In truth, there have been many good, some perhaps even great NCAA Basketball Championship games since 1987. None, however, surpass the sheer drama (particularly for an IU fan) of the game that featured “The Shot” – Keith Smart’s jumper from the corner, as the clock wound down with a stunned Syracuse team looking on.
My personal history with the college game goes as far back as Bobby Knight’s early days at IU, as he built the team that would become arguably one of the best (if not the best ever) in the game.
I have a vague recollection of watching Bill Walton’s amazing 44-point performance in the 1973 Championship game against Memphis State (possibly the single best individual performance in a Championship game).
I was crushed watching Scott May sporting an arm cast bravely falling short of leading the IU troops to victory in their first undefeated season 1974-75, losing to UCLA in the Final Four.
I was equally as thrilled watching the first IU Championship in the Modern Era as the 1975-76 team took it to the University of Michigan for a third time that season.
1979 was a year for the almost miraculous, as I watched Larry Bird take a group of guys who were much better than me (as a high school sophomore) to the championship game only to run up against “SHOWTIME” in Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans.
Fast forward to 1981 and a feisty long-socked Isiah Thomas sliced and diced his way through the tournament, leading an IU team that wasn’t expected to do much all the way.
Then, we come to 1987. Knight had come close several times more in the 80s only to fall short. The 1987 team supposedly had features atypical for a Knight squad (including recruited junior college transfers such as Dean Garrett and Keith Smart). Like many IU teams, there were no bona fide NBA stars. The best player was dead-on sharpshooter Steve Alford who would make his mark primarily as the man expected (but never-quite) to be Knight’s heir-apparent.
The Syracuse squad was superior in many aspects. Faster. Stronger. Bigger. Maybe Boeheim was out-coached by the General or maybe IU just got lucky.
All I can say is when the shot went through and when the seconds ticked off until the buzzer, I was yelling to beat the band. I was watching the game at my dad and step-mom’s, not far from Bloomington. As the buzzer sounded, I headed out to join the celebration in the streets.
I’m not sure where I ended up that night. The memory has faded or was shocked out of existence thanks to ECT. Nonetheless, the game lives on. And one day I’ll have another IU victory to celebrate. One day.
I think this every time I see old basketball pictures. But man, those were some short shorts!