# 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1976, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 28, 1977, at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. The Marquette Warriors won their first NCAA national championship with a 67–59 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

## Rule changes

The slam dunk, prohibited in NCAA basketball games and warm-ups since the 1967–68 season because of criticism that it rewarded height rather than skill, once again became legal after a nine-season absence.

## Season headlines

* The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 12 to 16 teams.
* In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 11th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.
'Associated Press' :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Michigan (21) |
| 2 | Marquette (6) |
| 3 | North Carolina (9) |
| 4 | UCLA (2) |
| 5 | Indiana (7) |
| 6 | Kentucky (2) |
| 7 | UNLV |
| 8 | Maryland |
| 9 | Louisville (1) |
| 10 | Arizona |
| 11 | San Francisco (1) |
| 12 | Cincinnati |
| 13 | Alabama |
| 14 | Notre Dame |
| 15 | NC State |
| 16 | Tennessee |
| 17 | Rutgers |
| 18 | DePaul |
| 19 | UNC Charlotte |
| 20 | Missouri |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Marquette |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | North Carolina |
| 4 | UCLA |
| 5 | Indiana |
| 6 | Kentucky |
| 7 | UNLV |
| 8 | Louisville |
| 9 | Arizona |
| 10 | Cincinnati |
| 11 | Maryland |
| 12 | San Francisco |
| 13 | Tennessee |
| 14 | NC State |
| 15 | Missouri |
| 16 | Wichita State |
| 17 | Georgetown |
| 18 | Rutgers |
| 19 | Penn |
| 20 | Purdue |

## Conference membership changes

The Eastern Collegiate Basketball League, with eight members, and the Sun Belt Conference, with six members, both began play this season. The ECBL, popularly known as the "Eastern 8," became the Eastern Athletic Association the following season and eventually became the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Yankee Conference dropped all sports except football at the end of the previous season, and seven of its members left the conference before this season began.
Although Chattanooga joined the Southern Conference this season, it still was considered a Division II program. It completed its transition to Division I status after the conclusion of the season.
| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Boston University Terriers | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | Division I independent | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| UNC Charlotte 49ers | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Chattanooga Mocs | Division II independent | Southern Conference |
| Connecticut Huskies | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| Creighton Bluejays | Division I independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Duquesne Dukes | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| Florida State Seminoles | Division I independent | Metro Conference |
| George Washington Colonials | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| Georgia State Panthers | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Indiana State Sycamores | Division I independent | Missouri Valley Conference |
| Jacksonville Dolphins | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Maine Black Bears | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| Marshall Thundering Herd | Division I independent | Southern Conference |
| Massachusetts Minutemen | Yankee Conference | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| New Hampshire Wildcats | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| New Orleans Privateers | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| Portland Pilots | Division I independent | West Coast Athletic Conference |
| Rhode Island Rams | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| Richmond Spiders | Southern Conference | Division I independent |
| Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| South Alabama Jaguars | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| South Florida Bulls | Division I independent | Sun Belt Conference |
| Rhode Island Rams | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| Vermont Catamounts | Yankee Conference | Division I independent |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Division I independent | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League |
| Western Carolina Catamounts | Non-Division I independent | Southern 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 | Rod Griffin, Wake Forest | 1977 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas State | Kim Anderson, Missouri, & Mike Evans, Kansas State | 1977 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals) | Kansas State |
| Big Sky Conference | Idaho State | None selected | 1977 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | ISU Minidome (Pocatello, Idaho) | Idaho State |
| Big Ten Conference | Michigan | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | Hofstra & Temple (East) Lafayette (West) | Rich Laurel, Hofstra | 1977 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pennsylvania) | Hofstra |
| Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (Eastern 8) | Rutgers (East) Penn State & West Virginia (West) | Norm Nixon, Duquesne | 1977 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament | The Spectrum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | Duquesne |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Tony Hanson, Connecticut | 1977 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York, New York) | St. John's |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Tony Hanson, Connecticut | 1977 ECAC New England Region tournament | Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut) | Holy Cross |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | Tony Hanson, Connecticut | 1977 ECAC Southern Region tournament | Campus sites | Syracuse |
| Ivy League | Princeton | Frank Sowinski, Princeton | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Louisville | Gary Yoder, Cincinnati | 1977 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee) | Cincinnati |
| Mid-American Conference | Central Michigan | Matt Hicks, Northern Illinois | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | New Mexico State & Southern Illinois | Roger Phegley, Bradley | 1977 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Levitt Arena (Wichita, Kansas) | Southern Illinois |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Austin Peay | Otis Howard, Austin Peay | 1977 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Dunn Center (Clarksville, Tennessee) (Semifinals and Finals) | Middle Tennessee |
| Pacific-8 Conference | UCLA | Marques Johnson, UCLA | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Long Beach State & San Diego State | Lloyd McMillian, Long Beach State | 1977 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California) | Long Beach State |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky & Tennessee | Ernie Grunfeld, Tennessee, & Bernard King, Tennessee | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Furman & VMI | Ron Carter, VMI | 1977 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals) | VMI |
| Southland Conference | Southwest Louisiana | Dan Henderson, Arkansas State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Arkansas | Otis Birdsong, Houston | 1977 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | The Summit (Houston, Texas) | Arkansas |
| Sun Belt Conference | UNC Charlotte | Cedric Maxwell, UNC Charlotte | 1977 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) (Finals) | UNC Charlotte |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | San Francisco | Bill Cartwright, San Francisco | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | Utah | 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 1977 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.

#### Conference standings

1976–77 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1976–77 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 North Carolina†9–3 .75028–5  .848 No. 9 Wake Forest8–4 .66722–8  .733 Clemson8–4 .66722–6  .786 Maryland7–5 .58319–8  .704 NC State6–6 .50017–11  .607 Virginia2–10 .16712–17  .414 Duke2–10 .16714–13  .519 † 1977 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 Kansas State †11–3 .78623–8  .742 Missouri9–5 .64321–8  .724 Oklahoma9–5 .64318–10  .643 Kansas8–6 .57118–10  .643 Nebraska7–7 .50015–14  .517 Colorado5–9 .35711–16  .407 Oklahoma State4–10 .28610–17  .370 Iowa State3–11 .2147–20  .259 † 1977 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Idaho State †13–1 .92925–5  .833 Weber State11–3 .78620–8  .714 Gonzaga7–7 .50011–16  .407 Montana State6–8 .42912–14  .462 Northern Arizona5–9 .35712–15  .444 Boise State5–9 .35710–16  .385 Montana5–9 .3577–19  .269 Idaho3–11 .2145–21  .192 † Conference tournament winner |
| 1976–77 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Michigan16–2 .88926–4  .867 Purdue14–4 .77820–8  .714 Iowa12–6 .66720–7  .741 Indiana11–7 .61116–11  .593 Michigan State9–9 .50012–15  .444 Illinois8–10 .44416–14  .533 Wisconsin7–11 .38911–16  .407 Northwestern7–11 .3899–18  .333 Ohio State6–12 .33311–16  .407 No. 13 Minnesota*0–18 .0000–27  .000 Rankings from AP Poll *Minnesota forfeited all games due to NCAA sanctions. Disputed record (15–3, 24–3) | 1976–77 ECC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Temple4–1 .80017–11  .607 Hofstra †4–1 .80023–7  .767 La Salle3–2 .60017–12  .586 Saint Joseph's2–3 .40013–13  .500 American2–3 .40013–13  .500 Drexel0–5 .00011–13  .458 West Lafayette9–1 .90021–6  .778 Delaware7–3 .70012–13  .480 Lehigh6–4 .60012–15  .444 Bucknell5–5 .50010–15  .400 West Chester2–8 .20011–14  .440 Rider1–9 .1008–18  .308 † 1977 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Rutgers7–1 .87518–10  .643 Villanova6–1 .85723–10  .697 George Washington5–3 .62514–12  .538 UMass3–4 .42920–11  .645 West West Virginia5–5 .50018–11  .621 Penn State5–5 .50011–15  .423 Duquesne †3–7 .30015–15  .500 Pittsburgh1–9 .1006–21  .222 † 1977 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1976–77 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Princeton13–1 .92921–5  .808 Penn12–2 .85718–8  .692 Columbia8–6 .57116–10  .615 Harvard6–8 .4299–16  .360 Cornell5–9 .3578–18  .308 Brown5–9 .3576–20  .231 Yale4–10 .2866–20  .231 Dartmouth3–11 .2144–22  .154 Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 Louisville6–1 .85721–7  .750 Cincinnati †4–2 .66725–5  .833 Georgia Tech3–3 .50013–10  .565 Tulane3–3 .50010–17  .370 Memphis State3–4 .42920–9  .690 Saint Louis1–5 .1677–19  .269 Florida State0–2 .00016–11  .593 † 1977 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Central Michigan13–3 .81318–10  .643 Miami (Ohio)13–3 .81320–6  .769 Toledo12–4 .75021–6  .778 Northern Illinois10–6 .62513–14  .481 Western Michigan8–8 .50014–13  .519 Ball State7–9 .43811–14  .440 Bowling Green State5–11 .3139–18  .333 Ohio4–12 .2509–17  .346 Eastern Michigan4–12 .2509–18  .333 Kent State4–12 .2508–19  .296 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1976–77 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Southern Illinois †8–4 .66722–7  .759 New Mexico State8–4 .66717–10  .630 Wichita State7–5 .58318–10  .643 West Texas State7–5 .58317–13  .567 Drake5–7 .41710–17  .370 Bradley4–8 .3339–18  .333 Tulsa3–9 .2506–21  .222 Indiana State– –25–3  .893 Creighton– –21–7  .750 † 1977 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Austin Peay State13–1 .92924–4  .857 Middle Tennessee †9–5 .64320–9  .690 Morehead State9–5 .64315–10  .600 Murray State9–5 .64317–10  .630 East Tennessee State6–8 .42912–14  .462 Western Kentucky6–8 .42910–16  .385 Eastern Kentucky3–11 .2148–16  .333 Tennessee Tech1–13 .0717–19  .269 † 1977 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 UCLA11–3 .78624–5  .828 Oregon9–5 .64319–10  .655 Washington State8–6 .57119–8  .704 Washington8–6 .57117–10  .630 Oregon State8–6 .57116–13  .552 California7–7 .50012–15  .444 Stanford3–11 .21411–16  .407 USC2–12 .1436–20  .231 As of April 15, 1977 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1976–77 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Long Beach State †9–3 .75021–8  .724 San Diego State9–3 .75013–15  .464 San Jose State8–4 .66718–11  .621 Cal State Fullerton7–5 .58316–10  .615 Pacific5–7 .41711–14  .440 UC Santa Barbara3–9 .2508–18  .308 Fresno State1–11 .0837–20  .259 † 1977 PCAA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Kentucky16–2 .88926–4  .867 No. 15 Tennessee16–2 .88922–6  .786 No. 11 Alabama14–4 .77825–6  .806 Florida10–8 .55617–9  .654 LSU8–10 .44415–12  .556 Mississippi State6–12 .33314–13  .519 Auburn6–12 .33313–13  .500 Vanderbilt6–12 .33310–16  .385 Ole Miss5–13 .27811–16  .407 Georgia3–15 .1679–18  .333 Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 20 VMI †8–2 .80026–4  .867 Furman8–2 .80018–10  .643 Appalachian State8–4 .66717–12  .586 William & Mary7–4 .63616–14  .533 East Carolina3–9 .25010–18  .357 Davidson2–8 .2005–22  .185 The Citadel2–9 .1828–19  .296 Chattanooga0–0 –27–5  .844 Western Carolina0–0 –8–16  .333 Marshall0–0 –8–19  .296 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1976–77 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Southwestern Louisiana8–2 .80021–8  .724 McNeese State7–3 .70020–7  .741 Lamar6–4 .60012–17  .414 Arkansas State4–6 .40014–13  .519 Louisiana Tech4–6 .40013–13  .500 Texas-Arlington1–9 .1003–24  .111 Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Arkansas†16–0 1.00026–2  .929 Houston13–3 .81329–8  .784 Texas Tech12–4 .75020–9  .690 Texas8–8 .50013–13  .500 Texas A&M8–8 .50014–14  .500 SMU7–9 .4388–19  .296 Baylor5–11 .31311–17  .393 Rice3–13 .1889–18  .333 TCU0–16 .0003–23  .115 † 1977 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 17 UNC Charlotte †5–1 .83328–5  .848 New Orleans4–2 .66718–10  .643 South Alabama3–3 .50017–10  .630 Jacksonville2–4 .33310–19  .345 South Florida2–4 .3339–18  .333 Georgia State2–4 .33310–18  .357 † 1977 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1976-77 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 San Francisco14–0 1.00029–2  .935 Santa Clara9–5 .64317–10  .630 Nevada7–7 .50015–12  .556 Seattle7–7 .50013–14  .481 Portland6–8 .42911–15  .423 Pepperdine5–9 .35713–13  .500 Loyola Marymount4–10 .28611–15  .423 Saint Mary's4–10 .28611–16  .407 Rankings from AP Poll | 1976–77 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 14 Utah11–3 .78622–7  .759 Arizona11–4 .73321–6  .778 New Mexico8–6 .57119–11  .633 Wyoming8–6 .57117–10  .630 Colorado State6–8 .42913–12  .520 Arizona State6–9 .40015–13  .536 BYU4–10 .28612–15  .444 UTEP3–11 .21411–15  .423 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 74 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, UNLV (29–3) had both the best winning percentage (.906) and the most wins.
1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 4 UNLV
* – –29–3
* .906
* No. 6 Syracuse
* – –26–4
* .867
* No. 12 Detroit
* – –25–4
* .862
* Old Dominion
* – –25–4
* .862
* Providence
* – –24–5
* .828
* Holy Cross
* – –23–6
* .793
* St. Bonaventure
* – –23–6
* .793
* No. 7 Marquette
* – –25–7
* .781
* North Texas State
* – –21–6
* .778
* Illinois State
* – –22–7
* .759
* No. 10 Notre Dame
* – –22–7
* .759
* Oral Roberts
* – –21–7
* .750
* Army
* – –20–8
* .714
* St. John's
* – –22–9
* .710
* Milwaukee
* – –19–8
* .704
* Georgetown
* – –19–9
* .679
* Virginia Tech
* – –19–10
* .655
* James Madison
* – –17–9
* .654
* Northwestern State
* – –17–9
* .654
* Texas–Pan American
* – –17–9
* .654
* Connecticut
* – –17–10
* .630
* Seton Hall
* – –18–11
* .621
* UNC Wilmington
* – –16–10
* .615
* Portland State
* – –16–10
* .615
* Iona
* – –15–10
* .600
* Dayton
* – –16–11
* .593
* Fairfield
* – –16–11
* .593
* Georgia Southern
* – –16–11
* .593
* Richmond
* – –15–11
* .577
* Saint Francis (PA)
* – –15–11
* .577
* DePaul
* – –15–12
* .556
* Northeast Louisiana
* – –15–12
* .556
* Stetson
* – –15–12
* .556
* Utah State
* – –15–12
* .556
* Colgate
* – –13–11
* .542
* Navy
* – –13–11
* .542
* Oklahoma City
* – –14–12
* .538
* South Carolina
* – –14–12
* .538
* Valparaiso
* – –13–12
* .520
* Catholic
* – –13–13
* .500
* Fairleigh Dickinson
* – –13–13
* .500
* Loyola (IL)
* – –13–13
* .500
* Maine
* – –13–13
* .500
* Niagara
* – –13–13
* .500
* Rhode Island
* – –13–13
* .500
* Saint Peter's
* – –13–13
* .500
* VCU
* – –13–13
* .500
* Butler
* – –13–14
* .481
* Manhattan
* – –13–14
* .481
* New Hampshire
* – –12–14
* .462
* Northeastern
* – –12–14
* .462
* St. Francis (NY)
* – –12–14
* .462
* Air Force
* – –12–15
* .444
* Denver
* – –12–15
* .444
* Southern Mississippi
* – –11–16
* .407
* Siena
* – –9–15
* .375
* Cleveland State
* – –10–17
* .370
* Xavier
* – –10–17
* .370
* Centenary (LA)
* – –11–19
* .367
* Long Island
* – –9–16
* .360
* Hawaii
* – –9–18
* .333
* Vermont
* – –8–17
* .320
* Boston College
* – –8–18
* .308
* Baptist
* – –8–19
* .296
* Boston University
* – –7–19
* .269
* Robert Morris
* – –7–19
* .269
* Samford
* – –7–19
* .269
