1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1987 and ended with the Final Four in Kansas City, Missouri on April 4, 1988.

1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Preseason AP No. 1	Syracuse Orangemen
NCAA Tournament	1988
Tournament dates	March 17 – April 4, 1988
National Championship	Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri
NCAA Champions	Kansas Jayhawks
Other champions	Connecticut Huskies (NIT)
Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden)	Danny Manning, Kansas Jayhawks
← 1986–87 1988–89 →

Season headlines

• Oklahoma became the first school to play for the national championship in both college football and college basketball in the same academic year.^[1] The football team lost the Orange Bowl on January 1, 1988, and in the 1988 NCAA tournament the basketball team lost the NCAA championship game on April 4, 1988.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.^[2]

Associated Press Ranking Team 1 Syracuse 2 Purdue 3 North Carolina 4 Pittsburgh 5 Kentucky 6 Indiana 7 Kansas 8 Missouri 9 Michigan 10 Wyoming 11 Iowa 12 Temple 13 Louisville 14 Florida 15 Duke 16 Georgetown 17 Arizona 18 Georgia Tech 19 Oklahoma 20 DePaul

Conference membership changes

School	Former conference	New conference
Akron Zips	Ohio Valley Conference	NCAA Division I Independent
Arkansas State Red Wolves	Southland Conference	American South Conference
Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates	Big South Conference	NCAA Division II Independent
Eastern Washington Eagles	NCAA Division I independent	Big Sky Conference
Florida International (FIU) Panthers	NCAA Division II independent	NCAA Division I independent
Lamar Cardinals	Southland Conference	American South Conference
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs	Southland Conference	American South Conference
Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Kangaroos	NAIA	NCAA Division I Independent
New Orleans Privateers	NCAA Division I Independent	American South Conference
Nicholls State Colonels	Gulf Star Conference	NCAA Division I Independent
Oral Roberts Titans	Midwestern Collegiate Conference	NCAA Division I Independent
Southeastern Louisiana Lions	Gulf Star Conference	NCAA Division I Independent
Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns	NCAA Division I Independent	American South Conference
Texas–Pan American Broncs	NCAA Division I Independent	American South Conference
Wright State Raiders	NCAA Division II independent	NCAA Division I independent

