1968–69 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NCAA team season

|APRank=

|mode=Basketball

|year=1968–69

|team=Weber State Wildcats

|image=

|image_size=

|conference=Big Sky Conference

|division=

|short_conf=Big Sky

|CoachRank=17

|record=27–3

|conf_record=15–0

|head_coach=Phil Johnson

|hc_year = 1st

|asst_coach1=Gene Visscher

|asst_coach2=

|mvp=

|stadium=Wildcat Gym

|champion=Big Sky Champions

|bowl=NCAA tournament

|bowl_result=Sweet Sixteen

}}

{{1968–69 Big Sky men's basketball standings}}

The 1968–69 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State College during the 1968–69 NCAA University Division basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats were led by first-year head coach Phil Johnson and played their home games on campus at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah. They were {{nowrap|25–2}} in the regular season and {{nowrap|15–0}} in conference play.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8mxYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5580%2C2515614 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Big Sky final standings |date=March 10, 1969|page=16}}

For the second consecutive season, Weber State won the Big Sky title and played in the 25-team NCAA tournament. In the West regional at Las Cruces, New Mexico, they defeated Seattle by two points and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OZYrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yXoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=892%2C1796627 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |last=Ferguson |first=George |title=Weber State's prestige soars |date=March 10, 1969 |page=C1}} against third-ranked Santa Clara. The Broncos won by four points in overtime,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=drZWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fOkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7424%2C5182815 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=SC needs overtime to eliminate Weber |date=March 14, 1969 |page=20}} and Weber won the third-place game over #12 New Mexico State by two.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MJYrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yXoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=768%2C3386667 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |last=Yengich |first=Nick |title=NCAA not moral victory for Weber's Wildcats |date=March 17, 1969 |page=6B}}

Johnson had been an assistant coach at Weber under Dick Motta, his high school coach, who left to become head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls. After his third year as head coach of the Wildcats, Johnson joined Motta as an assistant in Chicago in 1971.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/10/25/613505/beware-little-big-man-is-here |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Deford |first=Frank |authorlink=Frank Deford |title=Beware, Little Big Man is here |date=October 25, 1971 |page=46}}