1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1975, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 29, 1976, at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Indiana Hoosiers won their third NCAA national championship with a 86–68 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.

1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	Indiana Hoosiers[1][2]
NCAA Tournament	1976
Tournament dates	March 13 – 29, 1976
National Championship	Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NCAA Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Helms National Champions	Indiana Hoosiers
Other champions	Kentucky Wildcats (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Scott May, Indiana
Player of the Year (Helms)	Kent Benson, Indiana, & Scott May, Indiana
← 1974–75 1976–77 →

Season headlines

• The Metro Conference began play, with six original members.
• The last basketball season for the Yankee Conference, which dropped all sports except football at the end of the season.
• Indiana went undefeated (32–0) during the season.
• In the Pacific 8 Conference, UCLA won its 10th of what would ultimately be 13 consecutive conference titles.
• The National Invitation Tournament contracted from 16 to 12 teams.
• Two African-American head coaches met in an NCAA tournament game for the first time, when Fred Snowden’s Arizona Wildcats faced John Thompson’s Georgetown Hoyas in a first-round game on March 13, 1976.^[3]
• Two teams from the same conference played in the NCAA championship game for the first time, when Big Ten Conference members Indiana and Michigan met on March 29, 1976.^[3]
• Bob Knight of Indiana became the first head coach to win the NCAA championship after playing for an NCAA championship team. He had played for the 1960 champion Ohio State team.^[4]

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

Main article: 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.^[5][6]

'Associated Press' Ranking Team 1 Indiana (30) 2 UCLA (13) 3 Maryland 4 Marquette 5 North Carolina 6 Kentucky (2) 7 Notre Dame 8 Louisville 9 Tennessee (1) 10 Cincinnati 11 Arizona 12 Alabama 13 NC State 14 Kansas State 15 San Francisco 16 Michigan 17 Providence 18 Arizona State 19 (tie) Memphis State Auburn 20 Syracuse

UPI Coaches Ranking Team 1 Indiana 2 Marquette 3 Maryland 4 North Carolina 5 UCLA 6 Tennessee 7 Louisville 8 Notre Dame 9 Arizona 10 Alabama 11 Cincinnati 12 UNLV 13 Washington 14 San Francisco 15 USC 16 Kentucky 17 Rutgers 18 NC State 19 Michigan 20 Kansas State

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Ball State Cardinals	Division I independent	Mid-American Conference
Cincinnati Bearcats	Division I independent	Metro Conference
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	Division I independent	Metro Conference
Louisville Cardinals	Missouri Valley Conference	Metro Conference
Memphis State Tigers	Division I independent	Metro Conference
UNLV Runnin' Rebels	West Coast Athletic Conference	Division I independent
North Texas State Mean Green	Missouri Valley Conference	NCAA Division I independent
Northern Illinois Huskies	Division I independent	Mid-American Conference
Saint Louis Billikens	Division I independent	Metro Conference
Southern Illinois Salukis	Division I independent	Missouri Valley Conference
Tulane Green Wave	Division I independent	Metro Conference

