# 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1977, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 27, 1978, at The Checkerdome in St. Louis, Missouri. The Kentucky Wildcats won their fifth NCAA national championship with a 94–88 victory over the Duke Blue Devils.

## Season headlines

* On December 13, 1977, the University of Evansville's first season of NCAA Division I men's basketball came to a tragic and premature end when Air Indiana Flight 216 crashed just after takeoff from Evansville Regional Airport in Evansville, Indiana, killing all 29 people on board, including Evansville Purple Aces head coach Bobby Watson and all but one member of the team, which was on its way to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for a game against Middle Tennessee. The only surviving member of the team, 18-year-old freshman David Furr, was not on the plane because he was out for the season with an ankle injury, but Furr and his younger brother died in an automobile accident two weeks after the plane crash. With its entire 1977–78 men's basketball team dead after Furr's accident, the university decided to cancel the rest of the season rather than attempt to continue it with a substitute team.
* In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 12th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
* For the first time, the NCAA used a seeding process to align teams in the NCAA tournament brackets.
* Bob Bender of Duke becomes the first player to play in the NCAA championship game for two different teams. He had played for Indiana in the 1976 championship game.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.
'Associated Press' :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | North Carolina |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Marquette |
| 4 | Notre Dame |
| 5 | San Francisco |
| 6 | UCLA |
| 7 | Arkansas |
| 8 | UNLV |
| 9 | Cincinnati |
| 10 | Louisville |
| 11 | Syracuse |
| 12 | Purdue |
| 13 | Michigan |
| 14 | Maryland |
| 15 | Alabama |
| 16 | Minnesota |
| 17 | Wake Forest |
| 18 | Holy Cross |
| 19 | Detroit |
| 20 | St. John's |
UPI Coaches :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 (tie) | Kentucky |
| 1 (tie) | North Carolina |
| 3 | Marquette |
| 4 | Notre Dame |
| 5 | San Francisco |
| 6 | UCLA |
| 7 | Purdue |
| 8 | Cincinnati |
| 9 | Arkansas |
| 10 | Louisville |
| 11 | Orange |
| 12 | Michigan |
| 13 | Maryland |
| 14 (tie) | Indiana State |
| 14 (tie) | St. John's |
| 14 (tie) | Utah |
| 14 (tie) | Wake Forest |
| 18 | Kansas State |
| 19 | Alabama |
| 20 | Holy Cross |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| UC Irvine Anteaters | Division II independent | Pacific Coast Athletic Association |
| William and Mary Tribe | Southern Conference | Division I independent |

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

The Southwestern Athletic Conference — with members Alcorn State, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, and Texas Southern — became a Division I conference this season.
| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | Phil Ford, North Carolina | 1978 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | Duke |
| Big Eight Conference | Kansas | Mike Evans, Kansas State | 1978 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals) | Missouri |
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | None selected | 1978 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Adams Field House (Missoula, Montana) | Weber State |
| Big Ten Conference | Michigan State | None Selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| East Coast Conference | La Salle (East) Lafayette (West) | Michael Brooks, La Salle | 1978 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pennsylvania) | La Salle |
| Eastern Athletic Association (Eastern 8) | Rutgers & Villanova | James Bailey, Rutgers | 1978 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament | Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) | Villanova |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1978 ECAC Metro Region tournament | Nassau Coliseum (Uniondale, New York) | St. John's |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1978 ECAC New England Region tournament | Providence Civic Center (Providence, Rhode Island) | Rhode Island |
| Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) | Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note) | | 1978 ECAC South-Upstate Region tournament | War Memorial Auditorium (Rochester, New York) (Finals) | St. Bonaventure |
| Ivy League | Penn | Keven McDonald, Penn | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Conference | Florida State | Harry Davis, Florida State, & Rick Wilson, Louisville | 1978 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Louisville |
| Mid-American Conference | Miami (OH) | Archie Aldridge, Miami (OH) | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Creighton | Larry Bird, Indiana State | 1978 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Omaha Civic Auditorium (Omaha, Nebraska) | Creighton |
| Ohio Valley Conference | East Tennessee State & Middle Tennessee | Otis Howard, Austin Peay | 1978 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | E.A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky) (Semifinals and Finals) | Western Kentucky |
| Pacific-8 Conference | UCLA | David Greenwood, UCLA Bruins men's basketball< | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | Fresno State & San Diego State | Joel Kramer, San Diego State | 1978 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California) | Cal State Fullerton |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Reggie King, Alabama | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southern Conference | Appalachian State | Ron Carter, VMI | 1978 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals) | Furman |
| Southland Conference | Lamar & McNeese State | Andrew Toney, Southwest Louisiana | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Southwest Conference | Arkansas & Texas | Ron Brewer, Arkansas | 1978 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | The Summit (Houston, Texas) | Houston |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Jackson State & Southern | Purvis Short, Jackson State | 1978 SWAC men's basketball tournament | | Jackson State |
| Sun Belt Conference | UNC Charlotte | Wayne Cooper, New Orleans | 1978 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals) | New Orleans |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | San Francisco | Bill Cartwright, San Francisco | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Western Athletic Conference | New Mexico | 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 1978 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.

