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.

Season headlines

 * The Oklahoma became the first school to play for the national championship in both college football and college basketball in the same academic year. 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.

Major rule changes
Beginning in 1987–88, the following rules changes were implemented:

Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.

Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 1987–88 season.

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.