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference	Regular season winner[3]	Conference player of the year	Conference Coach of the Year	Conference tournament	Tournament venue (City)	Tournament winner
American South Conference	Louisiana Tech & New Orleans	Ledell Eackles, New Orleans	Tommy Joe Eagles, Louisiana Tech & Kevin Wall, Pan American	1988 American South Conference men's basketball tournament	Montagne Center (Beaumont, Texas)	Louisiana Tech
AMCU–8	Southwest Missouri State	Ken McFadden, Cleveland State	Charlie Spoonhour, Southwest Missouri State	No Tournament
Atlantic 10 Conference	Temple	Tim Perry, Temple[4]	John Chaney, Temple	1988 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament	WVU Coliseum (Morgantown, West Virginia)	Temple
Atlantic Coast Conference	North Carolina	Danny Ferry, Duke[5]	Jim Valvano, NC State	1988 ACC men's basketball tournament	Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)	Duke
Big East Conference	Pittsburgh	Charles Smith, Pittsburgh[6]	P. J. Carlesimo, Seton Hall	1988 Big East men's basketball tournament	Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York)	Syracuse
Big Eight Conference	Missouri	Danny Manning, Kansas[7]	Billy Tubbs, Oklahoma	1988 Big Eight Conference men's basketball tournament	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri)	Oklahoma
Big Sky Conference	Boise State	Arnell Jones, Boise State[8]	Bobby Dye, Boise State	1988 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament	Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (Bozeman, Montana)	Boise State
Big South Conference	Coastal Carolina	Derek Wilson, Coastal Carolina	Russ Bergman, Coastal Carolina & Gary Edwards, Baptist	1988 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament	Winthrop Coliseum (Rock Hill, South Carolina)	Winthrop
Big Ten Conference	Purdue	Gary Grant, Michigan	Gene Keady, Purdue	No Tournament
Colonial Athletic Association	Richmond	Kenny Sanders, George Mason	Ed Tapscott, American & Rick Barnes, George Mason	1988 CAA men's basketball tournament	Hampton Coliseum (Hampton, Virginia)	Richmond
East Coast Conference	Lafayette	Michael Anderson, Drexel	Butch van Breda Kolff, Lafayette	1988 East Coast Conference men's basketball tournament	Towson Center (Towson, Maryland)	Lehigh
ECAC Metro	Fairleigh Dickinson & Marist	Rik Smits, Marist	Wayne Szoke, Monmouth	1988 ECAC Metro men's basketball tournament	Rothman Center (Hackensack, New Jersey)	Fairleigh Dickinson
ECAC North	Siena	Larry Jones, Boston University[9]	Skip Chappelle, Maine	1988 ECAC North men's basketball tournament	Hartford Civic Center (Hartford, Connecticut)	Boston University
Ivy League	Cornell	Paul Maley, Yale[10]	None selected	No Tournament
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	La Salle	Lionel Simmons, La Salle[11]	Speedy Morris, La Salle	1988 MAAC men's basketball tournament	Meadowlands Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey)	La Salle
Metro Conference	Louisville	Bimbo Coles, Virginia Tech & Pervis Ellison, Louisville	Frankie Allen, Virginia Tech	1988 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament	Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis, Tennessee)	Louisville
