1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
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.
| 1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| Preseason AP No. 1 | NC State[1][2] |
| NCAA Tournament | 1975 |
| Tournament dates | March 15 – 31, 1975 |
| National Championship | San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, California |
| NCAA Champions | UCLA |
| Helms National Champions | UCLA |
| Other champions | Princeton Tigers (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden) | David Thompson, NC State |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | David Thompson, NC State |
Season headlines
- The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament expanded from 40 to 48 teams.[3]
- In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its ninth of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[4][5]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conference membership changes
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1975 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.[6]
Informal championships
| Conference | Regular season winner |
Conference player of the year |
Conference tournament |
Tournament venue (City) |
Tournament winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Big 5 | La Salle | None selected | No Tournament | ||
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
| National semifinals | National finals | ||||||||
| E | Syracuse | 79 | |||||||
| ME | Kentucky | 95 | |||||||
| ME | Kentucky | 85 | |||||||
| W | UCLA | 92 | |||||||
| ME | Louisville | 74 | |||||||
| MW | UCLA | 75 | |||||||
- Third Place – Louisville 96, Syracuse 88
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| Providence | 85 | ||||||||
| St. John's | 72 | ||||||||
| Providence | 69 | ||||||||
| Princeton | 80 | ||||||||
| Oregon | 79 | ||||||||
| Princeton | 58 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Oregon 80, St. John's 76
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
| 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 |
Major player of the year awards
- Naismith Award: David Thompson, NC State
- Helms Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
- Associated Press Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
- UPI Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
- NABC Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
- Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): David Thompson, NC State
- Adolph Rupp Trophy: David Thompson, NC State
- Sporting News Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Monte Towe, NC State
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ron Haigler, Penn
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Phil Sellers, Rutgers
Coaching changes
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. | |
References
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- "1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- "Burnsed, Brian, "A Brief History of Men's College Basketball," Champion, Fall 2018 Accessed April 6, 2021". Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
- "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
- 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
- Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01
- 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
- 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
- 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
