# 1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament

The 1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri. A total of 32 games were played, including a national third-place game.
The process of seeding the bracket was first used in this tournament. Sixteen conference winners with automatic bids were seeded 1 through 4 in each region. At-large teams were seeded 1 through 4 in each region separately. There were in fact only eleven true at-large teams in the field, as the remaining five were conference winners with automatic bids and seeded as "at-large." The practice of distinguishing between automatic and at-large teams ended with this edition; the expanded field of forty in the 1979 tournament was simply seeded from one to ten in each of the four regions.
Led by head coach Joe B. Hall, Kentucky won its fifth national title with a 94–88 victory over Duke, coached by Bill Foster. Wildcat forward Jack Givens scored 41 points in the finale and was named the tournament's most outstanding player.
The bracket's biggest upset came in the first round, when little-heralded Miami (Ohio) defeated defending champion Marquette 84–81 in overtime. The victory was even sweeter for Miami Redskins (now RedHawks) fans as former Marquette coach Al McGuire had earlier strongly criticized the NCAA for potentially matching Marquette against Kentucky in the second round, with Marquette being given a first-round opponent in Miami that was supposedly not even worthy of providing an adequate tune-up game.
Unranked Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) pulled off two upsets, first over 4th ranked New Mexico (coached by Norm Ellenberger and led by Michael Cooper) and then over top-10 San Francisco (featuring Bill Cartwright). The loss was especially painful for New Mexico as the regional semifinals and finals were held on the Lobos' home court in Albuquerque. CSUF then almost upset Arkansas in the West Regional final, losing by 3 points. In each of the three games, the Titans overcame second-half double-digit deficits. In the Arkansas game, they cut a big deficit to 1 and had the ball with 14 seconds left. But Arkansas' Ron Brewer stripped the ball from Keith Anderson and Jim Counce drove down to hit a clinching layup.
In the Mideast regional final, Kentucky knocked off Michigan State, led by freshman Earvin "Magic" Johnson. This was the only time in a 4-year period (that included his senior year in high school, 2 years of college, and his rookie NBA season) that Magic's team did not win its final game of the playoffs and hence the championship.
The Final Four games (semifinals, third-place, and championship) at St. Louis Arena (a.k.a. The Checkerdome) were not played on the arena's official floor. Water damage to it forced the NCAA to borrow the floor from Indiana University's Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
This was the fourth and last year for a 32-team bracket; the field expanded to forty teams in 1979 and 48 in 1980, all seeded. The 64-team field debuted in 1985, eliminating byes for the top seeds (1979–1984). The third-place game at the Final Four was last played in 1981.

## Schedule and venues

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1978 tournament:
First round
* March 11
** Mideast Region
*** Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Butler University)
*** Stokely Athletic Center, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee)
** West Region
*** McArthur Court, Eugene, Oregon (Host: University of Oregon)
*** ASU Activity Center, Tempe, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University)
* March 12
** East Region
*** Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
*** The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Hosts: University of Pennsylvania, Ivy League)
** Midwest Region
*** Mabee Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (Host: Oral Roberts University)
*** Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas (Host: Wichita State University)
Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)
* March 16 and 18
** Mideast Regional, University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
** West Regional, University Arena ("The Pit"), Albuquerque, New Mexico (Host: University of New Mexico)
* March 17 and 19
** East Regional, Providence Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College)
** Midwest Regional, Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas (Host: University of Kansas)
National semifinals, 3rd-place game, and championship (Final Four and championship)
* March 25 and 27
** The Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Missouri Valley Conference)

## Teams

| Region | Seed | Team | Coach | Conference | Finished | Final Opponent | Score |
| East ||||||||
| East | 1Q | Duke | Bill E. Foster | Atlantic Coast | Runner Up | Kentucky | L 94–88 |
| East | 3Q | Furman | Joe Williams | Southern | Round of 32 | Indiana | L 63–62 |
| East | 1L | Indiana | Bob Knight | Big Ten | Sweet Sixteen | Villanova | L 61–60 |
| East | 4L | La Salle | Paul Westhead | East Coast | Round of 32 | Villanova | L 103–97 |
| East | 4Q | Penn | Bob Weinhauer | Ivy League | Sweet Sixteen | Duke | L 84–80 |
| East | 3L | Rhode Island | Jack Kraft | Independent | Round of 32 | Duke | L 63–62 |
| East | 2L | St. Bonaventure | Jim Satalin | Independent | Round of 32 | Penn | L 92–83 |
| East | 2Q | Villanova | Rollie Massimino | Eastern Athletic | Regional Runner-up | Duke | L 90–72 |
| Mideast ||||||||
| Mideast | 4L | Florida State | Hugh Durham | Metropolitan | Round of 32 | Kentucky | L 85–76 |
| Mideast | 1Q | Kentucky | Joe B. Hall | Southeastern | Champion | Duke | W 94–88 |
| Mideast | 1L | Marquette | Hank Raymonds | Independent | Round of 32 | Miami (OH) | L 84–81 |
| Mideast | 3Q | Miami (OH) | Darrell Hedric | Mid-American | Sweet Sixteen | Kentucky | L 91–69 |
| Mideast | 2Q | Michigan State | Jud Heathcote | Big Ten | Regional Runner-up | Kentucky | L 52–49 |
| Mideast | 3L | Providence | Dave Gavitt | Independent | Round of 32 | Michigan State | L 77–63 |
| Mideast | 2L | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim | Independent | Round of 32 | Western Kentucky | L 87–86 |
| Mideast | 4Q | Western Kentucky | Jim Richards | Ohio Valley | Sweet Sixteen | Michigan State | L 90–69 |
| Midwest ||||||||
| Midwest | 3Q | Creighton | Tom Apke | Missouri Valley | Round of 32 | DePaul | L 80–78 |
| Midwest | 1L | DePaul | Ray Meyer | Independent | Regional Runner-up | Notre Dame | L 84–64 |
| Midwest | 4Q | Houston | Guy Lewis | Southwest | Round of 32 | Notre Dame | L 100–77 |
| Midwest | 2Q | Louisville | Denny Crum | Metropolitan | Sweet Sixteen | DePaul | L 90–89 |
| Midwest | 1Q | Missouri | Norm Stewart | Big Eight | Round of 32 | Utah | L 86–79 |
| Midwest | 2L | Notre Dame | Digger Phelps | Independent | Fourth Place | Arkansas | L 71–69 |
| Midwest | 4L | St. John's | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Round of 32 | Louisville | L 76–68 |
| Midwest | 3L | Utah | Jerry Pimm | Western Athletic | Sweet Sixteen | Notre Dame | L 69–56 |
| West ||||||||
| West | 2L | Arkansas | Eddie Sutton | Southwest | Third Place | Notre Dame | W 71–69 |
| West | 4L | Cal State Fullerton | Bobby Dye | Pacific Coast | Regional Runner-up | Arkansas | L 61–58 |
| West | 3L | Kansas | Ted Owens | Big Eight | Round of 32 | UCLA | L 83–76 |
| West | 2Q | New Mexico | Norm Ellenberger | Western Athletic | Round of 32 | Cal State Fullerton | L 90–85 |
| West | 1L | North Carolina | Dean Smith | Atlantic Coast | Round of 32 | San Francisco | L 68–64 |
| West | 3Q | San Francisco | Bob Gaillard | West Coast | Sweet Sixteen | Cal State Fullerton | L 75–72 |
| West | 1Q | UCLA | Gary Cunningham | Pacific-8 | Sweet Sixteen | Arkansas | L 74–70 |
| West | 4Q | Weber State | Neil McCarthy | Big Sky | Round of 32 | Arkansas | L 73–52 |

## Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

### East region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1Q | Duke | 63 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Rhode Island | 62 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Rhode Island | 62 | 1Q | Duke | 84 | | | |
| | | | 4Q | Penn | 80 | | | |
| 4Q | Penn | 92 | 4Q | Penn | 80 | | | |
| 2L | St. Bonaventure | 83 | | | | | | |
| 2L | St. Bonaventure | 83 | | | | 1Q | Duke | 90 |
| | | | | | | 2Q | Villanova | 72 |
| 1L | Indiana | 63 | | | | | | | 2Q | Villanova | 72 |
| 3Q | Furman | 62 | | | | | | |
| 3Q | Furman | 62 | 1L | Indiana | 60 | | | |
| | | | 2Q | Villanova | 61 | | | |
| 2Q | Villanova | 103 | 2Q | Villanova | 61 | | | |
| 4L | La Salle | 97 | | | | | | |

### Midwest region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 3L | Utah | 86 | | | | | | |
| 1Q | Missouri | 79** | | | | | | |
| 1Q | Missouri | 79** | 3L | Utah | 56 | | | |
| | | | 2L | Notre Dame | 69 | | | |
| 2L | Notre Dame | 100 | 2L | Notre Dame | 69 | | | |
| 4Q | Houston | 77 | | | | | | |
| 4Q | Houston | 77 | | | | 2L | Notre Dame | 84 |
| | | | | | | 1L | DePaul | 64 |
| 1L | DePaul | 80 | | | | | | | 1L | DePaul | 64 |
| 3Q | Creighton | 78 | | | | | | |
| 3Q | Creighton | 78 | 1L | DePaul | 90 | | | |
| | | | 2Q | Louisville | 89** | | | |
| 2Q | Louisville | 76 | 2Q | Louisville | 89** | | | |
| 4L | St. John's | 68 | | | | | | |

### Mideast region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1Q | Michigan State | 77 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Providence | 63 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Providence | 63 | 1Q | Michigan State | 90 | | | |
| | | | 4Q | Western Kentucky | 69 | | | |
| 4Q | Western Kentucky | 87 | 4Q | Western Kentucky | 69 | | | |
| 2L | Syracuse | 86* | | | | | | |
| 2L | Syracuse | 86* | | | | 1Q | Michigan State | 49 |
| | | | | | | 2Q | Kentucky | 52 |
| 3Q | Miami (OH) | 84 | | | | | | | 2Q | Kentucky | 52 |
| 1L | Marquette | 81* | | | | | | |
| 1L | Marquette | 81* | 3Q | Miami (OH) | 69 | | | |
| | | | 2Q | Kentucky | 91 | | | |
| 2Q | Kentucky | 85 | 2Q | Kentucky | 91 | | | |
| 4L | Florida State | 76 | | | | | | |

