1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1North Carolina Tar Heels[1][2]
NCAA Tournament1978
Tournament datesMarch 11 – 27, 1978
National ChampionshipThe Checkerdome
St. Louis, Missouri
NCAA ChampionsKentucky Wildcats
Helms National ChampionsKentucky Wildcats
Other championsTexas Longhorns (NIT)
Player of the Year
(Naismith, Wooden)
Player of the Year
(Helms)		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.

Season headlines

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[10]

'Associated Press'
Ranking Team
1 North Carolina
2 Kentucky
3 Marquette
4 Notre Dame
5 San Francisco
6 UCLA
7 Arkansas
8 UNLV
9 Cincinnati
10 Louisville
11 Syracuse
12 Purdue
13 Michigan
14 Maryland
15 Alabama
16 Minnesota
17 Wake Forest
18 Holy Cross
19 Detroit
20 St. John's
UPI Coaches
Ranking Team
1
(tie) 		Kentucky
North Carolina
3 Marquette
4 Notre Dame
5 San Francisco
6 UCLA
7 Purdue
8 Cincinnati
9 Arkansas
10 Louisville
11 Orange
12 Michigan
13 Maryland
14
(tie) 		Indiana State
St. John's
Utah
Wake Forest
18 Kansas State
19 Alabama
20 Holy Cross

Conference membership changes

School Former conference New conference
UC Irvine Anteaters Division II independent Pacific Coast Athletic Association
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.[11]

Conference Regular
season winner[12] 		Conference
player of the year 		Conference
tournament 		Tournament
venue (City) 		Tournament
winner
Atlantic Coast Conference North Carolina Phil Ford, North Carolina[13] 1978 ACC men's basketball tournament Greensboro Coliseum
(Greensboro, North Carolina)		 Duke
Big Eight Conference Kansas Mike Evans, Kansas State[14] 1978 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper Arena
(Kansas City, Missouri)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Missouri
Big Sky Conference Montana None selected 1978 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament Adams Field House
(Missoula, Montana)		 Weber State
Big Ten Conference Michigan State None Selected No Tournament
East 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 Salle
Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Rutgers & Villanova James Bailey, Rutgers 1978 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament Civic Arena
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)		 Villanova
Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) 		Division I ECAC members
played as independents
during 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. Bonaventure
Ivy League Penn Keven McDonald, Penn[15] No Tournament
Metro Conference Florida State Harry Davis, Florida State, &
Rick Wilson, Louisville		 1978 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Riverfront Coliseum
(Cincinnati, Ohio)		 Louisville
Mid-American Conference Miami (OH) Archie Aldridge, Miami (OH)[16] No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference Creighton Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Omaha Civic Auditorium
(Omaha, Nebraska)		 Creighton
Ohio 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 Kentucky
Pacific-8 Conference UCLA David Greenwood, UCLA Bruins men's basketball< No Tournament
Pacific 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 Fullerton
Southeastern Conference Kentucky Reggie King, Alabama[17] No Tournament
Southern Conference Appalachian State Ron Carter, VMI[18] 1978 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Roanoke Civic Center
(Roanoke, Virginia)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Furman[19]
Southland Conference Lamar &
McNeese State		 Andrew Toney, Southwest Louisiana[20] No Tournament
Southwest Conference Arkansas & Texas Ron Brewer, Arkansas 1978 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament The Summit
(Houston, Texas)		 Houston
Southwestern Athletic Conference Jackson State & Southern Purvis Short, Jackson State[21] 1978 SWAC men's basketball tournament Jackson State
Sun Belt Conference UNC Charlotte Wayne Cooper, New Orleans[22] 1978 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals)		 New Orleans
West Coast Athletic Conference San Francisco Bill Cartwright, San Francisco No Tournament
Western 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.[23]

Conference standings

1977–78 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 16 North Carolina 9 – 3   .750 23 – 8   .742
No. 7 Duke † 8 – 4   .667 27 – 7   .794
NC State 7 – 5   .583 21 – 10   .677
Virginia 6 – 6   .500 20 – 8   .714
Wake Forest 6 – 6   .500 19 – 10   .655
Maryland 3 – 9   .250 15 – 13   .536
Clemson 3 – 9   .250 15 – 12   .556
† 1978 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[24]
1977–78 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 10 Kansas 13 – 1   .929 24 – 5   .828
Iowa State 9 – 5   .643 14 – 13   .519
Nebraska 9 – 5   .643 22 – 8   .733
Kansas State 7 – 7   .500 18 – 11   .621
Oklahoma 7 – 7   .500 14 – 13   .519
Oklahoma State 4 – 10   .286 10 – 16   .385
Missouri † 4 – 10   .286 14 – 16   .467
Colorado 3 – 11   .214 9 – 18   .333
† 1978 Big Eight tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[25]
1977–78 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Montana 12 – 2   .857 20 – 8   .714
Idaho State 11 – 3   .786 16 – 10   .615
Weber State † 9 – 5   .643 19 – 10   .655
Boise State 8 – 6   .571 13 – 14   .481
Gonzaga 7 – 7   .500 14 – 15   .483
Northern Arizona 5 – 9   .357 11 – 14   .440
Montana State 3 – 11   .214 9 – 17   .346
Idaho 1 – 13   .071 4 – 22   .154
† Big Sky Conference tournament winner
1977–78 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Michigan State 15 – 3   .833 25 – 5   .833
No. 13 Indiana 12 – 6   .667 21 – 8   .724
Minnesota 12 – 6   .667 17 – 10   .630
Michigan 11 – 7   .611 16 – 11   .593
Purdue 11 – 7   .611 16 – 11   .593
Ohio State 9 – 9   .500 16 – 11   .593
Illinois 7 – 11   .389 13 – 14   .481
Iowa 5 – 13   .278 12 – 15   .444
Northwestern 4 – 14   .222 8 – 19   .296
Wisconsin 4 – 14   .222 8 – 19   .296
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 ECC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
La Salle † 5 – 0   1.000 18 – 12   .600
Temple 4 – 1   .800 24 – 4   .857
American 2 – 3   .400 16 – 12   .571
Drexel 2 – 3   .400 13 – 15   .464
Saint Joseph's 2 – 3   .400 13 – 15   .464
Hofstra 0 – 5   .000 8 – 19   .296
West
Lafayette 10 – 0   1.000 23 – 8   .742
Delaware 5 – 5   .500 16 – 11   .593
Bucknell 5 – 5   .500 13 – 15   .464
Lehigh 5 – 5   .500 8 – 18   .308
Rider 4 – 6   .400 11 – 16   .407
West Chester 2 – 8   .200 6 – 19   .240
† 1978 ECC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Rutgers 7 – 3   .700 24 – 7   .774
Villanova † 7 – 3   .700 23 – 9   .719
Pittsburgh 5 – 5   .500 16 – 11   .593
UMass 5 – 5   .500 15 – 12   .556
West
Duquesne 5 – 5   .500 11 – 17   .393
George Washington 4 – 6   .400 15 – 11   .577
Penn State 4 – 6   .400 8 – 19   .296
West Virginia 3 – 7   .300 12 – 16   .429
† 1978 Eastern 8 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 20 Penn 12 – 2   .857 20 – 8   .714
Princeton 11 – 3   .786 17 – 9   .654
Columbia 11 – 3   .786 15 – 11   .577
Harvard 7 – 7   .500 11 – 15   .423
Dartmouth 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385
Cornell 5 – 9   .357 9 – 17   .346
Yale 3 – 11   .214 8 – 16   .333
Brown 2 – 12   .143 4 – 22   .154
Rankings from AP Poll[26]
1977–78 Metro Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Florida State 12 – 1   .923 23 – 6   .793
No. 9 Louisville † 9 – 3   .750 23 – 7   .767
Memphis State 7 – 5   .583 19 – 9   .679
Cincinnati 6 – 6   .500 17 – 10   .630
Georgia Tech 6 – 6   .500 15 – 12   .556
Saint Louis 2 – 10   .167 7 – 20   .259
Tulane 1 – 12   .077 5 – 22   .185
† 1978 Metro Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[27]
1977–78 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Miami (Ohio) 12 – 4   .750 19 – 9   .679
Toledo 11 – 5   .688 21 – 6   .778
Central Michigan 11 – 5   .688 16 – 10   .615
Bowling Green State 10 – 6   .625 12 – 15   .444
Northern Illinois 9 – 7   .563 11 – 16   .407
Eastern Michigan 7 – 9   .438 11 – 16   .407
Ohio 6 – 10   .375 13 – 14   .481
Ball State 6 – 10   .375 10 – 15   .400
Western Michigan 4 – 12   .250 7 – 20   .259
Kent State 4 – 12   .250 6 – 21   .222
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Creighton † 12 – 4   .750 19 – 9   .679
Southern Illinois 11 – 5   .688 17 – 10   .630
Indiana State 11 – 5   .688 23 – 9   .719
New Mexico State 9 – 7   .563 15 – 14   .517
Bradley 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500
Wichita State 8 – 8   .500 13 – 14   .481
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 9 – 18   .333
West Texas State 4 – 12   .250 8 – 19   .296
Drake 2 – 14   .125 6 – 22   .214
