1971 National Invitation Tournament

1971 National Invitation Tournament
Teams	16
Finals site	Madison Square Garden New York City
Champions	North Carolina (1st title)
Runner-up	Georgia Tech (1st title game)
Semifinalists	St. Bonaventure (5th semifinal) Duke (1st semifinal)
Winning coach	Dean Smith (1st title)
MVP	Bill Chamberlain North Carolina
National Invitation Tournaments «1970 1972»

The 1971 National Invitation Tournament was the 1971 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. 1971 was unique because it is the only time that major rivals Duke and North Carolina have played each other after the ACC Tournament. 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 Bonnies to the 1970 Final Four.

Selected teams

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

Participants
Dayton
Duke
Georgia Tech
Hawaii
La Salle
Louisville
Massachusetts
Michigan
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Providence
Purdue
St. Bonaventure
St. John's
Syracuse
Tennessee

Brackets/Results

Below is the tournament bracket.^[1]

	First Round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Finals
	North Carolina		90
	Massachusetts		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 - St. Bonaventure 92, Duke 88

References

1. Tournament Results (1970's) at nit.org, URL accessed November 7, 2009. Archived 11/7/09