# 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1987 and ended with the Final Four in Kansas City, Missouri on April 4, 1988.

## Season headlines

* Oklahoma became the first school to play for the national championship in both college football and college basketball in the same academic year. The football team lost the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1988, and in the 1988 NCAA tournament the basketball team lost the NCAA championship game on April 4, 1988.

## Season outlook
### Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.
Associated Press :
| Ranking | Team |
| 1 | Syracuse |
| 2 | Purdue |
| 3 | North Carolina |
| 4 | Pittsburgh |
| 5 | Kentucky |
| 6 | Indiana |
| 7 | Kansas |
| 8 | Missouri |
| 9 | Michigan |
| 10 | Wyoming |
| 11 | Iowa |
| 12 | Temple |
| 13 | Louisville |
| 14 | Florida |
| 15 | Duke |
| 16 | Georgetown |
| 17 | Arizona |
| 18 | Georgia Tech |
| 19 | Oklahoma |
| 20 | DePaul |

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Akron Zips | Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| Arkansas State Red Wolves | Southland Conference | American South Conference |
| Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates | Big South Conference | NCAA Division II Independent |
| Eastern Washington Eagles | NCAA Division I independent | Big Sky Conference |
| Florida International (FIU) Panthers | NCAA Division II independent | NCAA Division I independent |
| Lamar Cardinals | Southland Conference | American South Conference |
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Southland Conference | American South Conference |
| Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Kangaroos | NAIA | NCAA Division I Independent |
| New Orleans Privateers | NCAA Division I Independent | American South Conference |
| Nicholls State Colonels | Gulf Star Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| Oral Roberts Titans | Midwestern Collegiate Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| Southeastern Louisiana Lions | Gulf Star Conference | NCAA Division I Independent |
| Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns | NCAA Division I Independent | American South Conference |
| Texas–Pan American Broncs | NCAA Division I Independent | American South Conference |
| Wright State Raiders | NCAA Division II independent | NCAA Division I independent |

