USD Men's Basketball 1999-2000

TIP-OFF PERFECTION! WHEN THE 1976 INDIANA HOOSIERS BECAME THE SEVENTH TEAM IN NCAA HISTORY TO GO UNDEFEATED EN ROUTE TO A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, LITTLE DID ANYONE KNOW THAT THEY WOULD BE THE LAST. BY RYAN MATTOS rn ver the last 23 years, there have been perfect games pitched in Major League Baseball and perfect 10s performed in gymnastics at the Olympics. But in all that time, there has not been a perfect Division I men's basketball team. Not since Bobby Knight's Indiana squad pulled it off in 1976. The Hoosiers were coming off a season where there was only one blemish on their record. The top-ranked Hoosiers entered the 1975 NCAA Tournament at 29-0 and were one step away from the Final Four. But Kentucky knocked them out, 92-90, in the regional finals. This setback made the Hoosiers even more determined for the 1976 season to earn what they thought was rightfully theirs - the National Championship. "We know we should have won the Nation– al Championship [in 1975]," says Kent Benson, Indiana's three-time All-America center (1975- 77). "We had committed ourselves individually and collectively." "We were confident going into the season, before we even played UCLA," recalls Benson. "Our goal was to win the National Champi– onship in '76." Outside of a few reasonably tight contests, Indiana romped through the regular season, outscoring opponents by an average of close to 20 points per game. After disposing of St. John's in the first round of the NCAAs, 90-70, Indiana squeaked by Alabama, 74-69, scoring the game's final six points while holding the Crimson Tide scoreless over the last four minutes of the game.

Kent Benson (54) and Scott May (42) helped lead Bobby Knight's 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to an NCAA title.

Then, the top two teams in the country squared off in the regional final, with the winner advanc– ing to the Final Four. Coach Al McGuire's Mar– quette squad provided the Hoosiers with their toughest test to date. With 25 seconds remaining and Marquette trailing by one point, a foul was called, sending Indiana's BobbyWilkerson to the foul line. An irate McGuire sprung up from the bench, argued with the officials and was tossed from the game. The Hoosiers were given two additional free throws and the ball and scored the final eight points to pull away in a 65-56 victory. It was on to Philadelphia for the Final Four, with Indiana just two steps away from its goal. The first step was almost a repeat performance of their sea– son opening win, as the Hoosiers, once again, man– handled the UCLA Bruins, 65-51. The final step for Indiana was to beat a team w they had knocked off twice already in the regu- ~ u. 0 lar season - the Michigan Wolverines. z "Michigan is the best team we've played § this season," said Knight of the Wolverines. ; Michigan head coach Johnny Orr said, prior ~ u. to the game, "I never really dreamed we'd have~ to play Indiana three times. Good gracious, ~ twice is bad enough." Benson, Scott May and Quinn Buckner com- ~ bined to score 36 of Indiana's first 38 second- half 5 points to give the Hoosiers the lead for good, en ~ > route to an 86-68 victory. ~ I– The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers completed their ~ National Championship mission with a perfect 8 32-0 record. ~ U)

RYAN MATTOS is a member of the PSP editorial staff.

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