Mid-American Conference	Eastern Michigan	Grant Long, Eastern Michigan[12]	Ben Braun, Eastern Michigan	1988 MAC men's basketball tournament	Centennial Hall (Toledo, Ohio)	Eastern Michigan
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	North Carolina A&T	Claude Williams, North Carolina A&T	Don Corbett, North Carolina A&T	1988 MEAC men's basketball tournament	Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, North Carolina)	North Carolina A&T
Midwestern Collegiate Conference	Xavier	Byron Larkin, Xavier[13]	Pete Gillen, Xavier	1988 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament	Market Square Arena (Indianapolis, Indiana)	Xavier
Missouri Valley Conference	Bradley	Hersey Hawkins, Bradley[14]	Stan Albeck, Bradley	1988 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Carver Arena (Peoria, Illinois)	Bradley
Ohio Valley Conference	Murray State	Jeff Martin, Murray State[15]	Steve Newton, Murray State	1988 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament	Racer Arena (Murray, Kentucky)	Murray State
Pacific-10 Conference	Arizona	Sean Elliott, Arizona[16]	Lute Olson, Arizona	1988 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament	McKale Center (Tucson, Arizona)	Arizona
Pacific Coast Athletic Association	UNLV	Brian Shaw, UC Santa Barbara[17]	Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV	1988 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball tournament	The Forum (Inglewood, California)	UNLV
Southeastern Conference	Kentucky	Will Perdue, Vanderbilt[18]	C. M. Newton, Vanderbilt & Sonny Smith, Auburn	1988 SEC men's basketball tournament	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)	Kentucky
Southern Conference	Marshall	Skip Henderson, Marshall[19]	Tom Apke, Appalachian State	1988 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament	Asheville Civic Center (Asheville, North Carolina)	Tennessee–Chattanooga
Southland Conference	North Texas State	Deon Hunter, North Texas State[20]	Jimmy Gales, North Texas State	1988 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament	UNT Coliseum (Denton, Texas)	North Texas State
Southwest Conference	SMU	Darryl Middleton, Baylor[21][22]		1988 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament	Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas)	SMU
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Southern	Avery Johnson, Southern[23]	Ben Jobe, Southern	1988 SWAC men's basketball tournament		Southern
Sun Belt Conference	UNC Charlotte	Byron Dinkins, UNC Charlotte[24]	Jeff Mullins, UNC Charlotte	1988 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)	UNC Charlotte
Trans America Athletic Conference	Georgia Southern & Arkansas–Little Rock	Jeff Sanders, Georgia Southern[25]	Frank Kerns, Georgia Southern	1988 TAAC men's basketball tournament	Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, Florida)	Texas–San Antonio
West Coast Athletic Conference	Loyola Marymount	Levy Middlebrooks, Loyola Marymount[26]	Paul Westhead, Loyola Marymount	1988 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament	War Memorial Gymnasium (San Francisco, California)	Loyola Marymount
Western Athletic Conference	BYU	Michael Smith, BYU[27]	LaDell Andersen, BYU	1988 WAC men's basketball tournament	Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, Utah)	Wyoming

Conference standings

1987–88 American South Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Louisiana Tech † 7 – 3   .700 22 – 9   .710 New Orleans 7 – 3   .700 21 – 11   .656 Lamar 5 – 5   .500 20 – 11   .645 Arkansas State 4 – 6   .400 21 – 14   .600 Pan American 4 – 6   .400 14 – 14   .500 Southwestern Louisiana 3 – 7   .300 12 – 16   .429 † 1988 American South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[28]	1987–88 AMCU-8 Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT SW Missouri State 12 – 2   .857 22 – 7   .759 Cleveland State 11 – 3   .786 22 – 8   .733 Wisconsin–Green Bay 9 – 5   .643 18 – 9   .667 Eastern Illinois 7 – 7   .500 17 – 11   .607 Western Illinois 6 – 8   .429 15 – 12   .556 Northern Iowa 4 – 10   .286 10 – 18   .357 Illinois-Chicago 4 – 10   .286 8 – 20   .286 Valparaiso 3 – 11   .214 12 – 16   .429 Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 1 Temple † 18 – 0   1.000 32 – 2   .941 Rhode Island 14 – 4   .778 28 – 7   .800 West Virginia 12 – 6   .667 18 – 14   .563 Saint Joseph's 9 – 9   .500 15 – 14   .517 Penn State 9 – 9   .500 13 – 14   .481 George Washington 7 – 11   .389 13 – 15   .464 St. Bonaventure 7 – 11   .389 13 – 15   .464 Duquesne 6 – 12   .333 11 – 21   .344 UMass 5 – 13   .278 10 – 17   .370 Rutgers 3 – 15   .167 7 – 22   .241 † 1988 Atlantic 10 Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 ACC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 7 North Carolina 11 – 3   .786 27 – 7   .794 No. 14 NC State 10 – 4   .714 24 – 8   .750 No. 5 Duke † 9 – 5   .643 28 – 7   .800 Georgia Tech 8 – 6   .571 22 – 10   .688 Maryland 6 – 8   .429 18 – 13   .581 Virginia 5 – 9   .357 13 – 18   .419 Clemson 4 – 10   .286 14 – 15   .483 Wake Forest 3 – 11   .214 10 – 18   .357 † 1988 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Big East men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 8 Pittsburgh 12 – 4   .750 24 – 7   .774 No. 9 Syracuse† 11 – 5   .688 26 – 9   .743 Georgetown 9 – 7   .563 20 – 10   .667 Villanova 9 – 7   .563 24 – 13   .649 St. John's 8 – 8   .500 17 – 12   .586 Seton Hall 8 – 8   .500 22 – 13   .629 Boston College 6 – 10   .375 18 – 15   .545 Providence 5 – 11   .313 11 – 17   .393 Connecticut 4 – 12   .250 20 – 14   .588 † 1988 Big East tournament winner As of April 4, 1988[29] Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Big Eight Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 4 Oklahoma† 12 – 2   .857 35 – 4   .897 No. 20 Kansas State 11 – 3   .786 25 – 9   .735 Kansas 9 – 5   .643 27 – 11   .711 Missouri 7 – 7   .500 19 – 11   .633 Iowa State 6 – 8   .429 20 – 12   .625 Oklahoma State 4 – 10   .286 14 – 16   .467 Nebraska 4 – 10   .286 13 – 18   .419 Colorado 3 – 11   .214 7 – 21   .250 † 1988 Big Eight tournament winner As of March 3, 2012 Rankings from AP poll
1987–88 Big Sky Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Boise State † 13 – 3   .813 24 – 6   .800 Idaho 11 – 5   .688 19 – 11   .633 Montana State 10 – 6   .625 19 – 11   .633 Idaho State 8 – 8   .500 15 – 13   .536 Nevada 8 – 8   .500 15 – 13   .536 Montana 7 – 9   .438 18 – 11   .621 Northern Arizona 7 – 9   .438 10 – 18   .357 Weber State 6 – 10   .375 9 – 21   .300 Eastern Washington 2 – 14   .125 6 – 21   .222 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[30]	1987–88 Big South Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Coastal Carolina 9 – 3   .750 17 – 11   .607 Baptist 8 – 4   .667 17 – 12   .586 Radford 8 – 4   .667 16 – 14   .533 Winthrop † 5 – 7   .417 17 – 13   .567 UNC Asheville 5 – 7   .417 13 – 15   .464 Augusta State 4 – 8   .333 8 – 18   .308 Campbell 3 – 9   .250 11 – 16   .407 † 1988 Big South tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 3 Purdue 16 – 2   .889 29 – 4   .879 No. 10 Michigan 