2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2006–07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2006, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 2, 2007 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Florida Gators successfully defended their national championship with an 84–75 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Season headlines
- The Florida Gators successfully defended their National Championship, becoming the first team in 15 years to win consecutive titles. The Gators also became the first team to win both the NCAA football and basketball championships during the same academic year.
- The Gators' Lee Humphrey broke Bobby Hurley's NCAA tournament record for three-pointers. Humphrey hit 55 threes in 14 games over his career.
- It was the year of the freshman as Texas' Kevin Durant became the first freshman ever to be named National player of the year. Meanwhile, Ohio State's Greg Oden was an AP first-team All-American, as well as National defensive player of the year.
- Texas Tech coach Bob Knight won his 880th game in a 70–68 win over New Mexico on January 1, 2006. The win moved Knight ahead of Dean Smith for the most career coaching wins in Division I history.
- Florida coach Billy Donovan made headlines as he accepted the Orlando Magic head coaching job, only to return to the Gators.
- Five Duquesne players were shot and injured at an altercation following a campus dance party on September 17, 2006. Coach Ron Everhart drew praise from the media and coaching community as he brought the team together after the tragedy.
- Two players broke the NCAA Division I career free throw percentage record that had been held by Villanova's Gary Buchanan since 2004. Blake Ahearn of Missouri State became the new record-holder, finishing his career with a 94.6%. Derek Raivio of Gonzaga finished second in Division I history at 92.7%.
- Alabama A&M's Mickell Gladness broke the NCAA single-game blocked shot record, swatting 16 shots in a February 24 game against Texas Southern. The previous record had been 14, held by four players.
- The preseason AP All-American team was named on November 8. Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina was the leading vote-getter. The rest of the team included Joakim Noah of Florida, Ronald Steele of Alabama, Glen Davis of LSU and Brandon Rush of Kansas.
- Wisconsin's Alando Tucker, Boston College's Jared Dudley, Nevada's Nick Fazekas, Albany's Jamar Wilson, Jackson State's Trey Johnson, San Diego State's Brandon Heath, Texas Tech's Jarius Jackson, Hofstra's Loren Stokes, Liberty's Larry Blair, and Towson's Gary Neal all eclipsed the career 2000-point mark during the season.
- Oral Roberts had a pair of teammates – Caleb Green and Ken Tutt – both reach the career 2000-point milestone during the season.
- Jackson State's Trey Johnson had the highest single-game scoring output of the season, scoring 49 points in a game against UTEP on December 22, 2006.
- Winston-Salem State and NJIT moved up to Division I competition.
- Conference realignments: Chicago State moved out of the Mid-Continent Conference and became independent. Florida Atlantic moved from the Atlantic Sun Conference to the Sun Belt Conference. Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference after being independent. Central Arkansas and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi joined the Southland Conference. TAMU-CC had been independent while Central Arkansas moved up to division I.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Austin Carr, Dick Groat, Dick Barnett, Adolph Rupp, Lefty Driesell, Phog Allen, Guy Lewis, John McLendon, Norm Stewart and Vic Bubas were inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rules changes
- Players can no longer call a time out while they are in the air.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls, November 6, 2006:Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 2006–07 season.| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Cal State Bakersfield | NCAA Division II | NCAA Division I Independent |
| Central Arkansas | NCAA Division II | Southland Conference |
| Chicago State | Mid-Continent Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| FAU | Atlantic Sun Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Southland Conference | Sun Belt Conference |
| Northern Colorado | NCAA Division I Independent | Big Sky Conference |
| Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | NCAA Division I Independent | Southland Conference |
| Winston-Salem State | NCAA Division II | NCAA Division I Independent |
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
30 conference seasons conclude with a single-elimination tournament. Traditionally, all conference schools are eligible, regardless of record. However, some conferences, most notably the Big East, do not invite the teams with the worst records. The conference tournament winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A school that wins the conference regular season title is guaranteed an NIT bid; however, it may receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.Major upsets