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

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference Coach of the Year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| American South Conference | Louisiana Tech & New Orleans | Ledell Eackles, New Orleans | Tommy Joe Eagles, Louisiana Tech & Kevin Wall, Pan American | 1988 American South Conference men's basketball tournament | Montagne Center (Beaumont, Texas) | Louisiana Tech |
| AMCU–8 | Southwest Missouri State | Ken McFadden, Cleveland State | Charlie Spoonhour, Southwest Missouri State | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | Temple | Tim Perry, Temple | John Chaney, Temple | 1988 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament | WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia) | Temple |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | North Carolina | Danny Ferry, Duke | Jim Valvano, NC State | 1988 ACC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | Duke |
| Big East Conference | Pittsburgh | Charles Smith, Pittsburgh | P. J. Carlesimo, Seton Hall | 1988 Big East men's basketball tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) | Syracuse |
| Big Eight Conference | Missouri | Danny Manning, Kansas | Billy Tubbs, Oklahoma | 1988 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) | Oklahoma |
| Big Sky Conference | Boise State | Arnell Jones, Boise State | Bobby Dye, Boise State | 1988 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (Bozeman, Montana) | Boise State |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina | Derek Wilson, Coastal Carolina | Russ Bergman, Coastal Carolina & Gary Edwards, Baptist | 1988 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament | Winthrop Coliseum (Rock Hill, South Carolina) | Winthrop |
| Big Ten Conference | Purdue | Gary Grant, Michigan | Gene Keady, Purdue | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Richmond | Kenny Sanders, George Mason | Ed Tapscott, American & Rick Barnes, George Mason | 1988 CAA men's basketball tournament | Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia) | Richmond |
| East Coast Conference | Lafayette | Michael Anderson, Drexel | Butch van Breda Kolff, Lafayette | 1988 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Towson Center (Towson, Maryland) | Lehigh |
| ECAC Metro | Fairleigh Dickinson & Marist | Rik Smits, Marist | Wayne Szoke, Monmouth | 1988 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament | Rothman Center (Hackensack, New Jersey) | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| ECAC North | Siena | Larry Jones, Boston University | Skip Chappelle, Maine | 1988 ECAC North men's basketball tournament | Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut) | Boston University |
| Ivy League | Cornell | Paul Maley, Yale | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | La Salle | Lionel Simmons, La Salle | Speedy Morris, La Salle | 1988 MAAC men's basketball tournament | Meadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) | La Salle |
| Metro Conference | Louisville | Bimbo Coles, Virginia Tech & Pervis Ellison, Louisville | Frankie Allen, Virginia Tech | 1988 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament | Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee) | Louisville |
| Mid-American Conference | Eastern Michigan | Grant Long, Eastern Michigan | Ben Braun, Eastern Michigan | 1988 MAC men's basketball tournament | Centennial Hall (Toledo, Ohio) | Eastern Michigan |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | North Carolina A&T | Claude Williams, North Carolina A&T | Don Corbett, North Carolina A&T | 1988 MEAC men's basketball tournament | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina) | North Carolina A&T |
| Midwestern Collegiate Conference | Xavier | Byron Larkin, Xavier | Pete Gillen, Xavier | 1988 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament | Market Square Arena (Indianapolis, Indiana) | Xavier |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Bradley | Hersey Hawkins, Bradley | Stan Albeck, Bradley | 1988 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Carver Arena (Peoria, Illinois) | Bradley |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Murray State | Jeff Martin, Murray State | Steve Newton, Murray State | 1988 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Racer Arena (Murray, Kentucky) | Murray State |
| Pacific-10 Conference | Arizona | Sean Elliott, Arizona | Lute Olson, Arizona | 1988 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament | McKale Center (Tucson, Arizona) | Arizona |
| Pacific Coast Athletic Association | UNLV | Brian Shaw, UC Santa Barbara | Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV | 1988 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament | The Forum (Inglewood, California) | UNLV |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | Will Perdue, Vanderbilt | C. M. Newton, Vanderbilt & Sonny Smith, Auburn | 1988 SEC men's basketball tournament | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) | Kentucky |
| Southern Conference | Marshall | Skip Henderson, Marshall | Tom Apke, Appalachian State | 1988 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Asheville Civic Center (Asheville, North Carolina) | Tennessee–Chattanooga |
| Southland Conference | North Texas State | Deon Hunter, North Texas State | Jimmy Gales, North Texas State | 1988 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament | UNT Coliseum (Denton, Texas) | North Texas State |
| Southwest Conference | SMU | Darryl Middleton, Baylor | | 1988 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament | Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas) | SMU |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | Southern | Avery Johnson, Southern | Ben Jobe, Southern | 1988 SWAC men's basketball tournament | | Southern |
| Sun Belt Conference | UNC Charlotte | Byron Dinkins, UNC Charlotte | Jeff Mullins, UNC Charlotte | 1988 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia) | UNC Charlotte |
| Trans America Athletic Conference | Georgia Southern & Arkansas–Little Rock | Jeff Sanders, Georgia Southern | Frank Kerns, Georgia Southern | 1988 TAAC men's basketball tournament | Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, Florida) | Texas–San Antonio |
| West Coast Athletic Conference | Loyola Marymount | Levy Middlebrooks, Loyola Marymount | Paul Westhead, Loyola Marymount | 1988 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament | War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, California) | Loyola Marymount |
| Western Athletic Conference | BYU | Michael Smith, BYU | LaDell Andersen, BYU | 1988 WAC men's basketball tournament | Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, Utah) | Wyoming |

