CiteFinal AP Top 20
Writers' poll taken before tournament.
| Before Tourns | Head Coach | Final Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 26–0 | John Wooden | 30–0 |
| 2 | North Carolina St. | 27–0 | Norm Sloan | same |
| 3 | Long Beach St. | 24–2 | Jerry Tarkanian | 26–3 |
| 4 | Providence | 24–2 | Dave Gavitt | 27–4 |
| 5 | Marquette | 23–3 | Al McGuire | 25–4 |
| 6 | Indiana | 19–5 | Bobby Knight | 22–6 |
| 7 | SW Louisiana | 23–2 | Beryl Shipley | 24–5 |
| 8 | Maryland | 22–6 | Lefty Driesell | 23–7 |
| 9 | Kansas St. | 22–4 | Jack Hartman | 23–5 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 20–4 | Bill Musselman | 21–5 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 22–7 | Dean Smith | 25–8 |
| 12 | Memphis St. | 21–5 | Gene Bartow | 24–6 |
| 13 | Houston | 23–3 | Guy Lewis | 23–4 |
| 14 | Syracuse | 22–4 | Roy Danforth | 24–5 |
| 15 | Missouri | 21–5 | Norm Stewart | 21–6 |
| 16 | Arizona St. | 18–7 | Ned Wulk | 19–9 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 19–7 | Joe B. Hall | 20–8 |
| 18 | Penn | 20–5 | Chuck Daly | 21–7 |
| 19 | Austin Peay | 21–5 | Lake Kelly | 22–7 |
| 20 | San Francisco | 22–4 | Bob Gaillard | 23–5 |
*North Carolina State was ineligible for NCAA tournament for improper methods used in recruiting David Thompson.
Note: UCLA won the NCAAs and unranked Virginia Tech (18–5, Don DeVoe, 22–5) won the NIT.
| 1973 College Basketball Recap | Major Conference Champions |