Thursday, December 5, 2013

1978: Kentucky v. Michigan State (NCAA Elite Eight, Dayton, Ohio)

In 1996, the NBA picked its top 50 players of all time.  No one on the list played for UK.  I personally saw UK play against nine players on the list:  Charles Barkley (Auburn), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), Magic Johnson (Michigan St.), Michael Jordan (N. Carolina), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston), Shaquille O'Neal (Louisiana St.), David Robinson (Navy), Isiah Thomas (Indiana), and James Worthy (N. Carolina).  Most of these were regular-season games, although we played Ewing and Johnson in the tournament.  As everyone who remembers 1984 can attest, the game with Ewing did not go well.  So UK's victory in the Elite Eight over Magic Johnson and Michigan State, on March 18, 1978, is the only time that I saw UK beat a top-50 player in the NCAA Tournament.  It was also featured two teams that won National Championships -- we won in 1978, MSU won the next year.  (Interestingly, UK has been involved in two such games in recent years:  in 2011, UConn beat UK on its way to the title -- UK won in 2012; in 2012, UK beat U of L on its way to the title -- the Cards won in 2013).

In Kentucky, the 1978 win over Michigan State was remembered mainly for Kyle Macy's free-throw shooting down the stretch.  But I haven't seen more than a few seconds of the game itself for over 35 years.  Fortunately, by going to this web page, you can watch the entire NBC broadcast.

Here's what I do remember:

In 1975, UK had a collection of great freshmen:  Rick Robey, Mike Phillips, Jack Givens, and James Lee.  Those guys helped the Cats reach the NCAA title game for the first time since 1966, but they were beaten by UCLA in John Wooden's last game.

In 1976, as sophomores, those guys lost the SEC to the Ernie-and-Bernie show (look it up), but won the NIT back when that was still kind of a big deal.

In 1977, as juniors, they went to the Elite Eight, where they lost to North Carolina and the Four Corners (thus creating a blood feud for me that continues to this day).

So they pretty much had to win it in 1978.  UK had not won a national championship in 20 years, and the pressure to do so was enormous.  I was 12 years old at the time, and I still remember the urgency that ran through Paducah during the winter of 1977-78.  UK started the season ranked number 1, and they were expected to win every game.  They lost only twice:  at Alabama (78-62), and at LSU (95-94 in overtime).  After the LSU game, I was disconsolate -- how could UK go all the way if they couldn't even beat LSU.  But the Cats won the rest of their games and were placed in the Mideast Region as the SEC Champs.  There were only 32 teams in the tournament back then, and UK was the only SEC team to make it.

In the first game of the tournament, they had to go to Knoxville and play Florida State (number 15 in the country).  FSU led 39-32 at the half, and UK Coach Joe Hall was so unhappy that he started a bunch of backups in the second half.  Amazingly, this worked -- UK came from behind for an 85-76 victory.

In the Sweet 16, UK played Miami of Ohio (number 19 in the country).  The Cats blew out the Redskins, winning 91-69.  In the other regional semi-final, Michigan State cruised past Western Kentucky.

So now it was Saturday afternoon, and the first of the four Elite Eight games featured the number 1 UK Wildcats and the number 4 Michigan State Spartans.  I don't think I had ever seen Michigan State play a basketball game before.  There was no ESPN back then, and we mostly watched UK and other teams from the SEC.  National games were dominated by schools like UCLA, Indiana, North Carolina, and Notre Dame.  Plus, I was 12 years old -- I didn't just sit in front of the TV all day.

Anyway, I had no idea what to expect -- although I remember being very nervous, and being very unhappy soon after the game began.  I couldn't take the pressure, and spent most of the early afternoon playing out on our back porch.  Somehow, the Cats managed to win without me.

I'm going to watch this video, so any further thoughts will go into the comments.

110 comments:

  1. We open with Bryant Gumbel of NBC at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. Gumbel remains, to this day, one of the best sports hosts I have ever seen.

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  2. Here are the other regional semi-finals being played the same weekend:

    East: Duke v. Villanova
    Midwest: Notre Dame v. DePaul
    West: Arkansas v. Cal-St. Fullerton

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  3. Bryant tells us that the MSU fans refer to Earvin Johnson as "Mr. Magic."

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  4. Bryant tells us that if Kentucky's seniors don't do it this time, "It's sayonara for them; they will never get another chance."

    Thanks, Bryant.