#### Conference standings

1987–88 American South Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1987–88 American South Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Louisiana Tech †7–3 .70022–9  .710 New Orleans7–3 .70021–11  .656 Lamar5–5 .50020–11  .645 Arkansas State4–6 .40021–14  .600 Pan American4–6 .40014–14  .500 Southwestern Louisiana3–7 .30012–16  .429 † 1988 American South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 AMCU-8 Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT SW Missouri State12–2 .85722–7  .759 Cleveland State11–3 .78622–8  .733 Wisconsin–Green Bay9–5 .64318–9  .667 Eastern Illinois7–7 .50017–11  .607 Western Illinois6–8 .42915–12  .556 Northern Iowa4–10 .28610–18  .357 Illinois-Chicago4–10 .2868–20  .286 Valparaiso3–11 .21412–16  .429 Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 1 Temple †18–0 1.00032–2  .941 Rhode Island14–4 .77828–7  .800 West Virginia12–6 .66718–14  .563 Saint Joseph's9–9 .50015–14  .517 Penn State9–9 .50013–14  .481 George Washington7–11 .38913–15  .464 St. Bonaventure7–11 .38913–15  .464 Duquesne6–12 .33311–21  .344 UMass5–13 .27810–17  .370 Rutgers3–15 .1677–22  .241 † 1988 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 ACC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 7 North Carolina11–3 .78627–7  .794 No. 14 NC State10–4 .71424–8  .750 No. 5 Duke †9–5 .64328–7  .800 Georgia Tech8–6 .57122–10  .688 Maryland6–8 .42918–13  .581 Virginia5–9 .35713–18  .419 Clemson4–10 .28614–15  .483 Wake Forest3–11 .21410–18  .357 † 1988 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Big East men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 8 Pittsburgh12–4 .75024–7  .774 No. 9 Syracuse†11–5 .68826–9  .743 Georgetown9–7 .56320–10  .667 Villanova9–7 .56324–13  .649 St. John's8–8 .50017–12  .586 Seton Hall8–8 .50022–13  .629 Boston College6–10 .37518–15  .545 Providence5–11 .31311–17  .393 Connecticut4–12 .25020–14  .588 † 1988 Big East tournament winner As of April 4, 1988 Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 4 Oklahoma†12–2 .85735–4  .897 No. 20 Kansas State11–3 .78625–9  .735 Kansas9–5 .64327–11  .711 Missouri7–7 .50019–11  .633 Iowa State6–8 .42920–12  .625 Oklahoma State4–10 .28614–16  .467 Nebraska4–10 .28613–18  .419 Colorado3–11 .2147–21  .250 † 1988 Big Eight tournament winner As of March 3, 2012 Rankings from AP poll |
| 1987-88 Big Sky men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Boise State †13–3 .81324–6  .800 Idaho11–5 .68819–11  .633 Montana State10–6 .62519–11  .633 Idaho State8–8 .50015–13  .536 Nevada8–8 .50015–13  .536 Montana7–9 .43818–11  .621 Northern Arizona7–9 .43810–18  .357 Weber State6–10 .3759–21  .300 Eastern Washington2–14 .1256–21  .222 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1987–88 Big South Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Coastal Carolina9–3 .75017–11  .607 Baptist8–4 .66717–12  .586 Radford8–4 .66716–14  .533 Winthrop †5–7 .41717–13  .567 UNC Asheville5–7 .41713–15  .464 Augusta State4–8 .3338–18  .308 Campbell3–9 .25011–16  .407 † 1988 Big South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 3 Purdue16–2 .88929–4  .879 No. 10 Michigan13–5 .72226–8  .765 No. 17 Iowa12–6 .66724–10  .706 No. 16 Illinois12–6 .66723–10  .697 Indiana11–7 .61119–10  .655 Ohio State9–9 .50020–13  .606 Wisconsin6–12 .33312–16  .429 Michigan State5–13 .27810–18  .357 Minnesota4–14 .22210–18  .357 Northwestern2–16 .1117–21  .250 Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987-88 CAA men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Richmond †11–3 .78626–7  .788 American9–5 .64314–14  .500 George Mason9–5 .64320–10  .667 UNC-Wilmington8–6 .57115–14  .517 Navy6–8 .42912–16  .429 James Madison5–9 .35710–18  .357 William & Mary5–9 .35710–19  .345 East Carolina3–11 .2148–20  .286 † 1988 CAA tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 East Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Lafayette11–3 .78619–10  .655 Delaware9–5 .64319–9  .679 Drexel9–5 .64318–10  .643 Lehigh †8–6 .57121–10  .677 Bucknell7–7 .50016–12  .571 Rider6–8 .42910–19  .345 Towson State4–10 .28614–16  .467 Hofstra2–12 .1436–21  .222 † 1988 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1987–88 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Siena16–2 .88923–6  .793 Boston University †14–4 .77823–8  .742 Hartford12–6 .66715–16  .484 Niagara12–6 .66715–15  .500 Northeastern11–7 .61115–13  .536 Maine10–8 .55613–15  .464 Canisius7–11 .3897–20  .259 New Hampshire3–15 .1674–25  .138 Colgate3–15 .1674–23  .148 Vermont2–16 .1113–24  .111 † 1988 North Atlantic tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 Ivy League men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Cornell11–3 .78617–10  .630 Dartmouth10–4 .71418–8  .692 Princeton9–5 .64317–9  .654 Yale8–6 .57112–14  .462 Penn8–6 .57110–16  .385 Harvard6–8 .42911–15  .423 Brown2–12 .1436–20  .231 Columbia2–12 .1436–20  .231 Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 MAAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT La Salle †14–0 1.00024–10  .706 Saint Peter's11–3 .78620–9  .690 Fordham9–5 .64318–15  .545 Holy Cross8–6 .57114–15  .483 Iona5–9 .35711–16  .407 Army4–10 .2869–19  .321 Fairfield4–10 .2868–20  .286 Manhattan1–13 .0717–23  .233 † 1988 MAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Metro Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Louisville †9–3 .75024–11  .686 Florida State7–5 .58319–11  .633 South Carolina6–6 .50019–10  .655 Virginia Tech6–6 .50019–10  .655 Memphis State6–6 .50020–12  .625 Southern Miss5–7 .41719–11  .633 Cincinnati3–9 .25011–17  .393 † 1988 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 18 Xavier †9–1 .90026–4  .867 Evansville6–4 .60021–8  .724 Saint Louis5–5 .50014–14  .500 Butler5–5 .50014–14  .500 Loyola (IL)3–7 .30013–16  .448 Detroit Mercy2–8 .2007–23  .233 † 1988 MCC tournament winner Rankings from AP | 1987–88 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Eastern Michigan †14–2 .87522–8  .733 Central Michigan10–6 .62519–13  .594 Ohio9–7 .56316–14  .533 Ball State8–8 .50014–14  .500 Western Michigan7–9 .43812–17  .414 Bowling Green7–9 .43812–16  .429 Kent State6–10 .37510–18  .357 Miami (OH)6–10 .3759–18  .333 Toledo5–11 .31315–12  .556 † 1988 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 MEAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Carolina A&T †16–0 1.00026–3  .897 Florida A&M11–5 .68822–8  .733 South Carolina State10–6 .62516–13  .552 Howard9–7 .56315–12  .556 Coppin State8–7 .53313–14  .481 Morgan State7–8 .46713–17  .433 Maryland Eastern Shore5–11 .3137–20  .259 Bethune–Cookman4–12 .2506–21  .222 Delaware State1–15 .0633–25  .107 † 1988 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 11 Bradley †12–2 .85726–5  .839 Wichita State11–3 .78620–10  .667 Illinois State9–5 .64318–13  .581 Southern Illinois6–8 .42912–16  .429 Creighton6–8 .42916–16  .500 Drake5–9 .35714–14  .500 Tulsa4–10 .2868–20  .286 Indiana State3–11 .2147–21  .250 † 1988 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 ECAC Metro men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Fairleigh Dickinson†13–3 .81323–7  .767 Marist*13–3 .81318–9  .667 Monmouth11–5 .68816–13  .552 Robert Morris9–7 .56314–14  .500 Long Island8–8 .50014–14  .500 Loyola (MD)6–10 .3758–22  .267 St. Francis (NY)5–11 .31311–18  .379 Saint Francis (PA)4–12 .2507–20  .259 Wagner3–13 .1889–18  .333 † 1988 ECAC Metro tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll *Ineligible for conference tournament | 1987–88 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Murray State †13–1 .92922–9  .710 Middle Tennessee11–3 .78623–11  .676 Austin Peay10–4 .71417–13  .567 Eastern Kentucky10–4 .71418–11  .621 Tennessee Tech5–9 .35712–16  .429 Tennessee State4–10 .28611–17  .393 Youngstown State2–12 .1437–21  .250 Morehead State1–13 .0715–22  .185 † 1988 Ohio Valley Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 12 UNLV15–3 .83328–6  .824 UC Santa Barbara13–5 .72222–8  .733 Utah State †13–5 .72221–10  .677 Long Beach State11–7 .61117–12  .586 UC Irvine9–9 .50016–14  .533 New Mexico State8–10 .44416–16  .500 San Jose State8–10 .44414–15  .483 Cal State Fullerton7–11 .38912–17  .414 Fresno State6–12 .3339–19  .321 Pacific0–18 .0005–24  .172 † 1988 PCAA tournament winner | 1987–88 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings ConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 2 Arizona †17–1 .94435–3  .921 Oregon State12–6 .66720–11  .645 UCLA12–6 .66716–14  .533 Stanford11–7 .61121–12  .636 Oregon10–8 .55616–14  .533 Washington State7–11 .38913–16  .448 Arizona State6–12 .33313–16  .448 USC5–13 .2787–21  .250 California5–13 .2789–20  .310 Washington5–13 .27810–19  .345 † Conference tournament winner As of April 15, 1988 Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 6 Kentucky †13–5 .72227–6  .818 Auburn11–7 .61119–11  .633 Florida11–7 .61123–12  .657 LSU10–8 .55616–14  .533 Vanderbilt10–8 .55620–11  .645 Tennessee9–9 .50016–13  .552 Georgia8–10 .44420–16  .556 Ole Miss6–12 .33313–16  .448 Alabama6–12 .33314–17  .452 Mississippi State6–12 .33314–15  .483 † 1988 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Marshall14–2 .87524–8  .750 Furman11–5 .68818–10  .643 Davidson9–7 .56315–13  .536 East Tennessee State9–7 .56314–15  .483 Chattanooga †8–8 .50020–13  .606 Appalachian State8–8 .50016–13  .552 VMI6–10 .37513–17  .433 The Citadel5–11 .3138–20  .286 Western Carolina2–14 .1258–19  .296 † 1988 SoCon Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1987–88 Southland Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Texas State †12–2 .85717–13  .567 Northeast Louisiana10–4 .71421–9  .700 Sam Houston State9–5 .64314–14  .500 Northwestern State7–7 .50016–12  .571 Texas State6–8 .4299–22  .290 Stephen F. Austin4–10 .28610–18  .357 McNeese State4–10 .2867–22  .241 Texas-Arlington4–10 .2867–22  .241 † 1988 Southland Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT SMU †12–4 .75028–7  .800 Arkansas11–5 .68821–9  .700 Baylor11–5 .68823–11  .676 Houston10–6 .62518–13  .581 Texas10–6 .62516–13  .552 Texas A&M8–8 .50016–15  .516 Texas Tech4–12 .2509–19  .321 TCU3–13 .1889–19  .321 Rice3–13 .1886–21  .222 † 1988 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 SWAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Southern †12–2 .85724–7  .774 Texas Southern11–3 .78621–8  .724 Grambling State9–5 .64313–17  .433 Jackson State7–7 .50013–15  .464 Mississippi Valley State5–9 .3578–20  .286 Alcorn State5–9 .3578–21  .276 Alabama State4–10 .2868–20  .286 Prairie View A&M3–11 .2145–22  .185 † 1988 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT UNC Charlotte †11–3 .78622–9  .710 VCU10–4 .71423–12  .657 Old Dominion9–5 .64318–12  .600 South Alabama8–6 .57115–14  .517 UAB7–7 .50016–15  .516 Western Kentucky6–8 .42915–13  .536 South Florida3–11 .2146–22  .214 Jacksonville2–12 .1438–21  .276 † 1988 Sun Belt Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | 1987–88 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Georgia Southern15–3 .83324–7  .774 Arkansas–Little Rock15–3 .83324–7  .774 UTSA †13–5 .72222–9  .710 Hardin-Simmons10–8 .55618–12  .600 Mercer8–10 .44415–14  .517 Centenary8–10 .44413–15  .464 Stetson8–10 .44413–15  .464 Georgia State5–13 .2789–19  .321 Houston Baptist4–14 .2229–18  .333 Samford4–14 .2227–20  .259 † 1988 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll |
| 1987–88 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 15 Loyola Marymount †14–0 1.00028–4  .875 Saint Mary's9–5 .64319–9  .679 Santa Clara9–5 .64320–11  .645 Pepperdine8–6 .57117–13  .567 Gonzaga7–7 .50016–12  .571 San Francisco5–9 .35713–15  .464 San Diego3–11 .21411–17  .393 Portland1–13 .0716–22  .214 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | 1987–88 WAC men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT No. 19 BYU13–3 .81326–6  .813 No. 13 Wyoming †11–5 .68826–6  .813 Utah11–5 .68819–11  .633 UTEP10–6 .62523–10  .697 New Mexico8–8 .50022–14  .611 Colorado State8–8 .50022–13  .629 San Diego State5–11 .31312–17  .414 Air Force4–12 .25011–17  .393 Hawaii2–14 .1254–25  .138 † 1988 WAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll |

### Division I independents

A total of 18 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Akron (21–7) had the best winning percentage (.750) and DePaul (22–8) finished with the most wins.
1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings :
* 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Akron– –21–7
* .750
* DePaul– –22–8
* .733
* Notre Dame– –20–9
* .690
* Wright State– –16–11
* .593
* Miami (FL)– –17–14
* .548
* UMBC– –13–15
* .464
* Dayton– –13–18
* .419
* Brooklyn– –11–17
* .393
* Central Connecticut State– –10–18
* .357
* Marquette– –10–18
* .357
* Nicholls State– –10–18
* .357
* U.S. International– –10–18
* .357
* UMKC– –9–18
* .333
* Central Florida– –9–19
* .321
* Florida International– –9–19
* .321
* Chicago State– –8–20
* .286
* Northern Illinois– –8–20
* .286
* Oral Roberts– –8–21
* .276
* Southeastern Louisiana– –7–21
* .250
* Rankings from AP Poll

### Informal championships

| Conference | Regular season winner | Most Valuable Player |
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Temple | Lionel Simmons, La Salle |
Temple finished with a 4–0 record 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 | Assists per game | Assists per game | Assists per game | Steals per game | Steals per game | Steals per game |
| Player | School | PPG | Player | School | RPG | Player | School | APG | Player | School | SPG |
| Hersey Hawkins | Bradley | 36.3 | Kenny Miller | Loyola (IL) | 13.5 | Avery Johnson | Southern | 13.3 | Aldwin Ware | Florida A&M | 4.9 |
| Daren Queenan | Lehigh | 28.5 | Rodney Mack | South Carolina St. | 13.3 | Anthony Manuel | Bradley | 12.0 | Marty Johnson | Towson St. | 4.1 |
| Anthony Mason | Tennessee St. | 28.0 | Jerome Lane | Pittsburgh | 12.2 | Craig Neal | Georgia Tech | 9.5 | Mookie Blaylock | Oklahoma | 3.8 |
| Grant Hayward | Loyola (IL) | 26.1 | Kenny Sanders | George Mason | 11.7 | Corey Gaines | Loyola Marymount | 8.7 | Haywoode Workman | Oral Roberts | 3.6 |
| Jeff Martin | Murray St. | 26.0 | Randy White | Louisiana Tech | 11.6 | Howard Evans | Temple | 8.6 | Avery Johnson | Southern | 3.5 |
| Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Blocked shots per game | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Field-goal percentage | Three-Point FG percentage | Three-Point FG percentage | Three-Point FG percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage | Free-throw percentage |
| Player | School | BPG | Player | School | FG% | Player | School | 3FG% | Player | School | FT% |
| Rodney Blake | St. Joseph's | 4.0 | Arnell Jones | Boise St. | 66.1 | Glenn Tropf | Holy Cross | 63.4 | Steve Henson | Kansas St. | 92.5 |
| Rik Smits | Marist | 3.9 | Stanley Brundy | DePaul | 65.8 | Steve Kerr | Arizona | 57.3 | Archie Tullos | Detroit | 90.8 |
| Mike Brown | Canisius | 3.7 | Tony Holifield | Illinois St. | 64.8 | Mike Joseph | Bucknell | 56.0 | Jay Edwards | Indiana | 90.8 |
| Tim Perry | Temple | 3.6 | Jarvis Basnight | UNLV | 64.8 | Reginald Jones | Prairie View A&M | 54.8 | Jim Barton | Dartmouth | 90.6 |
