1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball none 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels Basketball UNLV Logo 1974-82.jpeg 150 Independent 6 4 29–3 Jerry Tarkanian 4th Al Menendez Ralph Readout George McQuarn Las Vegas Convention Center NCAA Men's Division I Tournament Final Four The 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1976–77 season. The team was led by head coach Jerry Tarkanian and played its home games in the Las Vegas Convention Center. This season marked the school's first appearance in the Final Four. The Rebels finished with an overall record of 29–3 and were ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll. This team, nicknamed the Hardway Eight, is credited with paving the way in establishing UNLV as a national contender from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.Rebels' first Final Four team deserves to be remembered https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/mar/28/rebels-first-final-four-team-deserves-to-be-rememb/ Las Vegas Sun March 28, 1997 May 1, 2021 Roster 1976 UNLV Runnin' Rebels y Robert Smith basketball y 10 G 5 11 165 Sr Los Angeles, California Eddie Owens y 11 F 6 7 210 Sr Houston, Texas Tony Smith 22 G Reggie Theus y 23 G 6 6 185 So Inglewood, California Lewis Brown basketball y 24 C 6 11 225 Sr Los Angeles, California Glen Gondrezick y 25 GF 6 6 215 Sr Boulder, Colorado Sam Smith basketball, born 1955 y 40 G 6 4 195 Sr Las Vegas, Nevada Larry Moffett y 42 F 6 8 205 Sr Gary, Indiana https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/nevada-las-vegas/1977.html Jerry Tarkanian (Fresno State) Ralph Readout (Ohio) 1977 NCAA Final Four program March 1977 Schedule and results yes |- !colspan=12 style=UNLV Runnin' Rebels| Regular season Nov 26, 1976 yes yes 7 1976 men Nevada Wolfpack Nevada Centennial Coliseum Reno, Nevada 102–87 6,274 1–0 Dec 1, 1976 yes 6 Oregon Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 78–67 6,257 2–0 Dec 4, 1976 yes 6 Iowa State Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 115–80 6,257 3–0 Dec 7, 1976 yes yes 4 Utah Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah 96–100 12,230 3–1 Dec 11, 1976 yes yes 12 1976 men San Diego State Aztecs San Diego State San Diego Sports Arena San Diego, California 118–113 5,221 4–1 Dec 17, 1976 yes 12 1976 men North Dakota State Bison North Dakota State Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 112–81 6,257 5–1 Dec 18, 1976 yes 12 Idaho Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 135–78 6,257 6–1 Dec 21, 1976 yes 12 1976 men Murray State Racers Murray State Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas Rebel Roundup 104–77 6,005 7–1 Dec 22, 1976 yes 12 1976 men Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas Rebel Roundup 100–89 6,257 8–1 Dec 28, 1976 yes 11 1976 men Eastern Michigan Hurons Eastern Michigan Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas Holiday Classic 109–85 6,257 9–1 Dec 29, 1976 yes 11 1976 men Saint Mary's Gaels Saint Mary's Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas Holiday Classic 104–81 6,257 10–1 Jan 3, 1977 yes 11 1976 men Colorado Buffaloes Colorado Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 113–91 6,257 11–1 Jan 7, 1977 yes 9 1976 men New Mexico Lobos New Mexico Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 121–96 6,257 12–1 Jan 8, 1977 yes 9 1976 men Cal State Northridge Matadors Cal State Northridge Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 112–72 6,257 13–1 Jan 11, 1977 yes 8 1976 men Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Northern Arizona Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 132–90 6,257 14–1 Jan 21, 1977 yes 7 1976 men UC Santa Barbara Gauchos UC Santa Barbara Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 113–69 6,257 15–1 Jan 22, 1977 yes 7 1976 men Pepperdine Waves Pepperdine Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 85–80 6,257 16–1 Feb 1, 1977 yes yes 4 1976 men Bradley Braves