† 1978 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Middle Tennessee 10 – 4   .714 18 – 8   .692
East Tennessee State 10 – 4   .714 18 – 9   .667
Western Kentucky† 9 – 5   .643 16 – 14   .533
Austin Peay State 8 – 6   .571 15 – 12   .556
Eastern Kentucky 8 – 6   .571 15 – 11   .577
Tennessee Tech 7 – 7   .500 11 – 15   .423
Murray State 4 – 10   .286 8 – 17   .320
Morehead State 0 – 14   .000 4 – 19   .174
† 1978 OVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 UCLA 14 – 0   1.000 25 – 3   .893
Oregon State 9 – 5   .643 16 – 11   .593
Washington State 7 – 7   .500 16 – 11   .593
USC 7 – 7   .500 14 – 13   .519
Oregon 6 – 8   .429 16 – 11   .593
Washington 6 – 8   .429 14 – 13   .519
California 4 – 10   .286 11 – 16   .407
Stanford 3 – 11   .214 13 – 14   .481
Rankings from AP Poll[28]
1977–78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Fresno State 11 – 3   .786 21 – 6   .778
San Diego State 11 – 3   .786 19 – 9   .679
Cal State Fullerton † 9 – 5   .643 23 – 9   .719
Pacific 9 – 5   .643 17 – 10   .630
Long Beach State 7 – 7   .500 16 – 13   .552
San Jose State 4 – 10   .286 8 – 19   .296
UC Santa Barbara 3 – 11   .214 8 – 19   .296
UC Irvine 2 – 12   .143 8 – 17   .320
† 1978 PCAA tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[29]
1977–78 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Kentucky 16 – 2   .889 30 – 2   .938
Mississippi State 13 – 5   .722 18 – 9   .667
LSU 12 – 6   .667 18 – 9   .667
Alabama 11 – 7   .611 17 – 10   .630
Florida 8 – 10   .444 15 – 12   .556
Auburn 8 – 10   .444 13 – 14   .481
Tennessee 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407
Vanderbilt 6 – 12   .333 10 – 17   .370
Georgia 5 – 13   .278 11 – 16   .407
Ole Miss 5 – 13   .278 10 – 17   .370
Rankings from AP Poll[30]
1977–78 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Appalachian State 9 – 3   .750 15 – 13   .536
VMI 7 – 3   .700 21 – 7   .750
Marshall 8 – 5   .615 14 – 15   .483
Furman † 7 – 5   .583 19 – 11   .633
Chattanooga 7 – 5   .583 16 – 11   .593
Western Carolina 4 – 8   .333 7 – 19   .269
Davidson 3 – 7   .300 9 – 18   .333
The Citadel 2 – 11   .154 8 – 19   .296
† 1978 Southern Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
McNeese State 8 – 2   .800 20 – 8   .714
Lamar 8 – 2   .800 18 – 9   .667
Southwestern Louisiana 7 – 3   .700 19 – 8   .704
Texas-Arlington 3 – 7   .300 10 – 17   .370
Arkansas State 2 – 8   .200 9 – 18   .333
Louisiana Tech 2 – 8   .200 6 – 21   .222
Rankings from AP Poll[31]
1977–78 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Arkansas 14 – 2   .875 32 – 4   .889
No. 17 Texas 14 – 2   .875 26 – 5   .839
Houston † 11 – 5   .688 25 – 8   .758
Texas Tech 10 – 6   .625 19 – 10   .655
Baylor 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519
SMU 6 – 10   .375 10 – 18   .357
Texas A&M 5 – 11   .313 12 – 15   .444
Rice 2 – 14   .125 4 – 22   .154
TCU 2 – 14   .125 4 – 22   .154
† 1978 SWC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 SWAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Southern 9 – 3   .750 23 – 5   .821
Jackson State 9 – 3   .750 21 – 5   .808
Alcorn State 8 – 4   .667 22 – 7   .759
Texas Southern 7 – 5   .583 16 – 10   .615
Grambling State 3 – 9   .250 10 – 14   .417
Prairie View† –   – 14 – 13   .519
Mississippi Valley State†* –   – 15 – 20   .429
† – Played as non-Division I program.
* – Overall record adjusted to 16–19.
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
UNC Charlotte 9 – 1   .900 20 – 7   .741
New Orleans † 8 – 2   .800 21 – 6   .778
Jacksonville 6 – 4   .600 14 – 14   .500
South Alabama 3 – 7   .300 18 – 10   .643
South Florida 2 – 8   .200 13 – 14   .481
Georgia State 2 – 8   .200 5 – 21   .192
† 1978 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 San Francisco 12 – 2   .857 23 – 6   .793
Nevada 10 – 4   .714 19 – 8   .704
Portland 9 – 6   .600 19 – 8   .704
Santa Clara 9 – 6   .600 21 – 8   .724
Seattle 6 – 8   .429 11 – 16   .407
Saint Mary's 5 – 9   .357 13 – 14   .481
Loyola Marymount 4 – 11   .267 11 – 15   .423
Pepperdine 3 – 12   .200 7 – 19   .269
Rankings from AP Poll
1977–78 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 New Mexico 13 – 1   .929 24 – 4   .857
No. 14 Utah 12 – 2   .857 23 – 6   .793
Colorado State 8 – 6   .571 18 – 9   .667
Arizona 7 – 8   .467 15 – 11   .577
BYU 6 – 8   .429 12 – 18   .400
Arizona State 6 – 9   .400 13 – 14   .481
Wyoming 3 – 11   .214 12 – 15   .444
UTEP 2 – 12   .143 10 – 16   .385
Rankings from AP Poll[32]