| Roy Brow | Virginia Tech | 3.6 | Eric Leckner | Wyoming | 64.4 | Dave Orlandini | Princeton | 54.5 | LaBradford Smith | Louisville | 90.5 |

## Postseason tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Final Four - Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri

| National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National championship game | National championship game | National championship game |
| E2 | Duke | 59 | | | |
| M6 | Kansas | 66 | | | |
| M6 | Kansas | 66 | M6 | Kansas | 83 |
| | | | S1 | Oklahoma | 79 |
| S1 | Oklahoma | 86 | S1 | Oklahoma | 79 |
| W1 | Arizona | 78 | | | |

### National Invitation tournament
#### NIT Semifinals and Final

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Boston College | 67 | | |
| Connecticut | 73 | | |
| Connecticut | 73 | Connecticut | 72 |
| | | Ohio State | 67 |
| Ohio State | 64 | Ohio State | 67 |
| Colorado State | 62 | | |
| Third place game | Third place game | Third place game |
| | Boston College | 57 |
| | Colorado State | 58 |

## Award winners
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Sean Elliott | F | Junior | Arizona |
| Gary Grant | G | Senior | Michigan |
| Hersey Hawkins | G | Senior | Bradley |
| Danny Manning | F | Senior | Kansas |
| J.R. Reid | F/C | Sophomore | North Carolina |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
| Danny Ferry | F | Junior | Duke |
| Jerome Lane | F | Junior | Pittsburgh |
| Mark Macon | G | Freshman | Temple |
| Mitch Richmond | G | Senior | Kansas State |
| Rony Seikaly | C | Senior | Syracuse |
| Michael Smith | F/C | Junior | Brigham Young |

### Major player of the year awards

* Wooden Award: Danny Manning, Kansas
* Naismith Award: Danny Manning, Kansas
* Associated Press Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
* UPI Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
* NABC Player of the Year: Danny Manning, Kansas
* Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
* Adolph Rupp Trophy: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
* Sporting News Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley

### Major coach of the year awards

* Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
* UPI Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
* Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Chaney, Temple
* NABC Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
* Naismith College Coach of the Year: Larry Brown, Kansas
* CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
* Sporting News Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple

### Other major awards

* Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jerry Johnson, Florida Southern
* Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Lionel Simmons, La Salle
* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Mark Bryant, Seton Hall

## Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach | New Coach |
| Drake | Gary Garner | Tom Abatemarco |
| Hardin–Simmons | Dick Danford | Dennis Harp |
| Kansas | Larry Brown | Roy Williams |
| Lamar | Tom Abatemarco | Tony Branch |
| UMass | Ron Gerlufson | John Calipari |