1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Basketball season August 2023 March 2026 1977 247px North Carolina Tar HeelsESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia 978-0-345-51392-2 Random House 2009 846 March 11 27, 1978 The Checkerdome St. Louis, Missouri Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky Wildcats Texas Longhorns *Butch Lee, Marquette Warriors (Naismith) Phil Ford, North Carolina Tar Heels (Wooden) Jack Givens, Kentucky Wildcats The 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1977, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 27, 1978, at The Checkerdome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Kentucky Wildcats won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 94–88 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.It was also the first NCAA tournament to use an official seeding process.1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_NCAA_Division_I_basketball_tournament 22 August 2025 WikipediaApril 2026 Season headlines On December 13, 1977, the University of Evansville's first season of NCAA Division I men's basketball came to a tragic and premature end when Air Indiana Flight 216 crashed just after takeoff from Evansville Regional Airport in Evansville, Indiana, killing all 29 people on board, including Evansville Purple Aces head coach Bobby Watson and all but one member of the team, which was on its way to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for a game against Middle Tennessee. The only surviving member of the team, 18-year-old freshman David Furr, was not on the plane because he was out for the season with an ankle injury, but Furr and his younger brother died in an automobile accident two weeks after the plane crash. With its entire 1977–78 men's basketball team dead after Furr's accident, the university decided to cancel the rest of the season rather than attempt to continue it with a substitute team.http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19771213-0 ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53 (DC-3) N51071 Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV) Aviation-safety.net 1977-12-13 2012-01-29https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-DxOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ge4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6470%2C5684374 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Team plane crashes in flames December 14, 1977 1https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wq1VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6706%2C4632809 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon wire service reports Air crash ends Evansville's dreams December 14, 1977 1Dhttps://mccutchanvillefiredepartment.org/ue-plane-crash/ UE Plane Crash October 9, 2023 Johnson Dave Evansville Fans, Community Took Watson to Heart https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1977/12/15/evansville-fans-community-took-watson-to-heart/36dfb734-643d-4c93-8ae5-28e736c9be29/ The Washington Post June 30, 2020 December 15, 1977https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19771229&id=p8YyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f2cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1967,6052206 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida UPI Last Evansville player dies in auto accident December 29, 1977 1E In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 12th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles. For the first time, the NCAA used a seeding process to align teams in the NCAA tournament brackets.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/Rules.pdf Playing Rules History ncaa.org NCAA June 25, 2024 12 Bob Bender of Duke becomes the first player to play in the NCAA championship game for two different teams. He had played for Indiana in the 1976 championship game. Season outlook Pre-season polls 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.*ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 'Associated Press'RankingTeam1North Carolina2Kentucky3Marquette4Notre Dame5San Francisco6UCLA7Arkansas8UNLV9Cincinnati10Louisville11Syracuse12Purdue13Michigan14Maryland15Alabama16Minnesota17Wake Forest18Holy Cross19Detroit20St. John's UPI CoachesRankingTeam1(tie)KentuckyNorth Carolina3Marquette4Notre Dame5San Francisco6UCLA7Purdue8Cincinnati9Arkansas10Louisville11Orange12Michigan13Maryland14(tie)Indiana StateSt. John'sUtahWake Forest18Kansas State19Alabama20Holy Cross Conference membership changes SchoolFormer conferenceNew conference Buffalo Buffalo Bulls Division I independent SUNYAC (D-III) Campbell Campbell Fighting Camels NAIA Independent Division I independent Chattanooga Chattanooga Mocs Division II independent Southern Conference Creighton Creighton Bluejays Division I independent Missouri Valley Conference East Carolina East Carolina Pirates Southern Conference Division I independent Evansville Evansville Purple Aces Indiana Collegiate Conference (D–II) Division I independent Indiana State Indiana State Sycamores Division I independent Missouri Valley Conference Marshall Marshall Thundering Herd Division I independent Southern Conference Tennessee State Tennessee State Tigers Division II independent Division I independent California Irvine UC Irvine Anteaters Division II independent Pacific Coast Athletic Association Western Carolina Western Carolina Catamounts Division I independent Southern Conference William and Mary William and Mary Tribe Southern Conference Division I independent Regular season Conferences Conference winners and tournaments The Southwestern Athletic Conference — with members Alcorn State, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, and Texas Southern — became a Division I conference this season.Coaches Database: SWAC regular-season champions Accessed April 1, 2021 ConferenceRegular season