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.[33][34]

1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 DePaul –   – 27 – 3   .900
No. 18 Detroit –   – 25 – 4   .862
Illinois State –   – 24 – 4   .857
No. 8 Marquette –   – 24 – 4   .857
Pan American –   – 22 – 4   .846
VCU –   – 24 – 5   .828
Fairfield –   – 22 – 5   .815
North Texas State –   – 22 – 6   .786
Syracuse –   – 22 – 6   .786
Rhode Island –   – 24 – 7   .774
Providence –   – 24 – 8   .750
St. John's –   – 21 – 7   .750
Utah State –   – 21 – 7   .750
Georgetown –   – 23 – 8   .742
No. 6 Notre Dame –   – 23 – 8   .742
Holy Cross –   – 20 – 7   .741
Northeast Louisiana –   – 20 – 7   .741
UNC Wilmington –   – 19 – 7   .731
St. Bonaventure –   – 21 – 8   .724
UNLV –   – 20 – 8   .714
Virginia Tech –   – 19 – 8   .704
James Madison –   – 18 – 8   .692
Maine –   – 17 – 8   .680
Army –   – 19 – 9   .679
Dayton –   – 19 – 10   .655
St. Francis (NY) –   – 16 – 9   .640
Iona –   – 17 – 10   .630
William & Mary –   – 16 – 10   .615
Air Force –   – 15 – 10   .600
Loyola (IL) –   – 16 – 11   .593
Mercer –   – 16 – 11   .593
Oklahoma City –   – 16 – 11   .593
Seton Hall –   – 16 – 11   .593
Boston College –   – 15 – 11   .577
Butler –   – 15 – 11   .577
Saint Francis (PA) –   – 15 – 11   .577
South Carolina –   – 16 – 12   .571
Siena –   – 13 – 10   .565
Navy –   – 14 – 11   .560
Milwaukee –   – 15 – 12   .556
Niagara –   – 14 – 12   .538
Northeastern –   – 14 – 12   .538
Southern Mississippi –   – 13 – 12   .520
Portland State –   – 14 – 13   .519
Stetson –   – 14 – 13   .519
Oral Roberts –   – 13 – 14   .481
Xavier –   – 13 – 14   .481
Cleveland State –   – 12 – 13   .480
Tennessee State –   – 11 – 12   .478
Catholic –   – 12 – 14   .462
Manhattan –   – 12 – 14   .462
Georgia Southern –   – 12 – 15   .444
Northwestern State –   – 12 – 15   .444
Connecticut –   – 11 – 15   .423
Old Dominion –   – 11 – 15   .423
Vermont –   – 11 – 15   .423
Boston University –   – 10 – 15   .400
Hardin–Simmons –   – 10 – 16   .385
Campbell –   – 9 – 15   .375
Centenary (LA) –   – 10 – 17   .370
Denver –   – 10 – 17   .370
Colgate –   – 9 – 17   .346
East Carolina –   – 9 – 17   .346
Fordham –   – 8 – 18   .308
Long Island –   – 8 – 18   .308
Saint Peter's –   – 8 – 18   .308
Baptist –   – 8 – 19   .296
Samford –   – 8 – 19   .296
Canisius –   – 7 – 19   .269
Houston Baptist –   – 7 – 19   .269
New Hampshire –   – 7 – 19   .269
Wagner –   – 7 – 19   .269
Evansville –   – 1 – 3   .250
Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 6 – 18   .250
Valparaiso –   – 6 – 19   .240
Robert Morris –   – 4 – 19   .174
Richmond –   – 4 – 22   .154
Hawaii –   – 1 – 26   .037
Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference Regular
season winner 		Most Valuable Player
New Jersey-New York 7 Conference 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.

