1972–73 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=1972–73

|team=Weber State Wildcats

|image=

|image_size=

|conference=Big Sky Conference

|division=

|short_conf=Big Sky

|CoachRank=19

|record=20–7

|conf_record=13–1

|head_coach=Gene Visscher

|hc_year = 2nd

|asst_coach1=Neil McCarthy

|asst_coach2=

|mvp=

|stadium=Wildcat Gym

|champion=Big Sky champions

|bowl=NCAA tournament

|bowl_result=First round

}}

{{1972–73 Big Sky men's basketball standings}}

The 1972–73 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State College during the 1972–73 NCAA University Division basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats were led by second-year head coach Gene Visscher and played their home games on campus at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah. They were {{nowrap|20–6}} in the regular season and {{nowrap|13–1}} in conference play.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iJJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=evgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6675%2C1096071 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |last=Brown |first=Bruce |title=Big Sky coaches seek added help |date=March 5, 1973 |page=19}}

The conference tournament was three years away, and for the sixth consecutive season, Weber State won the Big Sky title and played in the 25-team NCAA tournament. In the West regional at nearby Logan, they met Jerry Tarkanian's fourth-ranked Long Beach State 49ers in the first round for the third time in the four years.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-U4pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BX4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6834%2C2202573|work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |last=Ferguson |first=George |title=Bruin shadow haunts NCAA |date=March 9, 1973 |page=D1}} The Wildcats led by two points at the half, but lost by a dozen.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XhIdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MpwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7246%2C1843180 |work=Tuscaloosa News |location=(Alabama) |agency=Associated Press |title=Arizona State, Long Beach win |date=March 11, 1973 |page=8B}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-04pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BX4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6794%2C2573488 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |last=Ferguson |first=George |title=Weber scared mighty Long Beach |date=March 11, 1973 |page=B5}}

Weber's next NCAA appearance was five years later in 1978.

Senior center Rich Cooper and senior guard Brady Small were named to the all-conference team; junior guard Dan Dion and senior forward Ken Gubler were on the second team.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ipJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=evgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4969%2C1996951 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Honors mounting up for Zags' Greg Sten |date=March 7, 1973 |page=31}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=904pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BX4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3507%2C1569669 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |agency=UPI |title='Sky team named |date=March 7, 1973 |page=D4}}