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765 No. 17 Iowa 12 – 6   .667 24 – 10   .706 No. 16 Illinois 12 – 6   .667 23 – 10   .697 Indiana 11 – 7   .611 19 – 10   .655 Ohio State 9 – 9   .500 20 – 13   .606 Wisconsin 6 – 12   .333 12 – 16   .429 Michigan State 5 – 13   .278 10 – 18   .357 Minnesota 4 – 14   .222 10 – 18   .357 Northwestern 2 – 16   .111 7 – 21   .250 Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 CAA men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Richmond † 11 – 3   .786 26 – 7   .788 American 9 – 5   .643 14 – 14   .500 George Mason 9 – 5   .643 20 – 10   .667 UNC-Wilmington 8 – 6   .571 15 – 14   .517 Navy 6 – 8   .429 12 – 16   .429 James Madison 5 – 9   .357 10 – 18   .357 William & Mary 5 – 9   .357 10 – 19   .345 East Carolina 3 – 11   .214 8 – 20   .286 † 1988 CAA tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[31]	1987–88 East Coast Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Lafayette 11 – 3   .786 19 – 10   .655 Delaware 9 – 5   .643 19 – 9   .679 Drexel 9 – 5   .643 18 – 10   .643 Lehigh † 8 – 6   .571 21 – 10   .677 Bucknell 7 – 7   .500 16 – 12   .571 Rider 6 – 8   .429 10 – 19   .345 Towson State 4 – 10   .286 14 – 16   .467 Hofstra 2 – 12   .143 6 – 21   .222 † 1988 ECC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll	1987–88 North Atlantic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Siena 16 – 2   .889 23 – 6   .793 Boston University † 14 – 4   .778 23 – 8   .742 Hartford 12 – 6   .667 15 – 16   .484 Niagara 12 – 6   .667 15 – 15   .500 Northeastern 11 – 7   .611 15 – 13   .536 Maine 10 – 8   .556 13 – 15   .464 Canisius 7 – 11   .389 7 – 20   .259 New Hampshire 3 – 15   .167 4 – 25   .138 Colgate 3 – 15   .167 4 – 23   .148 Vermont 2 – 16   .111 3 – 24   .111 † 1988 North Atlantic tournament[32] winner Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 Ivy League men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Cornell 11 – 3   .786 17 – 10   .630 Dartmouth 10 – 4   .714 18 – 8   .692 Princeton 9 – 5   .643 17 – 9   .654 Yale 8 – 6   .571 12 – 14   .462 Penn 8 – 6   .571 10 – 16   .385 Harvard 6 – 8   .429 11 – 15   .423 Brown 2 – 12   .143 6 – 20   .231 Columbia 2 – 12   .143 6 – 20   .231 Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 MAAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT La Salle † 14 – 0   1.000 24 – 10   .706 Saint Peter's 11 – 3   .786 20 – 9   .690 Fordham 9 – 5   .643 18 – 15   .545 Holy Cross 8 – 6   .571 14 – 15   .483 Iona 5 – 9   .357 11 – 16   .407 Army 4 – 10   .286 9 – 19   .321 Fairfield 4 – 10   .286 8 – 20   .286 Manhattan 1 – 13   .071 7 – 23   .233 † 1988 MAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Metro Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Louisville † 9 – 3   .750 24 – 11   .686 Florida State 7 – 5   .583 19 – 11   .633 South Carolina 6 – 6   .500 19 – 10   .655 Virginia Tech 6 – 6   .500 19 – 10   .655 Memphis State 6 – 6   .500 20 – 12   .625 Southern Miss 5 – 7   .417 19 – 11   .633 Cincinnati 3 – 9   .250 11 – 17   .393 † 1988 Metro Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[33]
1987–88 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 18 Xavier † 9 – 1   .900 26 – 4   .867 Evansville 6 – 4   .600 21 – 8   .724 Saint Louis 5 – 5   .500 14 – 14   .500 Butler 5 – 5   .500 14 – 14   .500 Loyola (IL) 3 – 7   .300 13 – 16   .448 Detroit Mercy 2 – 8   .200 7 – 23   .233 † 1988 MCC tournament winner Rankings from AP	1987–88 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Eastern Michigan † 14 – 2   .875 22 – 8   .733 Central Michigan 10 – 6   .625 19 – 13   .594 Ohio 9 – 7   .563 16 – 14   .533 Ball State 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500 Western Michigan 7 – 9   .438 12 – 17   .414 Bowling Green 7 – 9   .438 12 – 16   .429 Kent State 6 – 10   .375 10 – 