YouTube Gold: 1976 Indiana Hoosiers
What a magnificent team that was
When John Wooden was in his final season at UCLA, the Bruins ran up a 28-3 record on the way to his remarkable 10th national championship.
But back in his home state of Indiana, a brilliant young coach had his team primed for a run at an undefeated season. Only an injury to star forward Scott May stopped the Hoosiers from making the Final Four and, possibly, back-to-back undefeated seasons.
After finishing 31-1, IU ran the table the following season, finishing 32-0. They remain the last undefeated national champions.
The Hoosiers started the season with a smashing 84-64 win over the Bruins, now coached by Gene Bartow.
Almost part of that team: Larry Bird, who started at Indiana in 1974 before dropping out. The mind boggles at what that team might have been with him. Dukel egend Mike Krzyzewski was also an assistant on the 1974-75 team.
Knight was still very young for a head coach, just 36 in 1976, and with a team that dazzled, the future looked impossibly bright.
Unfortunately, his difficult personality began to sabotage his coaching brilliance and eventually, his bitterness alienated most of the people who cared about him.
That two-year stretch though stands up to nearly anything anyone has done in the sport. Indiana was simply incredible.