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner[7]	Conference player of the year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	Mitch Kupchak, North Carolina[8]	1976 ACC men's basketball tournament	Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland)	Virginia
Big Eight Conference	Missouri	Willie Smith, Missouri[9]	No Tournament
Big Sky Conference	Boise State, Idaho State, & Weber State	None selected	1976 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament	Swenson Gym (Ogden, Utah)	Boise State
Big Ten Conference	Indiana	None Selected	No Tournament
East Coast Conference	Saint Joseph's (East) Lafayette (West)	Todd Tripucka, Lafayette	1976 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	The Palestra (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)	Hofstra
Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)	Division I ECAC members played as independents during the regular season (see note)		1976 ECAC Metro Region tournament	Jadwin Gymnasium (Princeton, New Jersey)	Rutgers
			1976 ECAC New England Region tournament	Springfield Civic Center (Springfield, Massachusetts)	Connecticut
			1976 ECAC Southern Region tournament	WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia)	Georgetown
			1976 ECAC Upstate Region tournament	Manley Field House (Syracuse, New York)	Syracuse
Ivy League	Princeton	Armond Hill, Princeton[10]	No Tournament
Metro Conference	Tulane	Gary Yoder, Cincinnati	1976 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament	Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)	Cincinnati
Mid-American Conference	Western Michigan	Jeff Tyson, Western Michigan[11]	No Tournament
Missouri Valley Conference	Wichita State	Mike Glenn, Southern Illinois	No Tournament
Ohio Valley Conference	Western Kentucky	Johnny Britt, Western Kentucky, & Tom Sisneros, Middle Tennessee	1976 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	E.A. Diddle Arena (Bowling Green, Kentucky) (Semifinals and Finals)	Western Kentucky
Pacific-8 Conference	UCLA	Ron Lee, Oregon	No Tournament
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	Long Beach State & Cal State Fullerton	Steve Copp, San Diego State, & Greg Bunch, Cal State Fullerton	1976 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament	Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium (Stockton, California)	San Diego State
Southeastern Conference	Alabama	Bernard King, Tennessee[12]	No Tournament
Southern Conference	VMI	Rodney McKeever, The Citadel[13]	1976 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Greenville, South Carolina) (Semifinals and Finals)	VMI[14]
Southland Conference	Louisiana Tech	Mike McConathy, Louisiana Tech[15]	No Tournament
Southwest Conference	Texas A&M	Ira Terrell, SMU[16]	1976 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament	Moody Coliseum (Dallas, Texas)	Texas Tech
West Coast Athletic Conference	Pepperdine	Marcos Leite, Pepperdine	No Tournament
Western Athletic Conference	Arizona	None Selected	No Tournament
Yankee Conference	Massachusetts	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 1976 tournament winner received an automatic bid to the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in the same way that the tournament champions of conventional athletic conferences did.^[17]

