1987-88

Final National Polls - Coming Soon
National Statistical Leaders - Coming Soon
NCAA Tournament Results - Coming Soon
Final Four Box Scores - Coming Soon
National Title Team Statistics - Coming Soon
All-Conference Teams - Coming Soon

At a Glance
NCAA Champion--Kansas (27-11; coached by Larry Brown/fifth of five seasons with Jayhawks; finished in third place in Big Eight with a 9-5 record).
NIT Champion--Connecticut (20-14; coached by Jim Calhoun/second season with Huskies; finished in ninth place in Big East with a 4-12 record).
New Conference--American South (merged with Sun Belt four years later)
New Rule--Each intentional personal foul carries a two-shot penalty plus possession of the ball.
NCAA Probation--Brooklyn, Eastern Washington, Marist, Minnesota, South Carolina, Virginia Tech.
NCAA Consensus First-Team All-Americans--Sean Elliott, F, Jr., Arizona (19.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 57 FG%, 47.1 3FG%); Gary Grant, G, Sr., Michigan (21.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6.9 apg, 2.4 spg, 53 FG%, 80.8 FT%); Hersey Hawkins, G, Sr., Bradley (36.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.6 spg, 52.4 FG%, 84.8 FT%); Danny Manning, F-C, Sr., Kansas (24.8 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.8 spg, 58.3 FG%); J.R. Reid, C, Soph., North Carolina (18 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 60.7 FG%).
National Players of the Year--Hawkins (AP/UPI/USBWA) and Manning (NABC/Naismith/Wooden).
National Coaches of the Year--Kansas' Larry Brown (27-11/Naismith) and Temple's John Chaney (32-2/AP, UPI, NABC, USBWA).

Loyola Marymount, which finished in last place in the West Coast Conference the previous season, went unbeaten in league competition. The Lions became the only team to ever have four players average more than 17 points per game in a season--Hank Gathers (22.5 ppg), Bo Kimble (22.2), Mike Yoest (17.6) and Corey Gaines (17.4). Loyola Marymount, after compiling a 12-16 record the previous year, improved by 14 games to 28-4 to make its lone appearance in the Top 20 of a final wire-service poll. Oddly, LMU did not have a player lead the WCC in scoring for the only time in an eight-year span from 1985-92 (Pepperdine's Tom Lewis edged Gathers with a 22.9 mark).

Sean Elliott became the first Arizona player to become an NCAA consensus first- or second-team All-American. . . . Holy Cross' Glenn Tropf set an NCAA single-season record for three-point field-goal accuracy by hitting 52 of 82 long-range attempts (63.4 percent). . . . Southern's Avery Johnson set an NCAA single-season record for assists average with 13.3 scoring feeds per game. Johnson, who began his college career at a junior college, averaged 10.7 assists the previous season to become the only player to twice averge double figures in that category. He had 20 or more assists in four games. One of his teammates was freshman Bobby Phills, whose nine-year NBA career ended in January, 2000, by a tragic auto accident. . . . Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock, another J.C. transfer, set an NCAA single-season record with 150 steals, including 13 in a game against Centenary. It was one of nine consecutive years from 1985 through 1993 that an OU player led the Big Eight Conference in thefts.

Lafester Rhodes isn't among Iowa State's top 20 all-time scorers, but he set a school single-game record with 54 points in overtime against Iowa. Other players establishing school single-game Division I marks were Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (63 points at Detroit), Marshall's Skip Henderson (55 vs. The Citadel in Southern Conference Tournament), Central Michigan's Tommie Johnson (53 at Wright State), Rhode Island's Tom Garrick (tied with 50 vs. Rutgers in Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals), Detroit's Archie Tullos (49 vs. Bradley), Rider's Ron Simpson (48 at St. Francis, N.Y. in double overtime), San Francisco's Keith Jackson (47 at Loyola Marymount), New Orleans' Ledell Eackles (45 at Florida International), Tennessee State's Anthony Mason (44 at Eastern Kentucky), Drexel's John Rankin (44 vs. Rider) and UNC Asheville's Ricky Chatman (41 vs. James Madison in overtime). Simpson's outburst was in Rider's season opener. . . . Marty Munn tied San Diego's Division I standard with 37 points against Loyola Marymount.

