1977–78 Detroit Titans men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1977–78 Detroit Titans Detroit Titans wordmark.png 175 Independent Independent 18 25–4 N/A Smokey Gaines 1st Willie McCarter Calihan Hall NIT Second Round The 1977–78 Detroit Titans men's basketball team represented the University of Detroit in the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played at Calihan Hall in Detroit. The Titans were led by head coach Smokey Gaines, a former assistant coach who moved into the head coaching role for the season when former coach Dick Vitale became the school's Athletic Director.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-vitale-ad-gaines-h/185696462/ Vitale, AD, Gaines, Head Coaches November 30, 1977 13 newspapers.com He had quick success at UD finishing 25–4 in his first season, inheriting a stocked roster with guard John Long, forward Terry Tyler and guard Terry Duerod, all of whom would eventually play in the NBA.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/detroit-mercy/men/1978.html 1977-78 Detroit Mercy Titans Men's Roster and Stats College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Detroit, coming off a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 1977 NCAA Tournament, rolled for much of the season, and with an independent status, entered the final game of the season 24–2 with a home game against rival Marquette, ranked #3. With previous losses to the only ranked teams on the schedule, the Earvin "Magic" Johnson led Michigan State Spartans, who would finish #4 in the final rankings, and on the road at #20 Georgetown, the game represented an opportunity to secure an NCAA bid. In front of the largest crowd in Calihan Hall history, the Titans came up short as Butch Lee of Marquette led a balanced attack in the 80-77 Warriors victory.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-detroit-vs-marquette/185697549/ Detroit vs. Marquette, March 1978 March 5, 1978 47 newspapers.com Denied an NCAA bid, the Titans would finish the regular season 24-3 and received a bid to the 1978 National Invitation Tournament. Detroit defeated Virginia Commonwealth 94–86 at home in the opening round, with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds from Terry Tyler. On the road, the University of Detroit would lose to the NC State Wolfpack 84–77 as Kendal Pinder scored 18 points with 21 rebounds, as the height advantaged Wolfpack dominated the boards 64–33.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-detroit-vs-nc-state/185698698/ Detroit vs. NC State, March 1978 March 15, 1978 57 newspapers.com On the season, Tyler averaged a double-double of 16.4 ppg and 12.6 rpg, Long paced the team's scoring with 21.4 ppg, and Duerod contributed 17.1 ppg. After the season, Vitale would be hired to coach the Detroit Pistons of the NBA, and drafted Long and Tyler in the 1978 NBA draft.https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-vitale-hired-as-pisto/185698988/ Vitale Hired as Pistons Coach April 22, 1978 1 newspapers.com Vitale was inducted in the University of Detroit Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 alongside Terry Duerod. Terry Tyler and John Long were honored together in 2001.https://detroittitans.com/honors/detroit-mercy-titans-hall-of-fame Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame University of Detroit Mercy Athletics Roster 1977 Detroit Titans y John Long F 6 5 SR y basketball player Terry Duerod G 6 1 JR Royal Oak, Michigan y Terry Tyler F 6 7 SR y Kevin Smith G 6 2 FR Wilbert McCormick G 6 1 SO Turono Anderson G 6 3 SR Kevin Kaseta F 6 9 SR Dave Niles G 6 5 SO Jeff Whitlow F 6 6 JR Arthur Bright F 6 5 FR Billy Harris F 6 8 SO Eric Argady F 6 9 SO Rich McDermott G 6 2 JR Walter Smith F 6 7 SR Smokey Gaines (LeMoyne–Owen College) https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/detroit-mercy/men/1978.html Schedule and results |- !colspan=9 style=Detroit Titans| Regular Season Dec 1, 1977 yes yes 19 1977 men Toledo Rockets Toledo Centennial Hall Toledo, Ohio 76–64 1–0 Dec 4, 1977 yes 1977 men Adrian Bulldogs Adrian Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 112–69 2–0 Dec 8, 1977 yes 17 1977 men Saint Louis Billikens Saint Louis Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 69–61 3–0 Dec, 1977 yes 1977 men Northern Michigan Wildcats Northern Michigan Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 111–66 4–0 Dec 12, 1977 yes yes 16 St. Bonaventure Reilly Center St. Bonaventure, New York 94–92 5–0 Dec 17, 1977 yes 16 1977 men Ball State Cardinals Ball State Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 103–70 6–0 Dec 21, 1977 yes 15 Michigan State Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 74–103 6–1 Dec 26, 1977 yes 20 1977 men Harvard Crimson Harvard Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan Motor City Classic 77–69 7–1 Dec 27, 1977 yes 20 1977 men Eastern Michigan Eagles Eastern Michigan Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan Motor City Classic 109–71 8–1 Dec 30, 1977 yes yes 20 1977 men Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse Huntington, West Virginia 89–84 9–1 yes 1977 men Buffalo Bulls Buffalo Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 122–81 7,195 10–1 yes 1977 men Oakland Pioneers Oakland Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 99–58 11–1 Jan 11, 1978 yes yes 1977 men Iona Gaels Iona John A. Mulcahy Campus Events Center New Rochelle, New York 84–79 12–1 Jan 14, 1978 yes 1977 men Dayton Flyers Dayton Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 87–73 13–1 Jan 18, 1978 yes yes 1977 men Bowling Green Falcons Bowling Green Anderson Arena Bowling Green, Ohio 84–79 14–1 Jan 21, 1978 yes 1977 men Saint Peter's Peacocks Saint Peter's Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 87–77 15–1 Jan 28, 1978 yes 1977 men Duquesne Dukes Duquesne Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 98–80 16–1 , 1978 yes 1977 men Wayne State Tartars Wayne State Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 84–51 17–1 Feb 4, 1978 yes 1977 men Xavier Musketeers Xavier Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 80–74 18–1 Feb 11, 1978 yes yes 17 Georgetown McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC 82–83 4,500 18–2 Feb 15, 1978 yes yes 19 1977 men Western Michigan Broncos Western Michigan Read Fieldhouse Kalamazoo, Michigan 113–91 19–2 Feb, 1978 yes 1977 men CCNY Beavers CCNY Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 132–91 20–2 Feb 18, 1978 yes 19 1977 men Canisius Golden Griffins Canisius Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 124–89 21–2 Feb 22, 1978 yes 16 1977 men Saint Francis Red Flash Saint Francis (PA) Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 121–89 22–2 Feb 25, 1978 yes yes 16 Xavier Schmidt Fieldhouse Cincinnati, Ohio 82–77 23–2 Feb 27, 1978 yes 16 1977 men Loyola Ramblers Loyola (IL) Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 89–69 24–2 Mar 4, 1978 yes 16 Marquette 3 Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan 77–80 11,065 24–3 |- !colspan=9 style=Detroit Titans| NIT Mar 9, 1978 yes 19 VCU Calihan Hall Detroit, Michigan First round 94–86 25–3 Mar 14, 1978 yes yes 18 NC State Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina Quarterfinals 77–84 25–4 AP Poll Eastern Time https://static.detroittitans.com/custompages/MBB/History/Year%20By%20Year%20Results.pdf Year By Year Results.pdf static.detroittitans.com November 27, 2025 Rankings 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings References 2 Category:Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball seasons Detroit Detroit Detroit Titans men's b Detroit Titans men's b