1975–76 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team

1975–76 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball
Big Sky regular season co–champions
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
Record16–11 (9–5 Big Sky)
Head coach
Home arenaISU Minidome
Seasons
1975–76 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Weber State 9 – 5   .643 21 – 11   .656
Boise State † 9 – 5   .643 18 – 11   .621
Idaho State 9 – 5   .643 16 – 11   .593
Northern Arizona 8 – 6   .571 15 – 12   .556
Montana 7 – 7   .500 13 – 12   .520
Montana State 6 – 8   .429 9 – 16   .360
Gonzaga 5 – 9   .357 13 – 13   .500
Idaho 3 – 11   .214 7 – 19   .269
† Big Sky Conference tournament winner

The 1975–76 Idaho State Bengals men's basketball team represented Idaho State University during the 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

The Bengals were led by fifth-year head coach Jim Killingsworth and played their home games on campus at the ISU Minidome in Pocatello. They finished the regular season at 16–10 overall, with a 9–5 record in the Big Sky Conference,[1][2] tied with Weber State and Boise State for the regular season title.[3][4][5]

In the first year of the conference tournament, the Bengals lost to Boise State in the first round.[6] The seeding of the three co-champions for the four-team bracket was done by a random draw in late February, conducted via a Saturday night conference telephone call by commissioner John Ronning from Moscow, Idaho.[3][4][5] Weber was drawn as the top seed, which included the right to host at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah. At this time, both Weber and Boise still played in small gymnasiums, while ISU's Minidome had about triple the seating capacity of the others; Boise State upset the host in the final.

For a second consecutive year, junior center Steve Hayes was named to the all-conference team, joined by junior forward Greg Griffin; junior guard Ed Thompson was on the second team. Hayes was a unanimous selection.[7][8][9]

Postseason results

Date
time, TV 		Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Big Sky tournament
Fri, March 5
9:00 pm 		vs. Boise State
Semifinal 		L 81–93  16–11
 Wildcat Gym (4,411)
Ogden, Utah
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain time.

References

  1. ^ "College hoop standings". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 2, 1976. p. 16.
  2. ^ "College cage standings". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). March 1, 1976. p. 3B.
  3. ^ a b "Top four head for tourney". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 1, 1976. p. 2B.
  4. ^ a b "Weber hosts Sky playoffs". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 1, 1976. p. 16.
  5. ^ a b "Wildcats win tourney 'draw'". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). March 1, 1976. p. B7.
  6. ^ "Weber, Boise advance in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 6, 1976. p. 2B.
  7. ^ "Trio tops Big Sky all-star team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 3, 1976. p. 2B.
  8. ^ "Watts gets 'Sky honor for 3rd year". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. March 2, 1976. p. B6.
  9. ^ "Gonzaga's Jim Grady 2nd-team Sky choice". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. March 2, 1976. p. 20.