winnerhttp://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2009/Standings.pdf 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section 2009 NCAA 2009-02-14Conference player of the yearConference tournamentTournament venue (City)Tournament winnerAtlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Phil Ford, North Carolina2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192652/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/09mbkguide083112.pdf 2016-03-03 , retrieved 2009-02-14 1978 ACC men's basketball tournament Greensboro Coliseum(Greensboro, North Carolina) DukeBig Eight Conference Kansas Mike Evans, Kansas State2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04 1978 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper Arena(Kansas City, Missouri)(Semifinals and Finals) MissouriBig Sky Conference Montana None selected 1978 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament Adams Field House(Missoula, Montana) Weber StateBig Ten Conference Michigan State None Selected No TournamentEast Coast Conference La Salle (East) Lafayette (West) Michael Brooks, La Salle 1978 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament Kirby Sports Center(Easton, Pennsylvania) La SalleEastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Rutgers & Villanova James Bailey, Rutgers 1978 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Villanova Eastern College AthleticConference (ECAC) Division I ECAC membersplayed as independentsduring the regular season(see note) 1978 ECAC Metro Region tournament Nassau Coliseum(Uniondale, New York) St. John's 1978 ECAC New England Region tournament Providence Civic Center(Providence, Rhode Island) Rhode Island 1978 ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament War Memorial Auditorium(Rochester, New York)(Finals) St. BonaventureIvy League Penn Keven McDonald, PennMen's Ivy League Outstanding performers https://web.archive.org/web/20080429080237/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/alltime.asp?intSID=6 2008-04-29 , Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01 No TournamentMetro Conference Florida State Harry Davis, Florida State, &Rick Wilson, Louisville 1978 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Riverfront Coliseum(Cincinnati, Ohio) LouisvilleMid-American Conference Miami (OH) Archie Aldridge, Miami (OH)2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14 No TournamentMissouri Valley Conference Creighton Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Omaha Civic Auditorium(Omaha, Nebraska) CreightonOhio Valley Conference East Tennessee State & Middle Tennessee Otis Howard, Austin Peay 1978 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament E.A. Diddle Arena(Bowling Green, Kentucky)(Semifinals and Finals) Western KentuckyPacific-8 Conference UCLA David Greenwood, UCLA Bruins men's basketball<No TournamentPacific Coast Athletic Association Fresno State & San Diego State Joel Kramer, San Diego State 1978 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament Anaheim Convention Center(Anaheim, California) Cal State FullertonSoutheastern Conference Kentucky Reggie King, Alabama2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06 No TournamentSouthern Conference Appalachian State Ron Carter, VMI2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110723151437/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/honorsandawards.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 July 23, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09 1978 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Roanoke Civic Center(Roanoke, Virginia)(Semifinals and Finals) Furman2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section https://web.archive.org/web/20110930163611/http://www.soconsports.com/fls/4000/socon/files/0809mbkguide/standingsandresults.pdf?SPSID=35819&SPID=1798&DB_OEM_ID=4000 September 30, 2011 , Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09Southland Conference Lamar &McNeese State Andrew Toney, Southwest Louisiana2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07 No TournamentSouthwest Conference Arkansas & Texas Ron Brewer, Arkansas 1978 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament The Summit(Houston, Texas) HoustonSouthwestern Athletic Conference Jackson State & Southern Purvis Short, Jackson State2006–07 SWAC Men's Basketball Media Guide 1978 SWAC men's basketball tournament Jackson StateSun Belt Conference UNC Charlotte Wayne Cooper, New Orleans2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07 1978 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum(Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) New OrleansWest Coast Athletic Conference San Francisco Bill Cartwright, San Francisco No TournamentWestern Athletic Conference New Mexico None Selected No Tournament NOTE: From 1975 to 1981, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1978 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments Conference standings Division I independents A total of 78 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (27–3) had both the best winning percentage (.900) and the most wins.