1973–74 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

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

{{Infobox NCAA team season

|mode=Basketball

|year=1973–74

|team=Idaho State Bengals

|image=Idaho State wordmark.png

|image_size=80

|conference=Big Sky Conference

|division=

|short_conf=Big Sky

|CoachRank=

|APRank=

|record=20–8

|conf_record=11–3

|head_coach=Jim Killingsworth

|hc_year = 3rd

|asst_coach1=

|asst_coach2=

|asst_coach3=

|asst_coach4=

|mvp=

|stadium=ISU Minidome

|champion=Big Sky Champions

|bowl= NCAA tournament

|bowl_result=First round

}}

{{1973–74 Big Sky men's basketball standings}}

The 1973–74 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team represented Idaho State University during the 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

The Bengals were led by third-year head coach Jim Killingsworth and played their home games on campus at the ISU Minidome in Pocatello. They finished the regular season at {{nowrap|19–7 overall,}} with a {{nowrap|11–3}} record in the Big Sky Conference, as did the Montana Grizzlies, and the teams split their season series.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o5dfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5787%2C431567|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=ISU, Montana win, share Sky crown |date=March 2, 1974 |page=14}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pZdfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5898%2C925235 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Big Sky loser may be winner |date=March 4, 1974 |page=15}}

With two years until the conference tournament was introduced, the Big Sky title was decided with an unscheduled one-game playoff at Missoula on Tuesday night. A coin flip eleven days earlier determined the host.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ko9fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wjAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3969%2C5669096|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Big Sky playoff at Missoula March 5 |date=February 25, 1974 |page=11}} Before a record crowd at Dahlberg Arena, the visiting Bengals won 60–57 and advanced to the 25-team NCAA tournament, their first appearance in {{nowrap|fourteen years.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p5dfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5706%2C1284937 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=ISU holds off Grizzlies |date=March 6, 1974 |page=13}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MpNYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7264%2C1772296 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Growing rookie key for Bengals |date=March 6, 1974 |page=17}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tq8qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9lsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3696%2C1218527 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |agency=UPI |title=ISU wins Big Sky; Montana waits NIT |date=March 6, 1974 |page=D1}}}}

ISU hosted the first round (subregional) of the West regional, and met #17 New Mexico {{nowrap|(20–6){{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OqRVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6511%2C1019660 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=SC climbs to seventh; UCLA third |date=March 5, 1974 |page=3B}}}} in the nightcap on Saturday night.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PqRVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6351%2C1875327 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |title=NCAA regionals |date=March 9, 1974 |page=2B}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W3hQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lhEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3721%2C1791047 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=NCAA pairings |date=March 9, 1974 |page=1, part 2}} {{nowrap|The visiting}} Lobos, WAC champions, won by eight to end the Bengals' season {{nowrap|at 20–8.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q5dfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3015%2C2318114 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=New Mexico edges ISU |date=March 10, 1974 |page=14}}}}

Senior forward Jim Anderson was named to the all-conference team; senior center Dan Spindler and junior guard Kevin Hoyt were honorable mention.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qZdfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3990%2C1804503 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Montana's McKenzie favorite Big Sky all-star team pick |date=March 8, 1974 |page=17}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NJNYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4301%2C2364441

|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Zags' Morrill Big Sky pick |date=March 8, 1974 |page=17}}

Idaho State returned to the NCAA tournament three years later and advanced to the Elite Eight, which remains the best-ever showing for a Big Sky team.