1973-03-24 NCAA Final Four Indiana vs UCLA

[@brianarbenz1329]

Two and a half years later on this very court, with Buckner, Crews, Abernathy and a whole host of great players not on the '73 roster, IU blew UCLA away. Then, at the Final 4 that year, IU beat the Bruins again for a great reversal of this game.

[@sportvideofootage]

Brian your comments always informative with interesting details. Feel free to write more

[@brianarbenz1329]

@@sportvideofootage Thank you. I'm blushing. Nice of you say that and I certainly will keep writing.,

[@Archie583]

Well, I'm a 1976 IU grad, so I was there for all that fun, but to be fair, that UCLA team that IU beat was nothing like this UCLA team. John Wooden had retired, and Bill Walton, among all the other stars of this UCLA team, were all gone. That said, IU didn't choose who they got to play; they just went out and beat everyone. I was never prouder of my Hoosiers than I was that year. What made them so good was their will to win. They were in some close games that season but nobody could knock them off. We beat UCLA twice that season and also pulled off the improbable feat of beating Michigan three times in one season, including that 86-68 whipping in the National Championship game after Bobby Wilkerson went out in almost the very top of the game, and the Hoosiers were down 6 at the half. Then we came out in the second and beat them 56-32 in the second half! Wilkerson spent the night at the hospital with a concussion and remembered nothing of the entire night, including the start of the game that he did play in! Can you imagine playing an undefeated national championship season, putting in all that work, and then not even remembering anything about the night of the championship? Last Undefeated College Champions! 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers!

[@brianarbenz1329]

@@Archie583 Bobby Wilkerson's story that night is remarkable. One of the reasons nobody resents that IU team is that they won the title by 18 points of a lightning quick team, and did so without their quickest and best jumping player. When Bobby left the court unconscious, the Hoosiers went from an awe inspiring superpower to a recipient of sympathy, particularly after what had happened to Scott May the previous year.

[@Archie583]

@@brianarbenz1329 That's right! Michigan had that guard who had Olympic-sprinter speed. Was his name Green? But when the Hoosiers locked down a team with their man-to-man (but with a lot of help) defense, they could lock down anyone. That team would have beaten any college team in that era of basketball. Everyone bags on Coach Knight, but after every championship, he never took credit and was always happiest for the players. I'm glad you remember the dynamics of that game that night. I remember being scared to death when Wilkerson got hurt. I needn't have worried.

[@Cdawg5666]

Soundtrack is a banger. 😂

[@stever1791]

George McGinnis left Indiana before this season for the ABA. If he stays in college - Indiana Beats UCLA in this game

[@69FOSTER]

Didn't George McGinnis leave IU TWO seasons earlier?

[@stever1791]

@@69FOSTER yes your correct - But he left after Sophomore Season - so he'd have been a Senior playing in this game. He and Steve Dowling would have been tough to stop

[@brianarbenz1329]

@@stever1791 I've long heard people say McGinnis would have made this IU team the champs. But McGinnis was not very coachable by anyone, much less Knight. They were two characters who had to have their way, and they could not have worked together.

[@stever1791]

@@brianarbenz1329 George was a tough guy to coach for sure. But most coaches were afraid ( because George was so talented ) . I think Bob Knight would have gotten through to George.And with Winning George would have "Bought In". I think

[@brianarbenz1329]

@@stever1791 Possibly. Of course, it was McGinnis (with a little help from Julius Erving) vs. Walton for the NBA title four years later, and Portland won 4-2. When it comes to the simple fundamentals of the game, Walton had mastered them by the time he arrived on the UCLA campus (which Wooden said was a first for any recruit) and McGinnis never really did, honestly. And I respect George for his greatness. I saw him in person at round 2 of the Indiana-Kentucky high school All-Star Game in '69. He scored 53 points. It was watching Superman.

[@FlipTrojan]

Wonder if Coach Knight shook Coach Wooden's hands after the game.

[@dannycorsaro546]

Of course he did.

[@beowulf3303]

Pretty effing dumb wonder!! Wooden would not have done jack without Happy!!

[@69FOSTER]

@@dannycorsaro546 Did Coach Knight shake hands with Joe B. Hall after the loss to Kentucky in 1975?

[@dannycorsaro546]

@@69FOSTER I would say that he did 👍

[@69FOSTER]

@@dannycorsaro546 Listen to the audio of the 1975 UK-Indiana tournament game on KZbin at the end of the game.