* Mercer
* – –6–19
* .240
* Hardin–Simmons
* – –6–21
* .222
* Houston Baptist
* – –6–23
* .207
* Buffalo
* – –5–21
* .192
* Fordham
* – –5–21
* .192
* Wagner
* – –3–21
* .125
* Canisius
* – –3–22
* .120
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| New Jersey-New York 7 Conference | Columbia & Seton Hall | None selected |
Columbia and Seton Hall both finished with 3–2 records 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 | Keven McDonald, Penn |
Penn and Temple 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 | North Carolina | 84 | | | |
| W | UNLV | 83 | | | |
| W | UNLV | 83 | E | North Carolina | 59 |
| | | | MW | Marquette | 67 |
| ME | UNC Charlotte | 49 | MW | Marquette | 67 |
| MW | Marquette | 51 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | W | UNLV | 106 |
| | | | ME | UNC Charlotte | 94 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Alabama | 76 | | |
| Houston | 82 | | |
| Houston | 82 | Houston | 91 |
| | | St. Bonaventure | 94 |
| Villanova | 82 | St. Bonaventure | 94 |
| St. Bonaventure | 86 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Alabama | 89 |
| | | Villanova | 102 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Kent Benson | C | Senior | Indiana |
| Otis Birdsong | G | Senior | Houston |
| Phil Ford | G | Junior | North Carolina |
| Rickey Green | G | Senior | Michigan |
| Marques Johnson | F | Senior | UCLA |
| Bernard King | F | Junior | Tennessee |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Greg Ballard | F | Senior | Oregon |
| Bill Cartwright | C | Sophomore | San Francisco |
| Rod Griffin | G | Junior | Wake Forest |
| Ernie Grunfeld | F | Senior | Tennessee |
| Phil Hubbard | F | Senior | Michigan |
| Butch Lee | G | Junior | Marquette |
| Mychal Thompson | F/C | Junior | Minnesota |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Naismith Award: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Helms Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* UPI Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* NABC Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Marques Johnson, UCLA
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bob Gaillard, San Francisco
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Eddie Sutton, Arkansas
* NABC Coach of the Year: Dean Smith, North Carolina
* UPI Coach of the Year: Bob Gaillard, San Francisco
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Lee Rose, UNC Charlotte

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jeff Jonas, Utah
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Keven McDonald, Penn
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Rich Laurel, Hofstra

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach |
| Austin Peay | Lake Kelly | | Ed Thompson |
| Hardin–Simmons | Preston Vice | | Jim Shuler |
| Marquette | Al McGuire | | Hank Raymonds |
| Marshall | Bob Daniels | | Stu Aberdeen |
| Oral Roberts | Jerry Hale | | Lake Kelly |
| Penn | Chuck Daly | | Bob Weinhauer |
| Tennessee | Ray Mears | Cliff Wettig | Don DeVoe |