1977–78 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team


The 1977–78 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University during the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays, led by head coach Tom Apke, played their home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The Jays finished with a 19–9 record (12–4 MVC), and won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament[1] to earn an automatic bid to the 1978 NCAA tournament. As No. 3 qualifying seed in the Midwest region, the Jays fell to No. 1 at-large seed DePaul in the opening round.[2]

1977–78 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
MVC Regular season and tournament champion
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record19–9 (12–4 MVC)
Head coach
Home arenaOmaha Civic Auditorium
Seasons
← 1976–77
1978–79 →
1977–78 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Creighton 12 4   .750 19 9   .679
Southern Illinois 11 5   .688 17 10   .630
Indiana State 11 5   .688 23 9   .719
New Mexico State 9 7   .563 15 14   .517
Bradley 8 8   .500 14 14   .500
Wichita State 8 8   .500 13 14   .481
Tulsa 7 9   .438 9 18   .333
West Texas State 4 12   .250 8 19   .296
Drake 2 14   .125 6 22   .214
1978 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

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1977–78 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F Rick Apke 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr   Cincinnati, Ohio
G 30 Kevin McKenna 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr   Palatine, Illinois
F 41 George Morrow 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Fr   Memphis, Tennessee
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

[3]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Feb 25, 1978
at Southern Illinois W 62–56  18–8
(12–4)
SIU Arena 
Carbondale, Illinois
Missouri Valley Conference tournament
Mar 5, 1978*
Indiana State
Championship game
W 54–52  19–8
Omaha Civic Auditorium 
Omaha, Nebraska
NCAA tournament
Mar 12, 1978*
vs. No. 4 DePaul
First round
L 78–80  19–9
Levitt Arena 
Wichita, Kansas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central.

[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Creighton 68, Southwest Missouri State 52". UPI Archives. March 6, 1991. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "Bluejays Flatten Feeble Aggies as N.M. Makes Another 1st-Round Exit". Deseret News. March 15, 1991. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  3. ^ "1977-78 Men's Basketball Roster". Creighton University Athletics. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "2019-20 Creighton Men's Basketball Media Guide". Creighton Bluejays. September 29, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2023.