1961–62 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

1961–62 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Los Angeles Classic champions
AAWU regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceAthletic Association of Western Universities
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
Record18–11 (10–2 (1st) Big Six)
Head coach
Assistant coachJerry Norman
Home arenaLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, California
1961–62 AAWU Conference men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
UCLA102 .8331811  .621
Stanford84 .667166  .727
Washington57 .4171610  .615
USC57 .4171411  .560
California210 .167817  .320
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1961–62 UCLA basketball team was coached by John Wooden in his 14th year. The Bruins finished 1st in the AAWU (10–2), and accepted a bid to the 1962 NCAA Tournament. The Bruins won the NCAA Far West Regional and played in the Final Four, the first in the school's history and the first of 12 for coach John Wooden. UCLA lost 72–70 to Cincinnati and then in the third-place game on March 24, 1962, in Louisville, Ky. (Freedom Hall), Wake Forest defeated UCLA 82–80. The Bruins finished the season as the 4th best team in the nation.