# 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

The 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1976–77 season. The team was led by head coach Jerry Tarkanian and played its home games in the Las Vegas Convention Center. This season marked the school's first appearance in the Final Four. The Rebels finished with an overall record of 29–3 and were ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.
This team, nicknamed the Hardway Eight, is credited with paving the way in establishing UNLV as a national contender from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 26, 1976* | No. 7 | at Nevada | W 102–87 | 1–0 | Centennial Coliseum (6,274) Reno, Nevada |
| Dec 1, 1976* | No. 6 | Oregon | W 78–67 | 2–0 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 4, 1976* | No. 6 | Iowa State | W 115–80 | 3–0 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 7, 1976* | No. 4 | at Utah | L 96–100 | 3–1 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (12,230) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Dec 11, 1976* | No. 12 | at San Diego State | W 118–113 | 4–1 | San Diego Sports Arena (5,221) San Diego, California |
| Dec 17, 1976* | No. 12 | North Dakota State | W 112–81 | 5–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 18, 1976* | No. 12 | Idaho | W 135–78 | 6–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 21, 1976* | No. 12 | Murray State Las Vegas Rebel Roundup | W 104–77 | 7–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,005) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 22, 1976* | No. 12 | Oklahoma Las Vegas Rebel Roundup | W 100–89 | 8–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 28, 1976* | No. 11 | Eastern Michigan Las Vegas Holiday Classic | W 109–85 | 9–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dec 29, 1976* | No. 11 | Saint Mary's Las Vegas Holiday Classic | W 104–81 | 10–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 3, 1977* | No. 11 | Colorado | W 113–91 | 11–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 7, 1977* | No. 9 | New Mexico | W 121–96 | 12–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 8, 1977* | No. 9 | Cal State Northridge | W 112–72 | 13–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 11, 1977* | No. 8 | Northern Arizona | W 132–90 | 14–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 21, 1977* | No. 7 | UC Santa Barbara | W 113–69 | 15–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 22, 1977* | No. 7 | Pepperdine | W 85–80 | 16–1 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Feb 1, 1977* | No. 4 | at Bradley | W 107–106 | 17–1 | Robertson Memorial Field House (7,300) Peoria, Illinois |
| Feb 3, 1977* | No. 4 | at Illinois State | L 84–88 | 17–2 | Horton Field House (8,000) Normal, Illinois |
| Feb 5, 1977* | No. 4 | vs. Rutgers | W 89–88 | 18–2 | Spectrum (7,506) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 10, 1977* | No. 10 | Denver | W 106–84 | 19–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Feb 12, 1977* | No. 10 | No. 6 Louisville | W 99–96 | 20–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,457) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Feb 17, 1977* | No. 6 | Texas-Rio Grande Valley | W 135–106 | 21–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Feb 19, 1977* | No. 6 | Portland State | W 112–96 | 22–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Feb 24, 1977* | No. 6 | at Denver | W 99–82 | 23–2 | DU Fieldhouse (2,316) Denver, Colorado |
| Mar 1, 1977* | No. 5 | Hawaii | W 124–84 | 24–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,307) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Mar 5, 1977* | No. 5 | at Pepperdine | W 117–94 | 25–2 | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,500) Malibu, California |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 12, 1977* | No. 5 | vs. No. 3 San Francisco West Regional Quarterfinal | W 121–95 | 26–2 | McKale Center (14,438) Tucson, Arizona |
| Mar 17, 1977* | No. 4 | vs. No. 14 Utah West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 88–83 | 27–2 | Marriott Center (22,783) Provo, Utah |
| Mar 19, 1977* | No. 4 | vs. Idaho State West Regional final – Elite Eight | W 107–90 | 28–2 | Marriott Center (22,783) Provo, Utah |
| Mar 26, 1977* | No. 4 | vs. No. 5 North Carolina National semifinal – Final Four | L 83–84 | 28–3 | The Omni (16,086) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Mar 28, 1977* | No. 4 | vs. No. 17 UNC Charlotte National 3rd-place game | W 106–94 | 29–3 | The Omni (16,086) Atlanta, Georgia |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. ||||||
    Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 7 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Coaches | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | Not released |

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 26 | Glen Gondrezick | New York Knicks |
| 2 | 31 | Eddie Owens | Kansas City Kings |
| 2 | 34 | Larry Moffett | Houston Rockets |
| 3 | 48 | Sam Smith | Atlanta Hawks |
| 3 | 65 | Robert Smith | Denver Nuggets |
| 4 | 69 | Lewis Brown | Milwaukee Bucks |