18   .357 Miami (OH) 6 – 10   .375 9 – 18   .333 Toledo 5 – 11   .313 15 – 12   .556 † 1988 MAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 MEAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT North Carolina A&T † 16 – 0   1.000 26 – 3   .897 Florida A&M 11 – 5   .688 22 – 8   .733 South Carolina State 10 – 6   .625 16 – 13   .552 Howard 9 – 7   .563 15 – 12   .556 Coppin State 8 – 7   .533 13 – 14   .481 Morgan State 7 – 8   .467 13 – 17   .433 Maryland Eastern Shore 5 – 11   .313 7 – 20   .259 Bethune–Cookman 4 – 12   .250 6 – 21   .222 Delaware State 1 – 15   .063 3 – 25   .107 † 1988 MEAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[34]
1987–88 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 11 Bradley † 12 – 2   .857 26 – 5   .839 Wichita State 11 – 3   .786 20 – 10   .667 Illinois State 9 – 5   .643 18 – 13   .581 Southern Illinois 6 – 8   .429 12 – 16   .429 Creighton 6 – 8   .429 16 – 16   .500 Drake 5 – 9   .357 14 – 14   .500 Tulsa 4 – 10   .286 8 – 20   .286 Indiana State 3 – 11   .214 7 – 21   .250 † 1988 MVC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[35]	1987–88 ECAC Metro men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Fairleigh Dickinson† 13 – 3   .813 23 – 7   .767 Marist* 13 – 3   .813 18 – 9   .667 Monmouth 11 – 5   .688 16 – 13   .552 Robert Morris 9 – 7   .563 14 – 14   .500 Long Island 8 – 8   .500 14 – 14   .500 Loyola (MD) 6 – 10   .375 8 – 22   .267 St. Francis (NY) 5 – 11   .313 11 – 18   .379 Saint Francis (PA) 4 – 12   .250 7 – 20   .259 Wagner 3 – 13   .188 9 – 18   .333 † 1988 ECAC Metro tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll *Ineligible for conference tournament	1987–88 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Murray State † 13 – 1   .929 22 – 9   .710 Middle Tennessee 11 – 3   .786 23 – 11   .676 Austin Peay 10 – 4   .714 17 – 13   .567 Eastern Kentucky 10 – 4   .714 18 – 11   .621 Tennessee Tech 5 – 9   .357 12 – 16   .429 Tennessee State 4 – 10   .286 11 – 17   .393 Youngstown State 2 – 12   .143 7 – 21   .250 Morehead State 1 – 13   .071 5 – 22   .185 † 1988 Ohio Valley Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[36]
1987–88 Pacific Coast Athletic Association men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 12 UNLV 15 – 3   .833 28 – 6   .824 UC Santa Barbara 13 – 5   .722 22 – 8   .733 Utah State † 13 – 5   .722 21 – 10   .677 Long Beach State 11 – 7   .611 17 – 12   .586 UC Irvine 9 – 9   .500 16 – 14   .533 New Mexico State 8 – 10   .444 16 – 16   .500 San Jose State 8 – 10   .444 14 – 15   .483 Cal State Fullerton 7 – 11   .389 12 – 17   .414 Fresno State 6 – 12   .333 9 – 19   .321 Pacific 0 – 18   .000 5 – 24   .172 † 1988 PCAA tournament winner	1987–88 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 2 Arizona † 17 – 1   .944 35 – 3   .921 Oregon State 12 – 6   .667 20 – 11   .645 UCLA 12 – 6   .667 16 – 14   .533 Stanford 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636 Oregon 10 – 8   .556 16 – 14   .533 Washington State 7 – 11   .389 13 – 16   .448 Arizona State 6 – 12   .333 13 – 16   .448 USC 5 – 13   .278 7 – 21   .250 California 5 – 13   .278 9 – 20   .310 Washington 5 – 13   .278 10 – 19   .345 † Conference tournament winner As of April 15, 1988[37] Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 6 Kentucky † 13 – 5   .722 27 – 6   .818 Auburn 11 – 7   .611 19 – 11   .633 Florida 11 – 7   .611 23 – 12   .657 LSU 10 – 8   .556 16 – 14   .533 Vanderbilt 10 – 8   .556 20 – 11   .645 Tennessee 9 – 9   .500 16 – 13   .552 Georgia 8 – 10   .444 20 – 16   .556 Ole Miss 6 – 12   .333 13 – 16   .448 Alabama 6 – 12   .333 14 – 17   .452 Mississippi State 6 – 12   .333 14 – 15   .483 † 1988 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 Southern Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Marshall 