| Year: | 1975 |
| Preseason Ap: | Indiana Hoosiers[1] [2] |
| Tourney Start: | March 13 |
| Nc Date: | 29, 1976 |
| Champ Stad: | Spectrum |
| Champ City: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Champ: | Indiana Hoosiers |
| Helmschamp: | Indiana Hoosiers |
| Nit Champ: | Kentucky Wildcats |
| Playeroftheyear: | Scott May, Indiana |
| Helmspoy: | Kent Benson, Indiana, & Scott May, Indiana |
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.
See main article: 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.[5] [6]
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| Conference | Regular season winner[7] | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Kupchak, North Carolina[8] | Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland) | Virginia | ||||
| Willie Smith, Missouri[9] | No Tournament | |||||
| None selected | Swenson Gym (Ogden, Utah) | Boise State | ||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
| Saint Joseph's (East) Lafayette (West) | 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,) | Rutgers | ||
| 1976 ECAC New England Region tournament | Springfield Civic Center (Springfield, Massachusetts) | Connecticut | ||||
| 1976 ECAC Southern Region tournament | WVU Coliseum (Morgantown,) | Georgetown | ||||
| 1976 ECAC Upstate Region tournament | Manley Field House (Syracuse, New York) | Syracuse | ||||
| Armond Hill, Princeton[10] | No Tournament | |||||
| Freedom Hall (Louisville, Kentucky) | Cincinnati | |||||
| Jeff Tyson, Western Michigan[11] | No Tournament | |||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| E.A. Diddle Arena (Kentucky) (Semifinals and Finals) | Western Kentucky | |||||
| Ron Lee, Oregon | No Tournament | |||||
| Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium (Stockton, California) | San Diego State | |||||
| Bernard King, Tennessee[12] | No Tournament | |||||
| Rodney McKeever, The Citadel[13] | Greenville Memorial Auditorium (Greenville,) (Semifinals and Finals) | VMI[14] | ||||
| Mike McConathy, Louisiana Tech[15] | No Tournament | |||||
| Ira Terrell, SMU[16] | Moody Coliseum (Dallas, Texas) | Texas Tech | ||||
| No Tournament | ||||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
| None Selected | No Tournament | |||||
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.[18]
See main article: 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament and 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game.
See main article: 1976 National Invitation Tournament.
See main article: 1976 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.
| 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 |
| 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 |
A number of teams changed coaches throughout the season and after the season ended.