Regular season and conference tournaments
Key games
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
The NCAA Tournament tipped off on March 13, 2007 with the opening round game in Dayton, Ohio, and concluded on April 2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. A total of 65 teams entered the tournament. Thirty of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments. The automatic bid of the Ivy League, which does not conduct a post-season tournament, went to its regular season champion. The remaining 34 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with seven bids, while the Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 each placed six teams in the field. Florida successfully defended their title, beating Ohio State 84–75 in the final and becoming the first team since the 1991–92 Duke Blue Devils to repeat as champions. Florida swingman Corey Brewer was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, while guard Lee Humphrey broke the career NCAA Tournament record for three-pointers made.Final Four – [Georgia Dome], [Atlanta], Georgia
National Invitation Tournament
After the NCAA Tournament field was announced, the National Invitation Tournament invited 32 teams to participate, reducing the field's size from 40. Eight teams were given automatic bids for winning their conference regular seasons, and 24 other teams were also invited. The field came from 18 conferences, with the Big East and Southeastern Conference tying for the most teams invited with four. For the first time since the NIT began seeding teams, all four No. 1 seeds reached the final four. John Beilein's West Virginia Mountaineers won the title, defeating the Oliver Purnell-coached Clemson Tigers 78–73 in the championship game. The Mountaineers reached the championship game after Darris Nichols' dramatic 3-pointer at the buzzer stunned Mississippi State in the semifinals. Mountaineer guard Frank Young was named tournament MVP.Semifinals and finals
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
Major player of the year awards
- Wooden Award: Kevin Durant, Texas
- Naismith Award: Kevin Durant, Texas
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
- NABC Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
- Oscar Robertson Trophy : Kevin Durant, Texas
- Adolph Rupp Trophy: Kevin Durant, Texas
- CBS/Chevrolet Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
Major freshman of the year awards
- USBWA Freshman of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
- Sporting News Freshman of the Year: Kevin Durant, Texas
Major coach of the year awards
- Associated Press Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Washington State
- Henry Iba Award : Tony Bennett, Washington State
- NABC Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter, Butler
- Naismith College Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Washington State
- CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Washington State
- Adolph Rupp Cup: Bo Ryan, Wisconsin
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett, Washington State
Other major awards
- Bob Cousy Award : Acie Law IV, Texas A&M
- Pete Newell Big Man Award : Greg Oden, Ohio State
- NABC Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Oden, Ohio State
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award : Tre Kelley, South Carolina
- Lowe's Senior CLASS Award : Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy : Ibrahim Jaaber, Penn
- NIT/Haggerty Award : Jared Jordan, Marist
Coaching changes
| Team | Former coach | Interim coach | New coach | Reason |
| Air Force | Jeff Bzdelik | Jeff Reynolds | Air Force turned to assistant Reynolds after Bzdelic left for the Big 12. | |
| Arkansas | Stan Heath | John Pelphrey | Arkansas turned to Pelphrey after Creigton's Dana Altman accepted the job, then changed his mind after the press conference introducing him as the Razorbacks' head coach. | |
| Ball State | Ronny Thompson | Billy Taylor | Thompson resigned after two years of NCAA violations concerning impermissible offseason workouts. | |
| Binghamton | Al Walker | Kevin Broadus | ||
| Bowling Green | Dan Dakich | Louis Orr | Dakich resigned after failing to make the NCAA tournament in ten straight years. | |
| Butler | Todd Lickliter | Brad Stevens | Lickliter capitalized on his NABC Coach of the Year Award by parlaying it into a Big Ten head job at Iowa. | |
| Chicago State | Kevin Jones | Benjy Taylor | ||
| Coastal Carolina | Buzz Peterson | Cliff Ellis | Buzz Peterson left Coastal to work in the Charlotte Bobcats front office for his former UNC roommate Michael Jordan. | |
| Colorado | Ricardo Patton | Jeff Bzdelik | Patton announced in October that it would be his last season at Colorado, and resigned at the end of the year. | |
| Colorado State | Dale Layer | Tim Miles | ||
| Denver | Terry Carroll | Joe Scott | Denver turned to former Air Force and Princeton coach Joe Scott. | |
| Drake | Tom Davis | Keno Davis | Dr. Tom Davis retired after 32 years and 598 wins, turning the Drake program over to his son Keno. | |
| East Carolina | Ricky Stokes | Mack McCarthy | ||
| Eastern Washington | Mike Burns | Kirk Earlywine | ||
| Evansville | Steve Merfeld | Marty Simmons | Evansville hired former Purple Aces star Marty Simmons to take over the struggling program. | |
| Florida A&M | Mike Gillespie | Eugene Harris | Gillespie was fired after being charged with misdemeanor stalking. | |
| Georgia State | Mike Perry | Rod Barnes | Georgia State hired former SEC Coach of the Year Rod Barnes. | |
| Harvard | Frank Sullivan | Tommy Amaker | Former Seton Hall and Michigan head coach Amaker found himself in the Ivy League. | |
| Hawaii | Riley Wallace | Bob Nash | Wallace announced his resignation in December and stepped down at the end of the season. | |
| Illinois State | Porter Moser | Tim Jankovich | ||
| Indiana State | Royce Waltman | Kevin McKenna | ||
| Iona | Jeff Ruland | Kevin Willard | Former Gaels star Ruland was fired after a 2–28 campaign. | |
| Iowa | Steve Alford | Todd Lickliter | New Mexico wooed away the Big Ten's Alford. | |
| Kansas State | Bob Huggins | Frank Martin | Huggins left at the end of the season for his alma mater, turning over the K-State program to assistant Martin. | |
| Kentucky | Tubby Smith | Billy Gillispie | Smith shocked the basketball world by leaving Kentucky for Minnesota. | |
| Lehigh | Billy Taylor | Brett Reed | ||
| Liberty | Randy Dunton | Ritchie McKay | ||
| Long Beach State | Larry Reynolds | Dan Monson | Reynolds was fired despite winning the Big West, being named conference Coach of the Year, and getting Long Beach State to their first NCAA Tournament in over 20 years. | |
| Louisiana Tech | Keith Richard | Kerry Rupp | ||
| Marshall | Ron Jirsa | Donnie Jones | ||
| Maryland-Eastern Shore | Larry Leggett | Meredith Smith | Frankie Allen | |
| Michigan | Tommy Amaker | John Beilein | The Wolverines tabbed West Virginia's Beilein after firing Amaker due to the program's lack of progress. | |
| Minnesota | Dan Monson | Jim Molinari | Tubby Smith | Minnesota made the highest-profile coaching change of the season. |
| New Mexico | Ritchie McKay | Steve Alford | ||
| New Mexico State | Reggie Theus | Marvin Menzies | Theus left in the offseason to become head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings. | |
| New Orleans | Buzz Williams | Joe Pasternack | Williams resigned after only one year at UNO, making the unusual move to an assistant coaching position at Marquette. | |
| Norfolk State | Dwight Freeman | Anthony Evans | Anthony Evans | |
| North Dakota State | Tim Miles | Saul Phillips | ||
| Northern Illinois | Rob Judson | Ricardo Patton | NIU scored a mid-major coup, hiring former Big 12 coach Patton. | |
| Princeton | Joe Scott | Sydney Johnson | Princeton hired former three-time Tigers captain Johnson after fellow alum Scot left for Denver. | |
| Quinnipiac | Joe DeSantis | Tom Moore | Qunnipiac tapped Moore, an assistant from nearby power UConn. | |
| Radford | Byron Samuels | Brad Greenberg | Samuels announced his intention to resign at the end of the season. at which time Brad Greenberg – brother of Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg – is hired. | |
| Robert Morris | Mark Schmidt | Mike Rice | ||
| Saint Louis | Brad Soderberg | Rick Majerus | Saint Louis lured ESPN announcer Rick Majerus back into the coaching box. | |
| San Diego | Brad Holland | Bill Grier | ||
| Santa Clara | Dick Davey | Kerry Keating | Dick Davey retired after 30 years. | |
| South Alabama | John Pelphrey | Ronnie Arrow | Former Jaguars coach Arrow returned for a second stint at the school. | |
| South Carolina State | Jammal Brown | Tim Carter | ||
| South Florida | Robert McCullum | Stan Heath | Heath landed the Bulls job just a week after being fired by Arkansas. | |
| Southern Utah | Bill Evans | Roger Reid | ||
| St. Bonaventure | Anthony Solomon | Mark Schmidt | ||
| Texas A&M | Billy Gillispie | Mark Turgeon | Texas A&M snagged Mark Turgeon from Wichita State after Gillispie left for Kentucky. | |
| Texas A&M – CC | Ronnie Arrow | Perry Clark | ||
| UC Riverside | David Spencer | Vonn Webb | Jim Wooldridge | |
| UMKC | Rich Zvosec | Matt Brown | ||
| Utah | Ray Giacoletti | Jim Boylen | ||
| Wake Forest | Skip Prosser | Dino Gaudio | Prosser died of an apparent heart attack after the season. Assistant Gaudio was named permanent head coach. | |
| West Virginia | John Beilein | Bob Huggins | ||
| Wichita State | Mark Turgeon | Gregg Marshall | Marshall, who led Winthrop to seven NCAA tournaments in his nine years there, was tagged by WSU after the departure of Turgeon to Texas A&M. | |
| Winthrop | Gregg Marshall | Randy Peele | ||
| Wyoming | Steve McClain | Heath Schroyer |