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  5. Now Bryant is telling us that one of the various associations is going to strip Leon Spinks of his world heavyweight title, and award the title to Ken Norton. I didn't realize it at the time, but this was the beginning of the end of boxing as a major American sport.

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    1. I had totally forgotten about this story. (I was only 10.) There was something about Spinks holding something in one of his gloves during the match, wasn't there? Or am I collapsing the Spinks story with some TV movie or Harlem Globetrotters cartoon episode? (I was only 10.)

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  6. And now we turn to our announcers for today's game, Curt Gowdy and Billy Packer. These are two of my least favorite announcers of all time, and it is amazing how many games I saw each of them call.

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  7. Packer says that UK's seniors may get so tight that they can't function.

    Thanks, Billy.

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    1. Actually, I was only 9 when all of this was going on. There are really only three things that I remember first hand from the whole season: I remember the amazing comeback by the backups against Florida State; I remember the realization in the championship that Jack Givens was obviously the greatest basketball player in history, and I remember staring at the numbers flip on the clock radio as we listened to the post-game after the loss at Alabama. I couldn't bear to look at anyone as that game ended.

      Here's the clock radio. I'll bet my parents got that Panasonic clock from Kmart. And if they paid that advertised price in 1978, it cost them the equivalent of $73 in 2013 USD.

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  8. Now we go to the University of New Mexico, where Dick Enberg and Al McGuire give us a preview of the West Regional final between Arkansas and Cal-St. Fullerton. McGuire tells us that Cal-St. Fullerton is for real.

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    1. Enberg and McGuire were fantastic. I loved all the big-ticket NBC announcers--Enberg, McGuire, Bryant Gumbel, Merlin Olsen, Charlie Jones, Don Criqui ... I loved everything Channel 6.

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    2. I liked Keith Jackson, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, and the Wide World of Sports, so I was more of an ABC guy.

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    3. I loved all of that stuff, too. My ranking went 6, 3 and then 12.

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  9. Then we get a Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial about a guy who plays soccer, scores the winning goal, and then goes out with his friends for some PBR. The combination of soccer and Pabst Blue Ribbon makes this a perfect commercial for March 1978.

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  10. Now Jim Simpson is narrating highlights of Michigan State's win over Western Kentucky, and UK's win over Miami of Ohio. (Miami of Ohio had pulled a big upset, beating Marquette in the first round).

    Bryant keeps referred to UK as "KU."

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  11. WKU is wearing their great uniforms from the 1970's with "WESTERN" above the numerals and "KENTUCKY" below.

    Michigan State beat Western 90-69.

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    Replies
    1. Those were fantastic, fantastic uniforms.

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    2. UK's 1978 uniforms were also great.

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    3. I remember hoping that UK could play Western in the Elite Eight, but my mother told me that Western couldn't beat MSU, and, of course, she was right.

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  12. Here are the starting line-ups, featuring eight players from the industrial Midwest:

    KENTUCKY:
    21 - Jack Givens, F (Lexington, Ky.) (Bryan Station H.S.)
    53 - Rick Robey, F (New Orleans, La.)
    55 - Mike Phillips, C (Akron, Ohio)
    4 - Kyle Macy, G (Peru, Ind.)
    22 - Truman Claytor, G (Toledo, Ohio)
    MICHIGAN ST:
    33 - Earvin Johnson, F (Lansing, Mich.)
    32 - Greg Kelser, F (Detroit, Mich.)
    31 - Jay Vincent, C (Lansing, Mich.)
    44 - Robert Chapman, G (Saginaw, Mich.)
    11 - Terry Donnelly, G (St. Louis, Mo.)

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    1. I always Truman Claytor was one of the best names. Great name for an attorney, IMHO.

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    2. UK basketball has been very fortunate in player names.

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  13. Now we have Larry Csonka doing a commercial for Old Spice deodorant stick. He is standing in a bathroom wearing a towel, and he gives us a poem about how the stick is better than a spray.

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  14. Kentucky is wearing the home white uniforms, MSU is wearing green uniforms with white lettering.

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  15. UK gets the tap. MSU is playing a 2-1-2 zone. I don't remember the last time I saw that.

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  16. Macy hits a jump shot from the foul line extended and UK is up 2-0. When MSU gets the ball, UK goes into a man-to-man, with Givens guarding Magic.

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  17. Now Curt Gowdy is referring to Magic as "Mr. Magic." When did he drop the "Mr."? Or did NBC just have it wrong?

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  18. I seem to remember McGuire calling him "The Magic Man" a lot.