Conference standings

1975–76 ACC men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 8 North Carolina 11 – 1   .917 25 – 4   .862 No. 11 Maryland 7 – 5   .583 22 – 6   .786 NC State 7 – 5   .583 21 – 9   .700 Clemson 5 – 7   .417 18 – 10   .643 Wake Forest 5 – 7   .417 17 – 10   .630 No. 18 Virginia † 4 – 8   .333 18 – 12   .600 Duke 3 – 9   .250 13 – 14   .481 † 1976 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 14 Missouri 12 – 2   .857 26 – 5   .839 Kansas State 11 – 3   .786 20 – 8   .714 Nebraska 10 – 4   .714 19 – 8   .704 Kansas 6 – 8   .429 13 – 13   .500 Oklahoma 6 – 8   .429 9 – 17   .346 Oklahoma State 4 – 10   .286 10 – 16   .385 Colorado 4 – 10   .286 7 – 19   .269 Iowa State 3 – 11   .214 3 – 24   .111 Rankings from AP poll[18]	1975–76 Big Sky men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Weber State 9 – 5   .643 21 – 11   .656 Boise State † 9 – 5   .643 18 – 11   .621 Idaho State 9 – 5   .643 16 – 11   .593 Northern Arizona 8 – 6   .571 15 – 12   .556 Montana 7 – 7   .500 13 – 12   .520 Montana State 6 – 8   .429 9 – 16   .360 Gonzaga 5 – 9   .357 13 – 13   .500 Idaho 3 – 11   .214 7 – 19   .269 † Big Sky Conference tournament winner
1975–76 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 1 Indiana 18 – 0   1.000 32 – 0   1.000 No. 9 Michigan 14 – 4   .778 25 – 7   .781 Purdue 11 – 7   .611 16 – 11   .593 Michigan State 10 – 8   .556 14 – 13   .519 Iowa 9 – 9   .500 19 – 10   .655 Minnesota 8 – 10   .444 16 – 10   .615 Illinois 7 – 11   .389 14 – 13   .519 Northwestern 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 Wisconsin 4 – 14   .222 10 – 16   .385 Ohio State 2 – 16   .111 6 – 20   .231 Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 ECC men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT East Saint Joseph's 4 – 1   .800 10 – 16   .385 Hofstra † 3 – 2   .600 18 – 12   .600 Temple 3 – 2   .600 9 – 18   .333 Drexel 3 – 2   .600 17 – 6   .739 American 1 – 4   .200 9 – 16   .360 La Salle 1 – 4   .200 11 – 15   .423 West Lafayette 9 – 1   .900 19 – 7   .731 Rider 6 – 4   .600 14 – 13   .519 Bucknell 5 – 5   .500 13 – 13   .500 Delaware 4 – 6   .400 10 – 15   .400 West Chester 4 – 6   .400 8 – 17   .320 Lehigh 2 – 8   .200 9 – 15   .375 † 1976 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Ivy League men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Princeton 14 – 0   1.000 22 – 5   .815 Penn 11 – 3   .786 17 – 9   .654 Dartmouth 7 – 7   .500 16 – 10   .615 Columbia 6 – 8   .429 8 – 17   .320 Brown 6 – 8   .429 7 – 19   .269 Yale 5 – 9   .357 7 – 21   .250 Cornell 4 – 10   .286 8 – 18   .308 Harvard 3 – 11   .214 8 – 18   .308 Rankings from AP Poll[19]
1975–76 Metro Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Tulane 1 – 0   1.000 18 – 9   .667 No. 12 Cincinnati † 2 – 1   .667 25 – 6   .806 Louisville 2 – 1   .667 20 – 8   .714 Memphis State 1 – 1   .500 21 – 9   .700 Georgia Tech 0 – 1   .000 13 – 14   .481 Saint Louis 0 – 2   .000 13 – 14   .481 † 1976 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[20]	1975–76 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 10 Western Michigan 15 – 1   .938 25 – 3   .893 Miami (Ohio) 14 – 2   .875 18 – 8   .692 Toledo 13 – 3   .813 18 – 7   .720 Central Michigan 8 – 8   .500 12 – 14   .462 Bowling Green State 8 – 8   .500 12 – 15   .444 Kent State 7 – 9   .438 12 – 14   .462 Ohio 7 – 9   .438 11 – 15   .423 Ball State 5 – 11   .313 11 – 14   .440 Northern Illinois 2 – 14   .125 5 – 21   .192 Eastern Michigan 1 – 15   .063 7 – 20   .259 Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Wichita State 10 – 2   .833 18 – 10   .643 Southern Illinois 9 – 3   .750 16 – 10   .615 West Texas State 8 – 4   .667 19 – 7   .731 New Mexico State 4 – 8   .333 15 – 12   .556 Bradley 4 – 8   .333 13 – 13   .500 Tulsa 4 – 8   .333 9 – 18   .333 Drake 3 – 9   .250 8 – 19   .296 Rankings from AP Poll
1975–76 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Western Kentucky † 11 – 3   .786 20 – 9   .690 Austin Peay State 10 – 4   .714 20 – 7   .741 Morehead State 7 – 7   .500 13 – 14   .481 Tennessee Tech 7 – 7   .500 14 – 10   .583 Middle Tennessee 6 – 8   .429 16 – 12   .571 Eastern Kentucky 6 – 8   .429 10 – 15   .400 Murray State 5 – 9   .357 9 – 17   .346 East Tennessee State 4 – 10   .286 6 – 20   .231 † 1976 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Pacific-8 Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 5 UCLA 12 – 2   .857 27 – 5   .844 Oregon State 10 – 4   .714 18 – 9   .667 Oregon 10 – 4   .714 19 – 11   .633 Washington 9 – 5   .643 22 – 6   .786 Washington State 8 – 6   .571 18 – 8   .692 California 4 – 10   .286 12 – 14   .462 Stanford 3 – 11   .214 9 – 18   .333 USC 0 – 14   .000 11 – 16   .407 Rankings from AP Poll[21]	1975–76 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Cal State Fullerton 6 – 4   .600 15 – 10   .600 Long Beach State 6 – 4   .600 14 – 12   .538 San Jose State 5 – 5   .500 17 – 10   .630 San Diego State† 5 – 5   .500 16 – 13   .552 Pacific 4 – 6   .400 14 – 14   .500 Fresno State 4 – 6   .400 12 – 14   .462 † 1976 PCAA Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[22]
1975–76 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 6 Alabama 15 – 3   .833 23 – 5   .821 No. 13 Tennessee 14 – 4   .778 21 – 6   .778 Vanderbilt 12 – 6   .667 16 – 11   .593 Kentucky 11 – 7   .611 20 – 10   .667 Auburn 11 – 7   .611 16 – 10   .615 Florida 7 – 11   .389 12 – 14   .462 Georgia 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444 Mississippi State 6 – 12   .333 13 – 13   .500 LSU 5 – 13   .278 12 – 14   .462 Ole Miss 2 – 16   .111 6 – 21   .222 Rankings from AP Poll[23]	1975–76 Southern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT VMI† 9 – 3   .750 22 – 10   .688 William & Mary 8 – 3   .727 15 – 13   .536 Richmond 7 – 7   .500 14 – 14   .500 East Carolina 7 – 7   .500 11 – 15   .423 Appalachian State 6 – 6   .500 13 – 14   .481 The Citadel 6 – 7   .462 10 – 17   .370 Furman 5 – 7   .417 9 – 18   .333 Davidson 1 – 9   .100 5 – 21   .192 † Southern Conference Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Southland Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Louisiana Tech 9 – 1   .900 15 – 11   .577 McNeese State 7 – 3   .700 16 – 11   .593 Lamar 6 – 4   .600 10 – 14   .417 Southwestern Louisiana 4 – 6   .400 7 – 19   .269 Arkansas State 3 – 7   .300 10 – 15   .400 Texas-Arlington 1 – 9   .100 6 – 21   .222 Rankings from AP Poll[24]
1975–76 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Texas A&M 14 – 2   .875 21 – 6   .778 No. 16 Texas Tech† 13 – 3   .813 25 – 6   .806 SMU 10 – 6   .625 16 – 12   .571 Arkansas 9 – 7   .563 19 – 9   .679 Baylor 8 – 8   .500 12 – 15   .444 Houston 7 – 9   .438 17 – 11   .607 TCU 6 – 10   .375 11 – 16   .407 Texas 4 – 12   .250 9 – 17   .346 Rice 1 – 15   .063 3 – 24   .111 † 1976 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1975-76 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 20 Pepperdine 10 – 2   .833 22 – 6   .786 San Francisco 9 – 3   .750 22 – 8   .733 Nevada 7 – 5   .583 12 – 14   .462 Seattle* 6 – 6   .500 11 – 16   .407 Santa Clara 4 – 8   .333 10 – 16   .385 Loyola Marymount 4 – 8   .333 7 – 19   .269 Saint Mary's 2 – 10   .167 3 – 23   .115 Rankings from AP Poll[25]
1975-76 WAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 15 Arizona 11 – 3   .786 24 – 9   .727 UTEP 9 – 5   .643 19 – 7   .731 Utah 9 – 5   .643 19 – 8   .704 New Mexico 8 – 6   .571 16 – 11   .593 BYU 6 – 8   .429 12 – 14   .462 Colorado State 6 – 8   .429 10 – 14   .417 Arizona State 5 – 9   .357 16 – 11   .593 Wyoming 2 – 12   .143 10 – 17   .370 Rankings from AP Poll	1975–76 Yankee Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Massachusetts 11 – 1   .917 21 – 6   .778 Connecticut 7 – 5   .583 19 – 10   .655 Rhode Island 7 – 5   .583 14 – 12   .538 Vermont 6 – 6   .500 15 – 10   .600 Maine 5 – 7   .417 14 – 11   .560 New Hampshire 3 – 9   .250 8 – 18   .308 Boston University 3 – 9   .250 7 – 19   .269

