Michigan St.-Indiana St. classic celebrates 25th anniversary
MILWAUKEE – The Final Four wasn’t always the monster that it is today.
A city didn’t always need a domed stadium to be its host. Fans didn’t need to take out a loan to buy a ticket. The games didn’t create the media frenzy they do now.
But that started to change in 1979. Blame it on Magic. Blame it on Bird.
If there is one game that ushered in a new era for the Final Four, which begins Saturday in San Antonio, it was the 75-64 victory that Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans scored over Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores 25 years ago in Salt Lake City.
That game still owns the highest television rating in NCAA championship history and, thanks to Johnson’s and Bird’s accomplishments as pros, is always remembered at this time of year.
“I never had any idea it would endure so long,” Michigan State All-American Greg Kelser said 25 years later. “Our coach told us it would become more important as you get older and he’s right.”
Johnson and Bird, both uniquely skilled players for their size, were the biggest draws. For the 6-foot-9 Bird, who averaged 28.6 points per game as a senior, it was his passing that set him apart. For the 6-8 Johnson, a sophomore who averaged 17.1 points and 8.4 assists per game, it was his ability to play point guard, which was unheard of for someone his size.
That tournament marked the first time teams were seeded. Upstart Indiana State, seeded No. 1 in its regional, was playing for an undefeated season. Second-seeded Michigan State, with three future pros on the roster, had steamrolled through the tournament, winning its first four games by an average of 23 points per game.
Also helping make the ’79 final so memorable were the social factors that came into play. Johnson was the black player from the city; Bird was the white player from the country.
And to think it almost didn’t happen.
Spartans survive slump
Although the Spartans fell one game short of the Final Four in 1978 and returned the core of that team in ’79, they suffered a midseason slump that nearly cost them a spot in the 40-team NCAA field.
They were 4-4 in the Big Ten and four games behind Ohio State at the end of January, having suffered last-second losses to Illinois, Purdue and Michigan. Michigan State, ranked No. 1 at the start of the conference season, bottomed out with an 83-65 loss at Northwestern, which finished last in the league with a 2-16 record.
“It could have been a disaster for us because we had a very good team,” said Kelser, who averaged 18.8 points per game that year. “We had Earvin Johnson, we had Jay Vincent, we had myself, three guys that were going to be playing professional basketball before long.”
The Spartans got their game together, however, and went on to win 10 straight games, nine against the Big Ten. They clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title with one game to play and, based on tie-breakers, were in line to receive the league’s automatic NCAA berth. Johnson, who had eight triple-doubles that season, has two during that stretch.
All that separated the Spartans from a second straight outright title was a victory at Wisconsin.
They couldn’t get it. The Badgers, who were on a three-game winning streak after dropping 10 straight, scored a dramatic 83-81 victory in the season finale.
Sophomore Wes Matthews road the shoulders of Wisconsin teammates and fans off the court after he banked in a missile of a shot from about 50 feet as time ran out.
“It actually didn’t have a whole lot of this (arch),” said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, an assistant to Bill Cofield at the time. “It was pretty hard and it went in.”
Sycamores’ ‘Miracle Man’
Indiana State blew out most of its opponents, winning 20 games by 10 points or more, but it also could come through in the clutch. It was 7-0 in games decided by five points or less.
Twice, junior forward Bob Heaton hit last-second shots that saved the Sycamores from defeat. In the tournament, his buzzer-beater from the paint lifted the Sycamores to a victory over Arkansas and a Final Four berth against DePaul. Earlier that season, he banked in a 50-foot shot at the buzzer at New Mexico State to force overtime.
“Winning on those games, you’re on a roll and it seems like that whole year went by so quick . . . ,” said Heaton, who was dubbed “Miracle Man” for his late-game heroics. “It just kind of flew by.”
The Sycamores were surprisingly good that season considering they lost four of their starters from a 23-9 team that made the National Invitation Tournament the previous season. Coach Bill Hodges was in his first full season, having replaced Bill King, who resigned four games into the previous season after suffering a heart attack.
By the time Indiana State reached the final, they were ranked No. 1 in the country and had won 33 straight games.
That didn’t matter to the Spartans, who had crushed Pennsylvania in the national semifinal and went on to finish 26-6.
Johnson finished with 24 points and Kelser added 17. Junior guard Terry Donnelly added 15 points, 13 in the second half, on 5-for-5 shooting.
Subpar game for Bird
Spartans coach Jud Heathcote used a match-up zone to slow down Bird. The coach also made sure a defender shadowed Bird at all times and brought a double team when he put the ball on the floor.
The consensus player of the year, playing with a broken left thumb, finished with 19 points and 13 points but missed 14 of 21 shots. Carl Nicks, Indiana State’s second-leading scorer for the season, added 17 points.
It was a bitter ending to a season so sweet that folks at Indiana State still call it the Dream Season.
“It’s on right now, as a matter of fact, but I don’t watch it. I just don’t,” Heaton said. “You know the outcome. I’m not saying it’s frustrating but why watch it? I played it and got beat and life goes on.”
At Michigan State, they call it the Magic Season.
“We were relieved because a lot of pressure had been on us all year,” Kelser said. “We had set our goals high and it looked for a while like we weren’t even going to get a chance to approach them, and then to finally get it done was an overwhelming feeling of relief.
“Whew! We did it. We can relax now. It’s done. Mission accomplished.”
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