This is a visual explainer based on the Wikipedia article on the 1975-76 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team. Read the full source article here. (opens in new tab)

The Scarlet Surge

An In-Depth Chronicle of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' Historic 1975-76 Men's Basketball Season.

Season Overview ๐Ÿ‘‡ NCAA Journey ๐Ÿ†

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Season Overview

Historic Campaign

The 1975โ€“76 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University during the 1975โ€“76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Under the guidance of Head Coach Tom Young, in his third season, the team achieved remarkable success. Playing their home games at the venerable College Avenue Gymnasium, the Scarlet Knights were an NCAA Division I Independent institution.

Unbeaten Regular Season

The team was renowned for its exciting, up-tempo style of play, averaging a school-record 93.3 points per game. They entered the NCAA tournament with a perfect 28โ€“0 record, a testament to their dominance throughout the regular season.

Championship Achievements

Rutgers secured the ECAC Metro Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Final Four, marking the only appearance in the school's history. Their remarkable journey captivated fans and cemented their place in college basketball lore.

The Season Unfolds

ECAC Metro Champions

The Scarlet Knights demonstrated exceptional performance throughout the season, culminating in their victory at the ECAC Metro Tournament. This championship secured their automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, capping off an already stellar season.

Perfect Regular Season

Rutgers achieved an unprecedented 28โ€“0 record in the regular season. This flawless performance included numerous high-scoring victories and consistent national rankings, building significant anticipation for their NCAA tournament run.

Final Record

The team concluded the season with an outstanding 31โ€“2 overall record. Their only losses came in the NCAA Tournament: an 86โ€“70 defeat to Michigan in the national semifinals, followed by a 106โ€“92 loss to UCLA in the consolation game.

NCAA Tournament Journey

East Regional Path

Rutgers entered the NCAA Tournament as a highly-ranked team. Their path to the Final Four included victories over:

  • Princeton (54โ€“53) in the East Regional Quarterfinal.
  • Connecticut (93โ€“79) in the East Regional Semifinal (Sweet Sixteen).
  • VMI (91โ€“75) in the East Regional Final (Elite Eight).

Final Four Showdown

The Final Four marked the pinnacle of the Scarlet Knights' historic season. They faced the formidable Michigan Wolverines in the national semifinal, ultimately falling 70โ€“86. This marked their first loss of the season.

Consolation Game

In the national third-place game, Rutgers competed against UCLA. Despite a strong effort, they were defeated 92โ€“106, concluding their remarkable tournament appearance and season.

Team Roster

Pos. # Player Height Weight Year Hometown
F 12 Phil Sellers 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Brooklyn, New York
C 20 James Bailey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Boston, Massachusetts
G 22 Stanford Nance 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Washington, D.C.
C 24 Bruce Sherer 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Parsippany, New Jersey
G 30 Eddie Jordan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Washington, D.C.
G 32 Mike Dabney 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr East Orange, New Jersey
F 34 Hollis Copeland 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Trenton, New Jersey
G 42 Mark Conlin 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Queens, New York
G 44 Jeff Kleinbaum 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Queens, New York
G 50 Steve Hefele 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So East Rockaway, New York
C 52 Mike Palko 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Hackettstown, New Jersey
F 54 Abdel Anderson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Belleville, New Jersey

NBA Draft Selections

Phil Sellers

Following the successful season, key players were recognized for their talent. Phil Sellers was drafted into the NBA:

Round Pick Player NBA Club
3 38 Phil Sellers Detroit Pistons

National Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: Increase in ranking Decrease in ranking
โ€” = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll Pre123456789101112131415Final
AP โ€”โ€”โ€”151514121075754333 (1)4 (2)
Coaches Not released17141516111186755443Not released

Game Schedule & Results

Regular Season
Date Rank# Opponent Result Record Site
Dec 1, 1975 Bentley W 100โ€“60 1โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Dec 4, 1975 vs. Purdue W 81โ€“73 2โ€“0
Dec 6, 1975 Seton Hall W 119โ€“93 3โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Dec 9, 1975 at Boston College W 105โ€“82 4โ€“0 Roberts Center
Dec 11, 1975 vs. Pennsylvania W 95โ€“80 5โ€“0
Dec 13, 1975 Connecticut W 96โ€“83 6โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Dec 20, 1975 No. 15 at Temple W 95โ€“62 7โ€“0 McGonigle Hall
Dec 29, 1975 No. 15 vs. The Citadel W 96โ€“73 8โ€“0 Greenville Memorial Auditorium
Dec 30, 1975 No. 15 vs. Georgia Tech W 94โ€“87 9โ€“0 Greenville Memorial Auditorium
Jan 2, 1976 No. 15 at Stetson W 91โ€“70 10โ€“0 Edmunds Center
Jan 10, 1976 No. 12 at Fordham W 93โ€“55 11โ€“0 Rose Hill Gym
Jan 14, 1976 No. 10 at Columbia W 94โ€“65 12โ€“0 Levien Gymnasium
Jan 17, 1976 No. 10 Bucknell W 105โ€“82 13โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Jan 20, 1976 No. 7 at Lehigh W 102โ€“87 14โ€“0 Taylor Gym
Jan 24, 1976 No. 7 at Lafayette W 113โ€“79 15โ€“0 Kirby Sports Center
Jan 27, 1976 No. 5 Pittsburgh W 102โ€“71 16โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Feb 2, 1976 No. 7 at Princeton W 75โ€“62 17โ€“0 Jadwin Gymnasium
Feb 5, 1976 No. 7 vs. West Virginia W 86โ€“76 18โ€“0 Madison Square Garden
Feb 7, 1976 No. 7 Navy W 86โ€“71 19โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Feb 9, 1976 No. 5 Delaware W 110โ€“87 20โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Feb 14, 1976 No. 5 Manhattan W 92โ€“81 21โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Feb 18, 1976 No. 4 Syracuse W 93โ€“80 22โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
Feb 21, 1976 No. 4 vs. American W 94โ€“79 23โ€“0
Feb 25, 1976 No. 3 at William & Mary W 100โ€“90 24โ€“0 Kaplan Arena
Feb 28, 1976 No. 3 at Long Island W 103โ€“87 25โ€“0 Schwartz Athletic Center
Mar 1, 1976 No. 3 St. Bonaventure W 85โ€“80 26โ€“0 College Avenue Gymnasium
ECAC Metro Tournament
Mar 4, 1976 No. 3 vs. Long Island (Semifinal) W 104โ€“76 27โ€“0 Jadwin Gymnasium
Mar 6, 1976 No. 3 vs. St. John's (Championship) W 70โ€“67 28โ€“0 Jadwin Gymnasium
NCAA Tournament
Mar 13, 1976 No. 3 vs. Princeton (East Regional Quarterfinal) W 54โ€“53 29โ€“0 Providence Civic Center
Mar 18, 1976 No. 4 vs. Connecticut (East Regional Semifinal) W 93โ€“79 30โ€“0 Greensboro Coliseum
Mar 20, 1976 No. 4 vs. VMI (East Regional Final) W 91โ€“75 31โ€“0 Greensboro Coliseum
Mar 27, 1976 No. 4 vs. Michigan (National Semifinal) L 70โ€“86 31โ€“1 The Spectrum
Mar 29, 1976 No. 4 vs. UCLA (National 3rd-place game) L 92โ€“106 31โ€“2 The Spectrum
#Rankings from AP Poll.

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the 1975โ€“76 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

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