1978–79 Tennessee Volunteers basketball
SEC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEast
Record21–12 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach
Home arenaStokely Athletic Center
1978–79 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 7 LSU144 .778236  .793
Tennessee126 .6672112  .636
Vanderbilt117 .611189  .667
Alabama117 .6112211  .667
Mississippi State117 .611199  .679
Kentucky108 .5561912  .613
Georgia711 .3891414  .500
Ole Miss612 .3331116  .407
Auburn513 .2781316  .448
Florida315 .167819  .296
1979 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll[1]

The 1978–79 Tennessee Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1978–79 college basketball season. Led by first-year head coach Don DeVoe, the team played their home games at the Stokely Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers finished with a record of 21–12 (12–6 SEC, 2nd) and, after winning the SEC tournament, received an automatic bid to the 1979 NCAA tournament as the 8 seed in the Mideast region. After an opening round win over Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee was defeated by No. 1 seed Notre Dame.

This was the first of five straight seasons of NCAA Tournament basketball for the Tennessee men's program.

Roster

1978–79 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
F/C 32 Reggie Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)200 lb (91 kg) Jr Atlanta, Georgia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

    Roster

    [2]

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    Dec 2, 1978*
    at No. 5 Louisville L 61–82  0–1
    Freedom Hall 
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Dec 5, 1978*
    East Carolina W 89–71  1–1
    Stokely Center 
    Knoxville, Tennessee
    Dec 9, 1978*
    Ohio State L 78–86  1–2
    Stokely Center 
    Knoxville, Tennessee
    Dec 15, 1978*
    Niagara W 100–80  2–2
    Stokely Center 
     
    Dec 16, 1978*
    Xavier L 50–51  2–3
    Stokely Center 
     
    Dec 22, 1978*
    vs. San Jose State W 73–68  3–3
    Toso Pavilion 
     
    Dec 23, 1978*
    vs. Seton Hall W 94–80  4–3
    Toso Pavilion 
     
    Dec 27, 1978*
    vs. Utah
    Rainbow Classic
    L 71–80  4–4
    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Dec 28, 1978*
    vs. Fordham
    Rainbow Classic
    W 83–58  5–4
    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Dec 30, 1978*
    vs. Boston College
    Rainbow Classic
    L 72–74  5–5
    Neal S. Blaisdell Center 
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    Jan 3, 1979
    at Ole Miss W 72–67  6–5
    (1–0)
    Tad Smith Coliseum 
    Oxford, Mississippi
    Feb 24, 1979
    at Auburn W 60–55  18–11
    (12–6)
    Memorial Coliseum 
    Auburn, Alabama
    SEC tournament
    Mar 2, 1979*
     Chesley-TPC
    vs. Auburn
    Semifinals
    W 75–64  19–11
    BJCC Coliseum 
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Mar 3, 1979*
     Chesley-TPC
    vs. Kentucky
    Championship game
    W 75–69 OT 20–11
    BJCC Coliseum 
    Birmingham, Alabama
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 9, 1979*
    (8 ME) No. 20 vs. (9 ME) Eastern Kentucky
    First round
    W 97–81  20–11
    Murphy Center 
    Murfreesboro, Tennessee
    Mar 11, 1979*
    (8 ME) No. 20 vs. (1 ME) No. 5 Notre Dame
    Second round
    L 67–73  20–12
    Murphy Center (10,982)
    Murfreesboro, Tennessee
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    ME=Mideast.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    [3] [4]

    Rankings

    [5]

    NBA draft

    Round Pick Player NBA Club
    362Terry CrosbyKansas City Kings

    [6]

    References

    1. sports-reference.com 1978-79 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
    2. "1978-79 Men's Basketball Roster". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
    3. "1978-79 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
    4. "2019-20 Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
      • ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 899–900. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
    5. "1979 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
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