1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1974, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 31, 1975, at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California. The UCLA Bruins won their tenth NCAA national championship with a 92–85 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Season headlines

 * The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament expanded from 40 to 48 teams.
 * For the first time, teams other than the conference champion could be chosen at large from the same conference for the NCAA tournament. However, no more than two teams from any one conference could be chosen for the tournament until 1980.
 * In a 1975 Cleveland Plain Dealer article, sportswriter Ed Chay used the term "final four" to refer to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, giving rise to a myth that this was the first such use of the term. In fact, the term "final four" already was in use in the 1960s.
 * In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its ninth of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.

Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.

Conference winners and tournaments
From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1975 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.

Final Four

 * Third Place – Louisville 96, Syracuse 88

Semifinals & finals

 * Third Place – Oregon 80, St. John's 76

Major player of the year awards

 * Naismith Award: David Thompson, NC State
 * Helms Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
 * Associated Press Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
 * UPI Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
 * NABC Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State
 * Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): David Thompson, NC State
 * Adolph Rupp Trophy: David Thompson, NC State
 * Sporting News Player of the Year: David Thompson, NC State

Major coach of the year awards

 * Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana
 * Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Bob Knight, Indiana
 * NABC Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana
 * UPI Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana
 * Sporting News Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana

Other major awards

 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Monte Towe, NC State
 * Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Ron Haigler, Penn
 * NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Phil Sellers, Rutgers

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