1978–79 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team represented Pepperdine University in the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Gary Colson. The Waves played their home games at the Firestone Fieldhouse and were members of the West Coast Athletic Conference. They finished the season 22–10 (later adjusted to 23–9), 10–4 in WCAC play to finish second in the regular season standings. Pepperdine received a bid to the NCAA tournament. In the opening round, the Waves beat No. 8 seed Utah before falling to No. 1 seed UCLA, 76–71.^[1]

1978–79 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball
NCAA tournament
Conference	West Coast Athletic Conference
Record	23–9 (10–4 WCAC)
Head coach	Gary Colson (11th season)
Home arena	Firestone Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 1977–78 1979–80 →

1978–79 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 12 San Francisco	12	–	2		.857			22	–	7		.759
Pepperdine	10	–	4		.714			22	–	10		.688
Nevada	9	–	5		.643			21	–	7		.750
Seattle	8	–	6		.571			15	–	11		.577
Santa Clara	6	–	8		.429			13	–	14		.481
Portland	5	–	9		.357			18	–	10		.643
Saint Mary's	5	–	9		.357			13	–	15		.464
Loyola Marymount	1	–	13		.071			5	–	21		.192
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

1978–79 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G Ricardo Brown 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) — Jr     SG 43 Tony Fuller 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Saint Martin de Porres Detroit, Michigan F Ollie Matson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Sr	Head coach Gary Colson Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-Conference Regular Season
Nov 24, 1978*		vs. No. 10 Indiana Great Alaska Shootout	W 59–58	1–0	Buckner Fieldhouse  Fort Richardson, Alaska
Nov 25, 1978*		vs. No. 12 NC State Great Alaska Shootout	L 62–91	1–1	Buckner Fieldhouse  Fort Richardson, Alaska
Nov 26, 1978*		vs. Lamar Great Alaska Shootout	W 75–74	2–1	Buckner Fieldhouse  Fort Richardson, Alaska
WCAC Regular Season
Feb 23, 1979		at San Francisco	L 69–72	20–8 (10–3)	War Memorial Gymnasium  San Francisco, California
Feb 24, 1979		at Santa Clara	L 74–85	20–9 (10–4)	Toso Pavilion  Santa Clara, California
Feb 26, 1979*		Centenary	W 104–86	21–9	Firestone Fieldhouse  Malibu, California
NCAA Tournament
Mar 9, 1979*		vs. Utah First round	W 92–88 OT	22–9	Pauley Pavilion  Los Angeles, California
Mar 11, 1979*		vs. No. 2 UCLA Second round	L 71–76	22–10	Pauley Pavilion  Los Angeles, California
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West.

Source^[2][3]

References

1. "U.C.L.A. and DePaul Triumphant in West". The New York Times. March 12, 1979. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
2. "1978-79 Men's Basketball Schedule". Pepperdine University Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
3. "2019-20 PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK" (PDF). Pepperdine University Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2023.