1972–73 NCAA University Division Men's Basketball Season

The 1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in November 1972, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1973, at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The UCLA Bruins won their ninth NCAA national championship with an 87–66 victory over the Memphis State Tigers.

Key Events and Highlights

* UCLA's Dominance:
** UCLA won its seventh consecutive NCAA Championship and its ninth overall under John Wooden.
** The Bruins completed the season with a 30–0 record, extending their winning streak to 75 games, a record that remains one of the most remarkable in sports history.
** The team was led by Bill Walton, who was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
* NCAA Tournament:
** The 1973 NCAA Tournament featured 25 teams.
** The Final Four was held at St. Louis Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.
** UCLA defeated the Memphis State Tigers (now the University of Memphis) in the championship game, 87–66.
** Bill Walton delivered an iconic performance in the championship game, scoring 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting, one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA history.
* Rule Changes:
** The 1972–73 season was the first in which the NCAA allowed freshmen to play varsity basketball at all schools, except in the University Division's football and basketball programs.
* Awards:
** Naismith College Player of the Year: Bill Walton (UCLA).
** Helms Foundation Player of the Year: Bill Walton.
** AP Coach of the Year: John Wooden (UCLA).

Final Rankings

* UCLA was ranked #1 in the final AP and Coaches' polls.
* The Bruins were considered one of the greatest teams in college basketball history.

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Notable players

* Bill Walton (UCLA): A dominant center who became one of the most celebrated players in college basketball history.
* Larry Finch (Memphis State): Starred for the Tigers and played a key role in their run to the championship game.

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Historical Impact

* UCLA's continued dominance cemented their legacy as a college basketball dynasty.
* Bill Walton's championship game performance remains a benchmark for individual excellence in NCAA Tournament history.
* The season helped popularize college basketball as a major American sport.

Rule changes

* Freshmen became eligible to play on varsity teams.orangehoops.org History of NCAA Basketball Rule Changes
/ref> Previously, they had played on separate freshman teams.
* The free throw on a common foul for the first six personal fouls in a half was eliminated. Instead, the team that was fouled threw the ball in from out of bounds after each such foul.
* A "flop" — an unnecessary fall to the floor to get a charging call against a player dribbling the ball — was deemed a form of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Season headlines

* UCLA went undefeated (30–0) for the second straight season and won its seventh NCAA championship in a row, ninth overall, and ninth in 10 seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its seventh of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* This was the last season for the NCAA University Division as the subdivision of the NCAA made up of colleges and universities competing at the highest level of college sports, as well as for the NCAA College Division for colleges and universities competing at a lower level. After the season, the NCAA replaced the University Division with Division I and the College Division with Division II for schools awarding limited athletic scholarships and Division III for schools offering no athletic scholarships.
* The Final Four was played on Saturday and Monday for the first time.
* The NCAA title game was televised during prime time for the first time. NBC aired the game on March 26, 1973.
* For the first time, television broadcast rights fees for an NCAA tournament totaled more than $1 million.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The Top 20 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.

Conference membership changes

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference standings

University Division independents

A total of 72 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Providence (27–4) and (27–4) had both the best winning percentage (.871) and the most wins.

Informal championships

Penn finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four

National Invitation tournament

Semifinals & finals

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Major player of the year awards

* Naismith Award: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Helms Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* UPI Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Bill Walton, UCLA
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Bill Walton, UCLA
* ''Sporting News'' Player of the Year: Bill Walton, UCLA

Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Wooden, UCLA
* NABC Coach of the Year: Gene Bartow, Memphis State
* UPI Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
* ''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA

Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Robert Sherwin, Army
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Tom Ingelsby, Villanova
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Billy Schaeffer, St. John's

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

References

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