1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Basketball season

1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Preseason AP No. 1	North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Tournament	1978
Tournament dates	March 11 – 27, 1978
National Championship	The Checkerdome St. Louis, Missouri
NCAA Champions	Kentucky Wildcats
Helms National Champions	Kentucky Wildcats
Other champions	Texas Longhorns (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Butch Lee, Marquette (Naismith) Phil Ford, North Carolina (Wooden)
Player of the Year (Helms)	Jack Givens, Kentucky
← 1976–77 1978–79 →

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

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.
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.
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

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

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

'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
1 (tie)	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.

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	Phil Ford, North Carolina	1978 ACC men's basketball tournament	Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)	Duke
Big Eight Conference	Kansas	Mike Evans, Kansas State	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	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)	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	No Tournament
Southern Conference	Appalachian State	Ron Carter, VMI	1978 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals)	Furman
Southland Conference	Lamar & McNeese State	Andrew Toney, Southwest Louisiana	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	1978 SWAC men's basketball tournament		Jackson State
Sun Belt Conference	UNC Charlotte	Wayne Cooper, New Orleans	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.

Conference standings

1977–78 ACC men's basketball standings
v t e	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

1977–78 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

1977–78 Big Sky men's basketball standings
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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

1977–78 Metro Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

1977–78 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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

1977–78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
v t e	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

1977–78 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

1977–78 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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
v t e	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

1977–78 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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
v t e	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

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.

1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
v t e	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

Player	School	PPG	Player	School	RPG	Player	School	FG%	Player	School	FT%
Points per game			Rebounds per game			Field goal percentage			Free throw percentage
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

Coaching changes

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2021)

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

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach
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

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

v t e NCAA Division I men's basketball seasons
Pre-regulation	1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898-99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06
IAAUS / NCAA pre-Tournament era	1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38
NCAA Tournament era	1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

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