#### Conference standings

1977–78 ACC men's basketball standings :
| 1977–78 ACC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 16 North Carolina9–3 .75023–8  .742 No. 7 Duke †8–4 .66727–7  .794 NC State7–5 .58321–10  .677 Virginia6–6 .50020–8  .714 Wake Forest6–6 .50019–10  .655 Maryland3–9 .25015–13  .536 Clemson3–9 .25015–12  .556 † 1978 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 10 Kansas13–1 .92924–5  .828 Iowa State9–5 .64314–13  .519 Nebraska9–5 .64322–8  .733 Kansas State7–7 .50018–11  .621 Oklahoma7–7 .50014–13  .519 Oklahoma State4–10 .28610–16  .385 Missouri †4–10 .28614–16  .467 Colorado3–11 .2149–18  .333 † 1978 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Montana12–2 .85720–8  .714 Idaho State11–3 .78616–10  .615 Weber State †9–5 .64319–10  .655 Boise State8–6 .57113–14  .481 Gonzaga7–7 .50014–15  .483 Northern Arizona5–9 .35711–14  .440 Montana State3–11 .2149–17  .346 Idaho1–13 .0714–22  .154 † Big Sky Conference tournament winner |
| 1977–78 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Michigan State15–3 .83325–5  .833 No. 13 Indiana12–6 .66721–8  .724 Minnesota12–6 .66717–10  .630 Michigan11–7 .61116–11  .593 Purdue11–7 .61116–11  .593 Ohio State9–9 .50016–11  .593 Illinois7–11 .38913–14  .481 Iowa5–13 .27812–15  .444 Northwestern4–14 .2228–19  .296 Wisconsin4–14 .2228–19  .296 Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 ECC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East La Salle †5–0 1.00018–12  .600 Temple4–1 .80024–4  .857 American2–3 .40016–12  .571 Drexel2–3 .40013–15  .464 Saint Joseph's2–3 .40013–15  .464 Hofstra0–5 .0008–19  .296 West Lafayette10–0 1.00023–8  .742 Delaware5–5 .50016–11  .593 Bucknell5–5 .50013–15  .464 Lehigh5–5 .5008–18  .308 Rider4–6 .40011–16  .407 West Chester2–8 .2006–19  .240 † 1978 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT East Rutgers7–3 .70024–7  .774 Villanova †7–3 .70023–9  .719 Pittsburgh5–5 .50016–11  .593 UMass5–5 .50015–12  .556 West Duquesne5–5 .50011–17  .393 George Washington4–6 .40015–11  .577 Penn State4–6 .4008–19  .296 West Virginia3–7 .30012–16  .429 † 1978 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1977–78 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 20 Penn12–2 .85720–8  .714 Princeton11–3 .78617–9  .654 Columbia11–3 .78615–11  .577 Harvard7–7 .50011–15  .423 Dartmouth5–9 .35710–16  .385 Cornell5–9 .3579–17  .346 Yale3–11 .2148–16  .333 Brown2–12 .1434–22  .154 Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Florida State12–1 .92323–6  .793 No. 9 Louisville †9–3 .75023–7  .767 Memphis State7–5 .58319–9  .679 Cincinnati6–6 .50017–10  .630 Georgia Tech6–6 .50015–12  .556 Saint Louis2–10 .1677–20  .259 Tulane1–12 .0775–22  .185 † 1978 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 Miami (Ohio)12–4 .75019–9  .679 Toledo11–5 .68821–6  .778 Central Michigan11–5 .68816–10  .615 Bowling Green State10–6 .62512–15  .444 Northern Illinois9–7 .56311–16  .407 Eastern Michigan7–9 .43811–16  .407 Ohio6–10 .37513–14  .481 Ball State6–10 .37510–15  .400 Western Michigan4–12 .2507–20  .259 Kent State4–12 .2506–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1977–78 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Creighton †12–4 .75019–9  .679 Southern Illinois11–5 .68817–10  .630 Indiana State11–5 .68823–9  .719 New Mexico State9–7 .56315–14  .517 Bradley8–8 .50014–14  .500 Wichita State8–8 .50013–14  .481 Tulsa7–9 .4389–18  .333 West Texas State4–12 .2508–19  .296 Drake2–14 .1256–22  .214 † 1978 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Middle Tennessee10–4 .71418–8  .692 East Tennessee