14 – 2   .875 24 – 8   .750 Furman 11 – 5   .688 18 – 10   .643 Davidson 9 – 7   .563 15 – 13   .536 East Tennessee State 9 – 7   .563 14 – 15   .483 Chattanooga † 8 – 8   .500 20 – 13   .606 Appalachian State 8 – 8   .500 16 – 13   .552 VMI 6 – 10   .375 13 – 17   .433 The Citadel 5 – 11   .313 8 – 20   .286 Western Carolina 2 – 14   .125 8 – 19   .296 † 1988 SoCon Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll	1987–88 Southland Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT North Texas State † 12 – 2   .857 17 – 13   .567 Northeast Louisiana 10 – 4   .714 21 – 9   .700 Sam Houston State 9 – 5   .643 14 – 14   .500 Northwestern State 7 – 7   .500 16 – 12   .571 Texas State 6 – 8   .429 9 – 22   .290 Stephen F. Austin 4 – 10   .286 10 – 18   .357 McNeese State 4 – 10   .286 7 – 22   .241 Texas-Arlington 4 – 10   .286 7 – 22   .241 † 1988 Southland Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll	1987–88 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT SMU † 12 – 4   .750 28 – 7   .800 Arkansas 11 – 5   .688 21 – 9   .700 Baylor 11 – 5   .688 23 – 11   .676 Houston 10 – 6   .625 18 – 13   .581 Texas 10 – 6   .625 16 – 13   .552 Texas A&M 8 – 8   .500 16 – 15   .516 Texas Tech 4 – 12   .250 9 – 19   .321 TCU 3 – 13   .188 9 – 19   .321 Rice 3 – 13   .188 6 – 21   .222 † 1988 SWC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 SWAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Southern † 12 – 2   .857 24 – 7   .774 Texas Southern 11 – 3   .786 21 – 8   .724 Grambling State 9 – 5   .643 13 – 17   .433 Jackson State 7 – 7   .500 13 – 15   .464 Mississippi Valley State 5 – 9   .357 8 – 20   .286 Alcorn State 5 – 9   .357 8 – 21   .276 Alabama State 4 – 10   .286 8 – 20   .286 Prairie View A&M 3 – 11   .214 5 – 22   .185 † 1988 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[38]	1987–88 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT UNC Charlotte † 11 – 3   .786 22 – 9   .710 VCU 10 – 4   .714 23 – 12   .657 Old Dominion 9 – 5   .643 18 – 12   .600 South Alabama 8 – 6   .571 15 – 14   .517 UAB 7 – 7   .500 16 – 15   .516 Western Kentucky 6 – 8   .429 15 – 13   .536 South Florida 3 – 11   .214 6 – 22   .214 Jacksonville 2 – 12   .143 8 – 21   .276 † 1988 Sun Belt Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll[39]	1987–88 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Georgia Southern 15 – 3   .833 24 – 7   .774 Arkansas–Little Rock 15 – 3   .833 24 – 7   .774 UTSA † 13 – 5   .722 22 – 9   .710 Hardin-Simmons 10 – 8   .556 18 – 12   .600 Mercer 8 – 10   .444 15 – 14   .517 Centenary 8 – 10   .444 13 – 15   .464 Stetson 8 – 10   .444 13 – 15   .464 Georgia State 5 – 13   .278 9 – 19   .321 Houston Baptist 4 – 14   .222 9 – 18   .333 Samford 4 – 14   .222 7 – 20   .259 † 1988 TAAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll
1987–88 West Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 15 Loyola Marymount † 14 – 0   1.000 28 – 4   .875 Saint Mary's 9 – 5   .643 19 – 9   .679 Santa Clara 9 – 5   .643 20 – 11   .645 Pepperdine 8 – 6   .571 17 – 13   .567 Gonzaga 7 – 7   .500 16 – 12   .571 San Francisco 5 – 9   .357 13 – 15   .464 San Diego 3 – 11   .214 11 – 17   .393 Portland 1 – 13   .071 6 – 22   .214 † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll	1987–88 WAC men's basketball standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT No. 19 BYU 13 – 3   .813 26 – 6   .813 No. 13 Wyoming † 11 – 5   .688 26 – 6   .813 Utah 11 – 5   .688 19 – 11   .633 UTEP 10 – 6   .625 23 – 10   .697 New Mexico 8 – 8   .500 22 – 14   .611 Colorado State 8 – 8   .500 22 – 13   .629 San Diego State 5 – 11   .313 12 – 17   .414 Air Force 4 – 12   .250 11 – 17   .393 Hawaii 2 – 14   .125 4 – 25   .138 † 1988 WAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll[40]

