1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1961, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 24, 1962, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The Cincinnati Bearcats won their second NCAA national championship with a 71–59 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

1961–62 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	Ohio State
NCAA Tournament	1962
Tournament dates	March 12 – 24, 1962
National Championship	Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky
NCAA Champions	Cincinnati
Helms National Champions	Cincinnati
Other champions	Dayton (NIT)
Player of the Year (Helms)	Paul Hogue, Cincinnati

Season headlines

• The Associated Press (AP) Poll changed format, abandoning the Top 20 format it had used since its inception in the 1948–49 season and becoming a Top 10 poll.
• Cincinnati's national championship was its second in a row as well as second overall, and the national championship game was a rematch from the year before between Cincinnati and Ohio State.
• The 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament set a new attendance record for an NCAA tournament, with a combined 177,469 fans attending its 29 games.
• The Border Conference and Mountain States (or Skyline) Conference both disbanded at the end of the season.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings

The Top 10 from the AP Poll and the UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 Ohio State 2 Cincinnati 3 Wake Forest 4 USC 5 Providence 6 Purdue 7 Duke 8 Kansas State 9 St. John's 10 Seattle

UPI Coaches Ranking Team 1 Ohio State 2 Cincinnati 3 Kansas State 4 Providence 5 Duke 6 Purdue 7 USC 8 Arizona State 9 West Virginia 10 Wake Forest

Regular season

Conference

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Athletic Association of Western Universities	UCLA	None selected	No Tournament
Atlantic Coast Conference	Wake Forest	Len Chappell, Wake Forest	1962 ACC men's basketball tournament	Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina)	Wake Forest
Big Eight Conference	Colorado	None selected	No Tournament
Big Ten Conference	Ohio State	None selected	No Tournament
Border Conference	Arizona State		No Tournament
Ivy League	Yale	None selected	No Tournament
Metropolitan New York Conference	St. John's		No Tournament
Mid-American Conference	Bowling Green State	None selected	No Tournament
Middle Atlantic Conference	Saint Joseph's		No Tournament
Mountain States (Skyline) Conference	Utah		No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	Bradley & Cincinnati	None selected	No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference	Western Kentucky State	None selected	No Tournament
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky & Mississippi State	None selected	No Tournament
Southern Conference	West Virginia	Rod Thorn, West Virginia	1962 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Richmond Arena (Richmond, Virginia)	West Virginia
Southwest Conference	SMU & Texas Tech	Carroll Broussard, Texas A&M	No Tournament
West Coast Athletic Conference	Pepperdine	Harry Dinnel, Pepperdine, & Steve Gray, Saint Mary's	No Tournament
Yankee Conference	Massachusetts	None selected	No Tournament