State10–4 .71418–9  .667 Western Kentucky†9–5 .64316–14  .533 Austin Peay State8–6 .57115–12  .556 Eastern Kentucky8–6 .57115–11  .577 Tennessee Tech7–7 .50011–15  .423 Murray State4–10 .2868–17  .320 Morehead State0–14 .0004–19  .174 † 1978 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 UCLA14–0 1.00025–3  .893 Oregon State9–5 .64316–11  .593 Washington State7–7 .50016–11  .593 USC7–7 .50014–13  .519 Oregon6–8 .42916–11  .593 Washington6–8 .42914–13  .519 California4–10 .28611–16  .407 Stanford3–11 .21413–14  .481 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1977–78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Fresno State11–3 .78621–6  .778 San Diego State11–3 .78619–9  .679 Cal State Fullerton †9–5 .64323–9  .719 Pacific9–5 .64317–10  .630 Long Beach State7–7 .50016–13  .552 San Jose State4–10 .2868–19  .296 UC Santa Barbara3–11 .2148–19  .296 UC Irvine2–12 .1438–17  .320 † 1978 PCAA tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Kentucky16–2 .88930–2  .938 Mississippi State13–5 .72218–9  .667 LSU12–6 .66718–9  .667 Alabama11–7 .61117–10  .630 Florida8–10 .44415–12  .556 Auburn8–10 .44413–14  .481 Tennessee6–12 .33311–16  .407 Vanderbilt6–12 .33310–17  .370 Georgia5–13 .27811–16  .407 Ole Miss5–13 .27810–17  .370 Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Appalachian State9–3 .75015–13  .536 VMI7–3 .70021–7  .750 Marshall8–5 .61514–15  .483 Furman †7–5 .58319–11  .633 Chattanooga7–5 .58316–11  .593 Western Carolina4–8 .3337–19  .269 Davidson3–7 .3009–18  .333 The Citadel2–11 .1548–19  .296 † 1978 Southern Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1977–78 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT McNeese State8–2 .80020–8  .714 Lamar8–2 .80018–9  .667 Southwestern Louisiana7–3 .70019–8  .704 Texas-Arlington3–7 .30010–17  .370 Arkansas State2–8 .2009–18  .333 Louisiana Tech2–8 .2006–21  .222 Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 5 Arkansas14–2 .87532–4  .889 No. 17 Texas14–2 .87526–5  .839 Houston †11–5 .68825–8  .758 Texas Tech10–6 .62519–10  .655 Baylor8–8 .50014–13  .519 SMU6–10 .37510–18  .357 Texas A&M5–11 .31312–15  .444 Rice2–14 .1254–22  .154 TCU2–14 .1254–22  .154 † 1978 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Southern9–3 .75023–5  .821 Jackson State9–3 .75021–5  .808 Alcorn State8–4 .66722–7  .759 Texas Southern7–5 .58316–10  .615 Grambling State3–9 .25010–14  .417 Prairie View†– –14–13  .519 Mississippi Valley State†*– –15–20  .429 † – Played as non-Division I program. * – Overall record adjusted to 16–19. Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1977–78 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UNC Charlotte9–1 .90020–7  .741 New Orleans †8–2 .80021–6  .778 Jacksonville6–4 .60014–14  .500 South Alabama3–7 .30018–10  .643 South Florida2–8 .20013–14  .481 Georgia State2–8 .2005–21  .192 † 1978 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 11 San Francisco12–2 .85723–6  .793 Nevada10–4 .71419–8  .704 Portland9–6 .60019–8  .704 Santa Clara9–6 .60021–8  .724 Seattle6–8 .42911–16  .407 Saint Mary's5–9 .35713–14  .481 Loyola Marymount4–11 .26711–15  .423 Pepperdine3–12 .2007–19  .269 Rankings from AP Poll | 1977–78 WAC men's basketball standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 New Mexico13–1 .92924–4  .857 No. 14 Utah12–2 .85723–6  .793 Colorado State8–6 .57118–9  .667 Arizona7–8 .46715–11  .577 BYU6–8 .42912–18  .400 Arizona State6–9 .40013–14  .481 Wyoming3–11 .21412–15  .444 UTEP2–12 .14310–16  .385 Rankings from AP Poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 78 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, DePaul (27–3) had both the best winning percentage (.900) and the most wins.
1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConf.Overall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* No. 3 DePaul
* – –27–3
* .900
* No. 18 Detroit
* – –25–4
* .862
* Illinois State
* – –24–4
* .857
* No. 8 Marquette
* – –24–4
* .857
* Pan American
* – –22–4
* .846
* VCU
* – –24–5
* .828
* Fairfield
* – –22–5
* .815
* North Texas State
* – –22–6
* .786
* Syracuse
* – –22–6
* .786
* Rhode Island
* – –24–7
* .774
* Providence
* – –24–8
* .750
* St. John's
* – –21–7
* .750
* Utah State
* – –21–7
* .750
* Georgetown
* – –23–8
* .742
* No. 6 Notre Dame
* – –23–8
* .742
* Holy Cross
* – –20–7
* .741
* Northeast Louisiana
* – –20–7
* .741
* UNC Wilmington
* – –19–7
* .731
* St. Bonaventure
* – –21–8
* .724
* UNLV
* – –20–8
* .714
* Virginia Tech
* – –19–8
* .704
* James Madison
* – –18–8
* .692
* Maine
* – –17–8
* .680
* Army
* – –19–9
* .679
* Dayton
* – –19–10
* .655
* St. Francis (NY)
* – –16–9
* .640
* Iona
* – –17–10
* .630
* William & Mary
* – –16–10
* .615
* Air Force
* – –15–10
* .600
* Loyola (IL)
* – –16–11
* .593
* Mercer
* – –16–11
* .593
* Oklahoma City
* – –16–11
* .593
* Seton Hall
* – –16–11
* .593
* Boston College
* – –15–11
* .577
* Butler
* – –15–11
* .577
* Saint Francis (PA)
* – –15–11
* .577
* South Carolina
* – –16–12
* .571
* Siena
* – –13–10
* .565
* Navy
* – –14–11
* .560
* Milwaukee
* – –15–12
* .556
* Niagara
* – –14–12
* .538
* Northeastern
* – –14–12
* .538
* Southern Mississippi
* – –13–12
* .520
* Portland State
* – –14–13
* .519
* Stetson
* – –14–13
* .519
* Oral Roberts
* – –13–14
* .481
* Xavier
* – –13–14
* .481
* Cleveland State
* – –12–13
* .480
* Tennessee State
* – –11–12
* .478
* Catholic
* – –12–14
* .462
* Manhattan
* – –12–14
* .462
* Georgia Southern
* – –12–15
* .444
* Northwestern State
* – –12–15
* .444
* Connecticut
* – –11–15
* .423
* Old Dominion
* – –11–15
* .423
* Vermont
* – –11–15
* .423
* Boston University
* – –10–15
* .400
* Hardin–Simmons
* – –10–16
* .385
* Campbell
* – –9–15
* .375
* Centenary (LA)
* – –10–17
* .370
* Denver
* – –10–17
* .370
* Colgate
* – –9–17
* .346
* East Carolina
* – –9–17
* .346
* Fordham
* – –8–18
* .308
* Long Island
* – –8–18
* .308
* Saint Peter's
* – –8–18
* .308
* Baptist
* – –8–19
* .296
* Samford
* – –8–19
* .296
* Canisius
* – –7–19
* .269
* Houston Baptist
* – –7–19
* .269
* New Hampshire
* – –7–19
* .269
* Wagner
* – –7–19
* .269
* Evansville
* – –1–3
* .250
* Fairleigh Dickinson
* – –6–18
* .250
* Valparaiso
* – –6–19
* .240
* Robert Morris
* – –4–19
* .174
* Richmond
* – –4–22
* .154
* Hawaii
* – –1–26
* .037
* 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 6–1 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 | Temple & Villanova | Michael Brooks, La Salle |
Temple and Villanova 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% |
| Freeman Williams | Portland St. | 35.9 | Ken Williams | N. Texas St. | 14.7 | Joe Senser | West Chester St. | 68.5 | Bunny Gibson | Marshall | 94.4 |
| Larry Bird | Indiana St. | 30.0 | Henry Taylor | Pan American | 14.2 | Mike O'Koren | N. Carolina | 64.3 | Mark Tucker | Oklahoma St. | 91.2 |
| Purvis Short | Jackson St. | 29.5 | Dean Uthoff | Iowa St. | 14.0 | Pat Cummings | Cincinnati | 64.2 | Anthony Williams | Jacksonville | 90.9 |
| Oliver Mack | E. Carolina | 28.0 | Reggie King | Alabama | 13.3 | Rick Robey | Kentucky | 63.5 | Brian Appel | Hofstra | 90.5 |
| Roger Phegley | Bradley | 27.6 | Calvin Natt | NE Louisiana | 13.2 | Mel Daniels | Stetson | 63.4 | Ron Perry | Holy Cross | 90.0 |

