You Tube Gold: Indiana’s Finest

In 1975-76 the Hoosiers were absolutely brilliant

It’s been 43 years since college basketball has had an undefeated champion - Indiana in 1975-76.

Prior to that, Bill Russell led San Francisco to back-to-back undefeated seasons and UNC followed those with an undefeated season of it’s own in 1957.

UCLA had four.

It’s not an easy thing to do and it’s way harder today with the expanded tournament field and the overall growth of the game.

So Indiana’s accomplishment is impressive.

It was still very early in the Bob Knight era and his genius was pretty clear.

Knight was just 31 when he took the job in 1971 and by 1974-75, the Hoosiers finished 31-1. They might have won it that year if forward Scott May hadn’t been injured.

A two-year record of 63-1 is brilliant and that team was truly great. It established Knight as a giant of the game. Here’s the 1976 title game.

Although he won two more national championships, IU would never get close that level again.

Then again, who has?

By the way, Larry Bird’s first school was Indiana. He would have been on both of those teams and, assuming he could tolerate Knight’s difficult personality, would have put those teams on an even higher level.