1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1Duke Blue Devils[1]
NCAA Tournament1979
Tournament datesMarch 9 – 26, 1979
National ChampionshipSpecial Events Center
Salt Lake City, Utah
NCAA ChampionsMichigan State Spartans
Helms National ChampionsMichigan State Spartans
Other championsIndiana Hoosiers (NIT)
Player of the Year
(Naismith, Wooden)		Larry Bird, Indiana State Sycamores
Player of the Year
(Helms)		Larry Bird, Indiana State Sycamores

The 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1978, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 26, 1979, at the Special Events Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Michigan State Spartans won their first NCAA national championship with a 75–64 victory over the Indiana State Sycamores.

Season headlines

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[4]

'Associated Press'
Ranking Team
1 Duke (38)
2 UCLA (8)
3 Notre Dame (1)
4 Louisville
5 Kansas (1)
6 Texas
7 Michigan State
8 Michigan
9 Syracuse
10 Indiana
11 Kentucky
12 NC State
13 USC
14 LSU
15 Rutgers
16 North Carolina
17 San Francisco
18 Marquette
19 Alabama
20 UNLV
UPI Coaches
Ranking Team
1 Duke
2 UCLA
3 Notre Dame
4 Michigan State
5 Louisville
Kansas
7 Texas
8 Michigan
9 NC State
10 USC
11 Indiana
12 North Carolina
13 Syracuse
14 Kentucky
15 Alabama
16 San Francisco
17 LSU
18 Rutgers
19 Minnesota
20 Marquette

Conference membership changes

The 1978–79 season was most notable for the expansion of the Pacific-8 Conference to 10 members with the addition of the men's athletic programs of Arizona and Arizona State (the conference did not sponsor women's sports until the 1986–87 school year). The conference duly renamed itself the Pacific-10 Conference.

School Former conference New conference
Alabama-Birmingham Blazers No team Division I independent
Arizona Wildcats Western Athletic Conference Pacific-10 Conference
Arizona State Sun Devils Western Athletic Conference Pacific-10 Conference
Centenary Gentlemen Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
East Tennessee State Buccaneers Ohio Valley Conference Southern Conference
Hardin–Simmons Cowboys Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Houston Baptist Huskies Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Mercer Bears Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Northeast Louisiana Indians Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Oklahoma City Chiefs Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Pan American Broncs Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
Samford Bulldogs Division I independent Trans America Athletic Conference
San Diego State Aztecs Pacific Coast Athletic Association Western Athletic Conference
Virginia Tech Hokies Division I independent Metro Conference
Utah State Aggies Division I independent Pacific Coast Athletic Association
William & Mary Indians Southern Independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Of 22 Division I basketball conferences, 13 determined their league champion with a single-elimination tournament, while seven leagues sent their regular-season champion to the NCAA Tournament. The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) did not receive an automatic tournament bid until the 1979–80 season, while the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) received its automatic bid in 1980–81.

