Sports Then and Now

Given how much things have changed in just the last three weeks, it seems hard to believe that if it were not for the global pandemic we would be preparing this weekend to watch the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Final Four and Championship Games.

Though it has only been a few weeks, the 2019-2020 college basketball season seems like a distant memory. The excitement over which teams were on the bubble and who would be the top seeds seeming to be part of a long ago time.

It may seem hard to imagine right now, but I have great confidence that next year we will be back to enjoying March Madness and all the drama and excitement of college sports.

However, for right now in our time of social distancing and staying at home, we are fortunate that YouTube provides us with access to a plethora of vintage sporting events that can help pass the time before live sports return.

In part three of a multi-part series, Sports Then and Now has selected ten college basketball Final Four and Championship games that include some of the all-time moments and players in college basketball history. In the first two parts we shared great conference tournament games and early round NCAA Tournament action.

In this edition, we have chosen Final Four and Championship Games that include some of the iconic moments, teams and players in NCAA history. For each one we have included the records, rankings, coaches and notable players at the time of the game, but are not spoiling the game with a summary in case you don’t remember the outcome and want to enjoy the moment without spoilers.

Among the players you can check out during their college days are all-time greats Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Walton, David Thompson, Michael Jordan, Walter Davis, James Worthy, Grant Hill, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Christian Laettner, Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing and many more.

There are certainly other great games to watch on YouTube, but we have chosen these party because the entire game is available on YouTube and the game epitomized the excitement of March Madness.

Enjoy!

1979 NCAA Championship Game – Indiana State vs. Michigan State

Records Entering Game: Indiana State: 33-0; Michigan State: 25-6

National Ranking: Indiana State #1; Michigan State: #3

Coaches: Indiana State: Bill Hodges; Michigan State: Jud Heathcote

Notable Players: Indiana State: Larry Bird, Carl Nicks, Alex Gilbert, Bob Heaton; Michigan State: Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, Terry Donnelly

1974 NCAA Semifinals – UCLA v. N.C. State

Records Entering Game: UCLA: 25-3; N.C. State: 28-1

National Ranking: UCLA #2; N.C. State #1

Coaches: UCLA: John Wooden; N.C. State Norm Sloan

Notable Players: UCLA: Bill Walton; Marques Johnson, Keith Wilkes, Greg Lee, Dave Meyers; N.C. State: David Thompson, Monte Towe, Tommy Burleson, Tim Stoddard, Moe Rivers

1989 NCAA Championship Game – Michigan vs. Seton Hall

Records Entering Game: Michigan: 29-7; Seton Hall: 31-6

National Ranking: Michigan #10; Seton Hall #11

Coaches: Michigan: Steve Fisher; Seton Hall: P.J. Carlesimo

Notable Players: Michigan: Glenn Rice, Rumeal Robinson, Mark Hughes, Loy Vaught, Terry Mills; Seton Hall: John Morton, Andrew Gaze, Ramon Ramos, Gerald Greene

1991 NCAA Semifinals – Duke vs. UNLV

Records Entering Game: Duke: 30-7; UNLV: 34-0

National Ranking: Duke #6; UNLV #1

Coaches: Duke: Mike Krzyzewski; UNLV: Jerry Tarkanian

Notable Players: Duke: Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Brian Davis, Thomas Hill; UNLV: Larry Johnson, Elmore Spencer, Anderson Hunt, Stacey Augmon, George Ackles, Greg Anthony

1983 NCAA Championship Game – N.C. State vs. Houston

Records Entering Game: N.C. State: 25-10; Houston: 31-2

National Ranking: N.C. State #16; Houston #1

Coaches: N.C. State: Jim Valvano; Houston: Guy Lewis

Notable Players: N.C. State: N.C. State: Thurl Bailey, Sidney Lowe, Dereck Whittenburg, Lorenzo Charles, Terry Gannon; Houston: Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Benny Anders, Alvin Franklin, Michael Young

1982 NCAA Championship Game – North Carolina vs. Georgetown

Records Entering Game: North Carolina: 31-2; Georgetown: 28-6

National Ranking: North Carolina #1; Georgetown #6

Coaches: North Carolina: Dean Smith; Georgetown: John Thompson

Notable Players: North Carolina: Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Jimmy Black, Matt Doherty; Georgetown: Patrick Ewing, Eric Floyd, Eric Smith, Fred Brown, Ralph Dalton, Bill Martin

2008 Championship – Memphis vs. Kansas

Records Entering Game: Memphis: 38-1; Kansas: 36-3

National Ranking: Memphis #2; Kansas #4

Coaches: Memphis: John Calipari; Kansas: Bill Self

Notable Players: Memphis: Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas Roberts, Robert Dozier, Joey Dorsey; Kansas: Mario Chalmers, Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins, Brandon Rush

2010 NCAA Championship Game – Butler vs. Duke

Records Entering Game: Butler: 33-4; Duke: 35-5

National Ranking: Butler #8; Duke #3

Coaches: Butler: Brad Stevens; Duke: Mike Krzyzewski

Notable Players: Butler: Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, Ronald Nored; Duke: Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek

1977 NCAA Championship Game – Marquette vs. North Carolina

Records Entering Game: Marquette: 23-7; North Carolina: 28-4

National Ranking: Marquette #7; North Carolina #5

Coaches: Marquette: Al McGuire; North Carolina: Dean Smith

Notable Players: Marquette: Butch Lee, Bo Ellis, Jerome Whitehead, Jim Boylan; North Carolina: Walter Davis, Phil Ford, Dudley Bradley, John Kuester, Mike O’Koren

1987 NCAA Championship Game – Indiana vs. Syracuse

Records Entering Game: Indiana: 29-4; Syracuse: 31-6

National Ranking: Indiana #3; Syracuse #10

Coaches: Indiana: Bobby Knight; Syracuse: Jim Boeheim

Notable Players: Indiana: Steve Alford, Keith Smart, Dean Garrett, Rick Calloway; Syracuse: Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman, Greg Monroe, Stephen Thompson