### West region

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1Q | UCLA | 83 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Kansas | 76 | | | | | | |
| 3L | Kansas | 76 | 1Q | UCLA | 70 | | | |
| | | | 2L | Arkansas | 74 | | | |
| 2L | Arkansas | 73 | 2L | Arkansas | 74 | | | |
| 4Q | Weber State | 52 | | | | | | |
| 4Q | Weber State | 52 | | | | 2L | Arkansas | 61 |
| | | | | | | 4L | Cal State Fullerton | 58 |
| 3Q | San Francisco | 68 | | | | | | | 4L | Cal State Fullerton | 58 |
| 1L | North Carolina | 64 | | | | | | |
| 1L | North Carolina | 64 | 3Q | San Francisco | 72 | | | |
| | | | 4L | Cal State Fullerton | 75 | | | |
| 4L | Cal State Fullerton | 90 | 4L | Cal State Fullerton | 75 | | | |
| 2Q | New Mexico | 85 | | | | | | |

### Final Four

| National semifinals Saturday, March 25 | National semifinals Saturday, March 25 | National semifinals Saturday, March 25 | National Championship Game Monday, March 27 | National Championship Game Monday, March 27 | National Championship Game Monday, March 27 |
| E1Q | Duke | 90 | | | |
| MW2L | Notre Dame | 86 | | | |
| MW2L | Notre Dame | 86 | E1Q | Duke | 88 |
| | | | ME2Q | Kentucky | 94 |
| ME2Q | Kentucky | 64 | ME2Q | Kentucky | 94 |
| W2L | Arkansas | 59 | National third-place game | National third-place game | National third-place game |
| | | | MW2L | Notre Dame | 69 |
| | | | W2L | Arkansas | 71 |
Q = automatic qualifier bid L = at-large bid (including 5 automatic bids seeded with at-large teams)

### Game summaries
#### Final Four

* NBC
* March 25
* Box/Recap
#5 Arkansas Razorbacks 59, #1 Kentucky Wildcats 64 :
| Scoring by half: 30–32, 29–32 |||
| Pts: Ron Brewer 16 Rebs: Marvin Delph 8 Asts: Jim Counce 2 | Pts: Jack Givens 23 Rebs: Jack Givens 9 Asts: Jay Shidler 4 |
* The Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 18,721
* NBC
* March 25
* Box/Recap
#7 Duke Blue Devils 90, #6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 86 :
| Scoring by half: 43–29, 47–57 |||
| Pts: Mike Gminski 29 Rebs: Gene Banks 12 Asts: Jim Spanarkel/Bob Bender 5 | Pts: Duck Williams 16 Rebs: Bill Laimbeer 10 Asts: Rich Branning 5 |
* The Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 18,721

#### Championship

* NBC
* March 27
* Box/Recap
#7 Duke Blue Devils 88, #1 Kentucky Wildcats 94 :
| Scoring by half: 38-45, 50-49 |||
| Pts: Gene Banks 22 Rebs: Mike Gminski 12 | Pts: Jack Givens 41 Rebs: Rick Robey 11 |
* The Checkerdome, St. Louis, Missouri Attendance: 18,721

## Announcers

* Dick Enberg/Curt Gowdy, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire – Final Four at St. Louis, Missouri; Gowdy called the Notre Dame-Duke Semifinal with Billy Packer, and served as host of the national championship game, while Enberg called the Arkansas-Kentucky semifinal with Packer and the Duke-Kentucky final with both Packer and McGuire.
* Dick Enberg and Al McGuire – First round at Tulsa, Oklahoma (Louisville–St. John's, Notre Dame–Houston); Midwest Regional Final at Lawrence, Kansas; West Regional Final at Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Curt Gowdy and Billy Packer – East Regional Final at Providence, Rhode Island; Mideast Regional Final at Dayton, Ohio
* Jay Randolph and Gary Thompson – Midwest Regional semifinals at Lawrence, Kansas;National Third Place Game (Arkansas-Notre Dame) at St. Louis, Missouri
* Connie Alexander and Bill Strannigan – West Regional semifinals at Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Dick Enberg and Billy Packer – First round at Knoxville, Tennessee (Kentucky–Florida State, Syracuse–Western Kentucky)
* Curt Gowdy and Al McGuire – First round at Eugene, Oregon (Arkansas–Weber State, UCLA–Kansas)
* Marv Albert and Bucky Waters – First round at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Villanova–La Salle, St. Bonaventure–Pennsylvania)
* Merle Harmon and Fred Taylor – First round at Indianapolis, Indiana (Marquette–Miami Ohio, Michigan State–Providence)