Conference Regular
season winner[5] 		Conference
player of the year 		Conference
tournament 		Tournament
venue (City) 		Tournament
winner
Atlantic Coast Conference Duke & North Carolina Mike Gminski, Duke[6] 1979 ACC men's basketball tournament Greensboro Coliseum
(Greensboro, North Carolina)		 North Carolina
Big Eight Conference Oklahoma John McCullough, Oklahoma[7] 1979 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament Kemper Arena
(Kansas City, Missouri)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Oklahoma
Big Sky Conference Weber State Lawrence Butler, Idaho State[8] 1979 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament Dee Events Center
(Ogden, Utah)		 Weber State
Big Ten Conference Michigan State, Purdue & Iowa None Selected No Tournament
East Coast Conference Temple (East)
Bucknell (West)		 Michael Brooks, La Salle 1979 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament The Palestra
(Philadelphia)		 Temple
Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) Villanova James Bailey, Rutgers[9] 1979 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament Civic Arena
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)		 Rutgers
Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) 		Division I ECAC members
played as independents
during the regular season
(see note) 		Nikos Galis,
Seton Hall;
Corny Thompson,
Connecticut[10] 		1979 ECAC Metro Region tournament Nassau Coliseum
(Uniondale, New York) 		Iona
1979 ECAC New England Region tournament Providence Civic Center
(Providence, Rhode Island) 		Connecticut
1979 ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament Cole Field House
(College Park, Maryland) 		Georgetown
Ivy League Penn Tony Price, Penn[11] No Tournament
Metro Conference Louisville Pat Cummings, Cincinnati 1979 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament Mid-South Coliseum
(Memphis, Tennessee)		 Virginia Tech
Mid-American Conference Toledo Paul Dawkins, Northern Illinois[12] No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference Indiana State Larry Bird, Indiana State[13] 1979 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament Hulman Center
(Terre Haute, Indiana)		 Indiana State[14]
Ohio Valley Conference Eastern Kentucky James Tillman, Eastern Kentucky[15] 1979 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament McBrayer Arena
(Richmond, Kentucky)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Eastern Kentucky[16]
Pacific-10 Conference UCLA David Greenwood, UCLA[17] No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association Pacific Ron Cornelius, Pacific[18] 1979 PCAA men's basketball tournament Anaheim Convention Center
(Anaheim, California)		 Pacific
Southeastern Conference LSU Reggie King, Alabama[19] 1979 SEC men's basketball tournament Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
(Birmingham, Alabama)		 Tennessee
Southern Conference Appalachian State Jonathan Moore, Furman[20] 1979 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament Roanoke Civic Center
(Roanoke, Virginia)
(Semifinals and Finals)		 Appalachian State[21]
Southland Conference Lamar David Lawrence, McNeese State[22] No Tournament
Southwest Conference Texas & Arkansas Sidney Moncrief, Arkansas (Consensus) 1979 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament The Summit
(Houston, Texas)		 Arkansas
Southwestern Athletic Conference Alcorn State Larry Smith, Alcorn State[23] 1979 SWAC men's basketball tournament Baton Rouge River Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana		 Alcorn State
Sun Belt Conference South Alabama Rory White, South Alabama[24] 1979 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament Charlotte Coliseum
(Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals)		 Jacksonville[25]
Trans America Athletic Conference Northeast Louisiana Calvin Natt, Northeast Louisiana[26] 1979 TAAC men's basketball tournament Ewing Coliseum
(Monroe, Louisiana)		 Northeast Louisiana
West Coast Athletic Conference San Francisco Bill Cartwright, San Francisco[27] No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference BYU 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 1979 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.[28]

