1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

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.

1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	Michigan Wolverines
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 Bonnies (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Marques Johnson, UCLA Bruins
Player of the Year (Helms)	Marques Johnson, UCLA Bruins

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.

Season headlines

• The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 12 to 16 teams.
• In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 11th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.

'Associated Press' Ranking Team 1 Michigan (21) 2 Marquette (6) 3 North Carolina (9) 4 UCLA (2) 5 Indiana (7) 6 Kentucky (2) 7 UNLV 8 Maryland 9 Louisville (1) 10 Arizona 11 San Francisco (1) 12 Cincinnati 13 Alabama 14 Notre Dame 15 NC State 16 Tennessee 17 Rutgers 18 DePaul 19 UNC Charlotte 20 Missouri

UPI Coaches Ranking Team 1 Marquette 2 Michigan 3 North Carolina 4 UCLA 5 Indiana 6 Kentucky 7 UNLV 8 Louisville 9 Arizona 10 Cincinnati 11 Maryland 12 San Francisco 13 Tennessee 14 NC State 15 Missouri 16 Wichita State 17 Georgetown 18 Rutgers 19 Penn 20 Purdue

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.

School	Former conference	New conference
Boston University Terriers	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
Catholic Cardinals	Mason–Dixon (D–II)	Division I independent
UNC Charlotte 49ers	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
Connecticut Huskies	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
Duquesne Dukes	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Florida State Seminoles	Division I independent	Metro Conference
George Washington Colonials	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Georgia State Panthers	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
Jacksonville Dolphins	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
James Madison Dukes	Division II independent	Division I independent
Maine Black Bears	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
Massachusetts Minutemen	Yankee Conference	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
New Hampshire Wildcats	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
New Orleans Privateers	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
Northwestern State Demons	NAIA Independent	Division I independent
Old Dominion Monarchs	Division II independent	Division I independent
Penn State Nittany Lions	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Pittsburgh Panthers	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Portland Pilots	Division I independent	West Coast Athletic Conference
Rhode Island Rams	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
Richmond Spiders	Southern Conference	Division I independent
Robert Morris Colonials	No program	Division I independent
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Siena Saints	Division II independent	Division I independent
South Alabama Jaguars	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
South Florida Bulls	Division I independent	Sun Belt Conference
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	Division I independent	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
UNC Wilmington Seahawks	NAIA Independent	Division I independent
Valparaiso Crusaders	Indiana Collegiate Conference (D–II)	Division I independent
Vermont Catamounts	Yankee Conference	Division I independent
Villanova Wildcats	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Wagner Seahawks	Division II independent	Division I independent
West Virginia Mountaineers	Division I independent	Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
Western Carolina Catamounts	NAIA Independent	Division I independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	Rod Griffin, Wake Forest	1977 ACC men's basketball tournament	Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)	North Carolina
Big Eight Conference	Kansas State	Kim Anderson, Missouri, & Mike Evans, Kansas State	1977 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) (Semifinals and Finals)	Kansas State
Big Sky Conference	Idaho State	None selected	1977 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament	ISU Minidome (Pocatello, Idaho)	Idaho State
Big Ten Conference	Michigan	None Selected	No Tournament
East Coast Conference	Hofstra & Temple (East) Lafayette (West)	Rich Laurel, Hofstra	1977 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	Kirby Sports Center (Easton, Pennsylvania)	Hofstra
Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (Eastern 8)	Rutgers (East) Penn State & West Virginia (West)	Norm Nixon, Duquesne	1977 Eastern 8 men's basketball tournament	The Spectrum (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)	Duquesne
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)	Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note)	Tony Hanson, Connecticut	1977 ECAC Metro Region tournament	Madison Square Garden (New York, New York)	St. John's
			1977 ECAC New England Region tournament	Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut)	Holy Cross
			1977 ECAC Southern Region tournament	Campus sites	Syracuse
Ivy League	Princeton	Frank Sowinski, Princeton	No Tournament
Metro Conference	Louisville	Gary Yoder, Cincinnati	1977 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament	Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee)	Cincinnati
Mid-American Conference	Central Michigan	Matt Hicks, Northern Illinois	No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	New Mexico State & Southern Illinois	Roger Phegley, Bradley	1977 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Levitt Arena (Wichita, Kansas)	Southern Illinois
Ohio Valley Conference	Austin Peay	Otis Howard, Austin Peay	1977 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Dunn Center (Clarksville, Tennessee) (Semifinals and Finals)	Middle Tennessee
Pacific-8 Conference	UCLA	Marques Johnson, UCLA	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	Long Beach State & San Diego State	Lloyd McMillian, Long Beach State	1977 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament	Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, California)	Long Beach State
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky & Tennessee	Ernie Grunfeld, Tennessee, & Bernard King, Tennessee	No Tournament
Southern Conference	Furman & VMI	Ron Carter, VMI	1977 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Roanoke Civic Center (Roanoke, Virginia) (Semifinals and Finals)	VMI
Southland Conference	Southwest Louisiana	Dan Henderson, Arkansas State	No Tournament
Southwest Conference	Arkansas	Otis Birdsong, Houston	1977 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament	The Summit (Houston, Texas)	Arkansas
Sun Belt Conference	UNC Charlotte	Cedric Maxwell, UNC Charlotte	1977 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament	Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) (Finals)	UNC Charlotte
West Coast Athletic Conference	San Francisco	Bill Cartwright, San Francisco	No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference	Utah	None Selected	No Tournament

