1975–76 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team

The 1975–76 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team represented Western Kentucky University during the 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Hilltoppers were led by Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year Jim Richards and OVC Player of the Year Johnny Britt.[1] WKU won the OVC regular season and tournament championships, as well as the conference's automatic bid to the 1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.[2] Wilson James joined Britt on the All-OVC Team; they were also selected to the OVC Tournament team and Britt was tournament MVP.[3]

1975–76 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
OVC Tournament Champion
Ohio Valley Conference Champion
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record20–9 (11–3 OVC)
Head coach
Home arenaE. A. Diddle Arena
Seasons
1975–76 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings
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

Schedule

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[4]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
city, state
Regular season
11/29/1975*
Arkansas–Little Rock W 106–78  1–0
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
12/1/1975*
No. 19 Memphis State W 87–84  2–0
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
12/8/1975*
ODU W 84–76  3–0
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
12/20/1975*
Troy W 88–72  4–0
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
12/26/1975*
at No. 9 NC State
Holiday Doubleheader
L 98–110  4–1
Reynolds Coliseum 
Raleigh, NC
12/27/1975*
vs. Duke
Holiday Doubleheader
L 90–111  4–2
Reynolds Coliseum 
Raleigh, NC
12/30/1975*
at Butler W 76–62  5–2
Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
1/5/1976*
No. 20 La Salle L 100–104 OT 5–3
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1/8/1976*
at Florida State L 80–88  5–4
Tully Gymnasium 
Tallahassee, FL
1/10/1976*
MacMurray W 106–52  6–4
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1/12/1976
at Middle Tennessee W 83–69  7–4 (1-0)
Murphy Center 
Murfreesboro, TN
1/17/1976
East Tennessee W 82–60  8–4 (2-0)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1/19/1976
Tennessee Tech W 88–69  9–4 (3-0)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1/24/1976
Eastern Kentucky W 78–74  10–4 (4-0)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1/26/1976
at Morehead State L 71–82  10–5 (4-1)
Wetherby Gymnasium 
Morehead, KY
1/31/1976
Murray State W 92–68  11–5 (5-1)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
2/2/1976
at Austin Peay L 81–91  11–6 (5-2)
Dunn Center 
Clarksville, TN
2/7/1976
Middle Tennessee L 65–71  11–7 (5-3)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
2/9/1976*
Dayton L 82–93  11–8
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
2/14/1976
at Tennessee Tech W 105–97  12–8 (6-3)
Memorial Gymnasium 
Cookeville, TN
2/16/1976
at East Tennessee W 76–67  13–8 (7-3)
Memorial Center 
Johnson City, TN
2/19/1976
at Murray State W 70–68  14–8 (8-3)
Racer Arena 
Murray, KY
2/21/1976
Morehead State W 100–82  15–8 (9-3)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
2/23/1976
Eastern Kentucky W 89–77  16–8 (10-3)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
2/28/1976
Austin Peay W 76–75  17–8 (11-3)
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1976 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
3/1/1976
(1) (8) East Tennessee
First Round
W 91–74  18–8
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
3/4/1976
(1) (5) Middle Tennessee
Semifinals
W 88–78  19–8
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
3/5/1976
(1) (4) Morehead State
Finals
W 65–60  20–8
E. A. Diddle Arena 
Bowling Green, KY
1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament
3/13/1976*
vs. No. 2 Marquette
Mideast Region First Round
L 60–79  20–9
UD Arena 
Dayton, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

References

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  1. ^ Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
  2. ^ 2019-2020 OVC Basketball Media Guide, retrieved 4 May 2020
  3. ^ 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
  4. ^ 1975-76 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule and Results, Sports Reference, retrieved 6 May 2020