Southern Mississippi's John White tied a Division I school record with 41 points at Virginia Tech in double overtime. But White's explosion wasn't enough to offset Virginia Tech guard Bimbo Coles scoring a Metro Conference-record 51 points in a 141-133 victory for the Hokies.

Hawkins' uprising was also a Missouri Valley Conference mark. Henderson's outburst is a SC Tournament standard. . . . Hawkins (36.3 ppg), Lehigh's Daren Queenan (28.5), Evansville's Marty Simmons (25.9), Southern Illinois' Steve Middleton (25.4), Dartmouth's Jim Barton (24.2), San Jose State's Ricky Berry (24.2) and Drexel's Michael Anderson (23.9) set school Division I records for highest scoring average in a single season. Hawkins had only two games with fewer than 25 points en route to a MVC single-season record average. Middleton had scored a total of just 19 points as a freshman. Simmons went on to coach his alma mater.

Andre Rison, who averaged 2.3 apg for Michigan State, went on to become a four-time NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver. . . . Loyola of Chicago's Kenny Miller became the only freshman in the 20Th Century to lead the nation in rebounding (13.6 per game). . . . Central Michigan's Dan Majerle became the fourth different player in as many years to lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring and rebounding. . . . Coach Ben Braun lost his first 12 games decided by fewer than four points until winning at Ball State, 72-71, en route to Eastern Michigan's first MAC regular-season title. . . . Kansas State's Mitch Richmond poured in 35 points in a 72-61 triumph at Kansas, ending the Jayhawks' school and Big Eight-record 55-game homecourt winning streak. Richmond was the only Kansas State player in a 48-year span from 1960 through 2007 to become an NCAA consensus first- or second-team All-American. . . . Guard Mark Macon was the first Temple player since 1958 to become an NCAA consensus first- or second-team All-American. Macon is the only freshman to be the leading scorer for a team ranking No. 1 in a final AP national poll.

Arizona (35-3/coached by Lute Olson), Oklahoma (35-4/Billy Tubbs), Purdue (29-4/Gene Keady), Loyola Marymount (28-4/Paul Westhead), Rhode Island (28-7/Tom Penders), SMU (28-7/Dave Bliss), North Carolina A&T (26-3/Don Corbett), Richmond (26-7/Dick Tarrant), Fairleigh Dickinson (23-7/Tom Green) and Florida A&M (22-8/Willie Booker) had their winningest seasons in school Division I history. Temple (32-2/John Chaney) and Middle Tennessee State (23-11/Bruce Stewart) tied their school records for most victories in a single season. . . . Thirteen consecutive coaches finished their careers at Lehigh with losing records until Fran McCaffery arrived. In three seasons with the Engineers, he was 49-39 (.557).

St. John's compiled a 17-12 record. It was the closest Lou Carnesecca came to a non-winning mark in his 24 years as head coach of the Redmen. St. John's tri-captain Steve Shurina went on to become coach at Western Carolina. . . . Connecticut lost 13 consecutive games to Georgetown in their series until upending the Hoyas, 66-59. Meanwhile, Boston College posted its lone victory against Georgetown in an 18-game stretch of their series from 1984 through 1991. . . . Pittsburgh, capturing its lone undisputed Big East Conference regular-season championship until 2002, became the only school to feature a roster with as many as eight players who would wind up scoring more than 1,000 points before ending their college careers--seniors Charles Smith and Demetreus Gore, junior Jerome Lane, sophomore Rod Brookin and freshmen Bobby Martin, Jason Matthews, Sean Miller and Darelle Porter. . . . West Virginia, coached by Gale Catlett, compiled a winning record (18-14) despite losing all seven contests decided by fewer than five points. . . . Cornell, coached by Mike Dement, won its first Ivy League title in 34 years. . . . John Thompson III, a son of Georgetown's coach, finished his Princeton career ranking second in all-time assists. John III went on to become coach of his alma mater and the Hoyas. . . . Fordham's Tom Parrotta, an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic second-team selection, eventually coached Canisius. . . . Coach Tom Brennan won only two of his first 17 games decided by fewer than six points with Vermont but finished his Catamounts career in 2004-05 with a winning record in that category.

