# 1978–79 Iona Gaels men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Iona Gaels men's basketball team represented Iona College during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gaels, led fourth-year by head coach Jim Valvano, played their home games at the Hynes Athletic Center. The Gaels received a bid to the 1979 NCAA tournament. Competing as the No. 8 seed in the East region, the Gaels were defeated by No. 9 seed and eventual Final Four participant Penn in the opening round.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 25, 1978* | | St. Lawrence | W 107–77 | 1–0 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Nov 28, 1978* | | Pace | W 113–64 | 2–0 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 1, 1978* | | vs. Utah State Carrier Classic | W 73–61 | 3–0 | Manley Field House Syracuse, New York |
| Dec 2, 1978* | | at No. 9 Syracuse Carrier Classic | L 76–89 | 3–1 | Manley Field House Syracuse, New York |
| Dec 6, 1978* | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | W 81–63 | 4–1 | |
| Dec 9, 1978* | | at Auburn | L 66–74 | 4–2 | Memorial Coliseum Auburn, Alabama |
| Dec 21, 1978* | | Detroit | L 72–76 | 4–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 23, 1978* | | New Orleans | W 75–72 | 5–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 29, 1978* | | Northeastern Iona Classic | W 103–88 | 6–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 30, 1978* | | Saint Mary's Iona Classic | W 84–74 | 7–3 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 2, 1979* | | East Carolina | L 75–76 | 7–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 6, 1979* | | Wagner | W 82–78 | 8–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 10, 1979* | | Niagara | W 78–66 | 9–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 13, 1979* | | at Milwaukee | W 88–75 | 10–4 | |
| Jan 17, 1979* | | at Saint Peter's | W 70–68 | 11–4 | |
| Jan 20, 1979* | | UAB | W 61–59 | 12–4 | Hynes Athletic Center (2,020) New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 22, 1979* | | vs. Pittsburgh | W 84–79 | 13–4 | |
| Jan 24, 1979* | | Fairfield | W 97–89 | 14–4 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Jan 30, 1979* | | at UNLV | L 79–86 | 14–5 | |
| Feb 3, 1979* | | St. Francis (NY) | W 97–89 | 14–5 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 7, 1979* | | vs. Holy Cross | W 64–62 | 15–5 | |
| Feb 10, 1979* | | at Saint Francis (PA) | W 65–63 | 16–5 | |
| Feb 14, 1979* | | at Army | W 55–53 | 17–5 | |
| Feb 17, 1979* | | Long Beach State | W 81–63 | 18–5 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Feb 19, 1979* | | at Siena | W 70–68 | 19–5 | |
| Feb 24, 1979* | | Fordham | W 79–70 | 20–5 | Hynes Athletic Center New Rochelle, New York |
| ECAC Metro tournament ||||||
| Mar 1, 1979* | | vs. Seton Hall Semifinals | W 80–73 | 21–5 | Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York |
| Mar 3, 1979* | | vs. St. John's Final | W 63–57 | 22–5 | Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 9, 1979* | (8 E) | vs. (9 E) Pennsylvania First round | L 69–73 | 22–6 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||