1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from Blacksburg, Virginia as members of the Metro Conference during the 1978–79 season. The Hokies were led by head coach Charles Moir and played their home games at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia. After finishing fourth in the Metro regular season standings, Virginia Tech captured the conference tournament title to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament. As No. 8 seed in the Midwest region, the team beat No. 9 seed Jacksonville in the opening round before losing to eventual National runner-up Indiana State and superstar Larry Bird.^[2]

1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball
Metro Conference tournament champions
NCAA tournament
Conference	Metro Conference
Record	22–9 (4–6 Metro)
Head coach	Charles Moir (3rd season)
Home arena	Cassell Coliseum
Seasons ← 1977–78 1979–80 →

1978–79 Metro Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 13 Louisville	9	–	1		.900			24	–	8		.750
Florida State	7	–	3		.700			19	–	10		.655
Memphis State	5	–	5		.500			13	–	15		.464
Virginia Tech †	4	–	6		.400			22	–	9		.710
Cincinnati	4	–	6		.400			13	–	14		.481
Saint Louis	3	–	7		.300			10	–	17		.370
Tulane	2	–	8		.200			8	–	19		.296
† 1979 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[1]

Roster

1978–79 Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 40 Wayne Robinson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) — Jr Greensboro Day School Greensboro, North Carolina	Head coach Charles Moir (Appalachian State) Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular Season
Feb 3, 1979*		vs. No. 4 North Carolina North-South Doubleheader	L 80–92 OT	12–7	Charlotte Coliseum  Charlotte, North Carolina
Feb 7, 1979*		Old Dominion	W 91–85	13–7	Cassell Coliseum  Blacksburg, Virginia
Feb 10, 1979*		vs. Virginia	L 72–78	13–8	Roanoke Civic Center  Roanoke, Virginia
Feb 12, 1979*		at William & Mary	W 55–49	14–8	William & Mary Hall  Williamsburg, Virginia
Feb 17, 1979*		Georgia Southern	W 104–84	15–8	Cassell Coliseum  Blacksburg, Virginia
Feb 19, 1979		at Cincinnati	W 76–75	16–8 (4–6)	Riverfront Coliseum  Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 21, 1979*		West Virginia	W 73–61	17–8	Cassell Coliseum  Blacksburg, Virginia
Feb 24, 1979*		at Richmond	W 93–91	18–8	Robins Center  Richmond, Virginia
Metro Tournament
Mar 1, 1979*		vs. Cincinnati Quarterfinals	W 80–74	19–8	Mid-South Coliseum  Memphis, Tennessee
Mar 2, 1979*		vs. No. 13 Louisville Semifinals	W 72–68	20–8	Mid-South Coliseum  Memphis, Tennessee
Mar 3, 1979*		vs. Florida State Championship game	W 68–60	21–8	Mid-South Coliseum  Memphis, Tennessee
NCAA Tournament
Mar 9, 1979*	(8 MW)	vs. (9 MW) Jacksonville First round	W 70–53	22–8	Allen Fieldhouse  Lawrence, Kansas
Mar 11, 1979*	(8 MW)	vs. (1 MW) No. 1 Indiana State Second round	L 69–86	22–9	Allen Fieldhouse  Lawrence, Kansas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

^[3][4]

Rankings

Main article: 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

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