# 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

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

* The Trans America Athletic Conference began play, with eight original members. It was renamed the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001.
* Indiana State senior forward Larry Bird and Michigan Spartans sophomore point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson emerged as two highly popular and successful players during the season, and their rivalry — culminating in a meeting in the national championship game — captured national attention of basketball fans and the sports media during the year.
* In the Pacific 10 Conference, UCLA won an NCAA-record 13th consecutive conference title.
* The first Great Alaska Shootout took place. The long-running Shootout would become one of the premier early-season tournaments before it was discontinued after its 2017 edition.
* On February 24, North Carolina trailed Duke 7–0 at halftime. It was the first scoreless half for an NCAA basketball team since 1938.
* At Boston College, players took part in a point-shaving scheme which was revealed in 1980.
* The NCAA tournament expanded from 32 to 40 teams and used seeding to place all teams in its bracket for the first time.
* The first public lottery for tickets to the NCAA tournament Final Four was held. The championship game enjoyed the highest television rating in college basketball history.
* The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
* The growing fan appreciation and financial success of college basketball during the season prompted planning for the creation of the ESPN network and the original Big East Conference, both of which launched the following season and would push the sport to greater prominence in the years to come.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.
'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 |
| 5 | 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 | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | Duke & North Carolina | Mike Gminski, Duke | 1979 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Big Eight Conference | Oklahoma | John McCullough, Oklahoma | 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 | 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 | No Tournament | 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 | 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 | 1979 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, New York) | Iona |
| 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 | 1979 ECAC New England Region tournament | Providence Civic Center (Providence, Rhode Island) | Connecticut |
| 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 | 1979 ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament | Cole Field House (College Park, Maryland) | Georgetown |
| Ivy League | Penn | Tony Price, Penn | No Tournament | No Tournament | 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 | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Indiana State | Larry Bird, Indiana State | 1979 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Hulman Center (Terre Haute, Indiana) | Indiana State |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Kentucky | James Tillman, Eastern Kentucky | 1979 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | McBrayer Arena (Richmond, Kentucky) (Semifinals and Finals) | Eastern Kentucky |
| Pacific-10 Conference | UCLA | David Greenwood, UCLA | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Pacific | Ron Cornelius, Pacific | 1979 PCAA men's basketball tournament | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California) | Pacific |
| Southeastern Conference | LSU | Reggie King, Alabama | 1979 SEC men's basketball tournament | Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (Birmingham, Alabama) | Tennessee |
| Southern Conference | Appalachian State | Jonathan Moore, Furman | 1979 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals) | Appalachian State |
| Southland Conference | Lamar | David Lawrence, McNeese State | No Tournament | No Tournament | 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 | 1979 SWAC men's basketball tournament | Baton Rouge River Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Alcorn State |
| Sun Belt Conference | South Alabama | Rory White, South Alabama | 1979 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | Jacksonville |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Northeast Louisiana | Calvin Natt, Northeast Louisiana | 1979 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Ewing Coliseum (Monroe, Louisiana) | Northeast Louisiana |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | San Francisco | Bill Cartwright, San Francisco | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | BYU | 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 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.

