# 1978–79 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represented Iowa State University during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cyclones were coached by Lynn Nance, who was in his third season with the Cyclones.They played their home games at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
They finished the season 11–16, 6–8 in Big Eight play to finish in sixth place. The Cyclones lost in the first round of the Big Eight tournament to Kansas, falling 91–70.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| November 9, 1978* 7:35 pm | | Athletes in Action Exhibition | L 78–92 | | Hilton Coliseum (4,000) Ames, Iowa |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 24, 1978* 7:35 pm | | Northeastern Illinois | W 129–69 | 1–0 | Hilton Coliseum (5,200) Ames, Iowa |
| December 1, 1978* 7:30 pm | | at Creighton | L 54–55 | 1–1 | Omaha Civic Auditorium (8,238) Omaha, Nebraska |
| December 4, 1978* 7:35 pm | | Drake Iowa Big Four | L 77–86 | 1–2 | Hilton Coliseum (10,000) Ames, Iowa |
| December 7, 1978* 7:35 pm | | San Jose State | W 91–73 | 2–2 | Hilton Coliseum (6,100) Ames, Iowa |
| December 11, 1978* 7:30 pm | | at Iowa CyHawk Rivalry | L 66–67 | 2–3 | Iowa Fieldhouse (13,210) Iowa City, Iowa |
| December 16, 1978* 7:35 pm | | Northwest Missouri State | W 77–54 | 3–3 | Hilton Coliseum (6,500) Ames, Iowa |
| December 18, 1978* 7:35 pm | | at Mississippi State | L 70–80 | 3–4 | Mississippi Coliseum (7,458) Jackson, Mississippi |
| December 20, 1978* 2:00 pm | | at Alabama-Birmingham | L 65–79 | 3–5 | Birmingham Civic Center (6,846) Birmingham, Alabama |
| December 27, 1978* 9:05 pm | | vs. No. 18 Kansas Big Eight Holiday Tournament quarterfinals | L 55–75 | 3–6 | Kemper Arena (9,478) Kansas City, Missouri |
| December 29, 1978* 1:00 pm | | vs. Kansas State Big Eight Holiday Tournament Consolation Semis | W 62–61 | 4–6 | Kemper Arena (6,500) Kansas City, Missouri |
| December 30, 1978* 7:05 pm | | vs. Oklahoma State Big Eight Holiday Tournament Consolation Fifth Place | L 75–87 | 4–7 | Kemper Arena (16,000) Kansas City, Missouri |
| January 3, 1979* 7:35 pm | | Mankato State | W 102–63 | 5–7 | Hilton Coliseum (6,500) Ames, Iowa |
| January 6, 1979 12:40 pm, Big Eight | | Nebraska | L 68–72 | 5–8 (0–1) | Hilton Coliseum (7,100) Ames, Iowa |
| January 13, 1979 7:35 pm | | at Kansas State | W 79–66 | 6–8 (1–1) | Ahearn Fieldhouse (5,280) Manhattan, Kansas |
| January 17, 1979 7:35 pm | | Colorado | W 60–59 | 7–8 (2–1) | Hilton Coliseum (7,580) Ames, Iowa |
| January 20, 1979 7:35 pm | | Oklahoma State | W 72–70 | 8–8 (3–1) | Hilton Coliseum (10,200) Ames, Iowa |
| January 24, 1979 7:35 pm | | at Kansas | L 71–80 | 8–9 (3–2) | Allen Fieldhouse (12,640) Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 27, 1979 4:00 pm | | at Oklahoma | L 83–98 | 8–10 (3–3) | Lloyd Noble Center (5,697) Norman, Oklahoma |
| January 31, 1979 7:35 pm | | Missouri | L 80–84 $^{OT}$ | 8–11 (3–4) | Hilton Coliseum (8,500) Ames, Iowa |
| February 3, 1979 2:38 pm, Big Eight | | Kansas State | L 60–62 | 8–12 (3–5) | Hilton Coliseum (9,200) Ames, Iowa |
| February 7, 1979 8:35 pm | | at Colorado | L 71–78 | 8–13 (3–6) | Balch Fieldhouse (3,200) Boulder, Colorado |
| February 10, 1979 7:35 pm | | at Nebraska | W 48–46 | 9–13 (4–6) | Devaney Sports Center (14,554) Lincoln, Nebraska |
| February 14, 1979 7:35 pm | | Kansas | W 68–66 | 10–13 (5–6) | Hilton Coliseum (10,100) Ames, Iowa |
| February 17, 1979 3:00 pm | | at Oklahoma State | L 58–73 | 10–14 (5–7) | Gallagher Hall (5,600) Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| February 21, 1979 7:35 pm | | Oklahoma | W 66–65 | 11–14 (6–7) | Hilton Coliseum (10,100) Ames, Iowa |
| February 24, 1979 12:40 pm, Big Eight | | at Missouri | L 67–73 | 11–15 (6–8) | Hearnes Center (7,460) Columbia, Missouri |
| Big Eight tournament ||||||
| February 27, 1979 7:35 pm | (6) | at (3) Kansas Big Eight tournament quarterfinals | L 70–91 | 11–16 | Allen Fieldhouse (5,825) Lawrence, Kansas |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. ||||||