# 1975–76 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

The 1975–76 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1975–76 season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season. The Fighting Irish finished the regular season with a record of 23–6. In the 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, the Fighting Irish defeated Cincinnati in the first round, 79–78 and then lost to Michigan in the second round.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 29 | | Kent State | W 90–61 | 1–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 2 | | Valparaiso | W 117–83 | 2–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 6 | | Texas Tech | W 88–63 | 3–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 8 | No. 9 | at Kansas | W 72–64 | 4–0 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas |
| December 11 | No. 8 | at No. 1 Indiana | L 60–63 | 4–1 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana |
| December 13 | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 103–73 | 5–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 30 | | at Kentucky | L 77–79 | 5–2 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| January 3 | No. 5 | at No. 4 UCLA | W 66–63 | 5–3 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 10 | | Manhattan | W 88–71 | 6–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 12 | | at Pittsburgh | W 77–66 | 7–3 | Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| January 14 | | Ball State | W 119–78 | 8–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 17 | | at Xavier | W 90–79 | 9–3 | Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati, Ohio |
| January 21 | | Saint Joseph (IN) | W 97–60 | 10–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 24 | No. 15 | No. 6 UCLA | W 95–85 | 11–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 28 | | DePaul | W 89–68 | 12–3 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 31 | | Maryland | L 63–69 | 12–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 4 | | at La Salle | W 108–89 | 13–4 | Tom Gola Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 7 | | Davidson | W 117–74 | 14–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 9 | | St. Bonaventure | W 95–80 | 15–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 11 | | Villanova | W 84–57 | 16–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 14 | | West Virginia | W 97–77 | 17–4 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 16 | | vs. Butler | W 92–79 | 18–4 | |
| February 19 | | vs. Fordham | W 91–78 | 19–4 | |
| February 21 | | at South Carolina | W 90–83 | 20–4 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, SC |
| February 25 | | at Dayton | W 85–79 | 21–4 | University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio |
| February 28 | No. 6 | Marquette | L 75–81 | 21–5 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 1 | | Western Michigan | W 95–88 $^{OT}$ | 22–5 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 13 | | Cincinnati NCAA Tournament • First Round | W 79–78 | 23–5 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| March 18 | | Michigan NCAA Tournament • Second Round | L 76–80 | 23–6 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 6 | Adrian Dantley | Buffalo Braves |