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Standings
| Team | Big 5 | All | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4-0 | 25-2 | Dick Harter |
| Villanova | 3-1 | 22-7 | Jack Kraft |
| St. Joseph’s | 2-2 | 15-12 | Jack McKinney |
| Temple | 1-3 | 15-13 | Harry Litwack |
| La Salle | 0-4 | 14-12 | Tom Gola |
| 91-46, 66.4% |
Game Results
All games were played at the Palestra.
| Date | Winner | Loser | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20 | Penn 59 | Villanova 55 | 9,222 |
| Dave Wohl’s 16 points sparks Quakers | |||
| Jan 3 | St. Joseph’s 101 | La Salle 99 | 7,304 |
| Ken Durrett scores 36 in double OT loss | |||
| Jan 10 | Temple 69 | La Salle 61 | 4,830 |
| Wieczerak leads Temple with 30 points | |||
| Jan 21 | Penn 68 | Temple 59 | 5,934 |
| Bobby Morse gets 22 points, 13 rebounds | |||
| Jan 24 | Penn 63 | St. Joseph’s 56 | 8,414 |
| Penn claims at least a share of Big 5 title | |||
| Jan 27 | Penn 76 | La Salle 67 | 5,457 |
| Quakers go to line 42 times to clinch title | |||
| Jan 31 | Villanova 75 | Temple 67 | 6,240 |
| Sam Sims’ biggest day, 31 points & 8 boards | |||
| Feb 7 | Villanova 92 | St. Joseph’s 65 | 9,114 |
| Hawks shoot just 26 percent from the field | |||
| Feb 13 | St. Joseph’s 55 | Temple 54 | 6,112 |
| Mike Hauer keys victory with 19 points | |||
| Feb 21 | Villanova 96 | La Salle 85 | 9,150 |
| Howard Porter (24 pts, 24 rebs) too much | |||
Honors
Big 5 First Team:
- Corky Calhoun (Pennsylvania)
- Ken Durrett (La Salle)*
- Mike Hauer (St. Joseph’s)
- Dan Kelly (St. Joseph’s)
- Howard Porter (Villanova)
* Durrett became the fastest Explorer to 1,000 point, doing it in his 46th game, en route to the Geasey Award. He averaged 24.3 pts & 12.1 boards.
La Salle’s Ken Durrett:
Ken Durrett had a truly brilliant career despite a serious knee injury during his senior season. In the days of Howard Porter at Villanova and Corky Calhoun and Dave Wohl at Penn, Durrett was the player who garnered three straight Big Five Player of the Year Awards. His career started with a bang, averaging 20.0 points a game as a sophomore as La Salle went 23-1. As a senior, Durrett led the Explorers to a 15-1 mark before tearing his ACL. He came back without surgery and ended the season with a scoring average of 27.0 points a game. His career scoring average (23.7) is bettered by just two Explorers — Lionel Simmons (24.6) and Kareem Townes (23.8). His career high of 45 points,then a school record, came against a strong Western Kentucky team in 1971. Durrett played five NBA seasons.
NCAA Tournament
Villanova 77, Temple 69, at The Palestra
Villanova 98, Niagara 73, in Columbia, SC
St. Bonaventure 94, Villanova 74, in Columbia, SC
Niagara 79, Pennsylvania 69, in Jamaica, NY
National Invitation Tournament
No participants