NOTE: From 1975 to 1981, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), a loosely organized sports federation of colleges and universities in the Northeastern United States, 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.

Conference standings

1976–77 ACC men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 5 North Carolina† 9 – 3   .750 28 – 5   .848 No. 9 Wake Forest 8 – 4   .667 22 – 8   .733 Clemson 8 – 4   .667 22 – 6   .786 Maryland 7 – 5   .583 19 – 8   .704 NC State 6 – 6   .500 17 – 11   .607 Virginia 2 – 10   .167 12 – 17   .414 Duke 2 – 10   .167 14 – 13   .519 † 1977 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 16 Kansas State † 11 – 3   .786 23 – 8   .742 Missouri 9 – 5   .643 21 – 8   .724 Oklahoma 9 – 5   .643 18 – 10   .643 Kansas 8 – 6   .571 18 – 10   .643 Nebraska 7 – 7   .500 15 – 14   .517 Colorado 5 – 9   .357 11 – 16   .407 Oklahoma State 4 – 10   .286 10 – 17   .370 Iowa State 3 – 11   .214 7 – 20   .259 † 1977 Big Eight tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Big Sky men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Idaho State † 13 – 1   .929 25 – 5   .833 Weber State 11 – 3   .786 20 – 8   .714 Gonzaga 7 – 7   .500 11 – 16   .407 Montana State 6 – 8   .429 12 – 14   .462 Northern Arizona 5 – 9   .357 12 – 15   .444 Boise State 5 – 9   .357 10 – 16   .385 Montana 5 – 9   .357 7 – 19   .269 Idaho 3 – 11   .214 5 – 21   .192 † Conference tournament winner
1976–77 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 1 Michigan 16 – 2   .889 26 – 4   .867 Purdue 14 – 4   .778 20 – 8   .714 Iowa 12 – 6   .667 20 – 7   .741 Indiana 11 – 7   .611 16 – 11   .593 Michigan State 9 – 9   .500 12 – 15   .444 Illinois 8 – 10   .444 16 – 14   .533 Wisconsin 7 – 11   .389 11 – 16   .407 Northwestern 7 – 11   .389 9 – 18   .333 Ohio State 6 – 12   .333 11 – 16   .407 No. 13 Minnesota* 0 – 18   .000 0 – 27   .000 Rankings from AP Poll *Minnesota forfeited all games due to NCAA sanctions. Disputed record (15–3, 24–3)	1976–77 ECC men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East Temple 4 – 1   .800 17 – 11   .607 Hofstra † 4 – 1   .800 23 – 7   .767 La Salle 3 – 2   .600 17 – 12   .586 Saint Joseph's 2 – 3   .400 13 – 13   .500 American 2 – 3   .400 13 – 13   .500 Drexel 0 – 5   .000 11 – 13   .458 West Lafayette 9 – 1   .900 21 – 6   .778 Delaware 7 – 3   .700 12 – 13   .480 Lehigh 6 – 4   .600 12 – 15   .444 Bucknell 5 – 5   .500 10 – 15   .400 West Chester 2 – 8   .200 11 – 14   .440 Rider 1 – 9   .100 8 – 18   .308 † 1977 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Eastern 8 men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East Rutgers 7 – 1   .875 18 – 10   .643 Villanova 6 – 1   .857 23 – 10   .697 George Washington 5 – 3   .625 14 – 12   .538 UMass 3 – 4   .429 20 – 11   .645 West West Virginia 5 – 5   .500 18 – 11   .621 Penn State 5 – 5   .500 11 – 15   .423 Duquesne † 3 – 7   .300 15 – 15   .500 Pittsburgh 1 – 9   .100 6 – 21   .222 † 1977 Eastern 8 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1976–77 Ivy League men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Princeton 13 – 1   .929 21 – 5   .808 Penn 12 – 2   .857 18 – 8   .692 Columbia 8 – 6   .571 16 – 10   .615 Harvard 6 – 8   .429 9 – 16   .360 Cornell 5 – 9   .357 8 – 18   .308 Brown 5 – 9   .357 6 – 20   .231 Yale 4 – 10   .286 6 – 20   .231 Dartmouth 3 – 11   .214 4 – 22   .154 Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Metro Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 19 Louisville 6 – 1   .857 21 – 7   .750 Cincinnati † 4 – 2   .667 25 – 5   .833 Georgia Tech 3 – 3   .500 13 – 10   .565 Tulane 3 – 3   .500 10 – 17   .370 Memphis State 3 – 4   .429 20 – 9   .690 Saint Louis 1 – 5   .167 7 – 19   .269 Florida State 0 – 2   .000 16 – 11   .593 † 1977 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Central Michigan 13 – 3   .813 18 – 10   .643 Miami (Ohio) 13 – 3   .813 20 – 6   .769 Toledo 12 – 4   .750 21 – 6   .778 Northern Illinois 10 – 6   .625 13 – 14   .481 Western Michigan 8 – 8   .500 14 – 13   .519 Ball State 7 – 9   .438 11 – 14   .440 Bowling Green State 5 – 11   .313 9 – 18   .333 Ohio 4 – 12   .250 9 – 17   .346 Eastern Michigan 4 – 12   .250 9 – 18   .333 Kent State 4 – 12   .250 8 – 19   .296 Rankings from AP Poll
1976–77 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Southern Illinois † 8 – 4   .667 22 – 7   .759 New Mexico State 8 – 4   .667 17 – 10   .630 Wichita State 7 – 5   .583 18 – 10   .643 West Texas State 7 – 5   .583 17 – 13   .567 Drake 5 – 7   .417 10 – 17   .370 Bradley 4 – 8   .333 9 – 18   .333 Tulsa 3 – 9   .250 6 – 21   .222 † 1977 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Austin Peay State 13 – 1   .929 24 – 4   .857 Middle Tennessee † 9 – 5   .643 20 – 9   .690 Morehead State 9 – 5   .643 15 – 10   .600 Murray State 9 – 5   .643 17 – 10   .630 East Tennessee State 6 – 8   .429 12 – 14   .462 Western Kentucky 6 – 8   .429 10 – 16   .385 Eastern Kentucky 3 – 11   .214 8 – 16   .333 Tennessee Tech 1 – 13   .071 7 – 19   .269 † 1977 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 2 UCLA 11 – 3   .786 24 – 5   .828 Oregon 9 – 5   .643 19 – 10   .655 Washington State 8 – 6   .571 19 – 8   .704 Washington 8 – 6   .571 17 – 10   .630 Oregon State 8 – 6   .571 16 – 13   .552 California 7 – 7   .500 12 – 15   .444 Stanford 3 – 11   .214 11 – 16   .407 USC 2 – 12   .143 6 – 20   .231 As of April 15, 1977 Rankings from AP Poll
