1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores Basketball File:Indiana-State-Sycamores-Logo-1978-1989.png Missouri Valley Conference MVC 1 1 33–1 16–0 Bill Hodges 1st Mel Daniels 3rd Terry Thimlar Danny King Larry Bird Hulman Center NCAA tournament, Runner-upNCAA Division I regular season championsMVC tournament championsMVC regular season champions National Championship Game L Lost 64-75 vs. Michigan State The 1978–79 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team is considered the greatest in the school's history. The Sycamores competed as members of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, playing their home games at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Led by first-year head coach Bill Hodges and National Player of the Year Larry Bird, Indiana State was unranked to begin the season, but swept through the regular season unbeaten. Bird led the number 1 ranked Sycamores to the national title game versus the Magic Johnson-led number 3 Michigan State Spartans, and ended the season as National runner-up with a record of 33–1 (16–0 MVC). To date, the 1978–79 Sycamores are the only team to advance this far in their first-ever NCAA appearance. They had been the last unbeaten team to reach the national title game until Gonzaga in 2021. Roster The Sycamores were led by Bird, the NCAA Player of the Year, and his 28.6 scoring average. He was followed by Carl Nicks’ 19.3 average.1978-79 Basketball Cumulative Statistics https://gosycamores.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/1978-79 Indiana State Athletic Dept. March 15, 2020 The starting lineup also included Miley, Alex Gilbert and Steve Reed. Heaton and Leroy Staley were key reserves. The remainder of the roster consisted of Tom Crowder, Eric Curry, Rod McNelly, Rich Nemcek, Bob Ritter and Scott Turner. 1978 Indiana State Sycamores men's y y Bob Ritter 5 G 6 3 189 Jr Indianapolis, IN Northwest Scott Turner 10 F 6 5 193 Fr Bedford, IN North Lawrence Rod McNelly 15 G 6 2 173 Fr Speedway, IN Speedway Rich Nemcek 20 G/F 6 6 182 Jr Hammond, IN Morton Carl Nicks 22 SG 6 2 186 Jr y basketball Chicago, IL Englewood Tech Steve Reed 23 PG 6 2 166 So Warsaw, IN Warsaw Tom Crowder 24 F 6 5 197 Sr Cayuga, IN North Vermillion Bob Heaton 30 F 6 5 192 Jr y Cory, IN Clay City Eric Curry 32 C 6 9 180 Jr Chicago, IL Marie Curie Larry Bird 33 C 6 9 215 Sr y French Lick, IN Springs Valley Brad Miley 40 F 6 8 194 Jr y Rushville, IN Rushville Alex Gilbert 42 F 6 7 184 Jr East St. Louis, IL East St. Louis Leroy Staley 44 G/F 6 4 193 Sr Tampa, FL Tampa Jefferson https://gosycamores.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/1978-79 Bill Hodges (Purdue University) Season summary In 1979, the NCAA tournament championship game was the most-watched game in the history of the sport, in no small part because of Indiana State star Larry Bird. Bird was not a one-man show, but the unheralded Sycamores rode him to a 33–0 record heading into the title game. The well-rounded Bird averaged 29 points, 14.8 rebounds, and, most significantly, six assists as he changed the way the game was played. Offseason Head coach Bob King suffered a stroke and was unable to continue as head coach of the Sycamores. Assistant Bill Hodges was elevated to the position of head coach. Exhibition vs. Soviet National Team On November 20, the touring Soviet National team came to Hulman Center to play Indiana State. ISU defeated the Soviets, 83–79, to become one of only four college teams to beat them that season.http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/wildcard_1/wildcard_01/in_isu_1978_79_Dream_Season_Recap_20090306 1978-79 Dream Season Recap 2009-04-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20110606132431/http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/wildcard_1/wildcard_01/in_isu_1978_79_Dream_Season_Recap_20090306 2011-06-06 dead Regular season During the 1978–79 season, Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament. ISU finished the regular season 29–0, 16–0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and earned the top ranking in the country. The only time that the perfect regular season was in jeopardy was on Feb. 1. The Sycamores were 18–0 against New Mexico State. With three seconds remaining, the Sycamores were down 83–81. New Mexico State was at the free throw line and the shot was missed. The missed shot was rebounded by Brad Miley and passed to Bob Heaton. Heaton launched a 50-foot desperation shot which banked through the net to send the game into overtime. Bird received several honors at the end of regular season. He won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismithhttp://www.naismithawards.com/History/tabid/55/Default.aspx Naismith Awards - History 2009-04-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20090403082842/http://www.naismithawards.com/History/tabid/55/Default.aspx 2009-04-03 dead and Wooden Awards,http://woodenaward.cstv.com/ot/award-winners.html Wooden Award - Athletics 