larry bird magic johnson when the game was ours

However, the four starters from the 1977–78 team other than Bird had graduated. Indiana State's lineup also featured Carl Nicks, a junior guard who was returning to the school after spending his sophomore season at Gulf Coast Community College. The team, which had been coached by Bob King in 1977–78, was led by senior forward Larry Bird, who had averaged 30.0 points per game during the previous season (second in NCAA Division I basketball) and been named an All-American in 1978. The Sycamores were not ranked in the Associated Press (AP) or United Press International preseason polls, and coaches in their Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) did not pick them to win the league. Main article: 1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team

The 1979 NCAA tournament final had the highest Nielsen ratings of any game in the history of American basketball.īackground Indiana State Michigan State won 75–64 to claim the school's first national championship in men's basketball. Spartans guard Magic Johnson and Sycamores forward Larry Bird competed against each other for the first time the pair developed a rivalry in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1980s. The Sycamores entered the contest undefeated for the season, while the Spartans had six losses. In the game, the Indiana State Sycamores of the Missouri Valley Conference faced the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. Huntsman Center) at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The game was held on March 26, at the Special Events Center (now the Jon M. The 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game was the final of the 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament and determined the national champion for the 1978–79 season.

Larry bird magic johnson when the game was ours