December 28, 1971 AP Poll
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA |
| 2 | Marquette |
| 3 | South Carolina |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | USC |
| 6 | Ohio State |
| 7 | Indiana |
| 8 | BYU |
| 9 | St. John's |
| 10 | Long Beach State |
| 11 | Virginia |
| 12 | Kentucky |
| 13 | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| 14 | Penn |
| 15 | Louisville |
| 16 | Maryland |
| 17 | Marshall |
| 18 | Hawaii |
| 19 | West Virginia |
| 20 | Tennessee |