Conference standings

1961–62 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT UCLA 10 – 2   .833 18 – 11   .621 Stanford 8 – 4   .667 16 – 6   .727 Washington 5 – 7   .417 16 – 10   .615 USC 5 – 7   .417 14 – 11   .560 California 2 – 10   .167 8 – 17   .320 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 ACC men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Wake Forest † 12 – 2   .857 22 – 9   .710 No. 10 Duke 11 – 3   .786 20 – 5   .800 NC State 10 – 4   .714 11 – 6   .647 North Carolina 7 – 7   .500 8 – 9   .471 South Carolina 7 – 7   .500 15 – 12   .556 Clemson 4 – 10   .286 12 – 15   .444 Maryland 3 – 11   .214 8 – 17   .320 Virginia 2 – 12   .143 5 – 18   .217 † 1962 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 9 Colorado 13 – 1   .929 19 – 7   .731 No. 6 Kansas State 12 – 2   .857 22 – 3   .880 Iowa State 8 – 6   .571 13 – 12   .520 Oklahoma State 7 – 7   .500 14 – 11   .560 Nebraska 5 – 9   .357 9 – 16   .360 Oklahoma 5 – 9   .357 7 – 17   .292 Missouri 3 – 11   .214 9 – 16   .360 Kansas 3 – 11   .214 7 – 18   .280 Rankings from AP Poll
1961–62 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 1 Ohio State 13 – 1   .929 26 – 2   .929 Wisconsin 10 – 4   .714 17 – 7   .708 Purdue 9 – 5   .643 17 – 7   .708 Illinois 7 – 7   .500 15 – 8   .652 Indiana 7 – 7   .500 13 – 11   .542 Iowa 7 – 7   .500 13 – 11   .542 Minnesota 6 – 8   .429 10 – 14   .417 Michigan 5 – 9   .357 7 – 17   .292 Michigan State 3 – 11   .214 8 – 14   .364 Northwestern 3 – 11   .214 8 – 15   .348 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Border Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Arizona State–Tempe 8 – 0   1.000 23 – 4   .852 Texas Western 5 – 3   .625 18 – 6   .750 New Mexico State 3 – 5   .375 10 – 14   .417 West Texas State 3 – 5   .375 5 – 18   .217 Hardin–Simmons 1 – 7   .125 8 – 17   .320 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Ivy League men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Yale 13 – 1   .929 18 – 6   .750 Pennsylvania 11 – 3   .786 17 – 8   .680 Princeton 10 – 4   .714 13 – 10   .565 Cornell 9 – 5   .643 18 – 7   .720 Brown 6 – 8   .429 11 – 14   .440 Harvard 3 – 11   .214 10 – 14   .417 Dartmouth 3 – 11   .214 6 – 18   .250 Columbia 1 – 13   .071 3 – 21   .125 Rankings from AP Poll
1961–62 Metropolitan New York Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT St. John's 5 – 0   1.000 21 – 5   .808 CCNY 2 – 1   .667 9 – 9   .500 NYU 3 – 2   .600 20 – 5   .800 St. Francis (NY) 2 – 3   .400 8 – 15   .348 Manhattan 1 – 3   .250 12 – 10   .545 Fordham 1 – 3   .250 10 – 14   .417 Brooklyn 0 – 2   .000 4 – 13   .235 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 8 Bowling Green State 11 – 1   .917 21 – 4   .840 Ohio 8 – 4   .667 13 – 10   .565 Toledo 7 – 5   .583 14 – 10   .583 Western Michigan 6 – 6   .500 13 – 11   .542 Marshall 6 – 6   .500 10 – 13   .435 Miami (Ohio) 3 – 9   .250 7 – 17   .292 Kent State 1 – 11   .083 2 – 19   .095 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 MAC men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Saint Joseph's† 9 – 1   .900 18 – 10   .643 Temple 8 – 2   .800 18 – 9   .667 Delaware 9 – 3   .750 18 – 5   .783 Lafayette 9 – 3   .750 18 – 6   .750 La Salle 5 – 3   .625 16 – 9   .640 Gettysburg 7 – 5   .583 18 – 6   .750 Lehigh 4 – 10   .286 7 – 12   .368 Rutgers 2 – 8   .200 10 – 13   .435 Bucknell 2 – 9   .182 7 – 15   .318 Muhlenberg 1 – 12   .077 5 – 17   .227 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll
1961–62 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 2 Cincinnati 10 – 2   .833 29 – 2   .935 No. 5 Bradley 10 – 2   .833 21 – 7   .750 Wichita Municipal 7 – 5   .583 18 – 9   .667 Drake 6 – 6   .500 16 – 8   .667 Saint Louis 5 – 7   .417 11 – 15   .423 Tulsa 4 – 8   .333 7 – 19   .269 North Texas State 0 – 12   .000 3 – 23   .115 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 7 Utah 13 – 1   .929 23 – 3   .885 Utah State 12 – 2   .857 22 – 7   .759 Colorado State 10 – 4   .714 18 – 9   .667 Montana 5 – 9   .357 10 – 14   .417 BYU 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385 Denver 5 – 9   .357 8 – 17   .320 Wyoming 3 – 11   .214 9 – 17   .346 New Mexico 3 – 11   .214 6 – 20   .231 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Western Kentucky State 11 – 1   .917 17 – 10   .630 Tennessee Tech 7 – 5   .583 16 – 6   .727 Morehead State 7 – 5   .583 14 – 8   .636 Eastern Kentucky State 7 – 5   .583 10 – 6   .625 Murray State 5 – 7   .417 13 – 12   .520 East Tennessee State 3 – 9   .250 11 – 14   .440 Middle Tennessee 2 – 10   .167 6 – 12   .333 Rankings from AP Poll
1961–62 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 4 Mississippi State 13 – 1   .929 24 – 1   .960 No. 3 Kentucky 13 – 1   .929 23 – 3   .885 Auburn 11 – 3   .786 18 – 6   .750 Florida 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522 LSU 7 – 7   .500 13 – 11   .542 Tulane 6 – 8   .429 12 – 10   .545 Vanderbilt 6 – 8   .429 12 – 12   .500 Alabama 6 – 8   .429 11 – 15   .423 Ole Miss 5 – 9   .357 12 – 13   .480 Georgia Tech 4 – 10   .286 10 – 16   .385 Georgia 3 – 11   .214 8 – 16   .333 Tennessee 2 – 12   .143 4 – 19   .174 Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Southern Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT West Virginia † 12 – 1   .923 24 – 6   .800 Virginia Tech 9 – 3   .750 19 – 6   .760 Furman 8 – 5   .615 15 – 12   .556 George Washington 6 – 7   .462 9 – 15   .375 Davidson 5 – 6   .455 14 – 11   .560 VMI 6 – 8   .429 9 – 11   .450 The Citadel 4 – 8   .333 8 – 15   .348 Richmond 5 – 11   .313 6 – 21   .222 William & Mary 5 – 11   .313 7 – 17   .292 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT SMU 11 – 3   .786 18 – 7   .720 Texas Tech 11 – 3   .786 19 – 8   .704 Texas A&M 9 – 5   .643 15 – 9   .625 Texas 8 – 6   .571 16 – 8   .667 Rice 7 – 7   .500 12 – 11   .522 Arkansas 5 – 9   .357 14 – 10   .583 TCU 4 – 10   .286 5 – 19   .208 Baylor 1 – 13   .071 4 – 20   .167 Rankings from AP Poll
1961–62 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Pepperdine 11 – 1   .917 20 – 7   .741 Santa Clara 8 – 4   .667 19 – 6   .760 Saint Mary's 8 – 4   .667 13 – 11   .542 Loyola (Calif.) 6 – 6   .500 18 – 9   .667 Pacific 5 – 7   .417 10 – 16   .385 San Francisco 4 – 8   .333 10 – 15   .400 San Jose State –   – 13 – 11   .542 † Regular-season championship winner Rankings from AP Poll	1961–62 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Massachusetts 8 – 2   .800 15 – 9   .625 Connecticut 7 – 3   .700 16 – 8   .667 Rhode Island 7 – 3   .700 14 – 12   .538 Maine 4 – 6   .400 11 – 13   .458 Vermont 3 – 7   .300 12 – 12   .500 New Hampshire 1 – 9   .100 3 – 20   .130

