1978–79 Temple Owls men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University as a member of the East Coast Conference during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

1978–79 Temple Owls men's basketball
ECC Regular season champions ECC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First round
Conference	East Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 16
Record	25–4 (10–0 ECC)
Head coach	Don Casey (6th season)
Home arena	McGonigle Hall
Seasons ← 1977–78 1979–80 →

1978–79 ECC men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
Temple †	10	–	0		1.000			25	–	4		.862
Saint Joseph's	9	–	2		.818			19	–	11		.633
La Salle	9	–	2		.818			15	–	13		.536
American	7	–	4		.636			14	–	13		.519
Drexel	6	–	5		.545			18	–	9		.667
Hofstra	3	–	8		.273			8	–	19		.296
West
Bucknell	11	–	5		.688			18	–	9		.667
Lafayette	8	–	8		.500			16	–	12		.571
Rider	7	–	8		.467			11	–	15		.423
West Chester	4	–	12		.250			8	–	18		.308
Lehigh	4	–	12		.250			8	–	18		.308
Delaware	2	–	12		.143			5	–	22		.185
† 1979 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

1978–79 Temple Owls men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G Ricky Reed 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) — Sr G Keith Parham 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) — So F Butch Harrold 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) — Sr F Neal Robinson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — So C Walt Montford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) — Sr	Head coach Don Casey Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

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Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 27, 1978*		at West Chester	W 78–60	1–0	Hollinger Field House  West Chester, Pennsylvania
Dec 3, 1978*		Lehigh	W 94–80	2–0	McGonigle Hall  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 9, 1978*		at Wake Forest	W 86–79	3–0	Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum  Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Dec 12, 1978*		Navy	W 73–47	4–0	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 16, 1978*		vs. Villanova	W 66–58	5–0	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 20, 1978*		at Manhattan	W 73–69	6–0	Alumni Hall  New York, New York
Dec 29, 1978*		vs. Baylor	W 81–70	7–0	Las Vegas Convention Center  Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 30, 1978*		at No. 14 Nevada-Las Vegas	W 89–79	8–0	Las Vegas Convention Center  Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 3, 1979*		Pittsburgh	W 62–57	9–0	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 6, 1979*		at St. John's	W 74–73	10–0	Alumni Hall  New York, New York
Jan 10, 1979*	No. 18	vs. Penn	L 74–79	10–1	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 24, 1979*		No. 12 Syracuse	L 76–78	14–2	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 27, 1979*		at St. Francis (NY)	W 65–63	15–2	Generoso Pope Athletic Complex  Brooklyn, New York
Jan 29, 1979*		at Virginia	L 71–73	15–3	University Hall  Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 1, 1979*		Hofstra	W 92–70	16–3	McGonigle Hall  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 3, 1979*		vs. Drexel	W 95–73	17–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 7, 1979*		Penn State	W 54–43	18–3	McGonigle Hall  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 10, 1979*		vs. La Salle	W 97–81	19–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 16, 1979*		American	W 103–67	20–3	McGonigle Hall  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 21, 1979*		vs. Saint Joseph's	W 76–68	21–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 24, 1979*		Dayton	W 66–63	22–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ECC Tournament
Feb 28, 1979*	No. 12	vs. Drexel Quarterfinals	W 61–57	23–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 2, 1979*	No. 12	Lafayette Semifinals	W 53–50	24–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 3, 1979*	No. 12	vs. Saint Joseph's Championship game	W 61–60	25–3	The Palestra  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NCAA Tournament
Mar 9, 1979*	(7 E)	vs. (10 E) St. John's First round	L 70–75	25–4	Reynolds Coliseum  Raleigh, North Carolina
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

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Rankings

Main article: 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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References

1. . Retrieved 2022-Jan-21.
2. 2015-16 Temple Owls media guide. Retrieved 2022-Jan-21.
3. "1978-79 Men's Basketball Schedule". Temple University Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
4. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 856–857. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.