Posted: 03/28/07

This week in sports history
Nothing like March Madness

David Walsh | contributing columnist
dwalsh2@smcvt.edu

The NCAA Division I men's national basketball tournament, affectionately known as "March Madness," has created multiple classic sports moments that are unforgettable to any sports fan. The tournament has given birth to memories such as North Carolina State and Jimmy Valvano’s unprecedented run and heroes such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Here's a look at some of the most remarkable March Madness moments...

March 26, 1979 — Two future NBA superstars, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, met in the national championship. Johnson played for Michigan State while Larry Bird anchored Indiana State. The game received a great deal of hype and it delivered with a tight game ending in a 75-64 victory for Johnson and Michigan State. Johnson led the way with a game-high 24 points while the Spartan defense held Bird to 19 points and forced six turnovers. The NCAA commended both players as Johnson received Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and Bird received the College Player of the Year award. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers draft Bird and Johnson respectively the following year.

March 27, 1978 — Kentucky senior Jack Givens is added to the Wildcat legacy as he scored 41 points in the national championship against the Duke Blue Devils. This still stands as the third highest individual point total in final’s history. It gave the Wildcats their first national title in 20 years. The last time they won a national title was under head coach Adolph Rupp in the 1950s. Givens received the coveted Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player honor.

March 28, 1992 — It is perhaps the most well-known tournament game in hostory. In the east regional final between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils, the game stayed tight throughout regulation and must be decided in overtime. During the overtime period, Kentucky’s Sean Wood banked a shot off the glass with two seconds remaining giving the Wildcats the lead. However, after a timeout from Duke, a play was set up where an unguarded Grant Hill heaves an 80-foot pass to Christian Laettner. Laettner faked to his right and spun to his left hitting a foul line jumper as time expired. Duke won the game 104-103 and earned a trip to the Final Four. Laettner was a picture of perfection as he made 100% of his shots going 10-10 from the field and the foul line. He finished with 31 points.

March 29, 1982 — A legend was born as the University of North Carolina squared off against Georgetown in the national championship. With fifteen seconds left, a lanky 6-foot 6-inch freshman named Michael Jordan hit a mid-range jump shot to give UNC a 63-62 lead over Georgetown. The play was a surprise to many as future NBA star Patrick Ewing of Georgetown covered both of UNC’s key offensive weapons tightly. As the game wound down, Georgetown had one last possession to go for the win. During the possession, Georgetown guard Freddie Brown made a perfect pass to James Worthy, the only problem being that James Worthy played for UNC. Worthy ran out the clock as UNC captured the national championship. It was the first championship for head coach Dean Smith, who went on to become one of the greatest college coaches in history. When asked about the shot, Jordan replied, “I wasn’t nervous.”

March 30, 1987 — Always controversial coach Bob Knight won his third NCAA national championship as Indiana beat Syracuse 74-73. The victory was heavily attributed to the great effort by Indiana guard Keith Smart who scored 17 points in the second half, including a baseline jump shot with five seconds left to give the Hoosiers the win. Knight joined elite company as he became the coach with the third most national titles next to only John Wooden, who had ten, and Adolph Rupp, who had 4.

The March Madness tournament is a hot bed for classic sports moments and this year has the potential to add to its history as the final four rounds out with historical powerhouses Georgetown and UCLA as well as 2006 National Champions Florida and Ohio State, which has shown a lot of promise this season with the addition of freshman Greg Oden.