1976–77 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Long Beach State † 9 – 3   .750 21 – 8   .724 San Diego State 9 – 3   .750 13 – 15   .464 San Jose State 8 – 4   .667 18 – 11   .621 Cal State Fullerton 7 – 5   .583 16 – 10   .615 Pacific 5 – 7   .417 11 – 14   .440 UC Santa Barbara 3 – 9   .250 8 – 18   .308 Fresno State 1 – 11   .083 7 – 20   .259 † 1977 PCAA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 3 Kentucky 16 – 2   .889 26 – 4   .867 No. 15 Tennessee 16 – 2   .889 22 – 6   .786 No. 11 Alabama 14 – 4   .778 25 – 6   .806 Florida 10 – 8   .556 17 – 9   .654 LSU 8 – 10   .444 15 – 12   .556 Mississippi State 6 – 12   .333 14 – 13   .519 Auburn 6 – 12   .333 13 – 13   .500 Vanderbilt 6 – 12   .333 10 – 16   .385 Ole Miss 5 – 13   .278 11 – 16   .407 Georgia 3 – 15   .167 9 – 18   .333 Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Southern Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 20 VMI † 8 – 2   .800 26 – 4   .867 Furman 8 – 2   .800 18 – 10   .643 Appalachian State 8 – 4   .667 17 – 12   .586 William & Mary 7 – 4   .636 16 – 14   .533 East Carolina 3 – 9   .250 10 – 18   .357 Davidson 2 – 8   .200 5 – 22   .185 The Citadel 2 – 9   .182 8 – 19   .296 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1976–77 Southland Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Southwestern Louisiana 8 – 2   .800 21 – 8   .724 McNeese State 7 – 3   .700 20 – 7   .741 Lamar 6 – 4   .600 12 – 17   .414 Arkansas State 4 – 6   .400 14 – 13   .519 Louisiana Tech 4 – 6   .400 13 – 13   .500 Texas-Arlington 1 – 9   .100 3 – 24   .111 Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 18 Arkansas† 16 – 0   1.000 26 – 2   .929 Houston 13 – 3   .813 29 – 8   .784 Texas Tech 12 – 4   .750 20 – 9   .690 Texas 8 – 8   .500 13 – 13   .500 Texas A&M 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500 SMU 7 – 9   .438 8 – 19   .296 Baylor 5 – 11   .313 11 – 17   .393 Rice 3 – 13   .188 9 – 18   .333 TCU 0 – 16   .000 3 – 23   .115 † 1977 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 17 UNC Charlotte † 5 – 1   .833 28 – 5   .848 New Orleans 4 – 2   .667 18 – 10   .643 South Alabama 3 – 3   .500 17 – 10   .630 Jacksonville 2 – 4   .333 10 – 19   .345 South Florida 2 – 4   .333 9 – 18   .333 Georgia State 2 – 4   .333 10 – 18   .357 † 1977 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1976–77 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 8 San Francisco 14 – 0   1.000 29 – 2   .935 Santa Clara 9 – 5   .643 17 – 10   .630 Nevada 7 – 7   .500 15 – 12   .556 Seattle 7 – 7   .500 13 – 14   .481 Portland 6 – 8   .429 11 – 15   .423 Pepperdine 5 – 9   .357 13 – 13   .500 Loyola Marymount 4 – 10   .286 11 – 15   .423 Saint Mary's 4 – 10   .286 11 – 16   .407 Rankings from AP Poll	1976–77 WAC men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 14 Utah 11 – 3   .786 22 – 7   .759 Arizona 11 – 4   .733 21 – 6   .778 New Mexico 8 – 6   .571 19 – 11   .633 Wyoming 8 – 6   .571 17 – 10   .630 Colorado State 6 – 8   .429 13 – 12   .520 Arizona State 6 – 9   .400 15 – 13   .536 BYU 4 – 10   .286 12 – 15   .444 UTEP 3 – 11   .214 11 – 15   .423 Rankings from AP Poll

Division I independents

A total of 78 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, UNLV (29–3) had both the best winning percentage (.906) and the most wins.

1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 4 UNLV –   – 29 – 3   .906 Indiana State –   – 25 – 3   .893 No. 6 Syracuse –   – 26 – 4   .867 No. 12 Detroit –   – 25 – 4   .862 Old Dominion –   – 25 – 4   .862 Providence –   – 24 – 5   .828 Holy Cross –   – 23 – 6   .793 St. Bonaventure –   – 23 – 6   .793 No. 7 Marquette –   – 25 – 7   .781 North Texas State –   – 21 – 6   .778 Illinois State –   – 22 – 7   .759 No. 10 Notre Dame –   – 22 – 7   .759 Creighton –   – 21 – 7   .750 Oral Roberts –   – 21 – 7   .750 Army –   – 20 – 8   .714 St. John's –   – 22 – 9   .710 Milwaukee –   – 19 – 8   .704 Georgetown –   – 19 – 9   .679 Virginia Tech –   – 19 – 10   .655 James Madison –   – 17 – 9   .654 Northwestern State –   – 17 – 9   .654 Texas–Pan American –   – 17 – 9   .654 Connecticut –   – 17 – 10   .630 Seton Hall –   – 18 – 11   .621 UNC Wilmington –   – 16 – 10   .615 Portland State –   – 16 – 10   .615 Iona –   – 15 – 10   .600 Dayton –   – 16 – 11   .593 Fairfield –   – 16 – 11   .593 Georgia Southern –   – 16 – 11   .593 Richmond –   – 15 – 11   .577 Saint Francis (PA) –   – 15 – 11   .577 DePaul –   – 15 – 12   .556 Northeast Louisiana –   – 15 – 12   .556 Stetson –   – 15 – 12   .556 Utah State –   – 15 – 12   .556 Colgate –   – 13 – 11   .542 Navy –   – 13 – 11   .542 Oklahoma City –   – 14 – 12   .538 South Carolina –   – 14 – 12   .538 Valparaiso –   – 13 – 12   .520 Catholic –   – 13 – 13   .500 Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 13 – 13   .500 Loyola (IL) –   – 13 – 13   .500 Maine –   – 13 – 13   .500 Niagara –   – 13 – 13   .500 Rhode Island –   – 13 – 13   .500 Saint Peter's –   – 13 – 13   .500 VCU –   – 13 – 13   .500 Butler –   – 13 – 14   .481 Manhattan –   – 13 – 14   .481 New Hampshire –   – 12 – 14   .462 Northeastern –   – 12 – 14   .462 St. Francis (NY) –   – 12 – 14   .462 Air Force –   – 12 – 15   .444 Denver –   – 12 – 15   .444 Southern Mississippi –   – 11 – 16   .407 Siena –   – 9 – 15   .375 Cleveland State –   – 10 – 17   .370 Xavier –   – 10 – 17   .370 Centenary (LA) –   – 11 – 19   .367 Long Island –   – 9 – 16   .360 Hawaii –   – 9 – 18   .333 Western Carolina –   – 8 – 16   .333 Vermont –   – 8 – 17   .320 Boston College –   – 8 – 18   .308 Baptist –   – 8 – 19   .296 Marshall –   – 8 – 19   .296 Boston University –   – 7 – 19   .269 Robert Morris –   – 7 – 19   .269 Samford –   – 7 – 19   .269 Mercer –   – 6 – 19   .240 Hardin–Simmons –   – 6 – 21   .222 Houston Baptist –   – 6 – 23   .207 Buffalo –   – 5 – 21   .192 Fordham –   – 5 – 21   .192 Wagner –   – 3 – 21   .125 Canisius –   – 3 – 22   .120 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
New Jersey-New York 7 Conference	Columbia & Seton Hall	None selected

Columbia and Seton Hall both finished with 3–2 records in head-to-head competition among members of the New Jersey-New York 7 Conference.

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Penn & Temple	Keven McDonald, Penn

Penn and Temple both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Points per game				Rebounds per game				Assists per game				True Shooting Percentage
Player	School	PPG		Player	School	RPG		Player	School	FG%		Player	School	TS%
Freeman Williams	Portland State	38.8		Glenn Mosley	Seton Hall	16.3		Jeff Jonas	Utah	10.7		Cedric Maxwell	Charlotte	.682
Anthony Roberts	Oral Roberts	34.0		John Irving	Hofstra	16.3		Kenny Higgs	LSU	8.9		Dave Montgomery	VMI	.680
Larry Bird	Indiana State	32.8		Robert Elmore	Wichita State	15.8		Johnny Darden	Tennessee	8.2		Joe Senser	West Chester	.670
Otis Birdsong	Houston	30.3		Bob Stephens	Drexel	14.8		Nick Pappageorge	Saint Mary's	7.9		Frank Sowinski	Princeton	.669
Rich Laurel	Hofstra	30.3		Mark Landsberger	Arizona State	14.4		Oscar Williams	Utah State	7.7		Sidney Moncrief	Arkansas	.667

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1977 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and 1977 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game

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
						W	UNLV	106
						ME	UNC Charlotte	94

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1977 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

	Semifinals				Finals
	Alabama	76
	Houston	82
					Houston	91
					St. Bonaventure	94
	Villanova	82
	St. Bonaventure	86			Third place
					Alabama	89
					Villanova	102

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1977 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

Consensus First Team

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

Consensus Second Team

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

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bob Gaillard, San Francisco
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Eddie Sutton, Arkansas
• NABC Coach of the Year: Dean Smith, North Carolina
• UPI Coach of the Year: Bob Gaillard, San Francisco
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Lee Rose, UNC Charlotte

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
Ball State	Jim Holstein		Steve Yoder
Baylor	Carroll Dawson		Jim Haller
Boston College	Bob Zuffelato		Tom Davis
Butler	George Theofanis		Joe Sexson
Canisius	Johnny McCarthy		Nick Macarchuk
Connecticut	Dee Rowe		Dom Perno
Denver	Al Harden		Bill Weimar
Detroit	Dick Vitale		Smokey Gaines
Drexel	Ray Haesler		Eddie Burke
East Carolina	Dave Patton		Larry Gillman
Fresno State	Ed Gregory		Boyd Grant
Georgia Southern	Larry Chapman		J. B. Scearce
Georgia State	Jack Waters		Roger Couch
Hardin–Simmons	Preston Vice		Jim Shuler
Harvard	Satch Sanders		Frank McLaughlin
Houston Baptist	Bob McKinley		Gene Iba
Idaho State	Jim Killingworth		Lynn Archibald	Killingworth left to coach Oklahoma State.
Lafayette	Tom Davis		Roy Chipman	Davis left to coach Boston College.
Louisiana Tech	Emmett Hendricks		J. D. Barnett
Marquette	Al McGuire		Hank Raymonds
Marshall	Bob Daniels		Stu Aberdeen
McNeese State	E. W. Foy		Glenn Duhon
Mississippi State	Kermit Davis		Ron Greene
New Orleans	Ron Greene		Butch van Breda Kolff	Greene left to coach Mississippi State.
Oklahoma State	Guy R. Strong		Jim Killingsworth
Oral Roberts	Jerry Hale		Lake Kelly
Penn	Chuck Daly		Bob Weinhauer
Rice	Bob Polk		Mike Schuler
Saint Louis	Randy Albrecht		Ron Coleman
Saint Peter's	Dick McDonald		Bob Kelly
TCU	Johnny Swaim		Tim Somerville
Tennessee	Ray Mears	Cliff Wettig
UCLA	Gene Bartow		Gary Cunningham
Western Carolina	Fred Conley		Steve Cottrell