The 1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from Blacksburg, Virginia as members of the Metro Conference during the 1978–79 season. The Hokies were led by head coach Charles Moir and played their home games at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. After finishing fourth in the Metro regular season standings, Virginia Tech captured the conference tournament title to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament. As No. 8 seed in the Midwest region, the team beat No. 9 seed Jacksonville in the opening round before losing to eventual National runner-up Indiana State and superstar Larry Bird.[2]
| 1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
Metro Conference tournament champions | |
| Conference | Metro Conference |
| Record | 22–9 (4–6 Metro) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home arena | Cassell Coliseum |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Louisville | 9 | – | 1 | .900 | 24 | – | 8 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 7 | – | 3 | .700 | 19 | – | 10 | .655 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis State | 5 | – | 5 | .500 | 13 | – | 15 | .464 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech † | 4 | – | 6 | .400 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 4 | – | 6 | .400 | 13 | – | 14 | .481 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Louis | 3 | – | 7 | .300 | 10 | – | 17 | .370 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | – | 8 | .200 | 8 | – | 19 | .296 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1979 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roster
edit| 1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
edit| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| Feb 3, 1979* |
vs. No. 4 North Carolina North-South Doubleheader |
L 80–92 OT | 12–7 |
Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina | |||||||
| Feb 7, 1979* |
Old Dominion | W 91–85 | 13–7 |
Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia | |||||||
| Feb 10, 1979* |
vs. Virginia | L 72–78 | 13–8 |
Roanoke Civic Center Roanoke, Virginia | |||||||
| Feb 12, 1979* |
at William & Mary | W 55–49 | 14–8 |
William & Mary Hall Williamsburg, Virginia | |||||||
| Feb 17, 1979* |
Georgia Southern | W 104–84 | 15–8 |
Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia | |||||||
| Feb 19, 1979 |
at Cincinnati | W 76–75 | 16–8 (4–6) |
Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio | |||||||
| Feb 21, 1979* |
West Virginia | W 73–61 | 17–8 |
Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia | |||||||
| Feb 24, 1979* |
at Richmond | W 93–91 | 18–8 |
Robins Center Richmond, Virginia | |||||||
| Metro Tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 1, 1979* |
vs. Cincinnati Quarterfinals |
W 80–74 | 19–8 |
Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee | |||||||
| Mar 2, 1979* |
vs. No. 13 Louisville Semifinals |
W 72–68 | 20–8 |
Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee | |||||||
| Mar 3, 1979* |
vs. Florida State Championship game |
W 68–60 | 21–8 |
Mid-South Coliseum Memphis, Tennessee | |||||||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 9, 1979* |
(8 MW) | vs. (9 MW) Jacksonville First round |
W 70–53 | 22–8 |
Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas | ||||||
| Mar 11, 1979* |
(8 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 1 Indiana State Second round |
L 69–86 | 22–9 |
Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
| |||||||||||
Rankings
editReferences
edit- ^ sports-reference.com 1978-79 Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference Season Summary
- ^ "Arkansas Advances With Indiana State". The New York Times. March 12, 1979. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ "1978-79 Men's Basketball Schedule". Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ "2021-22 Virginia Tech Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 856–857. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.