1978–79 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 basketball 1978–79 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo.svg 150 Independent 5 4 24–6 Digger Phelps 8th Danny Nee 3rd Scott Thompson 2nd Tom McLaughlin 1st Joyce Center NCAA Tournament Elite Eight The 1978–79 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1978–79 NCAA men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Digger Phelps and played their home games at the Joyce Center. After reaching the school's first Final Four the previous season, Notre Dame entered the season with high expectations and a No. 3 preseason ranking (AP). One of five teams to hold the No. 1 ranking during season, the Irish earned the #1 seed in the Mideast Region of the 1979 NCAA Tournament, but were defeated by eventual the eventual NCAA champions, Michigan State, in the regional final. Notre Dame finished the season with a record of 24–6. Roster 1978 Notre Dame Fighting Irish y yes Rich Branning 12 G 6 3 160 Jr Huntington Beach, CA Marina Chris Fabian 24 G 6 2 195 Sr Haddonfield, NJ Haddonfield Bruce Flowers y 34 F/C 6 8 210 Sr Huntington Woods, MI Berkley Bill Hanzlik y 42 G/F 6 7 185 Jr Beloit, WI Beloit Tim Healy 11 G 6 1 170 Jr Fort Lauderdale, FL Cardinal Gibbons Tracy Jackson 30 F 6 6 210 So Silver Spring, Maryland Paint Branch y Bill Laimbeer y 52 C 6 11 235 Sr Palos Verdes, CA Palos VerdesOwens CC Gilbert Salinas 55 C 6 11 215 So San Antonio, Texas   Kelly Tripucka 44 F 6 6 230 So Essex Fells, New Jersey Bloomfield y Orlando Woolridge 32 C 6 9 215 So Mansfield, Louisiana Mansfield y Digger Phelps Danny Nee Scott Thompson Tom McLaughlin Schedule and results |- !colspan=9 style=Notre Dame Fighting Irish| Regular season Dec 2, 1978 yes 3 1978 men Valparaiso Crusaders Valparaiso Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 87–57 11,345 1–0 Dec 4, 1978 yes 3 1978 men Rice Owls Rice Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 105–61 11,345 2–0 Dec 6, 1978 yes 3 1978 men Northwestern Wildcats Northwestern Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 101–57 11,345 3–0 Dec 9, 1978 yes yes 3 UCLA 2 Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, California 81–78Notre Dame Continues To Beat UCLA at Home https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1978/12/11/notre-dame-continues-to-beat-ucla-at-home/a4518925-d897-41b5-8965-27a63c02c723/ The Washington Post December 11, 1978 November 22, 2020Another Irish Roast Out on the Coast https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/12/18/another-irish-roast-out-on-the-coast-with-rich-branning-a-southern-california-emigre-and-kelly-tripucka-leading-the-way-notre-dame-won-its-third-game-in-a-row-at-ucla https://web.archive.org/web/20240920231148/https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/12/18/another-irish-roast-out-on-the-coast-with-rich-branning-a-southern-california-emigre-and-kelly-tripucka-leading-the-way-notre-dame-won-its-third-game-in-a-row-at-ucla dead September 20, 2024 Sports Illustrated December 18, 1978 November 22, 2020 12,721 4–0 Dec 27, 1978 yes 2 1978 men Saint Francis Red Flash Saint Francis (PA) Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 96–43 11,345 5–0 Dec 30, 1978 yes yes 2 Kentucky 13 Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 76–81 16,869 5–1 Jan 6, 1979 yes yes 2 1978 men Villanova Wildcats Villanova The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 75–64 9,208 6–1 Jan 8, 1979 yes yes 2 1978 men Davidson Wildcats Davidson Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina 95–63 6,783 7–1 Jan 13, 1979 yes yes 2 1978 men Marquette Golden Eagles Marquette 13 MECCA Arena Milwaukee, Wisconsin 65–60 10,938 8–1 Jan 16, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Lafayette Leopards Lafayette Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 91–66 11,345 9–1 Jan 18, 1979 yes 1 San Francisco Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 88–69 11,345 10–1 Jan 20, 1979 yes 1 1978 men South Carolina Gamecocks South Carolina Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 82–73 11,345 11–1 Jan 24, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Fordham Rams Fordham Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 85–53 11,345 12–1 Jan 27, 1979 yes yes 1 Maryland Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland 66–67 14,500 12–2 Jan 30, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Brown Bears Brown Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 80–53 11,345 13–2 Feb 1, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Xavier Musketeers Xavier Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 66–57 11,345 14–2 Feb 3, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Dayton Flyers Dayton Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 86–71 11,345 15–2 Feb 5, 1979 yes 1 1978 men Loyola Ramblers Loyola-Chicago Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 84–66 11,345 16–2 Feb 7, 1979 yes yes 1 1978 men NC State Wolfpack North Carolina State Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina 53–52 12,400 17–2 Feb 11, 1979 yes 1 UCLA 4 Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 52–56U.C.L.A. Beats Notre Dame https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/12/archives/ucla-beats-notre-dame-poor-tv-showing-by-irish.html The New York Times February 12, 1979 November 22, 2020 11,345 17–3 Feb 15, 1979 yes yes 3 1978 none Manhattan Jaspers Manhattan Draddy Gymnasium Bronx, New York 86–63 18,106 18–3 Feb 17, 1979 yes yes 3 1978 men West Virginia Mountaineers West Virginia WVU Coliseum Morgantown, West Virginia 70–54 15,118 19–3 Feb 21, 1979 yes 3 1978 men Oklahoma City Chiefs Oklahoma City Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 88–60 11,345 20–3 Feb 24, 1979 yes 3 1978 men La Salle Explorers La Salle Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 93–70 11,345 21–3 Feb 26, 1979 yes 3 1978 men East Carolina Pirates East Carolina Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana 89–72 11,345 22–3 Mar 2, 1979 yes yes 2 DePaul 15 Alumni Hall Chicago, Illinois 72–76 5,556 22–4 Mar 4, 1979 yes yes 2 Michigan Pontiac Silverdome Ann Arbor, Michigan 59–62 37,283 22–5 |- !colspan=9 style=Notre Dame Fighting Irish| NCAA Tournament Mar 11, 1979 yes yes 5 1 ME Tennessee 20 8 ME Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee Second Round 73–67 10,982 23–5 Mar 16, 1979 yes yes 5 1 ME Toledo 19 5 ME Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana Mideast Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 79–71 16,823 24–5 Mar 18, 1979 yes yes 5 1 ME Michigan State 3 2 ME Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana Mideast Regional final – Elite Eight 68–80 17,423 24–6 ME Mideast 2019–20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men's Basketball Media Guide https://und.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2019-20-ND-MBB-Media-Guide.pdf 116 PDF Notre Dame Athletics November 21, 2020 Rankings 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 16 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 3 2 5 4 Coaches 0 15 3 – – 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 3 2 5 ^Coaches did not release week 1 or week 2 polls. *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 856–857 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 References Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball seasons Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish