1971 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship

Tournament details
Dates	December 1971
Teams	8
Final positions
Champions	UCLA (2nd title)
Runner-up	San José State (1st title game)
Third place	Cal State Fullerton
Fourth place	Long Beach State
Tournament statistics
Matches played	12
Goals scored	200 (16.67 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Jim Waska, CSUF (14)
← 1970 1972 →

The 1971 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the third annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, California during December 1971.^[1]

UCLA defeated San José State in the final, 5–3, to win their second national title.

The leading scorer for the tournament was Jim Waska from Cal State Fullerton (14 goals). The awards for All-Tournament Team and Most Outstanding Player were not given out until 1972.

Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 8 teams were invited to contest this championship.

• Site: Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, California

• NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship