1964-65 West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) Champions

Head Coach: Pete Peletta
Overall Record: 24-5 WCAC Record: 13-1
All-WCAC Team(s): Ollie Johnson (POY/First), Joe Ellis (First), Erwin Mueller (First), Russell Gumina (Second)
Top Scorer: Ollie Johnson (21.6) Top Rebounder: Ollie Johnson (16.2)
USF Hall of Famers: Joe Ellis, Russell Gumina, Ollie Johnson, Erwin Mueller, Huey Thomas

The Dons won the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) with a 13-1 league record, scoring over 100 points five times, including the team's final two regular season games. Head coach Pete Peletta was eager to build off success from the previous season, which saw the green and gold fall to eventual national champion and number one ranked UCLA in the West Regional Finals. The 1964-6 Dons had four separate winning streaks of three or more games, including beginning the regular season with six consecutive victories. In their first three games of the season, USF routed Stanford (77-50) at home on the Hilltop before picking up a road win across the Bay at California (65-55). The only loss in conference play for the Dons came in a narrow 73-71 defeat against Santa Clara in a neutral site contest on Dec. 30, 1964.

San Francisco impressed with dominance on both sides of the ball, averaging 81.3 points per game while allowing only 66.0 points per game, good for sixteenth nationally. The Dons also had a strength of schedule rating of 12.35, which ranked fourteenth nationally. USF Athletics Hall of Famer Ollie Johnson shined in the green and gold once again, leading the team in scoring (21.6 points per game), rebounding (16.2 rebounds per game), and field goal percentage (59.8). Fellow USF Athletics Hall of Famers Joe Ellis (13.7 points, 10.0 rebounds per game) and Erwin Mueller (11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds per game) also played pivotal roles on the team.

In the NCAA Tournament, USF began play by handling Oklahoma City, 91-67, in the West Regional Semifinals on Mar. 12, 1965. Unfortunately, the Dons would come up short against UCLA for the second straight year, falling to the eventual national champion and number two ranked Bruins, 101-93, on Mar. 13, 1965.

Johnson, who was also earned All-American honors this season, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1965 West Regional and earned a spot on the NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team for the second straight year. Notably, Johnson scored 35 points in USF's win over Oklahoma City followed by 37 points against eventual national champion UCLA. Overall, he finished the two regional games with 72 points while shooting 68 percent from the field. He broke Bill Russell's then-school career scoring record during the regional.

Did You Know?
In 1965, the NCAA tournament was not seeded like it is now. If the tourney then was seeded like it is today, the Dons likely would have been a #1 seed or #2 seed and thus would not have faced UCLA until the Final Four, similar to their path in 1964.

They Said It:
"I would have to say that this USF team stands right there at the top of the list with the best." - UCLA head coach John Wooden