1978-79 College Basketball Season
Originally written by Jeff Haggar and GRL
Regular Season
Tue 11/14/78, Soviet national team @ Michigan State, HBO, 8:00 pm, Len Berman, ??
Wed 11/29/78, #14 North Carolina @ Northwestern, HBO, 9:00 pm, Len Berman, Tom Heinsohn[1]
Thu 12/05/78, San Diego State @ #17 San Francisco, HBO, 10:00 pm, ??, ??
Wed 12/13/78, #12 USC @ #1 Duke, HBO, 8:00 pm, ??, ??
Thu 12/21/78, #7 Kansas @ #20 USC, HBO, 10:00 pm, ??, ??
Wed 12/27/78, Tulsa vs Utah (at Honolulu - Rainbow Classic), HBO, 10:00 pm, ??, ??
Sat 12/30/78, #2 Notre Dame vs #13 Kentucky (at Louisville), NBC, 11:30 pm (tape delay), Jim Simpson, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Wed 1/3/79, Tulsa @ #11 Indiana State, HBO, 9:00 pm, Len Berman, Tom Heinsohn
Sat 1/6/79, Rutgers @ #6 UCLA, NBC, 3:30 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Thu 1/11/79, Indiana @ Minnesota, HBO, 9:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 1/14/79, #10 Arkansas vs #3 North Carolina (at Greensboro), NBC, 1 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Tue 1/16/79, #7 Louisville @ Dayton, HBO, 8:00 pm, ??, ??
Sat 1/20/79, USC @ Texas, NBC, 3:30 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Tue 1/23/79, Oral Roberts @ #13 Marquette, HBO, 9:00 pm, ??, ??
Sat 1/27/79, #1 Notre Dame @ Maryland, NBC, 3:30 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Sun 1/28/79, #13 Marquette @ #7 Duke, NBC, 2 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Wed 1/31/79, Florida State @ #6 Louisville, HBO, 8:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 2/4/79, Kansas @ #14 Michigan St, NBC, 2 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Wed 2/7/79, Kentucky @ #17 Vanderbilt, HBO, 9:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 2/11/79, #4 UCLA @ #1 Notre Dame, NBC, 1 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Thu 2/15/79, Arizona State @ #2 UCLA, HBO, 11:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 2/18/79, #9 Louisville vs #5 Duke (at Charlotte), NBC, 1 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
Wed 2/21/79, Oklahoma City @ #3 Notre Dame, HBO, 8:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 2/25/79, Soviet national team @ Louisville (exhibition), NBC, 1 pm, Charlie Jones, Billy Packer
Sun 2/25/79, Wichita St @ #2 Indiana St, NBC, 3 pm (regional), Jim Simpson, Al McGuire
Sun 2/25/79, Kentucky @ South Carolina, NBC, 3 pm (regional), Bill O'Donnell, Allie McGuire
Tue 2/27/79, South Carolina @ #10 Marquette, HBO, 8:00 pm, ??, ??
Sun 3/4/79, #2 Notre Dame vs Michigan (at Pontiac), NBC, 1 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire
- Enberg called an NFL playoff game on 12/30, so Simpson filled in on the hoop game (which was aired on tape delay).
- Enberg performed Super Bowl host duty on 1/21, so Simpson filled in on the 1/20 game.
- NBC added a game on 2/25 to show undefeated Indiana State. This was the first time many fans had ever seen Larry Bird play.
NCAA Tournament
Fri 3/9 (first round) - local
* 10 St John's vs 7 Temple (at Raleigh), NCAAProd, 7 pm, ??, ??
* 10 Lamar vs 7 Detroit (at Murfreesboro), NCAAProd, 8 pm, ??, ??
* 7 Weber St vs 10 New Mexico St (at Lawrence), NCAAProd, 8 pm, ??, ??
* 9 Penn vs 8 Iona (at Raleigh), NCAAProd, 9:30 pm, ??, ??
* 7 USC vs 10 Utah St (at Los Angeles), NCAAProd, 10 pm, ??, ??
* 8 Tennessee vs 9 Eastern Ky (at Murfreesboro), NCAAProd, 10:30 pm, ??, ??
* 8 Virginia Tech vs 9 Jacksonville (at Lawrence), NCAAProd, 10:30 pm, ??, ??
* 9 Pepperdine vs 8 Utah (at Los Angeles), NCAAProd, 12:30 am, ??, ??
Sat 3/10 (second round) - doubleheader (all regionalized)
4 San Francisco vs 5 BYU (at Tucson), NBC, 2 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer
6 Rutgers vs 3 Georgetown (at Providence), NBC, 2 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
5 Toledo vs 4 Iowa (at Bloomington), NBC, 2 pm, Merle Harmon, Fred Taylor
5 Oklahoma vs 4 Texas (at Dallas), NBC, 2 pm, Jim Thacker, Gary Thompson
3 Marquette vs 6 Pacific (at Tucson), NBC, 4 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer
4 Syracuse vs 5 Connecticut (at Providence), NBC, 4 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
3 LSU vs 6 Appalachian St (at Bloomington), NBC, 4 pm, Merle Harmon, Fred Taylor
3 Louisville vs 6 So Alabama (at Dallas), NBC, 4 pm, Jim Thacker, Gary Thompson
Sun 3/11 (second round) - doubleheader (all regionalized)
1 Indiana St vs 8 Virginia Tech (at Lawrence), NBC, 1 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer
2 Michigan St vs 10 Lamar (at Murfreesboro), NBC, 1 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
9 Penn vs 1 North Carolina (at Raleigh), NBC, 1 pm, Marv Albert, Bucky Waters
2 Arkansas vs 7 Weber St (at Lawrence), NBC, 3 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer
1 UCLA vs 9 Pepperdine (at Los Angeles), NBC, 3 pm, Jay Randolph, Lynn Shackelford
10 St John's vs 2 Duke (at Raleigh), NBC, 3 pm, Marv Albert, Bucky Waters
1 Notre Dame vs 8 Tennessee (at Murfreesboro), NBC, 3 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
2 DePaul vs 7 USC (at Los Angeles), NBC, 5 pm, Jay Randolph, Lynn Shackelford
Thu 3/15 (regional semifinals) - local
2 Arkansas vs 3 Louisville (at Cincinnati), NCAAProd, 7 pm, Jay Randolph, Gary Thompson
2 DePaul vs 3 Marquette (at Provo), NCAAProd, 9 pm, Connie Alexander, Bill Strannigan
1 Indiana St vs 5 Oklahoma (at Cincinnati), NCAAProd, 9:30 pm, Jay Randolph, Gary Thompson
1 UCLA vs 4 San Francisco (at Provo), NCAAProd, 11:30 pm, Connie Alexander, Bill Strannigan
Fri 3/16 (regional semifinals) - local
9 Penn vs 4 Syracuse (at Greensboro), NCAAProd, 7 pm, Jim Thacker, Bones McKinney
1 Notre Dame vs 5 Toledo (at Indianapolis), NCAAProd, 7 pm, Merle Harmon, Fred Taylor
10 St John's vs 6 Rutgers (at Greensboro), NCAAProd, 9:30 pm, Jim Thacker, Bones McKinney
2 Michigan St vs 3 LSU (at Indianapolis), NCAAProd, 9:30 pm, Merle Harmon, Fred Taylor
Sat 3/17 (regional finals)
1 Indiana St vs 2 Arkansas (at Cincinnati), NBC, 2 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer, Bryant Gumbel
2 DePaul vs 1 UCLA (at Provo), NBC, 4 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
Sun 3/18 (regional finals)
9 Penn vs 10 St John's (at Greensboro), NBC, 1 pm, Jim Simpson, Billy Packer, Bryant Gumbel
2 Michigan St vs 1 Notre Dame (at Indianapolis), NBC, 3 pm, Dick Enberg, Al McGuire
Sat 3/24 (Final Four)
2 Michigan St vs 9 Penn (at Salt Lake City), NBC, 2:30 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire, Bryant Gumbel
1 Indiana St vs 2 DePaul (at Salt Lake City), NBC, 4:30 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire, Bryant Gumbel
Mon 3/26 (consolation/championship)
2 DePaul vs 9 Penn (at Salt Lake City), NCAAProd, 6:30 pm, Jay Randolph, Gary Thompson
2 Michigan St vs 1 Indiana St (at Salt Lake City), NBC, 9 pm, Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, Al McGuire, Bryant Gumbel
- In 1979, the tournament expanded to add Fri first round games (done by NCAA Productions).
- This was also the first year that the NCAA seeded teams.
- NBC again split up the analysts from its #1 announcer team for the first 2 weekends of the tournament.