Conference Regular
season winner 		Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5 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

Main articles: 1978 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and 1978 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game

Final Four

National semifinals National finals
      
E1 Duke 90
MW2 Notre Dame 86
E1 Duke 88
ME2 Kentucky 94
ME2 Kentucky 64
W2 Arkansas 59 Third place
MW2 Notre Dame 69
W2 Arkansas 71

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1978 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

Semifinals Finals
    
Georgetown 85
NC State 86
NC State 93
Texas 101
Texas 96
Rutgers 76 Third place
Georgetown 72
Rutgers 85

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 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

Major coach of the year awards

Other major awards

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team Former
Coach 		Interim
Coach 		New
Coach 		Reason
Auburn Bob Davis Sonny Smith
East Tennessee State Sonny Smith Jim Halihan
Indiana State Bob King Bill Hodges
Kent State Rex Hughes Mike Boyd Ed Douma
Long Beach State Dwight Jones Tex Winter
Mississippi State Ron Greene Jim Hatfield
Northwestern Tex Winter Rich Falk
Saint Louis Ron Coleman Ron Ekker
Southwestern Louisiana Jim Hatfield Bobby Paschal
Western Kentucky Jim Richards Gene Keady
West Texas A&M Ron Ekker Ken Edwards

References

  1. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  2. ^ "1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53 (DC-3) N51071 Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV)". Aviation-safety.net. December 13, 1977. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  4. ^ "Team plane crashes in flames". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 14, 1977. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Air crash ends Evansville's dreams". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. December 14, 1977. p. 1D.
  6. ^ "UE Plane Crash". October 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Johnson, Dave (December 15, 1977). "Evansville Fans, Community Took Watson to Heart". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Last Evansville player dies in auto accident". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). UPI. December 29, 1977. p. 1E.
  9. ^ a b "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  10. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  11. ^ Coaches Database: SWAC regular-season champions Accessed April 1, 2021
  12. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  13. ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
  14. ^ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
  15. ^ Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01
  16. ^ 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  17. ^ 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  18. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  19. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  20. ^ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  21. ^ 2006–07 SWAC Men's Basketball Media Guide
  22. ^ 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  23. ^ Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
  24. ^ sports-reference.com 1977-78 Atlantic Coast Conference Season Summary
  25. ^ sports-reference.com 1977-78 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
  26. ^ "1977–78 Ivy League Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  27. ^ sports-reference.com 1977-78 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
  28. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  29. ^ "1978-78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Season Summary". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  30. ^ sports-reference.com 1977-78 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  31. ^ "1977-78 Men's Southland Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  32. ^ sports-reference.com 1977-78 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
  33. ^ "1977-78 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "1977-78 Men's New Jersey-New York 7 Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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