| 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Preseason AP No. 1 | Michigan Wolverines[1][2] |
| NCAA Tournament | 1977 |
| Tournament dates | March 12 – 28, 1977 |
| National Championship | The Omni Atlanta, Georgia |
| NCAA Champions | Marquette Warriors |
| Helms National Champions | Marquette Warriors |
| Other champions | St. Bonaventure (NIT) |
| Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden) | Marques Johnson, UCLA |
| Player of the Year (Helms) | Marques Johnson, UCLA |
The 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1976, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 28, 1977, at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. The Marquette Warriors won their first NCAA national championship with a 67–59 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Rule changes
The slam dunk, prohibited in NCAA basketball games and warm-ups since the 1967–68 season because of criticism that it rewarded height rather than skill, once again became legal after a nine-season absence.[3][4]
Season headlines
- In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 11th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[5][6]
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Conference membership changes
The Eastern Collegiate Basketball League, with eight members, and the Sun Belt Conference, with six members, both began play this season. The ECBL, popularly known as the "Eastern 8," became the Eastern Athletic Association the following season and eventually became the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Yankee Conference dropped all sports except football at the end of the previous season, and seven of its members left the conference before this season began.
Although Chattanooga joined the Southern Conference this season, it still was considered a Division II program. It completed its transition to Division I status after the conclusion of the season.
Regular season
Conference winners and tournaments
From 1975 to 1982, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of Northeastern colleges and universities, organized Division I ECAC regional tournaments for those of its members that were independents in basketball. Each 1977 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.[7]
Informal championships
| Conference | Regular season winner |
Conference player of the year |
Conference tournament |
Tournament venue (City) |
Tournament winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Big 5 | Penn & Temple | None selected | No Tournament | ||
Statistical leaders
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
Final Four
| National semifinals | National finals | ||||||||
| E | North Carolina | 84 | |||||||
| W | UNLV | 83 | |||||||
| E | North Carolina | 59 | |||||||
| MW | Marquette | 67 | |||||||
| ME | UNC Charlotte | 49 | |||||||
| MW | Marquette | 51 | |||||||
- Third Place – UNLV 106, UNC Charlotte 94
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| Alabama | 76 | ||||||||
| Houston | 82 | ||||||||
| Houston | 91 | ||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 94 | ||||||||
| Villanova | 82 | ||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 86 | ||||||||
- Third Place – Villanova 102, Alabama 89
Awards
Consensus All-American teams
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent Benson | C | Senior | Indiana |
| Otis Birdsong | G | Senior | Houston |
| Phil Ford | G | Junior | North Carolina |
| Rickey Green | G | Senior | Michigan |
| Marques Johnson | F | Senior | UCLA |
| Bernard King | F | Junior | Tennessee |
| Player | Position | Class | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Ballard | F | Senior | Oregon |
| Bill Cartwright | C | Sophomore | San Francisco |
| Rod Griffin | G | Junior | Wake Forest |
| Ernie Grunfeld | F | Senior | Tennessee |
| Phil Hubbard | F | Senior | Michigan |
| Butch Lee | G | Junior | Marquette |
| Mychal Thompson | F/C | Junior | Minnesota |
Major player of the year awards
- Wooden Award: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Naismith Award: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Helms Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- UPI Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- NABC Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Adolph Rupp Trophy: Marques Johnson, UCLA
- Sporting News Player of the Year: Marques Johnson, UCLA
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jeff Jonas, Utah
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Keven McDonald, Penn
- NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Rich Laurel, Hofstra
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
| Team | Former Coach |
Interim Coach |
New Coach |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | Lake Kelly | Ed Thompson | ||
| Hardin–Simmons | Preston Vice | Jim Shuler | ||
| Marquette | Al McGuire | Hank Raymonds | ||
| Marshall | Bob Daniels | Stu Aberdeen | ||
| Oral Roberts | Jerry Hale | Lake Kelly | ||
| Penn | Chuck Daly | Bob Weinhauer | ||
| Tennessee | Ray Mears | Cliff Wettig | Don DeVoe | |
References
- ↑ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ↑ "1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ↑ Fitzpatrick, Frank, "When college basketball outlawed the dunk," Philadelphia Inquirer, March 23, 2014 Accessed April 6, 2021
- ↑ "Burnsed, Brian, "A Brief History of Men's College Basketball," Champion, Fall 2018 Accessed April 6, 2021". Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ↑ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ↑ "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ↑ Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
- ↑ "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ↑ 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
- ↑ 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
- ↑ Carson, Chris, "UConn Basketball: The Top 50 Players in School History," Bleacher Report, November 8, 2011 Accessed April 3, 2021
- ↑ Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01
- ↑ 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
- ↑ 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
- ↑ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- ↑ 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
- ↑ 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
- ↑ 2007–08 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Media Guide, Sun Belt Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07