1978–79 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team explained

Mode:Basketball
Year:1978–79
Prev Year:1977–78
Next Year:1979–80
Team:Oklahoma Sooners
Conference:Big 8 Conference
Short Conf:Big 8
Aprank:16
Record:21–10
Conf Record:10–4
Hc Year:4th
Asst Coach1:Les Fertig
Asst Coach2:John Underwood
Stadium:Lloyd Noble Center (Capacity: 11,528)
Champion:Big 8 Conference Regular Season Champions
Big 8 Conference Tournament Champions
Tourney Result:Sweet Sixteen

The 1978–79 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in competitive college basketball during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I season. The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) former Big Eight Conference at that time. The team posted a 21–10 overall record and a 10–4 conference record to finish first in the Conference for head coach Dave Bliss. This was the only Big Eight Conference Regular Season Championship for Bliss.[1]

The team was led by Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year John McCullough. Despite losing two of three games in the Big Eight Conference Pre-Season Tournament, the team posted a 10–4 record during the conference regular season and won all three of its games during the Big Eight Conference Post-Season Tournament. Because of the conference tournaments, the team played both Kansas and four times. It swept the season series with Kansas State and split the season series with Kansas. The team also played three times, only winning the home game. The team reached the sweet sixteen round of the 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament by beating Texas before losing to Indiana State.[2]

The Sooners' appearance in the 1979 NCAA Tournament marked their first participation in the event since 1947.

Schedule

|-!colspan=9 style=| Regular season|-!colspan=9 style=|Big Eight tournament|-!colspan=9 style=|NCAA tournament[3]

Honors

John McCullough[4]

Team players drafted into the NBA

The following players were drafted in the 1979 NBA draft:[5] [6]

The following letter winners from this team were drafted in the NBA draft in subsequent years (all in the 1980 NBA draft): Terry Stotts (2nd, 38th, Houston Rockets), Al Beal (3rd, 63rd Milwaukee Bucks), and Aaron Curry (5th, 98th, New Jersey Nets).[7] [8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Conference Championships . July 6, 2010 . SoonerStats.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20100623042818/http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/okla-conf-championships.html . June 23, 2010 . dead .
  2. Web site: 1979 Men's Basketball Season. July 7, 2010. SoonerStats.com.
  3. Web site: 1978-79 Oklahoma Sooners Men's Basketball. Sports Reference . March 16, 2023.
  4. Web site: Oklahoma 2009-10 Men's Basketball Guide. July 5, 2010. 165. CBS Interactive. November 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121112122651/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okla/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2010_mbb_guide_section7.pdf. dead.
  5. Web site: Sooners in NBA Draft. July 5, 2010. CBS Interactive. https://web.archive.org/web/20100718064107/http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/sooners-in-nba-draft.html. July 18, 2010. dead. mdy-all.
  6. Web site: 1979 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com . 2011-03-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520154458/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1979&lg=N . May 20, 2011 .
  7. Web site: Sooners in NBA Draft. July 5, 2010. CBS Interactive. https://web.archive.org/web/20100718064107/http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/sooners-in-nba-draft.html. July 18, 2010. dead. mdy-all.
  8. Web site: Oklahoma 2009-10 Men's Basketball Guide. July 5, 2010. 168–169. CBS Interactive. November 12, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121112122651/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/okla/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2010_mbb_guide_section7.pdf. dead.