Division I independents

A total of 77 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Rutgers (31–2) had both the best winning percentage (.939) and the most wins.^[26]

1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 4 Rutgers –   – 31 – 2   .939 No. 3 UNLV –   – 29 – 2   .935 No. 2 Marquette –   – 27 – 2   .931 North Texas State –   – 22 – 4   .846 No. 19 Centenary –   – 22 – 5   .815 UNC Charlotte –   – 24 – 6   .800 Pan American –   – 20 – 5   .800 No. 7 Notre Dame –   – 23 – 6   .793 St. John's –   – 23 – 6   .793 Florida State –   – 21 – 6   .778 Oral Roberts –   – 20 – 6   .769 Georgetown –   – 21 – 7   .750 Virginia Tech –   – 21 – 7   .750 George Washington –   – 20 – 7   .741 Illinois State –   – 20 – 7   .741 Creighton –   – 19 – 7   .731 Northeast Louisiana –   – 18 – 7   .720 Detroit –   – 19 – 8   .704 South Florida –   – 19 – 8   .704 New Orleans –   – 18 – 8   .692 No. 17 DePaul –   – 20 – 9   .690 Syracuse –   – 20 – 9   .690 Holy Cross –   – 22 – 10   .688 Seton Hall –   – 18 – 9   .667 South Alabama –   – 18 – 9   .667 South Carolina –   – 18 – 9   .667 Providence –   – 21 – 11   .656 Stetson –   – 17 – 9   .654 UC Santa Barbara –   – 17 – 9   .654 Air Force –   – 16 – 9   .640 VCU –   – 16 – 9   .640 St. Peter's –   – 19 – 11   .633 Portland State –   – 17 – 10   .630 St. Bonaventure –   – 17 – 10   .630 Mercer –   – 15 – 10   .600 Villanova –   – 16 – 11   .593 Niagara –   – 17 – 12   .586 Long Island –   – 15 – 12   .556 Colgate –   – 13 – 11   .542 Xavier –   – 14 – 12   .538 West Virginia –   – 15 – 13   .536 Georgia State –   – 12 – 11   .522 Indiana State –   – 13 – 12   .520 Dayton –   – 14 – 13   .519 Hardin–Simmons –   – 14 – 13   .519 Jacksonville –   – 13 – 13   .500 Manhattan –   – 14 – 14   .500 St. Francis (PA) –   – 14 – 14   .500 St. Francis (NY) –   – 13 – 13   .500 Marshall –   – 13 – 14   .481 Duquesne –   – 12 – 13   .480 Northeastern –   – 12 – 13   .480 Fairfield –   – 12 – 14   .462 Utah State –   – 12 – 14   .462 Butler –   – 12 – 15   .444 Denver –   – 12 – 15   .444 Pittsburgh –   – 12 – 15   .444 Army –   – 11 – 14   .440 Iona –   – 11 – 15   .423 Milwaukee –   – 11 – 15   .423 Southern Miss –   – 11 – 15   .423 Navy –   – 10 – 14   .417 Fairleigh Dickinson –   – 9 – 13   .409 Georgia Southern –   – 11 – 16   .407 Hawaii –   – 11 – 16   .407 Penn State –   – 10 – 15   .400 Buffalo –   – 10 – 16   .385 Loyola (IL) –   – 10 – 16   .385 Canisius –   – 10 – 17   .370 Boston College –   – 9 – 17   .346 Oklahoma City –   – 9 – 18   .333 Portland –   – 9 – 18   .333 Fordham –   – 7 – 19   .269 Cleveland State –   – 6 – 19   .240 Houston Baptist –   – 5 – 21   .192 Baptist –   – 3 – 23   .115 Samford –   – 3 – 23   .115 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Saint Joseph's & Villanova	Charlie Wise, La Salle

