1970 National Invitation Tournament
{{Short description|Annual NCAA basketball competition}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college basketball tournament | Type = NIT
| Gender=
| Year=1970
| Image=
| ImageSize=
| Caption=
| Teams=16
| FinalFourArena=Madison Square Garden
| FinalFourCity=New York City
| Champions=Marquette Warriors
| TitleCount=1st
| RunnerUp=St. John's Redmen
| GameCount=7th
| Semifinal1={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Army Cadets|title=Army Cadets}}
| SemifinalCount=5th
| Semifinal2=LSU Tigers
| SemifinalCount2=1st
| Coach=Al McGuire
| CoachCount=1st
| MOP=Dean Meminger
| MOPTeam=Marquette
}}
The 1970 National Invitation Tournament was the 1970 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. It was unique in that coach Al McGuire of 8th ranked Marquette University, unhappy with his team's NCAA tournament placement in the Midwest rather than the closer Mideast regional, turned down that bid and elected to play in the NIT instead.[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E0DF123FF934A15752C0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Al McGuire, 72, Coach, TV Analyst and Character, Dies - New York Times]{{cite news|title=Marquette takes NIT over NCAA bid|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92417298/great-falls-tribune/|newspaper=Great Falls Tribune|date=February 25, 1970|page=11|via =Newspapers.com|access-date = January 12, 2022}} {{Open access}} His Marquette Warriors went on to claim the championship, and as a result the NCAA now forbids its members from playing in other postseason tournaments if offered an NCAA bid.
This tournament represented the final college games for LSU great Pete Maravich, the Men's NCAA all-time leading scorer. Maravich finished his three-year career with 3,667 points, 44.2 per game, records which stand through the 2022–23 season, despite the reinstitution of freshman eligibility (1972–73) and the introduction of the shot clock (1985–86) and 3-point shot (1986–87). It was LSU's only postseason appearance between 1954 and 1979. The Tigers were coached by Pete's father, Press Maravich.
Selected teams
Sixteen teams were selected for the 1970 NIT.
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
!Team !Conference !data-sort-type="number"|Overall record !data-sort-type="number"|Appearance !Last bid |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Army Cadets|title=Army}}
| align=left|Independent | 19–5 | 7th | 1969 |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Cincinnati Bearcats|title=Cincinnati}}
| align=left|Missouri Valley | 21–5 | 4th | 1957 |
| align=left|Duke
| align=left|ACC | 17–8 | 3rd | 1968 |
| align=left|Duquesne
| align=left|Independent | 17–6 | 13th | 1968 |
| align=left|Georgetown
| align=left|Independent | 18–6 | 2nd | 1953 |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets|title=Georgia Tech}}
| align=left|Independent | 16–9 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Louisville Cardinals|title=Louisville}}
| align=left|Missouri Valley | 18–8 | 8th | 1969 |
| align=left|LSU
| align=left|SEC | 20–8 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=none|team=Manhattan Jaspers|title=Manhattan}}
| align=left|Independent | 17–7 | 10th | 1966 |
| align=left|Marquette
| align=left|Independent | 22–3 | 4th | 1967 |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Miami Redskins|title=Miami (OH)}}
| align=left|MAC | 16–7 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|North Carolina
| align=left|ACC | 18–8 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Oklahoma Sooners|title=Oklahoma}}
| align=left|Big Eight | 18–8 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|St. John's
| align=left|Independent | 18–7 | 19th | 1966 |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=none|team=UMass Redmen|title=UMass}}
| align=left|Yankee | 18–6 | 1st | Never |
| align=left|{{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Utah Utes|title=Utah}}
| align=left|WAC | 17–9 | 6th | 1957 |
Bracket
{{16TeamBracket | RD1=First Round
| RD2=Quarterfinals
| RD3=Semifinals
| RD4=Finals
| RD1-seed01=
| RD1-team01={{cbb link|1969|sex=none|team=Manhattan Jaspers|title=Manhattan}}
| RD1-score01=95
| RD1-seed02=
| RD1-team02=North Carolina
| RD1-score02=90
| RD1-seed03=
| RD1-team03={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Army Cadets|title=Army}}
| RD1-score03=72
| RD1-seed04=
| RD1-team04={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Cincinnati Bearcats|title=Cincinnati}}
| RD1-score04=67
| RD1-seed05=
| RD1-team05={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets|title=Georgia Tech}}
| RD1-score05=78
| RD1-seed06=
| RD1-team06=Duquesne
| RD1-score06=68
| RD1-seed07=
| RD1-team07=St. John's
| RD1-score07=70
| RD1-seed08=
| RD1-team08={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Miami Redskins|title=Miami (OH)}}
| RD1-score08=57
| RD1-seed09=
| RD1-team09=Marquette
| RD1-score09=62
| RD1-seed10=
| RD1-team10={{cbb link|1969|sex=none|team=UMass Redmen|title=UMass}}
| RD1-score10=55
| RD1-seed11=
| RD1-team11={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Utah Utes|title=Utah}}
| RD1-score11=78
| RD1-seed12=
| RD1-team12=Duke
| RD1-score12=75
| RD1-seed13=
| RD1-team13={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Oklahoma Sooners|title=Oklahoma}}
| RD1-score13=74
| RD1-seed14=
| RD1-team14={{cbb link|1969|sex=men|team=Louisville Cardinals|title=Louisville}}
| RD1-score14=73
| RD1-seed15=
| RD1-team15=LSU
| RD1-score15=83
| RD1-seed16=
| RD1-team16=Georgetown
| RD1-score16=82
| RD2-seed01=
| RD2-team01=Manhattan
| RD2-score01=72
| RD2-seed02=
| RD2-team02=Army
| RD2-score02=77
| RD2-seed03=
| RD2-team03=Georgia Tech
| RD2-score03=55
| RD2-seed04=
| RD2-team04=St. John's
| RD2-score04=56
| RD2-seed05=
| RD2-team05=Marquette
| RD2-score05=83
| RD2-seed06=
| RD2-team06=Utah
| RD2-score06=63
| RD2-seed07=
| RD2-team07=Oklahoma
| RD2-score07=94
| RD2-seed08=
| RD2-team08=LSU
| RD2-score08=97
| RD3-seed01=
| RD3-team01=Army
| RD3-score01=59
| RD3-seed02=
| RD3-team02=St. John's
| RD3-score02=60
| RD3-seed03=
| RD3-team03=Marquette
| RD3-score03=101
| RD3-seed04=
| RD3-team04=LSU
| RD3-score04=79
| RD4-seed01=
| RD4-team01=St. John's
| RD4-score01=53
| RD4-seed02=
| RD4-team02=Marquette
| RD4-score02=65
}}
{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=Third place game
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1=Army
| RD1-score1=75
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2=LSU
| RD1-score2=68
}}