# 1978 NCAA Division III basketball tournament

The 1978 NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament was the fourth annual single-elimination tournament to determine the men's collegiate basketball national champion of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, held during March 1978.
The tournament field included 30 teams and the national championship rounds were contested in Rock Island, Illinois.
North Park defeated Widener, 69–57, in the championship game to win their first national title.

## Bracket
### Regionals

| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| UMass Boston | UMass Boston | 93 | | | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | 90 | | | |
| Suffolk | Suffolk | 90 | UMass Boston | UMass Boston | 68 |
| | | | Brandeis | Brandeis | 69 |
| Brandeis | Brandeis | 79 | Brandeis | Brandeis | 69 |
| Clark (MA) | Clark (MA) | 77 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Suffolk | Suffolk | 87 |
| | | | Clark (MA) | Clark (MA) | 89 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 68 | | | |
| SUNY Potsdam | SUNY Potsdam | 62 | | | |
| SUNY Potsdam | SUNY Potsdam | 62 | Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 40 |
| | | | St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 34 |
| St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 65 | St. Lawrence | St. Lawrence | 34 |
| Manhattanville | Manhattanville | 62 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | SUNY Potsdam | SUNY Potsdam | 64 |
| | | | Manhattanville | Manhattanville | 60 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Widener | Widener | 47 | | | |
| Upsala | Upsala | 39 | | | |
| Upsala | Upsala | 39 | Widener | Widener | 63* |
| | | | Slippery Rock | Slippery Rock | 60 |
| Slippery Rock | Slippery Rock | 70 | Slippery Rock | Slippery Rock | 60 |
| Scranton | Scranton | 65 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Upsala | Upsala | 77 |
| | | | Scranton | Scranton | 84 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Kean | Kean | 84 | | | |
| Virginia Wesleyan | Virginia Wesleyan | 75 | | | |
| Virginia Wesleyan | Virginia Wesleyan | 75 | Kean | Kean | 80 |
| | | | Washington and Lee | Washington and Lee | 64 |
| Washington and Lee | Washington and Lee | 66 | Washington and Lee | Washington and Lee | 64 |
| New Jersey City | New Jersey City | 65 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Virginia Wesleyan | Virginia Wesleyan | 102 |
| | | | New Jersey City | New Jersey City | 105 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Albion | Albion | 72 | | | |
| Otterbein | Otterbein | 67 | | | |
| Otterbein | Otterbein | 67 | Albion | Albion | 91 |
| | | | Bethany (WV) | Bethany (WV) | 74 |
| Bethany (WV) | Bethany (WV) | 70 | Bethany (WV) | Bethany (WV) | 74 |
| Rose–Hulman | Rose–Hulman | 68 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Otterbein | Otterbein | 99 |
| | | | Rose–Hulman | Rose–Hulman | 82 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Wooster | Wooster | 84 | | | |
| DePauw | DePauw | 74 | | | |
| DePauw | DePauw | 74 | Wooster | Wooster | 76 |
| | | | Knoxville | Knoxville | 84 |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | 86 | Knoxville | Knoxville | 84 |
| Transylvania | Transylvania | 67 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | DePauw | DePauw | 79 |
| | | | Transylvania | Transylvania | 96 |
| First round | First round | First round | Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| North Park | North Park | 78 | | | |
| Ripon | Ripon | 68 | | | |
| Ripon | Ripon | 68 | North Park | North Park | 65 |
| | | | Minnesota–Morris | Minnesota–Morris | 62 |
| Minnesota–Morris | Minnesota–Morris | 62 | Minnesota–Morris | Minnesota–Morris | 62 |
| Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 59 | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place | Regional Third-place |
| | | | Ripon | Ripon | 66 |
| | | | Central (IA) | Central (IA) | 81 |
| Regional Championship | Regional Championship | Regional Championship |
| Humboldt State | Humboldt State | 69 |
| Ashland | Ashland | 68 |

### National finals

* Site: Rock Island, Illinois
| National quarterfinals | National quarterfinals | National quarterfinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National semifinals | National championship | National championship | National championship |
| Brandeis | Brandeis | 84 | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 98 | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 98 | Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 38 | | | |
| | | | Widener | Widener | 48 | | | |
| Widener | Widener | 55 | Widener | Widener | 48 | | | |
| Kean | Kean | 49 | | | | | | |
| Kean | Kean | 49 | | | | Widener | Widener | 57 |
| | | | | | | North Park | North Park | 69 |
| Albion | Albion | 78 | | | | | | | North Park | North Park | 69 |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | 77 | | | |
| Knoxville | Knoxville | 77 | Albion | Albion | 69 | National third-place game | National third-place game | National third-place game |
| | | | North Park | North Park | 75 |
| North Park | North Park | 79* | North Park | North Park | 75 | Stony Brook | Stony Brook | 78 |
| Humboldt State | Humboldt State | 76 | | | | Albion | Albion | 87 |