Division I independents

A total of 18 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Akron (21–7) had the best winning percentage (.750) and DePaul (22–8) finished with the most wins.^[41]

1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball independents standings v t e Conf. Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT Akron –   – 21 – 7   .750 DePaul –   – 22 – 8   .733 Notre Dame –   – 20 – 9   .690 Wright State –   – 16 – 11   .593 Miami (FL) –   – 17 – 14   .548 UMBC –   – 13 – 15   .464 Dayton –   – 13 – 18   .419 Brooklyn –   – 11 – 17   .393 Central Connecticut State –   – 10 – 18   .357 Marquette –   – 10 – 18   .357 Nicholls State –   – 10 – 18   .357 U.S. International –   – 10 – 18   .357 UMKC –   – 9 – 18   .333 Central Florida –   – 9 – 19   .321 Florida International –   – 9 – 19   .321 Chicago State –   – 8 – 20   .286 Northern Illinois –   – 8 – 20   .286 Oral Roberts –   – 8 – 21   .276 Southeastern Louisiana –   – 7 – 21   .250 Rankings from AP Poll

Informal championships

Conference	Regular season winner	Most Valuable Player
Philadelphia Big 5	Temple	Lionel Simmons, La Salle

Temple finished with a 4–0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Points per game				Rebounds per game				Assists per game				Steals per game
Player	School	PPG		Player	School	RPG		Player	School	APG		Player	School	SPG
Hersey Hawkins	Bradley	36.3		Kenny Miller	Loyola (IL)	13.5		Avery Johnson	Southern	13.3		Aldwin Ware	Florida A&M	4.9
Daren Queenan	Lehigh	28.5		Rodney Mack	South Carolina St.	13.3		Anthony Manuel	Bradley	12.0		Marty Johnson	Towson St.	4.1
Anthony Mason	Tennessee St.	28.0		Jerome Lane	Pittsburgh	12.2		Craig Neal	Georgia Tech	9.5		Mookie Blaylock	Oklahoma	3.8
Grant Hayward	Loyola (IL)	26.1		Kenny Sanders	George Mason	11.7		Corey Gaines	Loyola Marymount	8.7		Haywoode Workman	Oral Roberts	3.6
Jeff Martin	Murray St.	26.0		Randy White	Louisiana Tech	11.6		Howard Evans	Temple	8.6		Avery Johnson	Southern	3.5

Blocked shots per game				Field-goal percentage				Three-Point FG percentage				Free-throw percentage
Player	School	BPG		Player	School	FG%		Player	School	3FG%		Player	School	FT%
Rodney Blake	St. Joseph's	4.0		Arnell Jones	Boise St.	66.1		Glenn Tropf	Holy Cross	63.4		Steve Henson	Kansas St.	92.5
Rik Smits	Marist	3.9		Stanley Brundy	DePaul	65.8		Steve Kerr	Arizona	57.3		Archie Tullos	Detroit	90.8
Mike Brown	Canisius	3.7		Tony Holifield	Illinois St.	64.8		Mike Joseph	Bucknell	56.0		Jay Edwards	Indiana	90.8
Tim Perry	Temple	3.6		Jarvis Basnight	UNLV	64.8		Reginald Jones	Prairie View A&M	54.8		Jim Barton	Dartmouth	90.6
Roy Brow	Virginia Tech	3.6		Eric Leckner	Wyoming	64.4		Dave Orlandini	Princeton	54.5		LaBradford Smith	Louisville	90.5

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main article: 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Final Four - Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri

	National semifinals					National championship game
	E2	Duke	59
	M6	Kansas	66
						M6	Kansas	83
						S1	Oklahoma	79
	S1	Oklahoma	86
	W1	Arizona	78

National Invitation tournament

Main article: 1988 National Invitation Tournament

NIT Semifinals and Final

	Semifinals					Finals
		Boston College	67
		Connecticut	73
							Connecticut	72
							Ohio State	67
		Ohio State	64
		Colorado State	62

	Third place game
		Boston College	57
		Colorado State	58

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 1988 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

Consensus First Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Sean Elliott	F	Junior	Arizona
Gary Grant	G	Senior	Michigan
Hersey Hawkins	G	Senior	Bradley
Danny Manning	F	Senior	Kansas
J.R. Reid	F/C	Sophomore	North Carolina

Consensus Second Team

Player	Position	Class	Team
Danny Ferry	F	Junior	Duke
Jerome Lane	F	Junior	Pittsburgh
Mark Macon	G	Freshman	Temple
Mitch Richmond	G	Senior	Kansas State
Rony Seikaly	C	Senior	Syracuse
Michael Smith	F/C	Junior	Brigham Young

Major player of the year awards

• Wooden Award: Danny Manning, Kansas
• Naismith Award: Danny Manning, Kansas
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
• UPI Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
• NABC Player of the Year: Danny Manning, Kansas
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
• UPI Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): John Chaney, Temple
• NABC Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
• Naismith College Coach of the Year: Larry Brown, Kansas
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: John Chaney, Temple

Other major awards

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jerry Johnson, Florida Southern
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Lionel Simmons, La Salle
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Mark Bryant, Seton Hall

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

Team	Former Coach	Interim Coach	New Coach	Reason
Drake	Gary Garner		Tom Abatemarco
Hardin–Simmons	Dick Danford		Dennis Harp
Kansas	Larry Brown		Roy Williams
Lamar	Tom Abatemarco		Tony Branch
UMass	Ron Gerlufson		John Calipari