1976–77 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NCAA team season

|CoachRank=

|APRank=

|mode=Basketball

|year=1976–77

|team=Gonzaga Bulldogs

|image=

|image_size=

|conference=Big Sky Conference

|division=

|short_conf=Big Sky

|record=11–16

|conf_record=7–7

|head_coach=Adrian Buoncristiani

|hc_year = 5th

|asst_coach1=

|asst_coach2=

|mvp=

|stadium=Kennedy Pavilion

|champion=

|bowl=

|bowl_result=

}}

{{1976–77 Big Sky men's basketball standings}}

The 1976–77 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University during the 1976–77 NCAA Division I basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Bulldogs were led by

fifth-year head coach Adrian Buoncristiani and played their home games on campus at Kennedy Pavilion in Spokane, Washington. They were {{nowrap|11–15}} in the regular season and {{nowrap|7–7}} in conference play.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g_BLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=se0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6092%2C5058026 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|title=Zags draw Weber State |date=February 28, 1977 |page=17}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HXVhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=su0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4221%2C81155 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=College cage standings |date=March 1, 1977 |page=16}}

Gonzaga was third in the regular season standings and qualified for the four-team conference tournament, hosted by Idaho State in Pocatello.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zTtOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=su0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6913%2C1377961 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=Gonzaga, Montana State in tough but not without chances |date=March 4, 1977 |page=31}} The Bulldogs lost by a point in the semifinals to favored {{nowrap|Weber State;{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4flLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7fgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6728%2C1492754 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |last=English |first=Sue |title=Cats survive GU scare |date=March 5, 1977 |page=11}}}} ISU won the tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, upsetting #2 UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen. It remains the best-ever showing in the NCAA tournament by a Big Sky team.

This was the Zags' sole appearance in the postseason while in the Big Sky, narrowly missing the next two conference tournaments. They joined the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC, now WCC) in the summer of 1979, and its tourney debuted in 1987.

Senior forward Jim Grady was on the all-conference team, and center Willie Moss was honorable mention.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6PlLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7fgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3437%2C3537080 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Grady wins All-Big Sky cage honors |date=March 15, 1977 |page=22}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AtFSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IX8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2902%2C3575024 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |agency=Associated Press |title=Mayhew, Hayes head all-Big Sky cage team |date=March 15, 1977 |page=B6}}