1971 National Invitation Tournament

The 1971 National Invitation Tournament was the 1971 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. 1971 was unique because it was the only time that major rivals Duke and North Carolina had played each other after the ACC tournament until the 2022 NCAA Final Four clash. Eventual ACC member Georgia Tech also made the semis, and lost to North Carolina in the championship. The fourth semifinalist, St. Bonaventure, was playing its first season following the departure of All-American Bob Lanier, who led the Brown Indians to the 1970 Final Four (Lanier was injured in the 1970 regional final vs. Villanova and did not play in either Final Four game).

1971 National Invitation Tournament

Season	1970–71
Teams	16
Finals site	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Champions	North Carolina Tar Heels (1st title)
Runner-up	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1st title game)
Semifinalists	St. Bonaventure Bonnies (5th semifinal) Duke Blue Devils (1st semifinal)
Winning coach	Dean Smith (1st title)
MVP	Bill Chamberlain (North Carolina)
National Invitation Tournaments «1970 1972»

Selected teams

Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.^[1]

Team	Conference	Overall record	Appearance	Last bid
Dayton	Independent	18–8	12th	1968
Duke	ACC	18–8	4th	1970
Georgia Tech	Independent	20–8	2nd	1970
Hawaii	Independent	22–4	1st	Never
La Salle	Middle Atlantic	20–6	8th	1965
Louisville	Missouri Valley	20–8	9th	1970
Michigan	Big Ten	18–6	1st	Never
North Carolina	ACC	22–6	2nd	1970
Oklahoma	Big Eight	19–7	2nd	1970
Providence	Independent	19–7	7th	1967
Purdue	Big Ten	18–6	1st	Never
St. Bonaventure	Independent	18–5	8th	1964
St. John's	Independent	18–8	20th	1970
Syracuse	Independent	19–6	5th	1967
Tennessee	SEC	20–6	3rd	1969
UMass	Yankee	23–3	2nd	1970

Bracket

Below is the tournament bracket.^[1]

	First Round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Finals
	North Carolina		90
	UMass		49
						North Carolina		86
						Providence		79
	Providence		64
	Louisville		58
											North Carolina		73
											Duke		69
	Tennessee		84
	St. John's		83
						Tennessee		64
						Duke		78
	Duke		68
	Dayton		60
																North Carolina		84
																Georgia Tech		66
	Michigan		86
	Syracuse		76
						Michigan		70
						Georgia Tech		78
	Georgia Tech		70
	La Salle		67
											Georgia Tech		76
											St. Bonaventure		71
	St. Bonaventure		94
	Purdue		79
						St. Bonaventure		73
						Hawaii		64
	Hawaii		87
	Oklahoma		86

	Third place game
	Duke		88
	St. Bonaventure		92

See also

• 1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament
• 1971 NCAA College Division basketball tournament
• 1971 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 1971 National Women's Invitational Tournament