Saint Joseph's and Villanova both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Post-season tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main articles: 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game

Final Four

	National semifinals					National finals
	E	Rutgers	70
	MW	Michigan	86
						MW	Michigan	68
						ME	Indiana	86
	ME	Indiana	65
	W	UCLA	51			Third place
						E	Rutgers	92
						W	UCLA	106

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1976 National Invitation Tournament

Semifinals & finals

	Semifinals				Finals
	UNC Charlotte	80
	NC State	79
					UNC Charlotte	67
					Kentucky	71
	Kentucky	79
	Providence	78			Third place
					NC State	74
					Providence	69

Awards

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1976 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

Consensus First Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Kent Benson	C	Junior	Indiana
Adrian Dantley	F	Junior	Notre Dame
John Lucas	G	Senior	Maryland
Scott May	F	Senior	Indiana
Richard Washington	F/C	Junior	UCLA

Consensus Second Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Phil Ford	G	Sophomore	North Carolina
Bernard King	F	Sophomore	Tennessee
Mitch Kupchak	F/C	Senior	North Carolina
Phil Sellers	G	Senior	Rutgers
Earl Tatum	G/F	Senior	Marquette

Major player of the year awards

• Naismith Award: Scott May, Indiana
• Helms Player of the Year: Kent Benson, Indiana, & Scott May, Indiana
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
• UPI Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
• NABC Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Adrian Dantley, Notre Dame
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Scott May, Indiana
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Scott May, Indiana

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Bob Knight, Indiana
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Johnny Orr, Michigan
• NABC Coach of the Year: Johnny Orr, Michigan
• UPI Coach of the Year: Tom Young, Rutgers
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Tom Young, Rutgers

Other major awards

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Frank Alagia, St. John's
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Charlie Wise, La Salle
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Phil Sellers, Rutgers

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
Michigan State	Gus Ganakas		Jud Heathcote
Montana	Jud Heathcote		Jim Brandenburg
Ohio State	Fred Taylor		Eldon Miller
Syracuse	Roy Danforth		Jim Boeheim
Texas	Leon Black		Abe Lemons
Texas–Pan American	Abe Lemons		Bill White
Tulane	Charles Moir		Roy Danforth
Virginia Tech	Don DeVoe		Charles Moir
Wyoming	Moe Radovich		Don DeVoe

References

1. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 846. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
2. "1978 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
3. "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
4. "Playing Rules History" (PDF). ncaa.org. NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
5. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Random House. 2009. p. 836. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
6. "1977 Preseason AP Men's Basketball Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
7. "2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Record Book – Conferences Section" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
8. 2008–09 ACC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Year by Year section Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2009-02-14
9. 2008–09 Big 12 Men's Basketball Media Guide – Awards section, Big 12 Conference, retrieved 2009-02-04
10. Men's Ivy League Outstanding performers Archived 2008-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ivy League, retrieved 2009-02-01
11. 2008–09 MAC Men's Basketball Media Guide – Records Section, Mid-American Conference, retrieved 2009-02-14
12. 2008–09 SEC Men's Basketball Record Book, Southeastern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-06
13. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Honors Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
14. 2008–09 SoCon Men's Basketball Media Guide – Postseason Section, Southern Conference, retrieved 2009-02-09
15. 2008–09 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Southland Conference, retrieved 2009-02-07
16. "SWC honors told". The Port Arthur News. March 7, 1976. p. 26. Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Varsity Pride: ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
18. sports-reference.com 1975-76 Big Eight Conference Season Summary
19. sports-reference.com 1975-76 Ivy Group Season Summary
20. sports-reference.com 1975-76 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
21. "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
22. "1975-76 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
23. sports-reference.com 1975-76 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
24. "1975-76 Men's Southland Conference Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
25. 1975-76 Men's West Coast Athletic Conference Season Summary Sports Reference Accessed August 20, 2024|special-note = * – Overall record adjusted to 12–15.
26. "1975-76 Men's Independent Season Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 20, 2024.