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  19. UK leads 8-6 at the first commercial breaks. Both teams feeling each other out so far. We get a commercial for the Lincoln Cougar with a woman who I'm pretty sure is Cheryl Tiegs.

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  20. Curt Gowdy tells us that Earvin Johnson is the only freshman to make the all-Big 10 team. Packer tells us that Johnson has "unbelievable" court sense.

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  21. Curt tells us that Kentucky was a 5 or 6 point favorite for this game, and that James Lee may be the best sixth man in America.

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  22. Michigan State goes up 15-14 on a steal by Greg Kelser that turns into a 3-point play after he scores and is fouled. Joe Hall calls time. With the exception of that steal, Kentucky is doing a pretty good job against the MSU zone, but they are struggling on defense.

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    1. In 1979, I thought Greg Kelser was the third-best player in college basketball, behind Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He is giving UK fits in this game, and will finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

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  23. Now we get another Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial, this one centering on a basketball coach.

    "I've got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind,
    More and more lately I find
    I've got a taste for living
    I'm drinking cold Blue Ribbon
    I've got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind."

    This guy (the basketball coach) has a wife (or maybe girlfriend) who greets him at the bar with a huge kiss.

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  24. We also had a B.F. Goodrich commercial. Wikipedia tells me that the B.F. Goodrich brand is now owned by Michelin.

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  25. Now the zone is really starting to bother Kentucky. In a world with no three-point shots, a zone could really cause problems. I can remember watching Kentucky spend huge amounts of time, passing and passing, trying to figure out how to get the ball inside -- with all of us screaming for Macy or Shidler to just shoot over the zone and be done with it. That's what is going on now.

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  26. Kentucky leads 18-17, and NBC has gone to a camera up in the rafters to follow the action. I don't remember if I was still watching at this point, but this stuff absolutely drives me nuts. ESPN had a rafter-camera for a Mississippi State/UK game a few years ago, and I almost had to quit watching.

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  27. With 6:50 to go in the first half, UK leads 20-19. The Cats come down and spend over a minute and a half trying to come up with a shot against the Michigan State zone. They pass it all around the perimeter, swinging the ball from one side of the court to the other, over and over and over. It's exhausting to watch, and it reminds me of how nerve-wracking basketball was before the shot-clock and the three-point line.

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  28. Michigan State's jerseys say "MICHIGAN" over the numerals and "STATE" below, in block letters. The next year, they went to the script "State" that they wore when they won the title.

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  29. In a few weeks, NBC is going to show the Greater Greensboro Open, which will be won by Seve Ballesteros. It will be Seve's first-ever PGA Tour victory.

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  30. After roughly two minutes of game time, Claytor finally tries to shoot over the zone. He misses, and MSU has the ball. Gowdy and Packer are very impressed with the MSU zone.

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  31. Kentucky has now gone ice cold, and they are really struggling to find any shots against the zone. Macy will go 4-10 in this game, and Claytor will go 0-5, and those type of numbers are not going to bust the zone.

    Meanwhile, UK has put Macy on Johnson, and Johnson is driving past him on almost every play. With 2:20 to go, Michigan State leads 25-22. I can certainly see why I quit watching this game.

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  32. Back and forth we go, with only 2 minutes left in the first half. UK throws it away trying to hit Lee on the baseline. MSU throws it away trying for a lob pass. Then MSU steals it back, and Macy is called for a blocking foul. The UK fans thought it was a charge, and the arena is filled with boos.

    Gowdy thought it was a tough call against the Cats. Packer blames Macy for reaching in.

    Donnelly makes both free throws for the Spartans, and they lead 27-22.

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  33. UK brings in Shidler to shoot over the zone, and he misses as well.

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  34. Michigan State has two chances to build on its lead. Once they get a run-out, but Donnelly is called for traveling. Then they have the ball for the last shot with 45 seconds left, but Donnelly is called for an offensive foul away from the ball.

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  35. Macy takes the last shot of the half, and misses. Curt Gowdy tells us that the story of the first half has been MSU's amazing zone defense, which has made it impossible for UK to get the ball inside.

    At the half, MSU leads 27-22.

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  36. First half stats:

    KENTUCKY:
    10-25 from the field (40 percent)
    2-2 from the line (100 percent)
    13 rebounds
    10 turnovers

    MICHIGAN STATE:
    11-19 from the field (57.9 percent)
    5-5 from the line (100 percent)
    10 rebounds
    9 turnovers

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  37. Michigan State gets the tap to start the second half and immediately scores a layup. The Spartans now lead 29-22.