2009-04-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20090413170924/http://woodenaward.cstv.com/ot/award-winners.html 2009-04-13 dead given to the year's top male college basketball player. Schedule and results no yes no yes yes |- !colspan=9 style=Indiana State Sycamores| Exhibition 11/19/1978 1:30 p.m. yes Soviet National Team Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 83–79 Nicks 24 Bird 13 Miley 6   |- !colspan=9 style=Indiana State Sycamores| Regular season 11/25/1978 7:30 p.m. yes Lawrence College Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 99–56 Nicks 27 Gilbert 15 Bird 10 8,476 1–0 11/27/1978 7:35 p.m. yes yes Purdue Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana 63–53 Bird 22 Bird 15 2 Tied 4 14,123 2–0 12/2/1978 7:35 p.m. yes yes 1978 men Evansville Purple Aces Evansville Roberts Municipal Stadium Evansville, Indiana 74–70 Bird 40 Bird 9 Bird 2 12,488 3–0 12/4/1978 7:30 p.m. yes Illinois State Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 78–76 Bird 31 Bird 19 Reed 7 10,189 4–0 12/8/1978 yes yes 1978 men East Carolina Pirates East Carolina Edmunds Center Deland, Florida Hatter Classic 102–79 Bird 32 Bird 9 2 tied 3 3,510 5–0 12/9/1978 yes yes 1978 men Cleveland State Vikings Cleveland State Edmunds Center Deland, Florida Hatter Classic 102–71 Bird 37 Bird 15 Nicks 6   6–0 12/12/1978 yes yes 20 1978 men Ball State Cardinals Ball State Irving Gymnasium Muncie, Indiana 93–85 Bird 31 Bird 14 Nicks 8 6,880 7–0 12/16/1978 yes 20 1978 men Butler Bulldogs Butler Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 109–71 Bird 48 Bird 19 Reed 11 10,153 8–0 12/30/1978 yes 11 Morris Harvey Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 99–63 Bird 34 Bird 15 Reed 7 10,184 9–0 1/3/1979 11 1978 men Tulsa Golden Hurricane Tulsa Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana HBO 101–89 Bird 27 Bird 19 Bird 6 9,076 10–0 1–0 1/6/1979 yes 11 1978 men West Texas A&M Buffaloes West Texas State Amarillo, Texas 98–77 Bird 32 Bird 20 Reed 7 4,575 11–0 2–0 1/9/1979 yes 9 1978 men North Carolina A&T Aggies North Carolina A&T Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 83–64 Bird 26 Bird 16 Bird 7 9,336 12–0 1/13/1979 9 1978 men Bradley Braves Bradley Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 93–74 Bird 27 Bird 18 Bird 10 10,037 13–0 3–0 1/15/1979 9 New Mexico State Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 73–69 Bird 24 Bird 13 2 Tied 6 10,226 14–0 4–0 1/18/1979 8:00 p.m. yes 5 1978 men Wichita State Shockers Wichita State Levitt Arena Wichita, Kansas 94–84Indiana St. Guns Down Shockers https://gosycamores.com/news/2018/11/8/basketball-indiana-st-guns-down-shockers.aspx Indiana State Athletic Dept. January 18, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 31 Bird 10 Nicks 7 10,584 15–0 5–0 1/20/1979 2:35 p.m. yes 5 1978 men Creighton Bluejays Creighton Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha, Nebraska 90–80Sycamores Down Creighton, 90-80 https://gosycamores.com/news/2019/1/18/basketball-sycamores-down-creighton-90-80.aspx Indiana State Athletic Dept. January 20, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 29 Bird 8 Reed 9 8,908 16–0 6–0 1/22/1979 7:35 p.m. 5 1978 men Southern Illinois Salukis Southern Illinois Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 88–79 Bird 31 Bird 17 2 Tied 8 10,291 17–0 7–0 1/27/1979 8:00 p.m. 3 Creighton Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 77–69Flying to the Top https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/02/05/flying-to-the-top-indiana-states-18-0-record-is-the-best-in-the-country-and-so-is-its-6-9-12quot-forward-larry-bird-but-hardly-anyone-seems-to-be-aware-of-it https://web.archive.org/web/20200828074510/https://vault.si.com/vault/1979/02/05/flying-to-the-top-indiana-states-18-0-record-is-the-best-in-the-country-and-so-is-its-6-9-12quot-forward-larry-bird-but-hardly-anyone-seems-to-be-aware-of-it dead August 28, 2020 Sports Illustrated February 5, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 17 Bird 15 Bird 9 10,229 18–0 8–0 2/1/1979 7:35 p.m. yes 2 New Mexico State Pan American Center Las Cruces, New Mexico 91–89 OT Bird 37 Bird 17 Bird 9 13,684 19–0 9–0 2/3/1979 yes 2 Tulsa Tulsa Convention Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 66–56 Bird 22 Bird 22 Nicks 9 8,996 20–0 10–0 2/6/1979 7:35 p.m. 2 1978 men Drake Bulldogs Drake Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 100–79Indiana State Drubs Drake https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/07/archives/indiana-state-drubs-drake-bird-gets-33-texas-95-rice-52.html The New York Times February 7, 1979 January 28, 2023Sycamores hit 100 in Win over Drake https://gosycamores.com/news/2019/1/18/basketball-sycamores-hit-100-in-win-over-drake.aspx Indiana State Athletic Dept. February 6, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 33 Bird 10 2 Tied 10 10,513 21–0 11–0 2/10/1979 yes 2 Bradley Robertson Memorial Field House Peoria, Illinois 91–72 Nicks 31 Bird 11 Nicks 6 7,300 22–0 12–0 2/12/1979 2 West Texas State Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 100–75 Bird 27 Bird 19 Reed 7 10,235 23–0 13–0 2/15/1979 7:35 p.m. yes 1 Southern Illinois SIU Arena Carbondale, Illinois 69–68 Bird 20 Bird 13 Bird 6 10,301 24–0 14–0 2/20/1979 yes 1 Drake Veterans Memorial Auditorium Des Moines, Iowa 76–68 Bird 27 Miley 13 Reed 8 12,250 25–0 15–0 2/24/1979 1 Wichita State Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana 109–84 Bird 49 Bird 19 2 Tied 7 9,579 26–0 16–0 |- !colspan=9 style=Indiana State Sycamores | Missouri Valley Conference tournament 2/27/1979 7:30 p.m. yes 1 1 West Texas State 8 Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana MVC Tournament Quarterfinal 94–84 Bird 29 Bird 15 Nicks 9 10,234 27–0 3/1/1979 yes 1 1 Southern Illinois 5 Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana MVC Tournament Semifinal 79–72 Bird 25 Bird 19 Reed 8 10,274 28–0 3/3/1979 yes 1 1 New Mexico State 2 Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana MVC tournament championship 69–59 Bird 20 Bird 10 Reed 6 10,301 29–0 |- !colspan=9 style=Indiana State Sycamores | NCAA Tournament 3/11/1979 yes yes 1 1 MW Virginia Tech 8 MW Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas NCAA second round NBC 86–69Arkansas Advances With Indiana State https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/12/archives/arkansas-advances-with-indiana-state.html The New York Times March 12, 1979 January 28, 2023 2 Tied 22 Bird 13 Bird 7   30–0 3/15/1979 yes yes 1 1 MW Oklahoma 16 5 MW Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio NCAA regional semifinal NCAAP 93–72Indiana St., Arkansas, DePaul, UCLA Win https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1979/03/16/indiana-st-arkansas-depaul-ucla-win/d8cbc467-79a3-4155-abc3-e900a09b04e8/ The Washington Post March 16, 1979 January 28, 2023 Bird 29 Bird 15 2 Tied 5 17,252 31–0 3/17/1979 yes yes 1 1 MW Arkansas 5 2 MW Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio NCAA Regional Final NBC 73–71Last-Second Basket Beats Arkansas https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/18/archives/lastsecond-basket-beats-arkansas-on-to-salt-lake-city-indiana-state.html The New York Times March 18, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 31 Bird 10 Reed 5 17,166 32–0 3/24/1979 yes yes 1 1 MW DePaul 6 2 W Special Events Center Salt Lake City, Utah NCAA Final Four NBC 76–74Michigan State, Indiana State Gain NCAA Final https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1979/03/25/michigan-state-indiana-state-gain-ncaa-final/03b680eb-f235-44b8-92b2-42ac4b39e46f/ The Washington Post March 25, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 35 Bird 16 Bird 9 15,410 33–0 3/26/1979 7:15 p.m. yes yes 1 1 MW Michigan State 3 2 ME Special Events Center Salt Lake City, Utah NCAA national championship NBC 64–75Michigan State Defeats Indiana State for N.C.A.A. Title https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/27/archives/michigan-state-defeats-indiana-state-for-ncaa-title-johnsons-magic.html The New York Times March 27, 1979 March 15, 2020 Bird 19 Bird 13 Reed 9 15,410 33–1 AP Poll Central MW Midwest Source: Schedule NCAA basketball tournament The top seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional was awarded to the Sycamores. The final game of the regional tournament was against Arkansas with a berth in the Final Four on the line. With the game tied at 71, the right-handed Heaton was the hero again with a last second left-handed shot in the lane to win the game. They advanced to the championship game and faced Michigan State University, which was led by sophomore Magic Johnson. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/s/century/katz.html From coast to coast, a magical pair Katz Andy ESPN 2008-05-06 Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64, and Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. West Indiana State (#1 seed) 86, Virginia Tech (#8 seed) 69 Indiana State 93, Oklahoma (#5 seed) 72 Indiana State 73, Arkansas (#2 seed) 71 https://www.rotowire.com/?yr=1979 RotoWire Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball and More RotoWire Final Four Indiana State 76, DePaul 74 Michigan State 75, Indiana State 64 Rankings 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 16 NR NR NR 20 16 11 11 9 5 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 Coaches 0 15 NR – – 16 15 11 9 9 5 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 ^Coaches did not release Week 1 or Week 2 polls. Awards and honors Larry Bird, Consensus All-American teams Larry Bird, All-Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird – AP, UPI, USBWA, The Sporting News, Basketball Weekly All-American selections Larry Bird, Missouri Valley Conference Most Valuable Player Larry Bird – 1979 Oscar Robertson Trophy, Naismith Award, John R. Wooden Award, Adolph Rupp Trophy, AP Player of the Year, Eastman Award Bill Hodges, NCAA Coach of the Year References Category:Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball seasons Indiana State Indiana State Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball