmons | Russell Berry | Preston Vice | ||
| Illinois | Gene Bartow | Lou Henson | Bartow left for UCLA and was replaced by New Mexico State coach Lou Henson. | |
| New Mexico State | Lou Henson | Ken Hayes | ||
| Tulsa | Ken Hayes | Jim King | ||
| UCLA | John Wooden | Gene Bartow | Wooden announced his retirement during the 1975 Final Four, where he won his record tenth NCAA title. He was replaced by Illinois head coach Bartow. | |