1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team

The 1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team is considered the greatest in the school's history. The Sycamores competed as members of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, playing their home games at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Led by first-year head coach Bill Hodges and National Player of the Year Larry Bird, Indiana State was unranked to begin the season, but swept through the regular season unbeaten. Bird led the number 1 ranked Sycamores to the national title game versus the Magic Johnson-led number 3 Michigan State Spartans, and ended the season as National runner-up with a record of 33–1 (16–0 MVC). To date, the 1978–79 Sycamores are the only team to advance this far in their first-ever NCAA appearance. They had been the last unbeaten team to reach the national title game until Gonzaga in 2021.

1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Runner-up
MVC tournament champions
MVC regular season champions
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 1
APNo. 1
Record33–1 (16–0 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
MVPLarry Bird
Home arenaHulman Center
Seasons
1978–79 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Indiana State 16 0   1.000 33 1   .971
New Mexico State 11 5   .688 22 10   .688
Wichita State 8 8   .500 14 14   .500
Creighton 8 8   .500 14 13   .519
Southern Illinois 8 8   .500 15 13   .536
Drake 8 8   .500 15 12   .556
Tulsa 7 9   .438 13 14   .481
West Texas State 3 13   .188 8 19   .296
Bradley 3 13   .188 9 17   .346
1979 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

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The Sycamores were led by Bird, the NCAA Player of the Year, and his 28.6 scoring average. He was followed by Carl Nicks’ 19.3 average.[1] The starting lineup also included Miley, Alex Gilbert and Steve Reed. Heaton and Leroy Staley were key reserves. The remainder of the roster consisted of Tom Crowder, Eric Curry, Rod McNelly, Rich Nemcek, Bob Ritter and Scott Turner.

1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 5 Bob Ritter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Jr Northwest Indianapolis, IN
F 10 Scott Turner 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Fr North Lawrence Bedford, IN
G 15 Rod McNelly 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 173 lb (78 kg) Fr Speedway Speedway, IN
G/F 20 Rich Nemcek 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Jr Morton Hammond, IN
SG 22 Carl Nicks 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Jr Englewood Tech Chicago, IL
PG 23 Steve Reed 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 166 lb (75 kg) So Warsaw Warsaw, IN
F 24 Tom Crowder 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Sr North Vermillion Cayuga, IN
F 30 Bob Heaton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr Clay City Cory, IN
C 32 Eric Curry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Marie Curie Chicago, IL
C 33 Larry Bird 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Springs Valley French Lick, IN
F 40 Brad Miley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Jr Rushville Rushville, IN
F 42 Alex Gilbert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Jr East St. Louis East St. Louis, IL
G/F 44 Leroy Staley 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Sr Tampa Jefferson Tampa, FL
Head coach

Bill Hodges (Purdue)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Season summary

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In 1979, the NCAA tournament championship game was the most-watched game in the history of the sport, in no small part because of Indiana State star Larry Bird. Bird was not a one-man show, but the unheralded Sycamores rode him to a 33–0 record heading into the title game. The well-rounded Bird averaged 29 points, 14.8 rebounds, and, most significantly, six assists as he changed the way the game was played.

Offseason

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Head coach Bob King suffered a stroke and was unable to continue as head coach of the Sycamores. Assistant Bill Hodges was elevated to the position of head coach.

Exhibition vs. Soviet National Team

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On November 20, the touring Soviet National team came to Hulman Center to play Indiana State. ISU defeated the Soviets, 83–79, to become one of only four college teams to beat them that season.[2]

Regular season

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During the 1978–79 season, Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament. ISU finished the regular season 29–0, 16–0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and earned the top ranking in the country.[2]

The only time that the perfect regular season was in jeopardy was on Feb. 1. The Sycamores were 18–0 against New Mexico State. With three seconds remaining, the Sycamores were down 83–81. New Mexico State was at the free throw line and the shot was missed. The missed shot was rebounded by Brad Miley and passed to Bob Heaton. Heaton launched a 50-foot desperation shot which banked through the net to send the game into overtime.[2]

Bird received several honors at the end of regular season. He won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith[3] and Wooden Awards,[4] given to the year's top male college basketball player.

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/19/1978*
1:30 p.m.
Soviet National Team W 83–79 
 24  Nicks   13  Bird   6  Miley  Hulman Center 
Terre Haute, Indiana
Regular season
11/25/1978*
7:30 p.m.
Lawrence College W 99–56  1–0
 27  Nicks   15  Gilbert   10  Bird  Hulman Center (8,476)
Terre Haute, Indiana
11/27/1978*
7:35 p.m.
at Purdue W 63–53  2–0
 22  Bird   15  Bird   4  2 Tied  Mackey Arena (14,123)
West Lafayette, Indiana
12/2/1978*
7:35 p.m.
at Evansville W 74–70  3–0
 40  Bird   9  Bird   2  Bird  Roberts Municipal Stadium (12,488)
Evansville, Indiana
12/4/1978*
7:30 p.m.
Illinois State W 78–76  4–0
 31  Bird   19  Bird   7  Reed  Hulman Center (10,189)
Terre Haute, Indiana
12/8/1978*
vs. East Carolina
Hatter Classic
W 102–79  5–0
 32  Bird   9  Bird   3  2 tied  Edmunds Center (3,510)
Deland, Florida
12/9/1978*
vs. Cleveland State
Hatter Classic
W 102–71  6–0
 37  Bird   15  Bird   6  Nicks  Edmunds Center 
Deland, Florida
12/12/1978*
No. 20 at Ball State W 93–85  7–0
 31  Bird   14  Bird   8  Nicks  Irving Gymnasium (6,880)
Muncie, Indiana
12/16/1978*
No. 20 Butler W 109–71  8–0
 48  Bird   19  Bird   11  Reed  Hulman Center (10,153)
Terre Haute, Indiana
12/30/1978*
No. 11 Morris Harvey W 99–63  9–0
 34  Bird   15  Bird   7  Reed  Hulman Center (10,184)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/3/1979
 HBO
No. 11 Tulsa W 101–89  10–0
(1–0)
 27  Bird   19  Bird   6  Bird  Hulman Center (9,076)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/6/1979
No. 11 at West Texas State W 98–77  11–0
(2–0)
 32  Bird   20  Bird   7  Reed   (4,575)
Amarillo, Texas
1/9/1979*
No. 9 North Carolina A&T W 83–64  12–0
 26  Bird   16  Bird   7  Bird  Hulman Center (9,336)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/13/1979
No. 9 Bradley W 93–74  13–0
(3–0)
 27  Bird   18  Bird   10  Bird  Hulman Center (10,037)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/15/1979
No. 9 New Mexico State W 73–69  14–0
(4–0)
 24  Bird   13  Bird   6  2 Tied  Hulman Center (10,226)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/18/1979
8:00 p.m.
No. 5 at Wichita State W 94–84[5]  15–0
(5–0)
 31  Bird   10  Bird   7  Nicks  Levitt Arena (10,584)
Wichita, Kansas
1/20/1979
2:35 p.m.
No. 5 at Creighton W 90–80[6]  16–0
(6–0)
 29  Bird   8  Bird   9  Reed  Omaha Civic Auditorium (8,908)
Omaha, Nebraska
1/22/1979
7:35 p.m.
No. 5 Southern Illinois W 88–79  17–0
(7–0)
 31  Bird   17  Bird   8  2 Tied  Hulman Center (10,291)
Terre Haute, Indiana
1/27/1979
8:00 p.m.
No. 3 Creighton W 77–69[7]  18–0
(8–0)
 17  Bird   15  Bird   9  Bird  Hulman Center (10,229)
Terre Haute, Indiana
2/1/1979
7:35 p.m.
No. 2 at New Mexico State W 91–89 OT 19–0
(9–0)
 37  Bird   17  Bird   9  Bird  Pan American Center (13,684)
Las Cruces, New Mexico
2/3/1979
No. 2 at Tulsa W 66–56  20–0
(10–0)
 22  Bird   22  Bird   9  Nicks  Tulsa Convention Center (8,996)
Tulsa, Oklahoma
2/6/1979
7:35 p.m.
No. 2 Drake W 100–79[8][9]  21–0
(11–0)
 33  Bird   10  Bird   10  2 Tied  Hulman Center (10,513)
Terre Haute, Indiana
2/10/1979
No. 2 at Bradley W 91–72  22–0
(12–0)
 31  Nicks   11  Bird   6  Nicks  Robertson Memorial Field House (7,300)
Peoria, Illinois
2/12/1979
No. 2 West Texas State W 100–75  23–0
(13–0)
 27  Bird   19  Bird   7  Reed  Hulman Center (10,235)
Terre Haute, Indiana
2/15/1979
7:35 p.m.
No. 1 at Southern Illinois W 69–68  24–0
(14–0)
 20  Bird   13  Bird   6  Bird  SIU Arena (10,301)
Carbondale, Illinois
2/20/1979
No. 1 at Drake W 76–68  25–0
(15–0)
 27  Bird   13  Miley   8  Reed  Veterans Memorial Auditorium (12,250)
Des Moines, Iowa
2/24/1979
No. 1 Wichita State W 109–84  26–0
(16–0)
 49  Bird   19  Bird   7  2 Tied  Hulman Center (9,579)
Terre Haute, Indiana
Missouri Valley Conference tournament
2/27/1979*
7:30 p.m.
(1) No. 1 (8) West Texas State
MVC Tournament Quarterfinal
W 94–84  27–0
 29  Bird   15  Bird   9  Nicks  Hulman Center (10,234)
Terre Haute, Indiana
3/1/1979*
(1) No. 1 (5) Southern Illinois
MVC Tournament Semifinal
W 79–72  28–0
 25  Bird   19  Bird   8  Reed  Hulman Center (10,274)
Terre Haute, Indiana
3/3/1979*
(1) No. 1 (2) New Mexico State
MVC tournament championship
W 69–59  29–0
 20  Bird   10  Bird   6  Reed  Hulman Center (10,301)
Terre Haute, Indiana
NCAA Tournament
3/11/1979*
 NBC
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (8 MW) Virginia Tech
NCAA second round
W 86–69[10]  30–0
 22  2 Tied   13  Bird   7  Bird  Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, Kansas
3/15/1979*
 NCAAP
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (5 MW) No. 16 Oklahoma
NCAA regional semifinal
W 93–72[11]  31–0
 29  Bird   15  Bird   5  2 Tied  Riverfront Coliseum (17,252)
Cincinnati, Ohio
3/17/1979*
 NBC
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (2 MW) No. 5 Arkansas
NCAA Regional Final
W 73–71[12]  32–0
 31  Bird   10  Bird   5  Reed  Riverfront Coliseum (17,166)
Cincinnati, Ohio
3/24/1979*
 NBC
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (2 W) No. 6 DePaul
NCAA Final Four
W 76–74[13]  33–0
 35  Bird   16  Bird   9  Bird  Special Events Center (15,410)
Salt Lake City, Utah
3/26/1979*
7:15 p.m., NBC
(1 MW) No. 1 vs. (2 ME) No. 3 Michigan State
NCAA national championship
L 64–75[14]  33–1
 19  Bird   13  Bird   9  Reed  Special Events Center (15,410)
Salt Lake City, Utah
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Central.

