1977–78 Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball team

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1977–78 Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball
PCAA tournament champions
ConferencePacific Coast Athletic Association
Record23–9 (9–5 PCAA)
Head coach
Home arenaTitan Gym
(Capacity: 4,000)
Seasons
1977–78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Fresno State 11 3   .786 21 6   .778
San Diego State 11 3   .786 19 9   .679
Cal State Fullerton 9 5   .643 23 9   .719
Pacific 9 5   .643 17 10   .630
Long Beach State 7 7   .500 16 13   .552
San Jose State 4 10   .286 8 19   .296
UC Santa Barbara 3 11   .214 8 19   .296
UC Irvine 2 12   .143 8 17   .320
1978 PCAA tournament winner
As of March 18, 1978[1]
Rankings from AP Poll


The 1977–78 Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball team represented California State University, Fullerton during the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Titans, led by head coach Bobby Dye, played their home games at the Titan Gym, in Fullerton, California, as members of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. They finished the season 23–9, 9–5 in PCAA play to finish in third place. In the championship game of the PCAA tournament, they defeated Long Beach State to win the tournament and receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament – the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 4 at-large (4L) seed in the West region, they upset New Mexico and San Francisco to reach the regional final. Despite a valiant effort, the Titans fell to Arkansas in the Elite Eight.[2]

Roster[edit]

1977–78 Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 30 Greg Bunch 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Pacific San Bernardino, California
G Keith Anderson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Jr    
F Mike Niles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Jefferson Los Angeles, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Schedule and results[edit]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
PCAA regular season
Feb 4, 1978
Fresno State W 54–48  15–5
(6–2)
Titan Gym 
Fullerton, California
Feb 9, 1978
at Long Beach State L 84–88  15–6
(6–3)
Long Beach Arena 
Long Beach, California
Feb 11, 1978
San Diego State L 70–76  15–7
(6–4)
Titan Gym 
Fullerton, California
Feb 16, 1978
at Pacific L 62–71  15–8
(6–5)
Pacific Pavilion 
Stockton, California
Feb 18, 1978
at San Jose State W 80–78  16–8
(7–5)
Independence High School 
San Jose, California
Feb 23, 1978
UC Irvine W 83–75  17–8
(8–5)
Titan Gym 
Fullerton, California
Feb 25, 1978
at UC Santa Barbara W 85–67  18–8
(9–5)
Robertson Gymnasium 
Santa Barbara, California
PCAA tournament
Mar 2, 1978*
San Jose State
Quarterfinals
W 88–78  19–8
Anaheim Convention Center 
Anaheim, California
Mar 3, 1978*
San Diego State
Semifinals
W 64–50  20–8
Anaheim Convention Center 
Anaheim, California
Mar 4, 1978*
vs. Long Beach State
Championship game
W 64–53  21–8
Anaheim Convention Center 
Anaheim, California
NCAA tournament
Mar 11, 1978*
(W 4L) vs. (W 2Q) No. 5 New Mexico
First Round
W 90–85  22–8
ASU Activity Center 
Tempe, Arizona
Mar 16, 1978*
(W 4L) vs. (W 3Q) No. 11 San Francisco
West Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen
W 75–72  23–8
University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Mar 18, 1978*
(W 4L) vs. (W 2L) No. 5 Arkansas
West Regional Final – Elite Eight
L 58–61  23–9
University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Source:[3] [4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1978-78 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Season Summary". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "CLOSE, BUT NO GLASS SLIPPER". Sports Illustrated. March 27, 1978. Retrieved January 28, 2023. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  3. ^ "1977-78 Men's Basketball Schedule - Cal State Fullerton Athletics". Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "CSU Fullerton Titans 1977–78 Statistics". College Basketball Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2023.