30 Years Ago: The Birth of March Madness 5
Lonnie McFarlan passes to John Smith for layup that shocks top-seeded DePaul.
The NCAA Basketball tournament began with the 1979 national championship game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Indiana State Sycamores, featuring Magic Johnson for the Spartans and Larry Bird for the Sycamores.
But the madness really began on March 14, 1981, when the top two ranked teams in the country and the defending national champions were all knocked off in buzzer beater losses.
All in the same afternoon.
The action began in Austin, Texas when the defending national champion Louisville Cardinals faced off with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The game was close throughout but it appeared the Cardinals would advance to the Sweet 16 after guard Derek Smith hit the go-ahead basket to give Louisville a 73-72 lead with five seconds left. Read the rest of this entry →
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