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  38. Kentucky FINALLY gets the ball over the zone and down to Phillips, who scores to make it 29-24 MSU.

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  39. But Magic throws the lob pass to Kelser, who tips it in.

    Michigan St. 31, Kentucky 24

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  40. Claytor misses another jump shot. Magic gets the rebound and is off to the races. He throws a pass that Macy tips -- the ball bounces off the intended MSU receiver and goes out of bounds.

    Magic will have 6 turnovers in this game, and only 5 assists. UK is always playing off of him, guarding the pass instead of the shot.

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  41. But UK still can't score, and MSU has the ball again. Magic starts to run the offense, but Donnelly (I think) loses the ball, and it turns into a run-out for UK. Robey dunks the ball to make it 31-26.

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  42. After Robey's dunk, UK goes into its own zone -- a 1-3-1. It's the first time in the game that UK has played a zone. Packer says that since MSU has the lead, they should hold the ball and force UK to come out of the zone. That makes sense to me, as UK's man-to-man defense has not been very effective.

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  43. Packer said in the first half that he thought Joe Hall would go into the zone if he could get the lead. Now Hall is trying a zone without the lead. What will happen?

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  44. MSU does not pull the ball out. Chapman shoots from the wing, and misses (everyone is cold from the outside). Shidler is the guard under the basket in the 1-3-1, but manages to draw a foul on Kelser. UK ball, trailing 31-26.

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  45. Michigan State calls time after a defensive foul on Magic.

    Now we have a commercial for Connecticut General, which appears to be a bank. It also has a jingle:

    "Coming through for you
    That's what CG people do!"

    Jingles were huge in 1978. HUGE.

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    Replies
    1. CG is an insurance company, not a bank. In 1982, it will merge with the Insurance Company of North America to form Cigna.

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  46. Next up is a tire commercial with a very intense jingle:

    "It's a sun tire in the summer
    It's a rain tire in the fall
    It's a snow tire in the winter
    It's the one that does it all.

    "Goodyear's great Tiempo,
    For all seasons, for all years
    It moves through snow and ice
    Yet runs quiet in the clear."

    All set to a tune that sounds like the opening soundtrack for a 1970's cop show.

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  47. Tomorrow, March 19, Ken Norton and John Brodie will be calling the Armed Services Boxing competition for NBC. This is huge because Norton has just been awarded the heavyweight title that was taken from Spinks.

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  48. Macy misses another outside shot, but Givens gets the rebound and the putback.

    Michigan St. 31, Kentucky 28.

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  49. After the timeout, MSU is determined to pull UK out of the 1-3-1 zone. They keep passing the ball back and forth close to the half court line. Macy, the front man on the zone, chases the ball back and forth. But UK refuses to budge from the zone.

    "A real battle of wits," says Packer.

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  50. After more than a minute of game time, the ball goes to Johnson who is open in the lane -- but he misses the shot. UK gets the rebound. Shider takes a long shot -- AND HITS IT! The UK fans go nuts.

    Michigan St. 31, Kentucky 30

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  51. After another wave of passing against the zone, Chapman hits a jump shot.

    Michigan State 33, Kentucky 30

    Roughly 13 minutes left.

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  52. But Macy quickly responds with a jumper from the free throw line:

    Michigan St. 33, Kentucky 32

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    Replies
    1. If 12-year-old me had still been watching at this point, I would have said, "See, we should have had Macy and Shidler shooting the whole time."

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  53. Vincent gets inside the UK zone and hits a jumper.

    Michigan St. 35, Kentucky 32

    UK calls time.

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  54. In this commercial break, we have an auto parts commercial narrated by Lowell Thomas, who is about to turn 86. He does great. Then we have a third iteration of the Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial. This one involves a weightlifter. He has a girlfriend (I don't think she's supposed to be a wife) who meets him at the bar.

    I wonder how many of these they made?

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  55. Coming out of the timeout, Donnelly is called for a shooting foul on Macy. He complains, but Packer thinks it was a good call.

    Macy misses the first free throw, but makes the second.

    Michigan St. 35, Kentucky 33 (about 12 minutes left)

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  56. After an exchange of turnovers, MSU is trying to attack the UK zone, which has become very active (lots of jumping and hand-waving). Macy steals the ball from Johnson, and shovels it to James Lee, who goes down for a thunderous dunk. The game is tied! The UK fans are ecstatic.

