1968–69 NCAA University Division men's basketball season

The 1968–69 NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association ) University Division men's basketball season began in December 1968, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1969 NCAA University Division basketball tournament championship game on March 22, 1969, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. The UCLA Bruins won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 92–72 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.

Season headlines

 * The Associated Press (AP) Poll returned to a Top 20 format, expanding from the Top 10 format it used from the 1961–62 season through the 1967–68 season. It previously had used a Top 20 format from its inception in the 1948–49 season through the 1960–61 season.
 * The NCAA tournament expanded from 23 to 25 teams.
 * UCLA won its third NCAA championship in a row, fifth overall, and fifth in six seasons. In the Pacific 8 Conference, it also won its third of what ultimately would be 13 consecutive conference titles.
 * The Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), informally known as the "Pacific 8," formally renamed itself the Pacific 8 Conference. It became the Pacific 10 Conference in 1978 and the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
 * The Southland Conference, founded in 1963, began NCAA University Division-level play.
 * The NCAA tournament's Final Four games were played on Thursday and Saturday for the first time.
 * Lew Alcindor of UCLA became the first three-time NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. He previously had been the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1967 and 1968.
 * The Metropolitan Collegiate Conference was dissolved at the end of the season.

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

Final Four

 * Third Place – Drake 104, North Carolina 84

Semifinals & finals

 * Third Place – Tennessee 64, Army 52

Major player of the year awards

 * Naismith Award: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * Helms Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * Associated Press Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * UPI Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA
 * Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Pete Maravich, LSU
 * Sporting News Player of the Year: Lew Alcindor, UCLA

Major coach of the year awards

 * Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
 * Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Wooden, UCLA
 * NABC Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
 * UPI Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA
 * Sporting News Coach of the Year: John Wooden, UCLA

Other major awards

 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Billy Keller, Purdue
 * Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ken Durrett, La Salle, & Howard Porter, Villanova
 * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Jim McMillian, Columbia

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