#### Conference standings

1978–79 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1978–79 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 9 North Carolina †9–3 .75023–6  .793 No. 11 Duke9–3 .75022–8  .733 Virginia7–5 .58319–10  .655 Maryland6–6 .50019–11  .633 Clemson5–7 .41719–10  .655 NC State3–9 .25018–12  .600 Wake Forest3–9 .25012–15  .444 † 1979 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 Oklahoma †10–4 .71421–10  .677 Missouri8–6 .57113–15  .464 Kansas State8–6 .57116–12  .571 Kansas8–6 .57118–11  .621 Nebraska7–7 .50014–13  .519 Iowa State6–8 .42911–16  .407 Oklahoma State5–9 .35712–15  .444 Colorado4–10 .28614–13  .519 † 1979 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Weber State †10–4 .71425–9  .735 Northern Arizona8–6 .57114–14  .500 Idaho State8–6 .57114–13  .519 Montana7–7 .50014–13  .519 Gonzaga7–7 .50016–10  .615 Montana State6–8 .42915–11  .577 Boise State6–8 .42911–15  .423 Idaho4–10 .28611–15  .423 † Big Sky Conference tournament winner |
| 1978–79 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Michigan State13–5 .72226–6  .813 No. 15 Purdue13–5 .72227–8  .771 No. 20 Iowa13–5 .72220–8  .714 Ohio State12–6 .66719–12  .613 Indiana10–8 .55622–12  .647 Michigan8–10 .44415–12  .556 Illinois7–11 .38919–11  .633 Wisconsin6–12 .33312–15  .444 Minnesota6–12 .33311–16  .407 Northwestern2–16 .1116–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Temple †10–0 1.00025–4  .862 Saint Joseph's9–2 .81819–11  .633 La Salle9–2 .81815–13  .536 American7–4 .63614–13  .519 Drexel6–5 .54518–9  .667 Hofstra3–8 .2738–19  .296 West Bucknell11–5 .68818–9  .667 Lafayette8–8 .50016–12  .571 Rider7–8 .46711–15  .423 West Chester4–12 .2508–18  .308 Lehigh4–12 .2508–18  .308 Delaware2–12 .1435–22  .185 † 1979 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Villanova9–1 .90013–13  .500 No. 18 Rutgers †7–3 .70022–9  .710 West Virginia7–3 .70016–12  .571 Pittsburgh6–4 .60018–11  .621 George Washington5–5 .50013–14  .481 Penn State4–6 .40012–18  .400 Duquesne2–8 .20013–13  .500 UMass0–10 .0005–22  .185 † 1979 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1978–79 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Penn13–1 .92925–7  .781 Columbia10–4 .71417–9  .654 Princeton7–7 .50014–12  .538 Dartmouth6–8 .42914–12  .538 Brown6–8 .4298–18  .308 Harvard6–8 .4298–21  .276 Yale5–9 .35711–15  .423 Cornell3–11 .2148–18  .308 Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 13 Louisville9–1 .90024–8  .750 Florida State7–3 .70019–10  .655 Memphis State5–5 .50013–15  .464 Virginia Tech †4–6 .40022–9  .710 Cincinnati4–6 .40013–14  .481 Saint Louis3–7 .30010–17  .370 Tulane2–8 .2008–19  .296 † 1979 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 Toledo13–3 .81322–8  .733 Central Michigan13–3 .81319–9  .679 Ohio10–6 .62516–11  .593 Ball State9–7 .56316–11  .593 Northern Illinois8–8 .50014–13  .519 Kent State7–9 .43813–14  .481 Bowling Green State6–10 .37514–13  .519 Miami (Ohio)6–10 .3759–18  .333 Eastern Michigan5–11 .3139–18  .333 Western Michigan3–13 .1887–23  .233 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1978–79 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Indiana State †16–0 1.00033–1  .971 New Mexico State11–5 .68822–10  .688 Wichita State8–8 .50014–14  .500 Creighton8–8 .50014–13  .519 Southern Illinois8–8 .50015–13  .536 Drake8–8 .50015–12  .556 Tulsa7–9 .43813–14  .481 West Texas State3–13 .1888–19  .296 Bradley3–13 .1889–17  .346 † 1979 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Eastern Kentucky †9–3 .75021–8  .724 Western Kentucky7–5 .58317–11  .607 Morehead State7–5 .58314–13  .519 Middle Tennessee7–5 .58316–11  .593 Tennessee Tech7–5 .58311–15  .423 Austin Peay State3–9 .2508–18  .308 Murray State2–10 .1674–22  .154 † 1979 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 UCLA15–3 .83325–5  .833 USC14–4 .77820–9  .690 Oregon State11–7 .61118–10  .643 Washington State10–8 .55618–9  .667 Arizona10–8 .55616–11  .593 Arizona State7–11 .38912–15  .444 Oregon7–11 .38912–15  .444 Stanford6–12 .33312–15  .444 Washington6–12 .33311–16  .407 California4–14 .2226–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1978–79 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Pacific †11–3 .78618–12  .600 Utah State9–5 .64319–11  .633 Fresno State9–5 .64316–12  .571 Cal State Fullerton7–7 .50016–11  .593 Long Beach State7–7 .50016–12  .571 UC Santa Barbara6–8 .42912–15  .444 San Jose State4–10 .2867–20  .259 UC Irvine3–11 .2149–19  .321 † 1979 PCAA tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 LSU14–4 .77823–6  .793 Tennessee †12–6 .66721–12  .636 Vanderbilt11–7 .61118–9  .667 Alabama11–7 .61122–11  .667 Mississippi State11–7 .61119–9  .679 Kentucky10–8 .55619–12  .613 Georgia7–11 .38914–14  .500 Ole Miss6–12 .33311–16  .407 Auburn5–13 .27813–16  .448 Florida3–15 .1678–19  .296 † 1979 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1978–79 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Appalachian State †11–3 .78623–6  .793 Furman9–3 .75020–9  .690 The Citadel10–4 .71420–7  .741 Western Carolina5–7 .41714–14  .500 Marshall5–8 .38511–16  .407 Davidson3–7 .3008–19  .296 Chattanooga3–8 .27314–13  .519 VMI2–8 .20012–15  .444 East Tennessee State0–0 –16–11  .593 † 1979 Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1978–79 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lamar9–1 .90023–9  .719 Louisiana Tech6–4 .60017–8  .680 Southwestern Louisiana6–4 .60016–11  .593 Arkansas State5–5 .50015–12  .556 McNeese State3–7 .30010–17  .370 Texas-Arlington1–9 .10011–16  .407 Rankings from AP poll | 1978–79 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Arkansas†13–3 .81325–5  .833 Texas13–3 .81321–8  .724 Texas A&M11–5 .68824–9  .727 Baylor9–7 .56316–12  .571 Texas Tech9–7 .56319–11  .633 Houston6–10 .37516–15  .516 SMU6–10 .37511–16  .407 Rice4–12 .2507–20  .259 TCU1–15 .0636–21  .222 † 1979 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Alcorn State †12–0 1.00028–1  .966 Grambling6–6 .50016–11  .593 Southern6–6 .50016–12  .571 Texas Southern6–6 .50013–14  .481 Jackson State4–8 .33313–14  .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 vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT South Alabama10–0 1.00020–7  .741 South Florida6–4 .60014–14  .500 UNC Charlotte6–4 .60016–11  .593 Jacksonville †5–5 .50019–11  .633 New Orleans3–7 .30011–16  .407 Georgia State0–10 .0007–20  .259 † 1979 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Northeast Louisiana†2–0 1.00030–4  .882 Mercer2–0 1.00021–6  .778 Oklahoma City5–0 1.00018–11  .621 Pan American2–0 1.00013–13  .500 Hardin–Simmons2–5 .2867–20  .259 Houston Baptist1–4 .20011–16  .407 Samford0–2 .00010–15  .400 Centenary0–3 .0009–20  .310 † 1979 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |
| 1978–79 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 San Francisco12–2 .85722–7  .759 Pepperdine10–4 .71422–10  .688 Nevada9–5 .64321–7  .750 Seattle8–6 .57115–11  .577 Santa Clara6–8 .42913–14  .481 Portland5–9 .35718–10  .643 Saint Mary's5–9 .35713–15  .464 Loyola Marymount1–13 .0715–21  .192 Rankings from AP Poll | 1978–79 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT BYU10–2 .83320–8  .714 Utah9–3 .75020–10  .667 New Mexico8–4 .66719–10  .655 Wyoming5–7 .41715–12  .556 San Diego State4–8 .33315–12  .556 UTEP3–9 .25011–15  .423 Colorado State3–9 .25011–16  .407 Rankings from AP Poll |

### 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.
1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW 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 | Points per game | Points per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Rebounds per game | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Field goal percentage | Free throw percentage | Free throw 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
#### Final Four

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

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

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

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

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

* Wooden Award: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Naismith Award: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Helms Player of the Year: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* UPI Player of the Year: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* NABC Player of the Year: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Larry Bird, Indiana State
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Larry Bird, Indiana State

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bill Hodges, Indiana State
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Dean Smith, North Carolina
* NABC Coach of the Year: Ray Meyer, DePaul
* UPI Coach of the Year: Bill Hodges, Indiana State
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Bill Hodges, Indiana State

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Alton Byrd, Columbia
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Tony Price, Penn & Rick Reed, Temple
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Nick Galis, Seton Hall

## Coaching changes

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