Conference standings

1978–79 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 9 North Carolina † 9 – 3   .750 23 – 6   .793
No. 11 Duke 9 – 3   .750 22 – 8   .733
Virginia 7 – 5   .583 19 – 10   .655
Maryland 6 – 6   .500 19 – 11   .633
Clemson 5 – 7   .417 19 – 10   .655
NC State 3 – 9   .250 18 – 12   .600
Wake Forest 3 – 9   .250 12 – 15   .444
† 1979 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 16 Oklahoma † 10 – 4   .714 21 – 10   .677
Missouri 8 – 6   .571 13 – 15   .464
Kansas State 8 – 6   .571 16 – 12   .571
Kansas 8 – 6   .571 18 – 11   .621
Nebraska 7 – 7   .500 14 – 13   .519
Iowa State 6 – 8   .429 11 – 16   .407
Oklahoma State 5 – 9   .357 12 – 15   .444
Colorado 4 – 10   .286 14 – 13   .519
† 1979 Big Eight tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[29]
1978–79 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Weber State † 10 – 4   .714 25 – 9   .735
Northern Arizona 8 – 6   .571 14 – 14   .500
Idaho State 8 – 6   .571 14 – 13   .519
Montana 7 – 7   .500 14 – 13   .519
Gonzaga 7 – 7   .500 16 – 10   .615
Montana State 6 – 8   .429 15 – 11   .577
Boise State 6 – 8   .429 11 – 15   .423
Idaho 4 – 10   .286 11 – 15   .423
† Big Sky Conference tournament winner
1978–79 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Michigan State 13 – 5   .722 26 – 6   .813
No. 15 Purdue 13 – 5   .722 27 – 8   .771
No. 20 Iowa 13 – 5   .722 20 – 8   .714
Ohio State 12 – 6   .667 19 – 12   .613
Indiana 10 – 8   .556 22 – 12   .647
Michigan 8 – 10   .444 15 – 12   .556
Illinois 7 – 11   .389 19 – 11   .633
Wisconsin 6 – 12   .333 12 – 15   .444
Minnesota 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407
Northwestern 2 – 16   .111 6 – 21   .222
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 ECC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Temple † 10 – 0   1.000 25 – 4   .862
Saint Joseph's 9 – 2   .818 19 – 11   .633
La Salle 9 – 2   .818 15 – 13   .536
American 7 – 4   .636 14 – 13   .519
Drexel 6 – 5   .545 18 – 9   .667
Hofstra 3 – 8   .273 8 – 19   .296
West
Bucknell 11 – 5   .688 18 – 9   .667
Lafayette 8 – 8   .500 16 – 12   .571
Rider 7 – 8   .467 11 – 15   .423
West Chester 4 – 12   .250 8 – 18   .308
Lehigh 4 – 12   .250 8 – 18   .308
Delaware 2 – 12   .143 5 – 22   .185
† 1979 ECC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Villanova 9 – 1   .900 13 – 13   .500
No. 18 Rutgers † 7 – 3   .700 22 – 9   .710
West Virginia 7 – 3   .700 16 – 12   .571
Pittsburgh 6 – 4   .600 18 – 11   .621
George Washington 5 – 5   .500 13 – 14   .481
Penn State 4 – 6   .400 12 – 18   .400
Duquesne 2 – 8   .200 13 – 13   .500
UMass 0 – 10   .000 5 – 22   .185
† 1979 Eastern 8 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Penn 13 – 1   .929 25 – 7   .781
Columbia 10 – 4   .714 17 – 9   .654
Princeton 7 – 7   .500 14 – 12   .538
Dartmouth 6 – 8   .429 14 – 12   .538
Brown 6 – 8   .429 8 – 18   .308
Harvard 6 – 8   .429 8 – 21   .276
Yale 5 – 9   .357 11 – 15   .423
Cornell 3 – 11   .214 8 – 18   .308
Rankings from AP Poll[30]
1978–79 Metro Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 13 Louisville 9 – 1   .900 24 – 8   .750
Florida State 7 – 3   .700 19 – 10   .655
Memphis State 5 – 5   .500 13 – 15   .464
Virginia Tech † 4 – 6   .400 22 – 9   .710
Cincinnati 4 – 6   .400 13 – 14   .481
Saint Louis 3 – 7   .300 10 – 17   .370
Tulane 2 – 8   .200 8 – 19   .296
† 1979 Metro Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[31]
1978–79 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Toledo 13 – 3   .813 22 – 8   .733
Central Michigan 13 – 3   .813 19 – 9   .679
Ohio 10 – 6   .625 16 – 11   .593
Ball State 9 – 7   .563 16 – 11   .593
Northern Illinois 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519
Kent State 7 – 9   .438 13 – 14   .481
Bowling Green State 6 – 10   .375 14 – 13   .519
Miami (Ohio) 6 – 10   .375 9 – 18   .333
Eastern Michigan 5 – 11   .313 9 – 18   .333
Western Michigan 3 – 13   .188 7 – 23   .233
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Indiana State † 16 – 0   1.000 33 – 1   .971
New Mexico State 11 – 5   .688 22 – 10   .688
Wichita State 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500
Creighton 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519
Southern Illinois 8 – 8   .500 15 – 13   .536
Drake 8 – 8   .500 15 – 12   .556
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 13 – 14   .481
West Texas State 3 – 13   .188 8 – 19   .296
Bradley 3 – 13   .188 9 – 17   .346
† 1979 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Eastern Kentucky † 9 – 3   .750 21 – 8   .724
Western Kentucky 7 – 5   .583 17 – 11   .607
Morehead State 7 – 5   .583 14 – 13   .519
Middle Tennessee 7 – 5   .583 16 – 11   .593
Tennessee Tech 7 – 5   .583 11 – 15   .423
Austin Peay State 3 – 9   .250 8 – 18   .308
