1971 NCAA College Division basketball tournament
The 1971 NCAA College Division basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA College Division college basketball as a culmination of the 1970-71 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by the University of Evansville, with Evansville's Don Buse named the Most Outstanding Player.
| Teams | 32 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals site | Evansville, Indiana | ||||
| Champions | Evansville Purple Aces (5th title) | ||||
| Runner-up | Old Dominion Monarchs (1st title game) | ||||
| Semifinalists |
| ||||
| Winning coach | Arad McCutchan (5th title) | ||||
| MOP | Don Buse (Evansville) | ||||
| Attendance | 35,812 | ||||
| |||||
Southwestern Louisiana's tournament and semifinal appearances were later vacated due to NCAA rules violations.

Regional participants
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wesleyan | Regional Champion | |
| North Dakota State | Third Place | |
| Northeast Missouri State | Runner-up | |
| St. Olaf | Fourth Place | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Akron | Third Place | |
| Cheyney | Regional Champion | |
| Philadelphia Textile | Runner-up | |
| Wooster | Fourth Place | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Norfolk State | Runner-up | |
| Old Dominion | Regional Champion | |
| Roanoke | Fourth Place | |
| Stetson | Third Place | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | Third Place | |
| Puget Sound | Regional Champion | |
| San Francisco State | Fourth Place | |
| Seattle Pacific | Runner-up | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Assumption | Regional Champion | |
| Central Connecticut State | Runner-up | |
| Sacred Heart | Third Place | |
| Stonehill | Fourth Place | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | Third Place | |
| LSU–New Orleans | Fourth Place | |
| Southwestern Louisiana* | Vacated | |
| Tennessee State | Runner-up | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland | Third Place | |
| Augustana (IL) | Fourth Place | |
| Central Michigan | Runner-up | |
| Evansville | Regional Champion | |
| School | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo State | Runner-up | |
| C. W. Post | Fourth Place | |
| Hartwick | Regional Champion | |
| Montclair State | Third Place | |
*tournament appearance vacated
Regionals
Midwest - Kirksville, Missouri
Location: Pershing Arena Host: Northeast Missouri State University
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 11 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 12 | ||||||||
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 94 | ||||||||
| St. Olaf | 79 | ||||||||
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 60 | ||||||||
| Northeast Missouri State | 48 | ||||||||
| Northeast Missouri State | 75 | ||||||||
| North Dakota State | 66 | ||||||||
- Third Place - North Dakota State 96, St. Olaf 94
Mideast - Reading, Pennsylvania
Location: Bollman Center Host: Cheyney State College
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 12 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 13 | ||||||||
| Philadelphia Textile | 83* | ||||||||
| Wooster | 81 | ||||||||
| Philadelphia Textile | 58 | ||||||||
| Cheyney | 60 | ||||||||
| Cheyney | 100 | ||||||||
| Akron | 89 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Akron 77, Wooster 68
South Atlantic - Norfolk, Virginia
Location: Norfolk Scope Host: Old Dominion University
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 12 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 13 | ||||||||
| Norfolk State | 97 | ||||||||
| Roanoke | 77 | ||||||||
| Norfolk State | 97 | ||||||||
| Old Dominion | 102 | ||||||||
| Old Dominion | 89 | ||||||||
| Stetson | 65 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Stetson 91, Roanoke 72
West - Tacoma, Washington
Location: Memorial Fieldhouse Host: University of Puget Sound
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 11 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 12 | ||||||||
| Seattle Pacific | 75 | ||||||||
| San Francisco State | 68 | ||||||||
| Seattle Pacific | 78 | ||||||||
| Puget Sound | 85 | ||||||||
| Puget Sound | 81 | ||||||||
| Cal Poly | 69 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Cal Poly 70, San Francisco State 68
New England - Worcester, Massachusetts
Location: Andrew Laska Gymnasium Host: Assumption College
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 12 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 13 | ||||||||
| Assumption | 106 | ||||||||
| Sacred Heart | 83 | ||||||||
| Assumption | 105 | ||||||||
| Central Connecticut State | 77 | ||||||||
| Central Connecticut State | 111 | ||||||||
| Stonehill | 99 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Sacred Heart 86, Stonehill 81
South - Lafayette, Louisiana
Location: Blackham Coliseum Host: University of Southwestern Louisiana
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 12 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 13 | ||||||||
| Tennessee State | 92* | ||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 91 | ||||||||
| Tennessee State | 82 | ||||||||
| 86 | |||||||||
| 113 | |||||||||
| LSU–New Orleans | 107 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Louisiana Tech 107, LSU–New Orleans 88
Great Lakes - Evansville, Indiana
Location: Roberts Municipal Stadium Host: University of Evansville
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 11 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 12 | ||||||||
| Central Michigan | 63 | ||||||||
| Augustana (IL) | 59 | ||||||||
| Central Michigan | 60 | ||||||||
| Evansville | 78 | ||||||||
| Evansville | 72 | ||||||||
| Ashland | 64 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Ashland 88, Augustana 65
East - Buffalo, New York
Location: unknown Host: Buffalo State College
| Regional semifinals Round of 32 March 11 | Regional Final Sweet 16 March 12 | ||||||||
| Hartwick | 77 | ||||||||
| C. W. Post | 50 | ||||||||
| Hartwick | 71 | ||||||||
| Buffalo State | 70 | ||||||||
| Buffalo State | 103 | ||||||||
| Montclair State | 93 | ||||||||
- Third Place - Montclair State 80, C. W. Post 68
*denotes each overtime played
National Finals - Evansville, Indiana
Location: Roberts Municipal Stadium Host: University of Evansville
| National Quarterfinals Elite Eight March 17 | National semifinals Final Four March 18 | National Championship March 19 | ||||||||||||
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 89 | |||||||||||||
| Cheyney | 83 | |||||||||||||
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 83 | |||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 97 | |||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 81* | |||||||||||||
| Puget Sound | 80 | |||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 82 | |||||||||||||
| Evansville | 97 | |||||||||||||
| Assumption | 99 | |||||||||||||
| 110 | ||||||||||||||
| 74 | ||||||||||||||
| Evansville | 93 | |||||||||||||
| Evansville | 105 | |||||||||||||
| Hartwick | 69 | |||||||||||||
- Third Place -
Southwestern Louisiana105, Kentucky Wesleyan 83
*denots each overtime played
All-tournament team
- Don Buse (Evansville)
- Rick Coffey (Evansville)
- John Duncan (Kentucky Wesleyan)
- Dwight Lamar (Southwestern Louisiana)
- Skip Noble (Old Dominion)