1977–78 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1977–78 Louisville Cardinals Basketball Louisville Cardinals text logo.svg Metro Conference (1975–1995) Metro 9 14 23–7 9–3 Denny Crum 7th Bill Olsen Wade Houston Jerry Jones Freedom Hall Metro Conference Champions NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen The 1977–78 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 64th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Metro Conference and were coached by Denny Crum. The team played home games at Freedom Hall. The team completed a 23–7 record and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the 1978 NCAA Tournament. Roster 1977 Louisville Cardinals y y Ricky Gallon 13 C 6 11 SR Tampa, Florida Tony Branch 23 G 6 0 175 SO Michigan City, Indiana Elston Daryl Cleveland 24 F 6 7 190 FR Thomasville, Georgia Thomas County Central Roger Burkman 34 G 6 5 175 FR y Indianapolis, Indiana Franklin Central Darrell Griffith 35 G 6 4 190 SO Louisville, Kentucky y Louisville Male Rick Wilson 42 G 6 5 195 SR Louisville, Kentucky y basketball Atherton Denny Crum (UCLA) Jerry Jones Bill Olsen Wade Houston Schedule and results |- !colspan=12 style=Louisville Cardinals| Regular season Nov 30, 1977 yes yes 9 Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island 51–57 0–1 Dec 3, 1977 yes 1977 men Vanderbilt Commodores Vanderbilt Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 96–66 1–1 Dec 7, 1977 yes yes Michigan 9 Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan 88–85 2–1 Dec 10, 1977 yes 1977 men Robert Morris Colonials Robert Morris Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 104–68 3–1 Dec 13, 1977 yes 1977 men Purdue Boilermakers Purdue 17 Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 68–66 4–1 Dec 19, 1977 yes 1977 men Dayton Flyers Dayton Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 69–63 5–1 Dec 22, 1977 yes Marquette 2 Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 61–60 16,433 6–1 Dec 28, 1977 yes 7 La Salle Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Classic 113–85 7–1 Dec 29, 1977 yes 1977 none Georgia Bulldogs Georgia Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 70–73 7–2 Jan 3, 1978 yes 1977 men Memphis State Tigers Memphis State Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee 78–75 8–2 1–0 Jan 7, 1978 yes Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio 78–75 9–2 2–0 Jan 14, 1978 1977 men Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Georgia Tech Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 90–84 10–2 3–0 Jan 18, 1978 yes 1977 men Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Southwestern Louisiana Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 78–75 11–2 Jan 22, 1978 9 Florida State Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 66–70 14,954 11–3 3–1 Jan 26, 1978 yes 1977 men Tulane Green Wave Tulane Avron B. Fogelman Arena New Orleans, Louisiana 105–82 12–3 4–1 Feb 1, 1978 yes yes 1977 men Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse Huntington, West Virginia 85–69 13–3 Feb 4, 1978 Cincinnati Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 83–76 14–3 5–1 Feb 7, 1978 Tulane Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 115–86 15–3 6–1 Feb 11, 1978 yes 1977 men Saint Louis Billikens Saint Louis Kiel Auditorium St. Louis, Missouri 63–61 16–3 7–1 Feb 14, 1978 yes Georgia Tech Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia 59–69 16–4 7–2 Feb 17, 1978 yes 9 Florida State 14 Tully Gymnasium Tallahassee, Florida 70–81 4,296 16–5 7–3 Feb 19, 1978 yes yes 1977 men Minnesota Golden Gophers Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota 71–72 16–6 Feb 23, 1978 yes 1977 men Ball State Cardinals Ball State Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 104–84 17–6 Feb 25, 1978 yes Memphis State Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 115–97 18–6 8–3 Feb 27, 1978 Saint Louis Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky 94–59 19–6 9–3 |- !colspan=12 style=Louisville Cardinals| Metro Conference Tournament Mar 2, 1978 yes yes 20 2 Tulane 7 Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio Quarterfinals 93–64 20–6 Mar 3, 1978 yes yes 20 2 Memphis State 3 Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio Semifinals 67–62 21–6 Mar 4, 1978 yes yes 20 2 Florida State 11 1 Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio Championship game 94–93 10,267 22–6 |- !colspan=12 style=Louisville Cardinals| NCAA Tournament Mar 12, 1978 yes yes 9 MW 2Q St. John's MW 4L Mabee Center Tulsa, Oklahoma First round 76–68 23–6 Mar 17, 1978 yes yes 9 MW 2Q DePaul 3 MW 1L Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas Midwest Regional Semifinals Sweet Sixteen 89–90 2OTNotre Dame and DePaul Reach Final in Midwest https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/18/archives/notre-dame-and-depaul-reach-final-in-midwest-utah-streak-ends.html The New York Times March 18, 1978 August 27, 2023 23–7 AP poll Eastern MW Midwest 1977-78 Men's Basketball Schedule https://gocards.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1977-78 University of Louisville Athletics August 27, 2023 Rankings 1977-78 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 846–847 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 References Louisville Cardinals Category:Louisville Cardinals men's basketball seasons Louisville Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1978-79 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, 1978-79 Category:1977 in Louisville, Kentucky Category:1978 in Louisville, Kentucky Category:Long stubs with short prose