University Division independents

A total of 48 college teams played as University Division independents. Among them, Loyola of Illinois (23–4) had the best winning percentage (.852), while Oregon State (24–5) and Dayton (24–6) finished with the most wins.

1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball independents standings Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Loyola (Ill.) –   – 23 – 4   .852 Oregon State –   – 24 – 5   .828 Creighton –   – 21 – 5   .808 Dayton –   – 24 – 6   .800 Butler –   – 22 – 6   .786 Houston –   – 21 – 6   .778 Holy Cross –   – 20 – 6   .769 Providence –   – 20 – 6   .769 Duquesne –   – 22 – 7   .759 Villanova –   – 21 – 7   .750 Air Force –   – 16 – 7   .696 Boston College –   – 15 – 7   .682 Memphis State –   – 15 – 7   .682 Niagara –   – 16 – 8   .667 St. Bonaventure –   – 14 – 7   .667 Seattle –   – 18 – 9   .667 Centenary (La.) –   – 17 – 9   .654 Idaho State –   – 17 – 9   .654 Florida State –   – 15 – 8   .652 Saint Francis (Pa.) –   – 14 – 8   .636 Seton Hall –   – 15 – 9   .625 Navy –   – 13 – 8   .619 Georgetown –   – 14 – 9   .609 Louisville –   – 15 – 10   .600 Marquette –   – 15 – 11   .577 Canisius –   – 12 – 9   .571 DePaul –   – 13 – 10   .565 Detroit –   – 15 – 12   .556 Gonzaga –   – 14 – 12   .538 Miami (Fla.) –   – 14 – 12   .538 Oklahoma City –   – 14 – 12   .538 Xavier –   – 14 – 12   .538 Penn State –   – 12 – 11   .522 Pittsburgh –   – 12 – 11   .522 Idaho –   – 13 – 13   .500 Loyola (La.) –   – 12 – 13   .480 Army –   – 10 – 11   .476 Regis –   – 10 – 11   .476 Arizona –   – 12 – 14   .462 Montana State –   – 10 – 13   .435 Iona –   – 8 – 11   .421 Colgate –   – 8 – 15   .348 Oregon –   – 9 – 17   .346 Portland –   – 8 – 18   .308 Washington State –   – 8 – 18   .308 Notre Dame –   – 7 – 16   .304 Boston University –   – 5 – 15   .250 Syracuse –   – 2 – 22   .083 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Villanova	Hubie White, Villanova

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

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1962 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and 1962 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship Game

Final Four

	National semifinals					National finals
	E	Wake Forest	68
	ME	Ohio State	84
						ME	Ohio State	59
						MW	Cincinnati	71
	MW	Cincinnati	72
	W	UCLA	70			National finals
						E	Wake Forest	82
						W	UCLA	80

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1962 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

	Semifinals				Finals
	Dayton	98
	Loyola (Ill.)	82
					Dayton	73
					St. John's	67
	Duquesne	65
	St. John's	75			Third place
					Loyola (Ill.)	95
					Duquesne	84

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1962 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

Consensus First Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Len Chappell	C/F	Senior	Wake Forest
Terry Dischinger	F	Senior	Purdue
Jerry Lucas	F/C	Senior	Ohio State
Billy McGill	C	Senior	Utah
Chet Walker	F	Senior	Bradley

Consensus Second Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Jack Foley	G/F	Senior	Holy Cross
John Havlicek	F	Senior	Ohio State
Art Heyman	F	Junior	Duke
Cotton Nash	F	Sophomore	Kentucky
John Rudometkin	F	Senior	USC
Rod Thorn	G/F	Junior	West Virginia

Major player of the year awards

• Helms Player of the Year: Paul Hogue, Cincinnati
• Associated Press Player of the Year:Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
• UPI Player of the Year: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA):Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Jerry Lucas, Ohio State

Major coach of the year awards

• Henry Iba Award: Fred Taylor, Ohio State
• NABC Coach of the Year: Fred Taylor, Ohio State
• UPI Coach of the Year: Fred Taylor, Ohio State

Other major awards

• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Hubie White, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): LeRoy Ellis, St. John's

Coaching changes

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

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
Hardin–Simmons	Bill Scott		Lou Henson