The 1970–71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

during the

1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season The 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1970, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship gam ...

. The Hilltoppers were led by

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

Coach of the Year John Oldham and consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

player

Jim McDaniels James Ronald McDaniels (April 2, 1948 – September 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the number one overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Association D ...

. WKU won the OVC season championship, as well as the conference's automatic bid to the

1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament The 1971 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 13, 1971, and ended with the cham ...

. No conference tournament was held, so the conference bid was awarded to the season champion. The Hilltoppers advanced to the NCAA Final Four, though the tournament games were later vacated by the NCAA due to McDaniels having signed a contract with an agent. For the second consecutive year, McDaniels was OVC Player of the Year and set the school record for most points scored in season and career, and highest scoring average. Jerry Dunn and Jim Rose joined McDaniels on the All-OVC Team. This team was one of the most talented in school history with several players being drafted by the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

and

ABA ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

including McDaniels, Dunn, Rose, Clarence Glover, and Jerome Perry.

Cultural Relevance

This year's Western Kentucky team was the first non-

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Kentucky college to start five African-American players: McDaniels, Rose, Glover, Dunn, and Rex Bailey. Coach Oldham was pressured, and even threatened, not to start all five together, but resisted the pressure saying "they are my best five players".

NCAA Sanctions

WKU's NCAA tournament games were later vacated by the NCAA after it was discovered that McDaniels had signed with a professional agent prior to the tournament. "I admit I made a mistake," McDaniels told the Courier-Journal in an interview. "There was a lot of pressure. I got around some people who did not have my best interests at heart." The sanctions reduced their officially recognized record to 20–5.

Schedule

1970-71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 6 May 2020
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1970-71 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Basketball Team Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball seasons

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons

Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's Western Kentucky Basketball, Men's