NCAA basketball tournament

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The top seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional was awarded to the Sycamores. The final game of the regional tournament was against Arkansas with a berth in the Final Four on the line. With the game tied at 71, the right-handed Heaton was the hero again with a last second left-handed shot in the lane to win the game.[2] They advanced to the championship game and faced Michigan State University, which was led by sophomore Magic Johnson. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,[15] Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

  • West
    • Indiana State (#1 seed) 86, Virginia Tech (#8 seed) 69
    • Indiana State 93, Oklahoma (#5 seed) 72
    • Indiana State 73, Arkansas (#2 seed) 71

[16]

[16]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP201611119532212111
Coaches1615119953222211Not released

^Coaches did not release Week 1 or Week 2 polls.

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "1978-79 Basketball Cumulative Statistics". Indiana State Athletic Dept. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "1978-79 Dream Season Recap". Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  3. ^ "Naismith Awards - History". Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  4. ^ "Wooden Award - Athletics". Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  5. ^ "Indiana St. Guns Down Shockers". Indiana State Athletic Dept. January 18, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sycamores Down Creighton, 90-80". Indiana State Athletic Dept. January 20, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Flying to the Top". Sports Illustrated. February 5, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "Indiana State Drubs Drake". The New York Times. February 7, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sycamores hit 100 in Win over Drake". Indiana State Athletic Dept. February 6, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  10. ^ "Arkansas Advances With Indiana State". The New York Times. March 12, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "Indiana St., Arkansas, DePaul, UCLA Win". The Washington Post. March 16, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Last-Second Basket Beats Arkansas". The New York Times. March 18, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "Michigan State, Indiana State Gain NCAA Final". The Washington Post. March 25, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "Michigan State Defeats Indiana State for N.C.A.A. Title". The New York Times. March 27, 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  15. ^ Katz, Andy. "From coast to coast, a magical pair". ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  16. ^ a b "RotoWire Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball and More". RotoWire.