    Kentucky 35, Michigan St. 35

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  57. Magic had two mistakes on that play. First, he was trapped and allowed UK to steal the ball. Second, he was back on defense, but he thought Lee would pull up short of the basket. Instead, Lee roared past Magic for the dunk.

    Packer and Gowdy have been extravagant in their praise of Magic since the game started, but Packer now says that Magic is not having the type of game Michigan State needs him to have.

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  58. Packer wants Magic to be more aggressive on offense. But I don't know what he means. Surely he doesn't want Magic to drive through the zone by himself. And it doesn't make sense for Magic to shoot from the outside.

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  59. Chapman misses a jump shot, but Kelser scores on a putback.

    Michigan St. 37, Kentucky 35

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  60. On the ensuing possession, Magic is called for his fourth foul. He is very upset (Packer says they were all touch fouls), and he doesn't leave the game.

    Macy then tries a jump shot from the free throw line and is fouled by Chapman. He makes them both.

    With just over 9 minutes to go:

    Kentucky 37, Michigan St. 37

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  61. After the free throws, Magic goes out of the game.

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  62. Kelser gets behind the zone, takes a lob pass from Donnelly, and dunks to make the score 39-37 in favor of MSU.

    But UK responds with some great interior passing that, for once, shreds the MSU zone. Givens scores and is fouled!

    MSU calls time before Givens's free throws:

    Kentucky 39, Michigan St. 39

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  63. After the timeout, Magic returns to the game. (He will, in fact, play 39 minutes in this contest).

    Givens MISSES the free throw. We're still tied at 39.

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  64. On the next possession, James Lee is called for his fourth foul. He leaves the game, and Hall sends in Lavon Williams, who hasn't played at all so far.

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    Replies
    1. Kelser misses two free throws. Still tied at 39. UK ball.

      Here's the UK lineup: Macy, Claytor, Givens, Williams, and Phillips.

      8 minutes to go.

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  65. Macy misses a jump shot. MSU ball.

    Kelser misses, but Lavon Williams is called for a foul on the rebound. MSU gets another chance.

    Magic misses, and Kelser fouls Phillips going for the rebound. Phillips heads to the line for a 1-and-1.

    Packer notes that the crowd is actually too nervous about the outcome to make much noise.

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  66. PHILLIPS MAKES BOTH FREE THROWS AND KENTUCKY HAS THE LEAD!

    Just over seven minutes to go:

    Kentucky 41, Michigan St. 39

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  67. MSU is now attacking the zone by having Donnelly at the point and Magic off to the side, in a wing formation. UK is playing off of him and conceding his jump shot. He missed his last one, but now he makes one to tie the game.

    Kentucky 41, Michigan St. 41

    Magic has six points.

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  68. Kentucky comes back. Although MSU is playing a zone, they collapse on Macy if he gets too close to the free throw line. So Lavon Williams sets a screen for Macy, who goes around the screen and is open. Donnelly, trying to catch up, hits Macy on the head as Macy shoots from the free throw line. Macy's shot is GOOD and Donnelly is called for a foul! Macy rolls in the free throw and the Cats have a 3-point lead:

    Kentucky 44, Michigan St. 41

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  69. Packer thinks that MSU needs a timeout. UK's zone is now packed in very deep, and the UK fans are going berserk. MSU does not call time, but the coaches tell Magic to go back to the point and put Donnelly on the wing.

    Finally, Johnson takes a shot from the key -- and misses. UK has been letting him have the outside shot, and he is not making enough of them. UK grabs the ball.

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  70. But Macy misses a jump shot, and Chapman responds with a jumper to make it 44-43 Kentucky.

    Chapman was 5-9 in this game. Magic was 2-10.

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  71. Chapman charged after his shot, and Phillips gets the 1-and-1. He makes them both.

    Kentucky leads 46-43 with just under 5 minutes to go.

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  72. MSU can't score. UK gets the ball. Givens has what appears to be an easy jump shot on the baseline, but misses. In the battle for the rebound, Williams is called for touching the ball on the rim -- even though, as Packer points out, Kelser was the player who actually touched the ball. Bad break for the Cats.

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  73. But on the ensuing possession, Lavon Williams steals the ball from Kelser, right in under the UK basket!

    Hall's decision to play Williams down the stretch instead of Robey seems odd on paper, but it has worked out very well.

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  74. UK holds the ball for awhile -- there are only about 3 1/2 minutes left, and MSU is still in its zone. But the Spartans trap Macy and he throws it away. Magic turns this into a runout for Chapman.

    Kentucky 46, Michigan St. 45

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  75. UK comes back down. Macy is fouled by Chapman -- and that's all for Chapman, who has fouled out of the game.

    Macy makes both free throws, and the Cats lead 48-45.

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  76. Without Chapman, MSU has no good shooting threats against the zone. Ronald Charles misses. Magic misses, and Phillips comes away with the rebound for UK.

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  77. With only two minutes to go, MSU has to abandon the zone. They switch into a man-to-man, and UK quickly gets the ball to Phillips. (Remarkably, Robey and Phillips will take a total of only 9 shots in this game.) Phillips misses, and Johnson quickly turns the rebound into another run-out that ends with a Kelser dunk.

    Kentucky 48, Michigan St. 47

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  78. Packer tells us that Michigan State is "really battling now." I don't know what they were doing before.

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  79. With 1 1/2 minutes left, MSU is confused as to whether it should be in a zone or man-to-man. The camera shows Heathcote yelling at his team. They go into a man-to-man, but it's not clear if they have the matchups they want. Packer says that Heathcote would like a timeout, but Hall won't call one.

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  80. Of course, we never see this sort of game situation today, but back then it made sense to try to run out the clock with a one-point lead, and that is what UK is doing. There is now less than a minute to go.

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  81. With 39 seconds to go, and the crowd in an uproar, Macy tries to get past Donnelly, who bumps him. That was not what MSU wanted. Donnelly fouls out, and Heathcote finally gets his time out.

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  82. We now have a sort of disco-themed commercial for Noxema shaving creme, with a woman who dances and sings a jingle with a chorus of "Great balls of comfort for you!."

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  83. Then we have a commercial for Lincoln Cougars. This one features a woman in a long white dress who sings:

    "Baby, put a charge in your life!"

    I bet the average person in 1978 sang at least three times as much as the average person does today. They were a singing people.

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  84. In 1978, UK shot 75.8 percent from the line -- as a team. That's amazing.

    They were sixth in the country in free throw percentage.

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  85. Packer tells us that Robey wants the referee to stop Magic from talking to Macy. But nothing affects Macy, who wipes his hands on his socks and knocks down two more free throws.

    Kentucky 50, Michigan St. 47

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  86. With 23 seconds to go, Charles makes a jump shot for MSU.

    Kentucky 50, Michigan St. 49

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  87. Now these days, teams would foul immediately. But MSU tries to play defense, and UK runs off another 15 seconds. Macy is fouled with 8 seconds to go.

    There's a timeout, and Curt Gowdy tells us that you see Kentucky fans everywhere. "Basketball has been a religion down there." He points out that Western and Louisville both made the Sweet 16 this year as well. Then Gowdy says: "Basketball has been a way of life in Kentucky, and Adolph Rupp, the man in the brown suit, the winningest coach in college basketball history, set that tradition of Kentucky, with four national titles, and some of the greatest teams in the history of the game. And those fans expect a winner. In fact, they expect to win every game."

    It's hard to argue with any of that. Good job, Curt Gowdy!

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  88. Macy hits nothing but net on his last two free throws, and becomes a folk hero in the Commonwealth.

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    Replies
    1. When they won the title, the C-J published a special section and it included "The Catalyst" headline with a profile of Kyle Macy and I remember going to the dictionary to learn the definition.

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    2. I kept that section for years and years, and lost it somehow. I still don't know what happened to it.

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  89. Michigan State can't score, and THE GAME IS OVER. Kentucky WINS, 52 to 49!

    NBC names Kyle Macy as the player of the game.

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  90. I've long thought that this is an underrated game in UK history, and watching it again I am more convinced than ever. Magic had a rough game (2-10 from the field, 6 points, 6 turnovers, 5 assists). But he was going up against a canny group of seniors who knew exactly how to play him. They sagged off of him at all times, and never let him get going in the open floor. A game like this one, with both teams playing tough zones, was not well-suited to Magic's unique gifts.

    But MSU wanted to play this way, because Heathcote decided that UK would score too many points on the inside in an up-and-down game. And at the half, Heathcote looked like a genius. He did exactly what his strategy was designed to do -- he forced UK to beat him with its guards. UK's four seniors combined for only 32 points in this game, but the Cats got 18 points from Macy (and an important 2 from Shidler) to make the difference.

    It is very much to UK's credit that they were able to make the necessary adjustments on both offense and defense to deal with Michigan State. If the Spartans had won this game, I have no doubt that Magic would have won back-to-back national championships. In 1978, these were the two best teams in the country, and they played like it.

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