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

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National finals | National finals | National finals |
| E1 | Duke | 90 | | | |
| MW2 | Notre Dame | 86 | | | |
| MW2 | Notre Dame | 86 | E1 | Duke | 88 |
| | | | ME2 | Kentucky | 94 |
| ME2 | Kentucky | 64 | ME2 | Kentucky | 94 |
| W2 | Arkansas | 59 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | MW2 | Notre Dame | 69 |
| | | | W2 | Arkansas | 71 |

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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Georgetown | 85 | | |
| NC State | 86 | | |
| NC State | 86 | NC State | 93 |
| | | Texas | 101 |
| Texas | 96 | Texas | 101 |
| Rutgers | 76 | Third place | Third place |
| | | Georgetown | 72 |
| | | Rutgers | 85 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Butch Lee | G | Senior | Marquette |
| David Greenwood | F | Junior | UCLA |
| Larry Bird | F | Senior | Indiana State |
| Mychal Thompson | C | Senior | Minnesota |
| Phil Ford | G | Senior | North Carolina |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Ron Brewer | G | Senior | Arkansas |
| Jack Givens | G/F | Senior | Kentucky |
| Rod Griffin | G | Senior | Wake Forest |
| Rick Robey | F/C | Senior | Kentucky |
| Freeman Williams | G | Senior | Portland State |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Phil Ford, North Carolina
* Naismith Award: Butch Lee, Marquette
* Helms Player of the Year: Jack Givens, Kentucky
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Butch Lee, Marquette
* UPI Player of the Year: Butch Lee, Marquette
* NABC Player of the Year: Phil Ford, North Carolina
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Phil Ford, North Carolina
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Butch Lee, Marquette
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Phil Ford, North Carolina

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Arkansas
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Ray Meyer, DePaul
* NABC Coach of the Year: Bill Foster, Duke & Abe Lemons, Texas
* UPI Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Arkansas
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: Bill Foster, Duke

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Mike Scheib, Susquehanna
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Michael Brooks, La Salle
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): George Johnson, St. John's

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | Interim Coach | New Coach |
| Auburn | Bob Davis | | Sonny Smith |
| East Tennessee State | Sonny Smith | | Jim Halihan |
| Indiana State | Bob King | | Bill Hodges |
| Kent State | Rex Hughes | Mike Boyd | Ed Douma |
| Long Beach State | Dwight Jones | | Tex Winter |
| Mississippi State | Ron Greene | | Jim Hatfield |
| Northwestern | Tex Winter | | Rich Falk |
| Saint Louis | Ron Coleman | | Ron Ekker |
| Southwestern Louisiana | Jim Hatfield | | Bobby Paschal |
| Western Kentucky | Jim Richards | | Gene Keady |
| West Texas A&M | Ron Ekker | | Ken Edwards |