TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ?
Thirty
years after Indiana State's historic run to the NCAA championship game, members
of the 1978-79 men's basketball team will be honored on Saturday, January 31,
when Indiana State squares off against Northern Iowa on Nellie & John
Wooden Court at Hulman Center.
Tip
off is set for 1:05 p.m. EST, with a
halftime celebration planned to welcome back members of the team and honor them
for their accomplishments. In addition,
all upper bowl ticket will be sold for $4, the same price tickets went for
during the 1978-79 season.
The
game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest as part of the Missouri Valley
Conference's television package and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1300 AM with
Brian Fritz and Matt Renn on the call.
Led by
former Boston Celtic star and three-time NBA Most Valuable Player
Larry Bird, Indiana State completed a “Dream Season” in
1978-79, finishing the year with a 33-1 record and a trip to championship game
of the NCAA Tournament.
The
public was shown an early glimpse of what was ahead when the touring Soviet
National Team came to Hulman Center and were defeated by the
Sycamores 83-79 on Nov. 20. ISU was one of only four college teams to beat the
Soviets that year.
ISU
sailed through the regular season with a mark of 29-0, 16-0 in the Missouri
Valley Conference, and earned the top ranking in the country. The Sycamores were the top seed in the NCAA
Midwest Regional and advanced to the Final Four, where they were matched up
against the DePaul Blue Demons coached by Ray Meyer. ISU defeated the Blue Demons, 76-74, to set
up the most-watched college basketball game in history: Indiana State versus Michigan State for the national championship.
The game
featured two of the best players in the country in Bird and Michigan State's Ervin “Magic” Johnson. The Spartans got the better of the Sycamores
that day and defeated ISU, 75-64, to win the national championship but it could
not overshadow the greatest season in Indiana State basketball history.
Coach
Bill Hodges was named NCAA Coach of the Year and Bird was named a consensus First-Team
All-American and the National Player of the Year. Joined by Carl Nicks (19.3 ppg), Brad Miley,
Alex Gilbert and Steve Reed in the starting lineup, Bird and the Sycamores gave
ISU fans a season to remember.
To be a
part of the historic day, contact the Hulman Center Ticket Office at 812-237-3737
or 1-877-ISU-TIXS to purchase tickets for the game.