Marquette incurred its first losing record (10-18) in 24 seasons. . . . Rhode Island and Richmond finished in the Top 20 of a final wire-service poll for the only time in their history. Xavier finished in the Top 20 of a final wire-service poll for the first time since 1957. . . . Jim Christian, a backup guard for URI, went on to become coach at Kent State. . . . Delaware, coached by Steve Steinwedel, snapped a streak of nine straight losing seasons by notching a 19-9 mark. . . . South Carolina State's Rodney Mack averaged a school Division I single-season standard of 13.2 rebounds per game. . . . Northeastern's Steve Carney collected a school-record 23 rebounds in a contest against Hartford. . . . Joe Dooley, who hit 12 of 28 three-point attempts for George Washington, coached East Carolina for four seasons in the late 1990s.

Maryland managed its lone victory over Duke (72-69) in a 22-game stretch of their series from 1985 through 1994. . . . North Carolina junior guard Jeff Lebo, an All-ACC second-team selection, became coach at Tennessee Tech and UT Chattanooga. . . . Alabama wound up in the SEC cellar (tied for eighth place) after finishing first the previous year. . . . All-SEC guard Rod Barnes, Ole Miss' leader in scoring and assists, eventually became coach of his alma mater. . . . Forward Ricky Blanton, LSU's top scorer and rebounder, went on to coach Nicholls State. . . . Eastern Kentucky's Bobby Collins, who led the Ohio Valley Conference in steals with 2.4 per game, eventually coached Hampton. . . . Old Dominion's Frank Smith led the Sun Belt Conference in assists and steals for the third consecutive season. . . . New Orleans' Gabe Corchiani, a brother of acclaimed North Carolina State playmaker Chris Corchiani, was an All-American South Conference second-team selection. . . . North Carolina A&T, coached by Don Corbett, won its seventh consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament.

Wichita State, coached by Eddie Fogler, finished with a 20-10 record despite losing three consecutive early-season games in overtime. . . . SMU, coached by Dave Bliss, captured the SWC regular-season title just one year after finishing in a tie for sixth place. . . . Baylor (23-11), coached by Gene Iba, reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in 40 campaigns. The Bears' nine-game winning streak down the stretch included four one-point victories. . . . Texas A&M (16-15), coached by Shelby Metcalf, had more than half of its games decided by fewer than six points (11-6 mark in those close contests). . . . New Mexico State (16-16), coached by Neil McCarthy, lost six one-point verdicts while compiling a 5-12 record in games decided by fewer than six points. The Aggies went on to win 35 of 45 contests in that close margin category over the next five years under McCarthy.

St. Mary's lost more than 10 games in 26 consecutive seasons until the Gaels compiled a 19-9 record. . . . NIT-bound Stanford, 11-7 in the Pacific-10, ended a streak of 21 straight years without a winning record in conference competition. . . . Long Beach State ended a string of six consecutive losing seasons by registering a 17-12 ledger in Joe Harrington's initial campaign as coach of the 49ers. . . . UC Santa Barbara, which won 11 of 13 games decided by fewer than six points under coach Jerry Pimm, swept UNLV after the Gauchos lost their first 16 meetings with the Rebels. Meanwhile, Long Beach State posted its lone victory over UNLV (79-77) in a 25-game stretch of their series from 1982 through 1992. . . . Rodney Tention, who led San Francisco in assists and steals for the second straight season, went on to become coach at Loyola Marymount. . . . The Big Sky Conference entered the season with none of its nine coaches being in the league more than four years.