Bradley Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois 107–106 7,300 17–1 Feb 3, 1977 yes yes 4 Illinois State Horton Field House Normal, Illinois 84–88 8,000 17–2 Feb 5, 1977 yes yes 4 1976 men Rutgers Scarlet Knights Rutgers Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 89–88Cool Smith Provides One-Point Reb Win https://lasvegassun.com/news/1977/feb/06/cool-smith-provides-one-point-reb-win/ Las Vegas Sun February 6, 1977 May 1, 2021 7,506 18–2 Feb 10, 1977 yes 10 1976 men Denver Pioneers Denver Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 106–84 6,257 19–2 Feb 12, 1977 yes 10 Louisville 6 Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 99–96 6,457 20–2 Feb 17, 1977 yes 6 1976 men Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros Texas-Rio Grande Valley Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 135–106 6,257 21–2 Feb 19, 1977 yes 6 1976 men Portland State Vikings Portland State Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 112–96 6,257 22–2 Feb 24, 1977 yes yes 6 Denver DU Fieldhouse Denver, Colorado 99–82 2,316 23–2 Mar 1, 1977 yes 5 1976 men Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Hawaii Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada 124–84 6,307 24–2 Mar 5, 1977 yes yes 5 Pepperdine Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, California 117–94 3,500 25–2 |- !colspan=12 style=UNLV Runnin' Rebels| NCAA Tournament Mar 12, 1977 yes yes 5 1976 men San Francisco Dons San Francisco 3 McKale Center Tucson, Arizona West Regional Quarterfinal 121–95 14,438 26–2 Mar 17, 1977 yes yes 4 Utah 14 Marriott Center Provo, Utah West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 88–83Rebels Advance But Bruins Don't https://lasvegassun.com/news/1977/mar/18/rebels-advance-bruins-dont/ Las Vegas Sun March 18, 1977 September 15, 2023 22,783 27–2 Mar 19, 1977 yes yes 4 Idaho State Marriott Center Provo, Utah West Regional final – Elite Eight 107–90 22,783 28–2 Mar 26, 1977 yes yes 4 North Carolina 5 The Omni Atlanta, Georgia National semifinal – Final Four 83–84Super Season Over: Tar Heels Stop Runnin' Rebels https://lasvegassun.com/news/1977/mar/27/super-season-over/ Las Vegas Sun March 27, 1977 May 1, 2021Stars from 1977 UNLV team remember their Final Four game against North Carolina https://lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/27/stars-1977-unlv-team-remember-their-final-four-gam/ Las Vegas Sun December 27, 2012 May 1, 2021 16,086 28–3 Mar 28, 1977 yes yes 4 UNC Charlotte 17 The Omni Atlanta, Georgia National 3rd-place game 106–94 16,086 29–3 AP Poll Pacific W West Source: https://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB1/B/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20I_1977_465_University%20of%20Nevada,%20Las%20Vegas.pdf 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball stats NCAA Career Statistics Rankings 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 16 7 6 5 12 12 11 9 8 7 5 4 10 6 4 5 5 4 Coaches 0 15 7 7 4 11 11 9 9 7 6 5 3 8 7 4 6 6 *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 836–837 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 Team players drafted into the NBA 1977 NBA draft 2 UNLV Runnin' Rebels Round Pick Player NBA club 2 26 Glen Gondrezick New York Knicks 2 31 Eddie Owens Kansas City Kings 2 34 Larry Moffett Houston Rockets 3 48 Sam Smith Atlanta Hawks 3 65 Robert Smith Denver Nuggets 4 69 Lewis Brown Milwaukee Buckshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1977.html 1977 NBA Draft Basketball-reference.com May 1, 2021 See also UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball 1977 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament References External links UNLV Runnin' Rebels Official site https://web.archive.org/web/20100303143301/http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/unlv-m-baskbl-body.html 2010-03-03 Unlv Category:UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Unlv UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team