The 1972–73 Memphis State Tigers men's basketball team represented

Memphis State University The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...

as a member of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...

during the 1972–73 men's college basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach

Gene Bartow Bobby Gene Bartow (August 18, 1930 January 3, 2012) was an American men's college basketball coach. The Browning, Missouri, native coached 36 years at six universities after coaching two high schools in Missouri for six years. In 1972 Bartow coa ...

and played their home games at

Mid-South Coliseum Mid-South Coliseum is an indoor arena in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility was opened in 1964, and became known "The Entertainment Capitol of the Mid-South" due its significance in hosting events such as concerts, sports games and professional ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. As MVC champions, the Tigers participated in the 1973 NCAA Tournament. They defeated South Carolina and Kansas State to reach the first Final Four in program history. After a win over Providence to reach the national championship game, Memphis State was defeated by unbeaten, 6-time defending National champion

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, 87–66. The team finished with a 24–6 record (12–2 MVC).

Roster

Schedule and results

, - !colspan=9 style= , Regular season , - !colspan=9 style= , NCAA Tournament

Rankings

Awards and honors

Larry Kenon Muhsin Kenon (born Larry Joe Kenon, December 13, 1952), is an American former professional basketball player, known in his playing career as Larry Kenon. A 6'9" forward who had a productive career in both the American Basketball Association ( ...

– Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year

NBA draft

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1972-73 Memphis Tigers men's basketball team Memphis Tigers men's basketball seasons 1972 in sports in Tennessee 1973 in sports in Tennessee

Memphis State The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons