# 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1975, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 29, 1976, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Indiana Hoosiers won their third NCAA national championship with a 86–68 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.

## Season headlines

* The Metro Conference began play, with six original members.
* The last basketball season for the Yankee Conference, which dropped all sports except football at the end of the season.
* Indiana went undefeated (32–0) during the season.
* In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 10th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* The National Invitation Tournament contracted from 16 to 12 teams.
* Two African-American head coaches met in an NCAA tournament game for the first time, when Fred Snowden’s Arizona Wildcats faced John Thompson’s Georgetown Hoyas in a first-round game on March 13, 1976.
* Two teams from the same conference played in the NCAA championship game for the first time, when Big Ten Conference members Indiana and Michigan met on March 29, 1976.
* Bob Knight of Indiana became the first head coach to win the NCAA championship after playing for an NCAA championship team. He had played for the 1960 champion Ohio State team.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.
'Associated Press' :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana (30) |
| 2 | UCLA (13) |
| 3 | Maryland |
| 4 | Marquette |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 | Kentucky (2) |
| 7 | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Louisville |
| 9 | Tennessee (1) |
| 10 | Cincinnati |
| 11 | Arizona |
| 12 | Alabama |
| 13 | NC State |
| 14 | Kansas State |
| 15 | San Francisco |
| 16 | Michigan |
| 17 | Providence |
| 18 | Arizona State |
| 19 (tie) | Memphis State |
| 19 (tie) | Auburn |
| 20 | Syracuse |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Indiana |
| 2 | Marquette |
| 3 | Maryland |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 5 | UCLA |
| 6 | Tennessee |
| 7 | Louisville |
| 8 | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Arizona |
| 10 | Alabama |
| 11 | Cincinnati |
| 12 | UNLV |
| 13 | Washington |
| 14 | San Francisco |
| 15 | USC |
| 16 | Kentucky |
| 17 | Rutgers |
| 18 | NC State |
| 19 | Michigan |
| 20 | Kansas State |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Ball State Cardinals | Division I independent | Mid-American Conference |
| Cincinnati Bearcats | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| Louisville Cardinals | Missouri Valley Conference | Metro Conference |
| Memphis State Tigers | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| UNLV Runnin' Rebels | West Coast Athletic Conference | Division I independent |
| North Texas State Mean Green | Missouri Valley Conference | NCAA Division I independent |
| Northern Illinois Huskies | Division I independent | Mid-American Conference |
| Saint Louis Billikens | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| Southern Illinois Salukis | Division I independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Tulane Green Wave | Division I independent | Metro Conference |

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | Mitch Kupchak, North Carolina | 1976 ACC men's basketball tournament | Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland) | Virginia |
| Big Eight Conference | Missouri | Willie Smith, Missouri | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Sky Conference | Boise State, Idaho State, & Weber State | None selected | 1976 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Swenson Gym (Ogden, Utah) | Boise State |
| Big Ten Conference | Indiana | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | Saint Joseph's (East) Lafayette (West) | Todd Tripucka, Lafayette | 1976 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | The Palestra (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | Hofstra |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1976 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Jadwin Gymnasium (Princeton, New Jersey) | Rutgers |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1976 ECAC New England Region tournament | Springfield Civic Center (Springfield, Massachusetts) | Connecticut |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1976 ECAC Southern Region tournament | WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia) | Georgetown |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1976 ECAC Upstate Region tournament | Manley Field House (Syracuse, New York) | Syracuse |
| Ivy League | Princeton | Armond Hill, Princeton | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Tulane | Gary Yoder, Cincinnati | 1976 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky) | Cincinnati |
| Mid-American Conference | Western Michigan | Jeff Tyson, Western Michigan | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Wichita State | Mike Glenn, Southern Illinois | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Western Kentucky | Johnny Britt, Western Kentucky, & Tom Sisneros, Middle Tennessee | 1976 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | E.A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky) (Semifinals and Finals) | Western Kentucky |
| Pacific-8 Conference | UCLA | Ron Lee, Oregon | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Long Beach State & Cal State Fullerton | Steve Copp, San Diego State, & Greg Bunch, Cal State Fullerton | 1976 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium (Stockton, California) | San Diego State |
| Southeastern Conference | Alabama | Bernard King, Tennessee | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | VMI | Rodney McKeever, The Citadel | 1976 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Greenville, South Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | VMI |
| Southland Conference | Louisiana Tech | Mike McConathy, Louisiana Tech | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Texas A&M | Ira Terrell, SMU | 1976 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | Moody Coliseum (Dallas, Texas) | Texas Tech |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Pepperdine | Marcos Leite, Pepperdine | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | Arizona | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Yankee Conference | Massachusetts | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | 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 1976 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.

#### Conference standings

1975–76 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1975–76 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 North Carolina11–1 .91725–4  .862 No. 11 Maryland7–5 .58322–6  .786 NC State7–5 .58321–9  .700 Clemson5–7 .41718–10  .643 Wake Forest5–7 .41717–10  .630 No. 18 Virginia †4–8 .33318–12  .600 Duke3–9 .25013–14  .481 † 1976 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Missouri12–2 .85726–5  .839 Kansas State11–3 .78620–8  .714 Nebraska10–4 .71419–8  .704 Kansas6–8 .42913–13  .500 Oklahoma6–8 .4299–17  .346 Oklahoma State4–10 .28610–16  .385 Colorado4–10 .2867–19  .269 Iowa State3–11 .2143–24  .111 Rankings from AP poll | 1975–76 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State9–5 .64321–11  .656 Boise State †9–5 .64318–11  .621 Idaho State9–5 .64316–11  .593 Northern Arizona8–6 .57115–12  .556 Montana7–7 .50013–12  .520 Montana State6–8 .4299–16  .360 Gonzaga5–9 .35713–13  .500 Idaho3–11 .2147–19  .269 † Big Sky Conference tournament winner |
| 1975–76 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Indiana18–0 1.00032–0  1.000 No. 9 Michigan14–4 .77825–7  .781 Purdue11–7 .61116–11  .593 Michigan State10–8 .55614–13  .519 Iowa9–9 .50019–10  .655 Minnesota8–10 .44416–10  .615 Illinois7–11 .38914–13  .519 Northwestern7–11 .38912–15  .444 Wisconsin4–14 .22210–16  .385 Ohio State2–16 .1116–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Saint Joseph's4–1 .80010–16  .385 Hofstra †3–2 .60018–12  .600 Temple3–2 .6009–18  .333 Drexel3–2 .60017–6  .739 American1–4 .2009–16  .360 La Salle1–4 .20011–15  .423 West Lafayette9–1 .90019–7  .731 Rider6–4 .60014–13  .519 Bucknell5–5 .50013–13  .500 Delaware4–6 .40010–15  .400 West Chester4–6 .4008–17  .320 Lehigh2–8 .2009–15  .375 † 1976 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton14–0 1.00022–5  .815 Penn11–3 .78617–9  .654 Dartmouth7–7 .50016–10  .615 Columbia6–8 .4298–17  .320 Brown6–8 .4297–19  .269 Yale5–9 .3577–21  .250 Cornell4–10 .2868–18  .308 Harvard3–11 .2148–18  .308 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1975–76 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Tulane1–0 1.00018–9  .667 No. 12 Cincinnati †2–1 .66725–6  .806 Louisville2–1 .66720–8  .714 Memphis State1–1 .50021–9  .700 Georgia Tech0–1 .00013–14  .481 Saint Louis0–2 .00013–14  .481 † 1976 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Western Michigan15–1 .93825–3  .893 Miami (Ohio)14–2 .87518–8  .692 Toledo13–3 .81318–7  .720 Central Michigan8–8 .50012–14  .462 Bowling Green State8–8 .50012–15  .444 Kent State7–9 .43812–14  .462 Ohio7–9 .43811–15  .423 Ball State5–11 .31311–14  .440 Northern Illinois2–14 .1255–21  .192 Eastern Michigan1–15 .0637–20  .259 Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Wichita State10–2 .83318–10  .643 Southern Illinois9–3 .75016–10  .615 West Texas State8–4 .66719–7  .731 New Mexico State4–8 .33315–12  .556 Bradley4–8 .33313–13  .500 Tulsa4–8 .3339–18  .333 Drake3–9 .2508–19  .296 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1975–76 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Western Kentucky †11–3 .78620–9  .690 Austin Peay State10–4 .71420–7  .741 Morehead State7–7 .50013–14  .481 Tennessee Tech7–7 .50014–10  .583 Middle Tennessee6–8 .42916–12  .571 Eastern Kentucky6–8 .42910–15  .400 Murray State5–9 .3579–17  .346 East Tennessee State4–10 .2866–20  .231 † 1976 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 UCLA12–2 .85727–5  .844 Oregon State10–4 .71418–9  .667 Oregon10–4 .71419–11  .633 Washington9–5 .64322–6  .786 Washington State8–6 .57118–8  .692 California4–10 .28612–14  .462 Stanford3–11 .2149–18  .333 USC0–14 .00011–16  .407 Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Cal State Fullerton6–4 .60015–10  .600 Long Beach State6–4 .60014–12  .538 San Jose State5–5 .50017–10  .630 San Diego State†5–5 .50016–13  .552 Pacific4–6 .40014–14  .500 Fresno State4–6 .40012–14  .462 † 1976 PCAA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1975–76 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Alabama15–3 .83323–5  .821 No. 13 Tennessee14–4 .77821–6  .778 Vanderbilt12–6 .66716–11  .593 Kentucky11–7 .61120–10  .667 Auburn11–7 .61116–10  .615 Florida7–11 .38912–14  .462 Georgia7–11 .38912–15  .444 Mississippi State6–12 .33313–13  .500 LSU5–13 .27812–14  .462 Ole Miss2–16 .1116–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT VMI†9–3 .75022–10  .688 William & Mary8–3 .72715–13  .536 Richmond7–7 .50014–14  .500 East Carolina7–7 .50011–15  .423 Appalachian State6–6 .50013–14  .481 The Citadel6–7 .46210–17  .370 Furman5–7 .4179–18  .333 Davidson1–9 .1005–21  .192 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Louisiana Tech9–1 .90015–11  .577 McNeese State7–3 .70016–11  .593 Lamar6–4 .60010–14  .417 Southwestern Louisiana4–6 .4007–19  .269 Arkansas State3–7 .30010–15  .400 Texas-Arlington1–9 .1006–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1975–76 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Texas A&M14–2 .87521–6  .778 No. 16 Texas Tech†13–3 .81325–6  .806 SMU10–6 .62516–12  .571 Arkansas9–7 .56319–9  .679 Baylor8–8 .50012–15  .444 Houston7–9 .43817–11  .607 TCU6–10 .37511–16  .407 Texas4–12 .2509–17  .346 Rice1–15 .0633–24  .111 † 1976 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1975-76 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 20 Pepperdine10–2 .83322–6  .786 San Francisco9–3 .75022–8  .733 Nevada7–5 .58312–14  .462 Seattle*6–6 .50011–16  .407 Santa Clara4–8 .33310–16  .385 Loyola Marymount4–8 .3337–19  .269 Saint Mary's2–10 .1673–23  .115 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1975-76 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Arizona11–3 .78624–9  .727 UTEP9–5 .64319–7  .731 Utah9–5 .64319–8  .704 New Mexico8–6 .57116–11  .593 BYU6–8 .42912–14  .462 Colorado State6–8 .42910–14  .417 Arizona State5–9 .35716–11  .593 Wyoming2–12 .14310–17  .370 Rankings from AP Poll | 1975–76 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Massachusetts 11–1 .91721–6  .778 Connecticut 7–5 .58319–10  .655 Rhode Island 7–5 .58314–12  .538 Vermont 6–6 .50015–10  .600 Maine 5–7 .41714–11  .560 New Hampshire 3–9 .2508–18  .308 Boston University 3–9 .2507–19  .269 |

### Division I independents

A total of 77 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Rutgers (31–2) had both the best winning percentage (.939) and the most wins.
1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 4 Rutgers– –31–2
* .939
* No. 3 UNLV– –29–2
* .935
* No. 2 Marquette– –27–2
* .931
* North Texas State– –22–4
* .846
* No. 19 Centenary– –22–5
* .815
* UNC Charlotte– –24–6
* .800
* Pan American– –20–5
* .800
* No. 7 Notre Dame– –23–6
* .793
* St. John's– –23–6
* .793
* Florida State– –21–6
* .778
* Oral Roberts– –20–6
* .769
* Georgetown– –21–7
* .750
* Virginia Tech– –21–7
* .750
* George Washington– –20–7
* .741
* Illinois State– –20–7
* .741
* Creighton– –19–7
* .731
* Northeast Louisiana– –18–7
* .720
* Detroit– –19–8
* .704
* South Florida– –19–8
* .704
* New Orleans– –18–8
* .692
* No. 17 DePaul– –20–9
* .690
* Syracuse– –20–9
* .690
* Holy Cross– –22–10
* .688
* Seton Hall– –18–9
* .667
* South Alabama– –18–9
* .667
* South Carolina– –18–9
* .667
* Providence– –21–11
* .656
* Stetson– –17–9
* .654
* UC Santa Barbara– –17–9
* .654
* Air Force– –16–9
* .640
* VCU– –16–9
* .640
* St. Peter's– –19–11
* .633
* Portland State– –17–10
* .630
* St. Bonaventure– –17–10
* .630
* Mercer– –15–10
* .600
* Villanova– –16–11
* .593
* Niagara– –17–12
* .586
* Long Island– –15–12
* .556
* Colgate– –13–11
* .542
* Xavier– –14–12
* .538
* West Virginia– –15–13
* .536
* Georgia State– –12–11
* .522
* Indiana State– –13–12
* .520
* Dayton– –14–13
* .519
* Hardin–Simmons– –14–13
* .519
* Jacksonville– –13–13
* .500
* Manhattan– –14–14
* .500
* St. Francis (PA)– –14–14
* .500
* St. Francis (NY)– –13–13
* .500
* Marshall– –13–14
* .481
* Duquesne– –12–13
* .480
* Northeastern– –12–13
* .480
* Fairfield– –12–14
* .462
* Utah State– –12–14
* .462
* Butler– –12–15
* .444
* Denver– –12–15
* .444
* Pittsburgh– –12–15
* .444
* Army– –11–14
* .440
* Iona– –11–15
* .423
* Milwaukee– –11–15
* .423
* Southern Miss– –11–15
* .423
* Navy– –10–14
* .417
* Fairleigh Dickinson– –9–13
* .409
* Georgia Southern– –11–16
* .407
* Hawaii– –11–16
* .407
* Penn State– –10–15
* .400
* Buffalo– –10–16
* .385
* Loyola (IL)– –10–16
* .385
* Canisius– –10–17
* .370
* Boston College– –9–17
* .346
* Oklahoma City– –9–18
* .333
* Portland– –9–18
* .333
* Fordham– –7–19
* .269
* Cleveland State– –6–19
* .240
* Houston Baptist– –5–21
* .192
* Baptist– –3–23
* .115
* Samford– –3–23
* .115
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Saint Joseph's & Villanova | Charlie Wise, La Salle |
Saint Joseph's and Villanova both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

### Statistical leaders
## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E | Rutgers | 70 | | | |
| MW | Michigan | 86 | | | |
| MW | Michigan | 86 | MW | Michigan | 68 |
| | | | ME | Indiana | 86 |
| ME | Indiana | 65 | ME | Indiana | 86 |
| W | UCLA | 51 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | E | Rutgers | 92 |
| | | | W | UCLA | 106 |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| UNC Charlotte | 80 | | |
| NC State | 79 | | |
| NC State | 79 | UNC Charlotte | 67 |
| | | Kentucky | 71 |
| Kentucky | 79 | Kentucky | 71 |
| Providence | 78 | Third place | Third place |
| | | NC State | 74 |
| | | Providence | 69 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Kent Benson | C | Junior | Indiana |
| Adrian Dantley | F | Junior | Notre Dame |
| John Lucas | G | Senior | Maryland |
| Scott May | F | Senior | Indiana |
| Richard Washington | F/C | Junior | UCLA |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Phil Ford | G | Sophomore | North Carolina |
| Bernard King | F | Sophomore | Tennessee |
| Mitch Kupchak | F/C | Senior | North Carolina |
| Phil Sellers | G | Senior | Rutgers |
| Earl Tatum | G/F | Senior | Marquette |

### Major player of the year awards

* Naismith Award: Scott May, Indiana
* Helms Player of the Year: Kent Benson, Indiana, & Scott May, Indiana
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
* UPI Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
* NABC Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Adrian Dantley, Notre Dame
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Scott May, Indiana
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Johnny Orr, Michigan
* NABC Coach of the Year: Johnny Orr, Michigan
* UPI Coach of the Year: Tom Young, Rutgers
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Tom Young, Rutgers

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Frank Alagia, St. John's
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Charlie Wise, La Salle
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Phil Sellers, Rutgers

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Michigan State | Gus Ganakas | Jud Heathcote |
| Montana | Jud Heathcote | Jim Brandenburg |
| Ohio State | Fred Taylor | Eldon Miller |
| Syracuse | Roy Danforth | Jim Boeheim |
| Texas | Leon Black | Abe Lemons |
| Texas–Pan American | Abe Lemons | Bill White |
| Tulane | Charles Moir | Roy Danforth |
| Virginia Tech | Don DeVoe | Charles Moir |
| Wyoming | Moe Radovich | Don DeVoe |