The 1976–77 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...

during the

1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1976, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 28 ...

. The Redbirds, led by second year head coach

Gene Smithson In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

, played their home games at

Horton Field House Horton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Horton Glacier, Adelaide Island, Antarctica * Horton Ledge, Queen Elizabeth Land, Antarctica Australia * Horton, Queensland, a town and locality in the Bundaberg Region * Horton River (Australia), i ...

and competed as an independent (not a member of a conference). They finished the season 22–7. The Redbirds received an invitation to the

1977 National Invitation Tournament The 1977 National Invitation Tournament was the 1977 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.

. It was their first postseason appearance as an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

member. They defeated

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

in the regional round and lost to the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

in the quarterfinal round.

Roster

Schedule

, - !colspan=9 style=, Regular Season , - !colspan=9 style=, National Invitation Tournament

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1976-77 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball seasons Illinois State Illinois State