1976–77 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team

The 1976–77 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team represented Idaho State University during the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.[1] The Bengals were led by sixth-year head coach Jim Killingsworth and played their home games on campus at the ISU Minidome in Pocatello. Led by seven-foot (2.13 m) center Steve Hayes, they finished the regular season at 21–4 overall, with a 13–1 record in the Big Sky Conference.[2]

1976–77 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
1976–77 record25–5 (13–1 Big Sky)
Head coach
MVPSteve Hayes
Home arenaISU Minidome
1976–77 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Idaho State †13–1 .929  25–5  .833
Weber State11–3 .786  20–8  .714
Gonzaga7–7 .500  11–16  .407
Montana State6–8 .429  12–14  .462
Northern Arizona5–9 .357  12–15  .444
Boise State5–9 .357  10–16  .385
Montana5–9 .357  7–19  .269
Idaho3–11 .214  5–21  .192
† Conference tournament winner

As regular season champions, Idaho State hosted and won the second edition of the four-team conference tournament; the NCAA tournament started on their home floor with a victory over Long Beach State.[3] At Provo, Utah, the Bengals drew national attention with their one-point upset of longtime power UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen.[4][5][6] After UCLA scored to draw within one, freshman reserve guard Ernie Wheeler was quickly fouled in the backcourt with eight seconds remaining; he made both to go up by three. UCLA scored again with a second left, but time ran out after ISU successfully got the ball inbounds. Wheeler had earlier hit both free throws with 37 seconds remaining; the Bengals made nine of ten free throws in the final two minutes.[4][5][6] This was the first time since 1963 that UCLA made the tournament but failed to get to the Final Four.

In the Elite Eight game against UNLV,[7][8] ISU led by a point at halftime, but lost by seventeen and ended the season at 25–5.[9]

The Bengals were the fourth (of five) Big Sky teams to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, and remain as the only team in conference history to get to the Elite Eight.

Roster
1976–77 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 21 Scott Goold 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoHighland HS Pocatello, ID
G 14 Ed Thompson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrSanta Barbara CC Santa Barbara, CA
F 30 Greg Griffin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrPasadena CC Cleveland, OH
F 32 Jeff Cook 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrEdgewood HS West Covina, CA
C 33 Steve Hayes 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrAberdeen HS Aberdeen, ID
F 22 Brand Robinson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoManhattan HS Manhattan, MT
G 12 Ernie Wheeler 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrSan Luis Obispo HS San Luis Obispo, CA
F 15 Brian Bemis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrCoeur d'Alene HS Coeur d'Alene, ID
F 20 Paul Wilson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrFontana HS Fontana, CA
C 35 Stan Klos 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrSt. Peters (NJ) Old Bridge, NJ
F 31 Gene Bowen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) JrSouthern Idaho Lafayette, IN
G 10 Kelly Gardner 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrProvo HS Provo, UT
F 34 Mark McQuaid 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrChaffey HS Ontario, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Postseason results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Big Sky Tournament
Fri, March 4
9:00 pm		 Montana State
Semifinal		 W 93–77  22–4
 ISU Minidome (4,427)
Pocatello, Idaho
Sat, March 5
8:00 pm		 Weber State
Final		 W 61–55  23–4
 ISU Minidome (9,300)
Pocatello, Idaho
NCAA Tournament
Sat, March 12*
4:37 pm		 vs. Long Beach State
First round		 W 83–72  24–4
 ISU Minidome (10,897)
Pocatello, Idaho
Thu, March 17*
9:15 pm, NBC		 vs. No. 2 UCLA
Sweet Sixteen		 W 76–75  25–4
 Marriott Center (21,639)
Provo, Utah
Sat, March 19*
2:15 pm, NBC		 vs. No. 4 UNLV
Elite Eight		 L 90–107  25–5
 Marriott Center (19,298)
Provo, Utah
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

References
  1. Rushdi, Farid (April 7, 2013). "Sweet 16 ISU's lucky number for '77 season: Beating UCLA turned Bengals into Cinderella". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  2. "Zags draw Weber State". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. February 28, 1977. p. 17.
  3. "Bruins rip, Rebs soar". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 13, 1977. p. D1.
  4. Benson, Lee (March 18, 1977). "Utes fall short, Idaho State stuns UCLA". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 6B.
  5. "ISU has greatest win". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. March 18, 1977. p. 21.
  6. "UCLA becomes the obscure one". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. March 18, 1977. p. 1B.
  7. Benson, Lee (March 19, 1977). "Vegas-ISU victor to join NCAA Final 4". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 6A.
  8. "Vegas-Idaho State: 'My turn,' says Tark". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. March 19, 1977. p. 2B.
  9. "Tark's ploy sends Rebels past Bengals". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. March 20, 1977. p. 1B.
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