1988 NCAA Tournament
Summary: The Big Eight Conference went 30 years without winning a Final Four game until Kansas and Oklahoma both won. Kansas prevailed in the championship game, 83-79, after losing three previous finals at Kansas City (1940, 1953 and 1957). The Jayhawks and Sooners were deadlocked, 50-50, at intermission in the highest-scoring first half in title game history. OU senior forward Dave Sieger supplied six first-half three-pointers to help offset KU's sizzling 71% field-goal shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Danny Manning had a Final Four-record six blocked shots in a 66-59 victory over Duke in the national semifinals. Larry Brown became the only coach to leave an NCAA champion before the next season for another coaching job. After winning the NCAA title, Brown quit the Jayhawks before the start of the next NCAA probation-marred campaign to return to the NBA.
Outcome for Defending Champion: Indiana (19-10) finished fifth in the Big Ten before losing its tourney opener to No. 13 seed Richmond, 72-69. The Hoosiers lost four of their first five league outings.
Star Gazing: Manning became the only one of the more than 60 major-college players to score at least 2,500 career points or average a minimum of 28.5 points per game and play for an NCAA championship team. Manning, the only national player of the year from 1981-91 to play for a national titlist, hit 25-of-45 field-goal attempts and grabbed 28 rebounds at the Final Four.
Biggest Upset: Murray State (14th seed) defeated North Carolina State (3), 78-75, in a Midwest Regional opener. It was part of the second straight year for two ACC teams to lose to two opponents seeded #12 or worse.
One and Only: Oklahoma became the only school to compete for the national championship in both football and basketball in the same academic school year (1988). The football Sooners lost to Miami (Fla.) in the Orange Bowl, finishing third in the final wire-service polls. . . . Kansas is the only NCAA Tournament champion to lose as many as four consecutive games. The Jayhawks' four straight defeats were at Notre Dame (by 4 points), at Nebraska (2), vs. Kansas State (11), and vs. Oklahoma (8). . . . Kansas' Brown became the only coach to capture an NCAA crown between NBA divisional titles.
Celebrity Status: Kenny Lofton, a substitute guard and integral part of Arizona's Final Four team, led the majors with 70 stolen bases in 1993 as an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. In 1992, he led the American League in stolen bases with 66, a record for an A.L. rookie. Lofton, who appeared in the 1995 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, subsequently played for the Braves before returning to the Indians. UA teammate Harvey Mason Jr. became a Grammy Award-winning songwriter/music producer (with Beyonce, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson and Justin Timberlake). . . . Brad Johnson, a quarterback who directed the Minnesota Vikings to the 1996 NFL playoffs before he was traded and set a Washington Redskins single-game mark with 471 yards passing in 1999, was a part-time starting forward as a freshman for Florida State's NCAA Tournament team. He hit all three of his three-point field-goal attempts in a 102-98 opening-round loss to Iowa before playing sparingly in the 1989 playoffs for a Seminoles squad that was upset in the first round by Middle Tennessee State. . . . James Francis, who returned three interceptions for touchdowns with the Cincinnati Bengals during the 1990s after being their first-round draft choice in 1990 (12th pick overall), hit two of four field-goal attempts for Baylor in a 75-60 defeat against Memphis State in the opening round of the Midwest Regional.
Numbers Game: Temple, a 63-53 loser against Duke in the East Regional final, is one of only two teams ranked No. 1 by both AP and UPI entering the tourney to lose by a double-digit margin before the Final Four. The Owls finished with 32 victories for the second consecutive season. . . . Oklahoma's Mookie Blaylock set the record for most steals in a playoff series (23 in six games). He had seven steals as a junior guard in an 83-79 championship game loss against Kansas. . . . Bradley's Hersey Hawkins poured in a tourney-high and existing school NCAA playoff scoring record of 44 points in a 90-86 setback against Auburn in the opening round of the Southwest Regional. It was his 37th 30-point game in his career. Also setting school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards were Michigan's Glen Rice (39 vs. Florida in second round), Oklahoma's Stacey King (37 vs. Auburn in second round), Auburn's Chris Morris (36 vs. Bradley in first round) and Iowa State's Lafester Rhodes (34 vs. Georgia Tech in first round). . . . Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane grabbed a tourney-high 20 rebounds in an 80-74 defeat against Vanderbilt in the second round of the Midwest Regional. After two free throws put Pittsburgh ahead by three points with four seconds remaining in regulation, Vanderbilt's Barry Goheen maneuvered three-quarters of the court and heaved a game-tying three-pointer with two defenders coming at him to send the game into overtime. . . . Kansas State guard William Scott finished his playoff career with 65% accuracy from three-point range (26-of-40 in five games). . . . North Carolina lost its fourth regional final in six years. . . . Seton Hall, coached by P.J. Carlesimo, made its inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance; Baylor, coached by Gene Iba, appeared for the first time in 38 years, and Cornell, coached by Mike Dement, participated for the first time in 34 years. . . . Carlesimo posted his first NCAA playoff victory in his 12th season as a major-college coach. . . . Rhode Island, coached by Tom Penders, registered its first NCAA playoff victory with an 87-80 decision over Missouri in the East Regional. It was the first tourney triumph for Penders, who was in his 14th season at the major-college level. . . . Kentucky became the fourth different SEC school in four years to have its NCAA Tournament participation vacated. The previous SEC offenders were Georgia '85, Alabama '87 and Florida '87. . . . Fairleigh Dickinson boasted the best-ever record for a No. 16 seed entering the tourney (23-6).
What Might Have Been: Forwards Danny Ferry and Robert Brickey and guard Phil Henderson combined to shoot 50 percent from the floor in their Duke careers. If only they combined to hit 39.4% of their field-goal attempts instead of 27.3% (9-of-33) in the national semifinals, the Blue Devils could have defeated eventual champion Kansas rather than losing by seven points. . . . Kansas State (25-9/without Norris Coleman), Louisiana State (16-14/John Williams), Memphis State (20-12/Vincent Askew) and North Carolina State (24-8/Chris Washburn) might have fared better in the playoffs if standout players had exercised their remaining eligibility instead of defecting to the NBA. . . . Georgia (20-16) probably would have participated in the NCAA Tournament instead of the NIT if Cedric Henderson didn't leave school early for the NBA two years earlier after his sophomore season. Ditto Stanford (21-12) if starting center Eric Reveno didn't miss the campaign because of a back ailment. . . . Louisville (24-11) might have reached the Southeast Regional final instead of Oklahoma if Cardinals swingman Tony Kimbro hadn't missed the season because of academic shortcomings.
Putting Things in Perspective: Kansas State (25-9) defeated Kansas twice by a total of 26 points before losing against KU in the Midwest Regional final, 71-58, when Wildcats star Mitch Richmond was restricted to 11 points and four rebounds. Richmond had averaged 25.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in his first five playoff games. Oklahoma (35-4) defeated the Jayhawks twice by eight points in each Big Eight Conference regular-season game before losing against KU in the national final. Kansas lost five games by double-digit margins. The Jayhawks went almost a month without a victory against a Division I opponent as their only win in a mid-season, six-game stretch was against Hampton (Va.). Nebraska, which was 4-10 in the Big Eight when the Cornhuskers' streak of 14 consecutive winning seasons came to an end, defeated Kansas, 70-68. It was one of four straight league losses for KU.
NCAA Champion Defeats: Neutral court vs. Iowa (19), neutral court vs. Illinois (6), at St. John's (14), at Iowa State (10), at Notre Dame (4), at Nebraska (2), Kansas State (11), Oklahoma (8), Duke (4), at Oklahoma (8), and Big Eight Tournament vs. Kansas State (15). K-State's 11-point triumph was sparked by Mitch Richmond's 35 points, the highest output by an individual opponent against the Jayhawks.
Scoring Leader: Danny Manning, Kansas (163 points, 27.2 ppg).
Rebounding Leader: Danny Manning, Kansas (56 rebounds, 9.3 rpg).
Highest Rebounding Average: Jerome Lane, Pittsburgh (37 rebounds, 18.5 rpg).

All-Tournament Team
Sean Elliott, F, Jr., Arizona (31 points, 11 rebounds/one Final Four game)
Stacey King, C, Jr., Oklahoma (38 points, 13 rebounds in final two games)
*Danny Manning, F-C, Sr., Kansas (56 points, 28 rebounds, nine steals, eight blocked shots)
Milt Newton, G-F, Jr., Kansas (35 points, 11 rebounds)
Dave Sieger, F, Sr., Oklahoma (32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, eight three-pointers)
*Named Most Outstanding Player.

Championship Team Results
First Round: Kansas 85 (Manning team-high 24 points), Xavier 72 (Kimbrough 18)
Second Round: Kansas 61 (Manning 25), Murray State 58 (Martin 22)
Regional Semifinal: Kansas 77 (Manning 38), Vanderbilt 64 (Booker 22)
Regional Final: Kansas 71 (Manning 20), Kansas State 58 (Scott 18)
National Semifinal: Kansas 66 (Manning 25), Duke 59 (Ferry 19)
Championship Game: Kansas 83 (Manning 31), Oklahoma 79 (Sieger 22)