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/independent/men/1978.html Sports Reference 1977-78 Men's Independent Season Summary August 20, 2024https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/njny7/men/1978.html Sports Reference 1977-78 Men's New Jersey-New York 7 Conference Season Summary August 20, 2024 Informal championships ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerNew Jersey-New York 7 Conference 1977 men Rutgers Scarlet Knights Rutgers None selected Rutgers finished with a 6–1 record in head-to-head competition among members of the New Jersey-New York 7 Conference. ConferenceRegular season winnerMost Valuable PlayerPhiladelphia Big 5 1977 men Temple Owls Temple & Villanova Michael Brooks, La Salle Temple and Villanova both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5. Statistical leaders Points per game Rebounds per game Field goal percentage Free throw percentage Player School PPG Player School RPG Player School FG% Player School FT% Freeman Williams Portland St. 35.9 Ken Williams N. Texas St. 14.7 Joe Senser West Chester St. 68.5 Bunny Gibson Marshall 94.4 Larry Bird Indiana St. 30.0 Henry Taylor Pan American 14.2 Mike O'Koren N. Carolina 64.3 Mark Tucker Oklahoma St. 91.2 Purvis Short Jackson St. 29.5 Dean Uthoff Iowa St. 14.0 Pat Cummings Cincinnati 64.2 Anthony Williams Jacksonville 90.9 Oliver Mack E. Carolina 28.0 Reggie King Alabama 13.3 Rick Robey Kentucky 63.5 Brian Appel Hofstra 90.5 Roger Phegley Bradley 27.6 Calvin Natt NE Louisiana 13.2 Mel Daniels Stetson 63.4 Ron Perry Holy Cross 90.0 Post-season tournaments NCAA tournament 1978 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament 1978 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game Final Four National semifinals National finals Third place E1 Duke 90 MW2 Notre Dame 86 ME2 Kentucky 64 W2 Arkansas 59 E1 Duke 88 ME2 Kentucky 94 MW2 Notre Dame 69 W2 Arkansas 71 National Invitation tournament 1978 National Invitation Tournament Semifinals & finals no Semifinals Finals Third place   Georgetown 85   NC State 86   Texas 96   Rutgers 76   NC State 93   Texas 101   Georgetown 72   Rutgers 85 Awards Consensus All-American teams 1978 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans + Consensus First Team Player Position Class Team Butch Lee G Senior Marquette David Greenwood F Junior UCLA Larry Bird F Senior Indiana State Mychal Thompson C Senior Minnesota Phil Ford G Senior North Carolina + Consensus Second Team Player Position Class Team Ron Brewer G Senior Arkansas Jack Givens G/F Senior Kentucky Rod Griffin G Senior Wake Forest Rick Robey F/C Senior Kentucky Freeman Williams G Senior Portland State Major player of the year awards Wooden Award: Phil Ford, North Carolina Naismith Award: Butch Lee, Marquette Helms Player of the Year: Jack Givens, Kentucky Associated Press Player of the Year: Butch Lee, Marquette UPI Player of the Year: Butch Lee, Marquette NABC Player of the Year: Phil Ford, North Carolina Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Phil Ford, North Carolina Adolph Rupp Trophy: Butch Lee, Marquette Sporting News Player of the Year: Phil Ford, North Carolina Major coach of the year awards Associated Press Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Arkansas Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ray Meyer, DePaul NABC Coach of the Year: Bill Foster, Duke & Abe Lemons, Texas UPI Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Arkansas Sporting News Coach of the Year: Bill Foster, Duke Other major awards Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Mike Scheib, Susquehanna Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Michael Brooks, La Salle NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): George Johnson, St. John's Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReasonAmericanJim LynamGary WilliamsAuburnBob DavisSonny Smith Southern Illinois' Paul Lambert was hired as Davis' successor, but he perished in a hotel fire on June 6, 1978 before coaching a game for Auburn. Smith was hired from East Tennessee State to replace Davis and coached the Tigers for 11 seasons.Boston UniversityRoy SiglerRick PitinoBradleyJoe StowellDick VersaceBrownGerry AlaimoJoe MullaneyCaliforniaDick EdwardsDick KuchenBaptistDanny MonkDavid ReeseCincinnatiGale CatlettEd Badger Catlett left to coach West Virginia.ColumbiaTom PendersBuddy MaharDavidsonDave PritchettEddie BiedenbachDenverBill WeimarBen JobeDuquesneJohn CinicolaMike RiceEast Tennessee StateSonny SmithJim Halihan Smith left to coach Auburn.EvansvilleBobby WatsonDick WaltersWatson, his assistant coaches, and all but one Purple Aces player perished on December 13, 1977 when the plane carrying the team from Evansville to Murfreesboro, Tennessee for a game vs. Middle Tennessee State crashed upon takeoff. Evansville cancelled the remainder of its 1977-78 season.Florida StateHugh DurhamJoe Williams Durham left to coach Georgia.FurmanJoe WilliamsEddie Holbrook Williams left for Florida State. Gardner-Webb coach Eddie Holbrook was hired.GeorgiaJohn GuthrieHugh DurhamGonzagaAdrian BuoncristianiDan FitzgeraldIdahoJim JarvisDon MonsonIllinois StateGene SmithsonBob DonewaldSmithson left to coach Wichita State.Indiana StateBob KingBill Hodges JacksonvilleDon BeasleyTates LockeKent StateRex HughesMike BoydEd Douma Long Beach StateDwight JonesTex WinterManhattanJohn PowersBrian Mahoney Mississippi StateRon GreeneJim Hatfield Greene left to coach his alma mater, Murray State.MontanaJim BrandenburgMike MontgomeryMontana StateRich JuarezBruce HaroldsonMorehead StateJack SchalowWayne MartinMurray StateFred OvertonRon GreeneNorthern ArizonaJohn BirkettJoedy GardnerNorthwesternTex WinterRich Falk OregonDick HarterJim Haney Harter left to coach Penn State.Penn StateJohnny BachDick Harter Bach left to join the coaching staff of the Golden State Warriors.Portland StateKen EdwardsGlen KinneyPurdueFred SchausLee RoseRichmondCarl SloneLou GoetzSaint Francis (PA)Pete LonerganDave MagaritySaint Joseph'sHarry BoothJim LynamSaint LouisRon ColemanRon EkkerSan FranciscoBob GaillardDan BelluominiSeattleBill O'ConnorJack SchalowSouthern IllinoisPaul LambertJoe GottfriedSouthwestern LouisianaJim HatfieldBobby PaschalTennesseeCliff WettigDon DeVoe UC Santa BarbaraRalph BarkeyEd DeLacyUNC CharlotteLee RoseMike PrattWest VirginiaJoedy GardnerGale Catlett Gardner left to coach Northern Arizona.Western KentuckyJim RichardsGene Keady West Texas A&MRon EkkerKen Edwards Wichita StateHarry MillerGene SmithsonWyomingDon DeVoeJim Brandenburg DeVoe left to coach Tennessee. 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