1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season began in December 1965, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Texas Western Miners won their first NCAA national championship with a 72–65 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Season headlines

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The Top 10 from the AP Poll and Top 20 from the Coaches Poll during the pre-season.

Associated Press
Ranking Team
1 UCLA
2 Michigan
3 Duke
4 Saint Joseph's
5 Vanderbilt
6 Providence
7 Minnesota
8 Kansas
9 Bradley
10 Kansas State
UPI Coaches
Ranking Team
1 UCLA
2 Michigan
3 Minnesota
4 Saint Joseph's
5 Duke
6 Vanderbilt
7 Providence
8 Kansas
9 Bradley
10 BYU
11 San Francisco
12 Kansas State
13 NC State
14 Dayton
15
(tie)
Boston College
St. John's
17
(tie)
Louisville
Tennessee
West Virginia
20
(tie)
Iowa
New Mexico
Princeton

Conference membership changes

School Former conference New conference
East Carolina Pirates non-NCAA University Division Southern Conference
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Hofstra Flying Dutchmen non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Iona Gaels University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Long Island Sharks non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Manhattan Jaspers University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
NYU Violets University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Saint Peter's Peacocks non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
St. Francis Terriers University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Seton Hall Pirates University Division independent Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
Virginia Tech Hokies Southern Conference University Division independent
Wagner Seahawks non-NCAA University Division Metropolitan Collegiate Conference
NOTES:

Regular season

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 Oregon State None selected No Tournament
Atlantic Coast Conference Duke Steve Vacendak,
Duke
1966 ACC men's basketball tournament Reynolds Coliseum
(Raleigh, North Carolina)
Duke
Big Eight Conference Kansas None selected No Tournament
Big Sky Conference Gonzaga & Weber State None selected No Tournament
Big Ten Conference Michigan None selected No Tournament
Ivy League Penn None selected No Tournament
Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Manhattan No Tournament
Mid-American Conference Miami (OH) None selected No Tournament
Middle Atlantic Conference Saint Joseph's No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference Cincinnati None selected No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference Western Kentucky State Clem Haskins, Western Kentucky State 1966 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Jefferson County Armory
(Louisville, Kentucky)
Western Kentucky State
Southeastern Conference Kentucky Clyde Lee, Vanderbilt (UPI selection), &
Pat Riley, Kentucky (AP selection)
No Tournament
Southern Conference Davidson Dick Snyder, Davidson 1966 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina)
Davidson
Southwest Conference SMU John Beasley, Texas A&M No Tournament
West Coast Athletic Conference Pacific Keith Swagerty, Pacific No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference Utah None selected No Tournament
Yankee Conference Connecticut & Rhode Island None selected No Tournament

Informal championships

Conference Regular
season winner
Conference
player of the year
Conference
tournament
Tournament
venue (City)
Tournament
winner
Philadelphia Big 5 St. Joseph's None selected No Tournament

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four

National Semi-finals National Finals
      
E Duke 79
ME Kentucky 83
ME Kentucky 65
MW Texas Western 72
MW Texas Western 85
W Utah 78
  • Third place – Duke 79, Utah 77

National Invitation tournament

Semi-finals and Finals

Semi-finals Finals
      
  BYU 66
  Army 60
  BYU 97
NYU 84
  NYU 69
  Villanova 63
  • Third place – Villanova 76, Army 65

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Dave Bing G Senior Syracuse
Clyde Lee F Senior Vanderbilt
Cazzie Russell F Senior Michigan
Dave Schellhase G/F Senior Purdue
Jimmy Walker G Junior Providence


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Louie Dampier G Junior Kentucky
Matt Guokas G Junior St. Joseph's
Jack Marin F Senior Duke
Dick Snyder F Senior Davidson
Bob Verga G Senior Duke
Walt Wesley C Senior Kansas

Major player of the year awards

Major coach of the year awards

Other major awards

Coaching changes

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

Team Former
Coach
Interim
Coach
New
Coach
Reason
Georgetown Tommy O'Keefe Jack Magee Able to sustain himself financially only by working outside of basketball to supplement the low salary of Georgetown's head coaching position, and lacking the time to recruit players properly while coaching only part-time, O'Keefe resigned after the season to devote himself full-time to his business concerns. His resignation prompted Georgetown to commit to hiring a full-time coach beginning with the following season.
Hardin–Simmons Lou Henson Paul Lambert
Loyola (LA) Bill Gardiner Ron Greene
New Mexico State Lou Henson Jim McGregor

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