finish first in the regular season, but because they would lose in the ACC tournament they were unable to go to the NCAA, as in those days only 1 team per conference went to the NCAA tournament because the tournament was only 16 teams. Coach Frank McGuire tried to get the ACC to award the NCAA bid to the regular season winner but the league refused because the ACC tournament was just too big. The move backfired, as soon as USE left the ACC the NCAA began increasing the number of participants. But then admission into the SEC occurred so ultimately it worked out well for them.