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1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team

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1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 6
APNo. 4
Record29–3
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Al Menendez
  • Ralph Readout
  • George McQuarn
Home arenaLas Vegas Convention Center
Seasons
← 1975–76
1977–78 →
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
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
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
Vermont   8 17   .320
Boston College   8 18   .308
Baptist   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

The 1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1976–77 season. The team was led by head coach Jerry Tarkanian and played its home games in the Las Vegas Convention Center. This season marked the school's first appearance in the Final Four. The Rebels finished with an overall record of 29–3 and were ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.

This team, nicknamed the Hardway Eight, is credited with paving the way in establishing UNLV as a national contender from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.[1]

Roster

[edit]
1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 10 Robert Smith 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Sr Los Angeles, California
F 11 Eddie Owens 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Houston, Texas
G 22 Tony Smith
G 23 Reggie Theus 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Inglewood, California
C 24 Lewis Brown 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Los Angeles, California
G/F 25 Glen Gondrezick 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Boulder, Colorado
G 40 Sam Smith 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Las Vegas, Nevada
F 42 Larry Moffett 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Gary, Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Ralph Readout (Ohio)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

[2]

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 26, 1976*
No. 7 at Nevada W 102–87  1–0
Centennial Coliseum (6,274)
Reno, Nevada
Dec 1, 1976*
No. 6 Oregon W 78–67  2–0
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 4, 1976*
No. 6 Iowa State W 115–80  3–0
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 7, 1976*
No. 4 at Utah L 96–100  3–1
Jon M. Huntsman Center (12,230)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Dec 11, 1976*
No. 12 at San Diego State W 118–113  4–1
San Diego Sports Arena (5,221)
San Diego, California
Dec 17, 1976*
No. 12 North Dakota State W 112–81  5–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 18, 1976*
No. 12 Idaho W 135–78  6–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 21, 1976*
No. 12 Murray State
Las Vegas Rebel Roundup
W 104–77  7–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,005)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 22, 1976*
No. 12 Oklahoma
Las Vegas Rebel Roundup
W 100–89  8–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 28, 1976*
No. 11 Eastern Michigan
Las Vegas Holiday Classic
W 109–85  9–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec 29, 1976*
No. 11 Saint Mary's
Las Vegas Holiday Classic
W 104–81  10–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 3, 1977*
No. 11 Colorado W 113–91  11–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 7, 1977*
No. 9 New Mexico W 121–96  12–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 8, 1977*
No. 9 Cal State Northridge W 112–72  13–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 11, 1977*
No. 8 Northern Arizona W 132–90  14–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 21, 1977*
No. 7 UC Santa Barbara W 113–69  15–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 22, 1977*
No. 7 Pepperdine W 85–80  16–1
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 1, 1977*
No. 4 at Bradley W 107–106  17–1
Robertson Memorial Field House (7,300)
Peoria, Illinois
Feb 3, 1977*
No. 4 at Illinois State L 84–88  17–2
Horton Field House (8,000)
Normal, Illinois
Feb 5, 1977*
No. 4 vs. Rutgers W 89–88[3]  18–2
Spectrum (7,506)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 10, 1977*
No. 10 Denver W 106–84  19–2
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 12, 1977*
No. 10 No. 6 Louisville W 99–96  20–2
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,457)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 17, 1977*
No. 6 Texas-Rio Grande Valley W 135–106  21–2
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 19, 1977*
No. 6 Portland State W 112–96  22–2
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,257)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Feb 24, 1977*
No. 6 at Denver W 99–82  23–2
DU Fieldhouse (2,316)
Denver, Colorado
Mar 1, 1977*
No. 5 Hawaii W 124–84  24–2
Las Vegas Convention Center (6,307)
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 5, 1977*
No. 5 at Pepperdine W 117–94  25–2
Firestone Fieldhouse (3,500)
Malibu, California
NCAA Tournament
Mar 12, 1977*
No. 5 vs. No. 3 San Francisco
West Regional Quarterfinal
W 121–95  26–2
McKale Center (14,438)
Tucson, Arizona
Mar 17, 1977*
No. 4 vs. No. 14 Utah
West Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 88–83[4]  27–2
Marriott Center (22,783)
Provo, Utah
Mar 19, 1977*
No. 4 vs. Idaho State
West Regional final – Elite Eight
W 107–90  28–2
Marriott Center (22,783)
Provo, Utah
Mar 26, 1977*
No. 4 vs. No. 5 North Carolina
National semifinal – Final Four
L 83–84[5][6]  28–3
The Omni (16,086)
Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 28, 1977*
No. 4 vs. No. 17 UNC Charlotte
National 3rd-place game
W 106–94  29–3
The Omni (16,086)
Atlanta, Georgia
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
Source:[1]

[7]

Rankings

[edit]
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP765121211987541064554
Coaches774111199765387466Not released

[8]

Team players drafted into the NBA

[edit]
Round Pick Player NBA Club
2 26 Glen Gondrezick New York Knicks
2 31 Eddie Owens Kansas City Kings
2 34 Larry Moffett Houston Rockets
3 48 Sam Smith Atlanta Hawks
3 65 Robert Smith Denver Nuggets
4 69 Lewis Brown Milwaukee Bucks

[9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Rebels' first Final Four team deserves to be remembered". Las Vegas Sun. March 28, 1997. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "1977 NCAA Final Four program". March 1977. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  3. ^ "Cool Smith Provides One-Point Reb Win". Las Vegas Sun. February 6, 1977. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Rebels Advance But Bruins Don't". Las Vegas Sun. March 18, 1977. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Super Season Over: Tar Heels Stop Runnin' Rebels". Las Vegas Sun. March 27, 1977. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Stars from 1977 UNLV team remember their Final Four game against North Carolina". Las Vegas Sun. December 27, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "1976–77 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball stats" (PDF). NCAA Career Statistics.
  8. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 836–837. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  9. ^ "1977 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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