Murray State 2 – 10   .167 4 – 22   .154
† 1979 OVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 UCLA 15 – 3   .833 25 – 5   .833
USC 14 – 4   .778 20 – 9   .690
Oregon State 11 – 7   .611 18 – 10   .643
Washington State 10 – 8   .556 18 – 9   .667
Arizona 10 – 8   .556 16 – 11   .593
Arizona State 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444
Oregon 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444
Stanford 6 – 12   .333 12 – 15   .444
Washington 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407
California 4 – 14   .222 6 – 21   .222
Rankings from AP Poll[32]
1978–79 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Pacific † 11 – 3   .786 18 – 12   .600
Utah State 9 – 5   .643 19 – 11   .633
Fresno State 9 – 5   .643 16 – 12   .571
Cal State Fullerton 7 – 7   .500 16 – 11   .593
Long Beach State 7 – 7   .500 16 – 12   .571
UC Santa Barbara[note 1] 6 – 8   .429 12 – 15   .444
San Jose State 4 – 10   .286 7 – 20   .259
UC Irvine[note 2] 3 – 11   .214 9 – 19   .321
† 1979 PCAA tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[33]
1978–79 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 LSU 14 – 4   .778 23 – 6   .793
Tennessee † 12 – 6   .667 21 – 12   .636
Vanderbilt 11 – 7   .611 18 – 9   .667
Alabama 11 – 7   .611 22 – 11   .667
Mississippi State 11 – 7   .611 19 – 9   .679
Kentucky 10 – 8   .556 19 – 12   .613
Georgia 7 – 11   .389 14 – 14   .500
Ole Miss 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407
Auburn 5 – 13   .278 13 – 16   .448
Florida 3 – 15   .167 8 – 19   .296
† 1979 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[34]
1978–79 Southern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Appalachian State † 11 – 3   .786 23 – 6   .793
Furman 9 – 3   .750 20 – 9   .690
The Citadel 10 – 4   .714 20 – 7   .741
Western Carolina 5 – 7   .417 14 – 14   .500
Marshall 5 – 8   .385 11 – 16   .407
Davidson 3 – 7   .300 8 – 19   .296
Chattanooga 3 – 8   .273 14 – 13   .519
VMI 2 – 8   .200 12 – 15   .444
East Tennessee State 0 – 0   – 16 – 11   .593
† 1979 Southern Conference Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1978–79 Southland Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Lamar 9 – 1   .900 23 – 9   .719
Louisiana Tech 6 – 4   .600 17 – 8   .680
Southwestern Louisiana 6 – 4   .600 16 – 11   .593
Arkansas State 5 – 5   .500 15 – 12   .556
McNeese State 3 – 7   .300 10 – 17   .370
Texas-Arlington 1 – 9   .100 11 – 16   .407
Rankings from AP poll[35]
1978–79 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Arkansas† 13 – 3   .813 25 – 5   .833
Texas 13 – 3   .813 21 – 8   .724
Texas A&M 11 – 5   .688 24 – 9   .727
Baylor 9 – 7   .563 16 – 12   .571
Texas Tech 9 – 7   .563 19 – 11   .633
Houston 6 – 10   .375 16 – 15   .516
SMU 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407
Rice 4 – 12   .250 7 – 20   .259
TCU 1 – 15   .063 6 – 21   .222
† 1979 SWC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 SWAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Alcorn State † 12 – 0   1.000 28 – 1   .966
Grambling 6 – 6   .500 16 – 11   .593
Southern 6 – 6   .500 16 – 12   .571
Texas Southern 6 – 6   .500 13 – 14   .481
Jackson State 4 – 8   .333 13 – 14   .481
Mississippi Valley State –   – 15 – 16   .484
Prairie View –   – 17 – 14   .548
† 1979 SWAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Alabama 10 – 0   1.000 20 – 7   .741
South Florida 6 – 4   .600 14 – 14   .500
UNC Charlotte 6 – 4   .600 16 – 11   .593
Jacksonville † 5 – 5   .500 19 – 11   .633
New Orleans 3 – 7   .300 11 – 16   .407
Georgia State 0 – 10   .000 7 – 20   .259
† 1979 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Northeast Louisiana† 2 – 0   1.000 30 – 4   .882
Mercer 2 – 0   1.000 21 – 6   .778
Oklahoma City 5 – 0   1.000 18 – 11   .621
Pan American 2 – 0   1.000 13 – 13   .500
Hardin–Simmons 2 – 5   .286 7 – 20   .259
Houston Baptist 1 – 4   .200 11 – 16   .407
Samford 0 – 2   .000 10 – 15   .400
Centenary 0 – 3   .000 9 – 20   .310
† 1979 TAAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
1978–79 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 San Francisco 12 – 2   .857 22 – 7   .759
Pepperdine 10 – 4   .714 22 – 10   .688
Nevada 9 – 5   .643 21 – 7   .750
Seattle 8 – 6   .571 15 – 11   .577
Santa Clara 6 – 8   .429 13 – 14   .481
Portland 5 – 9   .357 18 – 10   .643
Saint Mary's 5 – 9   .357 13 – 15   .464
Loyola Marymount 1 – 13   .071 5 – 21   .192
Rankings from AP Poll
1978–79 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
BYU 10 – 2   .833 20 – 8   .714
Utah 9 – 3   .750 20 – 10   .667
New Mexico 8 – 4   .667 19 – 10   .655
Wyoming 5 – 7   .417 15 – 12   .556
San Diego State 4 – 8   .333 15 – 12   .556
UTEP 3 – 9   .250 11 – 15   .423
Colorado State 3 – 9   .250 11 – 16   .407
Rankings from AP Poll[36]

Division I independents

A total of 78 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Syracuse (26–4) had the best winning percentage (.867) and Syracuse and DePaul (26–6) finished with the most wins.[37][38]

1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Syracuse –   – 26 – 4   .867
Georgetown –   – 24 – 5   .828
No. 6 DePaul –   – 26 – 6   .813
No. 4 Notre Dame –   – 24 – 6   .800
VCU –   – 20 – 5   .800
Iona –   – 23 – 6   .793
Detroit –   – 22 – 6   .786
Tennessee State –   – 20 – 6   .769
Old Dominion –   – 23 – 7   .767
No. 10 Marquette –   – 22 – 7   .759
Wagner –   – 21 – 7   .750
Connecticut –   – 21 – 8   .724
UNLV –   – 21 – 8   .724
UNC Wilmington –   – 19 – 8   .704
Boston College –   – 21 – 9   .700
James Madison –   – 18 – 8   .692
Rhode Island –   – 20 – 9   .690
George Mason –   – 17 – 8   .680
St. Bonaventure –   – 19 – 9   .679
Illinois State –   – 20 – 10   .667
St. John's –   – 21 – 11   .656
Dayton –   – 19 – 10   .655
Boston University –   – 17 – 9   .654
Fairfield –   – 17 – 9   .654
Georgia Tech –   – 17 – 9   .654
Oral Roberts –   – 17 – 10   .630
Holy Cross –   – 17 – 11   .607
Seton Hall –   – 16 – 11   .593
Cleveland State –   – 15 – 10   .600
Maine –   – 14 – 10   .583
Army –   – 14 – 11   .560
Denver –   – 15 – 12   .556
South Carolina –   – 15 – 12   .556
Stetson –   – 15 – 12   .556
Siena –   – 14 – 12   .538
St. Francis (NY) –   – 14 – 12   .538
Navy –   – 13 – 12   .520
Xavier –   – 14 – 13   .519
Northeastern –   – 13 – 13   .500
Saint Francis (PA) –   – 13 – 13   .500
Robert Morris –   – 13 – 14   .481
Southern Miss –   – 13 – 14   .481
Air Force –   – 12 – 13   .480
Long Island University –   – 12 – 13   .480
Canisius –   – 12 – 14   .462
Colgate –   – 12 – 14   .462
Evansville –   – 13 – 16   .448
East Carolina –   – 12 – 15   .444
Loyola-Chicago –   – 12 – 15   .444
Butler –   – 11 – 16   .407
North Texas State –   – 11 – 16   .407
Saint Peter's –   – 10 – 15   .400
Campbell –   – 10 – 16   .385
New Hampshire –   – 10 – 16   .385
Providence –   – 10 – 16   .385
Richmond –   – 10 – 16   .385
Hawaii –   – 10 – 17   .370
William & Mary –   – 9 – 17   .346
Georgia Southern –   – 9 – 18   .333
Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 8 – 18   .308
Wisconsin-Milwaukee –   – 8 – 18   .308
Vermont –   – 8 – 18   .308
Northwestern State –   – 7 – 19   .269
Fordham –   – 7 – 22   .241
Catholic –   – 6 – 20   .231
Arkansas-Little Rock –   – 6 – 20   .231
Manhattan –   – 6 – 20   .231
Niagara –   – 6 – 20   .231
Portland State –   – 6 – 21   .222
Baltimore –   – 4 – 20   .167
Valparaiso –   – 4 – 21   .160
Baptist –   – 2 – 25   .074
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 7–0 regular-season 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 Penn & Temple Tony Price, Penn, & Rick Reed, Temple

Penn and Temple 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%
Lawrence Butler Idaho St. 30.1 Monti Davis Tenn. St. 16.2 Murray Brown Florida St. 69.1 Darrell Mauldin Campbell 92.1
Larry Bird Indiana St. 28.6 Bill Cartwright San Francisco 15.7 Jeff Ruland Iona 67.1 Kurt Kanaskie La Salle 91.7
Nick Galis Seton Hall 27.5 Lionel Garrett Southern 15.5 Steve Johnson Oregon St. 66.1 Jim Krivacs Texas 91.0
James Tillman Eastern Kentucky 26.9 Larry Bird Indiana St. 14.9 Jonathan Green Tennessee St. 65.6 Tom Orner Butler 90.9
Paul Dawkins Northern Illinois 26.7 Larry Knight Loyola-Illinois 14.3 Wiley Peck Mississippi St. 64.4 Ron Perry Holy Cross 90.8

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament and 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game

Final Four

National semifinals National finals
      
E9 Penn 67
ME2 Michigan State 101
ME2 Michigan State 75
MW1 Indiana State 64
MW1 Indiana State 76
W2 DePaul 74 Third place
E9 Penn 93
W2 DePaul 96OT

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1979 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

Semifinals Finals
    
Indiana 64
Ohio State 55
Indiana 53
Purdue 52
Purdue 87
Alabama 68 Third place
Ohio State 86
Alabama 96

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1979 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
Consensus First Team
Player Position Class Team
Larry Bird F Senior Indiana State
Mike Gminski C Junior Duke
David Greenwood F Senior UCLA
Magic Johnson G Sophomore Michigan State
Sidney Moncrief G Senior Arkansas


Consensus Second Team
Player Position Class Team
Bill Cartwright C Senior San Francisco
Calvin Natt C Senior Northeast Louisiana
Mike O'Koren F Junior North Carolina
Jim Paxson G/F Senior Dayton
Jim Spanarkel G Senior Duke
Kelly Tripucka F Sophomore Notre Dame
Sly Williams F Junior Rhode Island

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.[39]

Team Former
Coach 		Interim
Coach 		New
Coach 		Reason
Arkansas-Little Rock Happy Mahfouz Ron Krestenbaum
Austin Peay Ed Thompson Ron Bargatze
Dartmouth Gary Walters Tim Cohane Walters left for Providence.
Detroit David Gaines Willie McCarter
East Carolina Larry Gillman Dave Odom
Eastern Michigan Ray Scott Jim Boyce
Florida A&M Ajac Triplett Josh Giles
Hofstra Roger Gaeckler Joe Harrington
La Salle Paul Westhead Lefty Ervin Westhead left to become an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Louisiana Tech J. D. Barnett Andy Russo
Loyola Marymount Dave Benaderet Ron Jacobs
Marshall Stu Aberdeen Bob Zuffelato Aberdeen died of a heart attack during the offseason, replaced by associate head coach Zuffelato.
Massachusetts Jack Leaman Ray Wilson
Memphis State Wayne Yates Dana Kirk
Middle Tennessee State Jimmy Earle Stan Simpson
New Mexico Norm Ellenberger Charlie Harrison Gary Colson Ellenberger was fired following a recruiting scandal. Charlie Harrison served as interim coach for the 1979–80 season and Colson was hired as permanent coach in the 1980 offseason.
New Mexico State Ken Hayes Weldon Drew
New Orleans Butch van Breda Kolff Don Smith
North Carolina A&T Gene Littles Don Corbett
Northeast Louisiana Lenny Fant Benny Hollis Fant retired, turning the program to top assistant Hollis.
Oklahoma City Paul Hansen Ken Trickey
Oklahoma State Jim Killingsworth Paul Hansen
Oral Roberts Lake Kelly Ken Hayes
Pacific Stan Morrison Dick Fichtner Morrison left for USC
Pepperdine Gary Colson Jim Harrick Colson resigned.
Providence Dave Gavitt Gary Walters Gavitt left to concentrate on launching the new Big East Conference.
Robert Morris Tom Weirich Matt Furjanic
St. Francis (NY) Lucio Rossini Gene Roberti
Saint Mary's Frank LaPorte Bill Oates
Saint Peter's Bob Kelly Bob Dukiet
Samford Fred Crowell Cliff Wettig
San Diego State Tim Vezie David Gaines
San Jose State Ivan Guevara Bill Berry San Jose State tapped Michigan State assistant Berry fresh off the Spartans' national championship.
Southern California Bob Boyd Stan Morrison
Tennessee–Chattanooga Ron Shumate Murray Arnold
Tennessee Tech Cliff Malpass Tom Deaton
TCU Tim Somerville Jim Killingsworth
UCLA Gary Cunningham Larry Brown
Utah State Dutch Belnap Rod Tueller
Vanderbilt Wayne Dobbs Richard Schmidt
Virginia Commonwealth Dana Kirk J. D. Barnett
Western Michigan Dick Schiltz Les Wothke
Xavier Tay Baker Bob Staak Xavier brought in Penn assistant Staak.

Notes

  1. ^ UC Santa Barbara was forced to vacated all wins during the 1978–79 season due to the use of ineligible players. UC Santa Barbara Record Book still includes win and loss totals.
  2. ^ Two losses against UC Santa Barbara included in win count per UC Irvine Record Book.

References

  1. ^ "1979 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". AP Poll Archive. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hartzell, Larry, "The 1978-79 Season," Hardwood History, March 22, 2011 Accessed April 6, 2021
  3. ^ a b "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  4. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  5. ^ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  6. ^ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
  7. ^ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
  8. ^ Men's Basketball Award Winners, Big Sky Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  9. ^ 2008–09 A-10 men's basketball media guide – Awards section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic 10 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-01
  10. ^ "UConn Men's Huskies: Men's Basketball Huskies of Honor Announced, December 26, 2006". Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01
  12. ^ 2008–09 MAC Men's BAsketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  13. ^ 2008–09 MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  14. ^ 2008–09 MVC men's basketball media guide – Tournament section, Missouri Valley Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  15. ^ 2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  16. ^ 2008–09 OVC men's basketball media guide, Ohio Valley Conference, retrieved 2009-01-24
  17. ^ 2008–09 Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Media Guide- Honors Section Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Pacific-10 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  18. ^ 2008–09 Big West Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Big West Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
  19. ^ 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
  20. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  21. ^ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
  22. ^ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  23. ^ 2006–07 SWAC Men's Basketball Media Guide
  24. ^ 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  25. ^ "Sun Belt Men's Basketball Previous Champions". Sun Belt Conference. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  26. ^ Atlantic Sun men's basketball record book, Atlantic Sun Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  27. ^ 2008–09 WCC Men's Basketball Media Guide Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, West Coast Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
  28. ^ Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
  29. ^ sports-reference.com 1978-79 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
  30. ^ "1978–79 Ivy League Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  31. ^ sports-reference.com 1978-79 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
  32. ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  33. ^ "1978-79 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Season Summary". Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  34. ^ sports-reference.com 1978-79 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
  35. ^ "Men's Basketball 2018-19" (PDF). Southland Conference. p. 105. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  36. ^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/wac/1979.html
  37. ^ "1978-79 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  38. ^ "1978-79 Men's New Jersey-New York 7 Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  39. ^ "NCAA Division I Men's College Basketball 2000 Coaching Changes". CNN/SI. September 13, 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  • Statistical Leaders and Coaching Changes from 1980 NCAA Basketball 84th Annual Guide, (Copyright 1979, NCAA)
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