This game, played on March 30, 1981, was played in the shadow of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day and the game was delayed by 7 minutes due to network coverage of Reagan's recovery. I remember coming home from school and hearing about the shooting. It did not look like the game was going to be played but when it became clear Reagan would survive, it went ahead.

After a tight first half, Indiana dominated a very talented North Carolina team with Al Wood, James Worthy and Sam Perkins. Isiah Thomas was the MVP and big men Landon Turner and Ray Tolbert muscled the Tar Heels around in the paint.

This Indiana team started slowly. In December they didn't even look on pace to make the NCAA tournament, and in the end, their 9 losses was, at the time, a record for most losses by an NCAA champion. But this team was like a locomotive, once it picked up steam it was impossible to stop, the 13 point MOV in the title game being the smallest margin of victory in any of their five tournament games.

(03-30-2021 12:14 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  This game, played on March 30, 1981, was played in the shadow of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day and the game was delayed by 7 minutes due to network coverage of Reagan's recovery. I remember coming home from school and hearing about the shooting. It did not look like the game was going to be played but when it became clear Reagan would survive, it went ahead.

After a tight first half, Indiana dominated a very talented North Carolina team with Al Wood, James Worthy and Sam Perkins. Isiah Thomas was the MVP and big men Landon Turner and Ray Tolbert muscled the Tar Heels around in the paint.

This Indiana team started slowly. In December they didn't even look on pace to make the NCAA tournament, and in the end, their 9 losses was, at the time, a record for most losses by an NCAA champion. But this team was like a locomotive, once it picked up steam it was impossible to stop, the 13 point MOV in the title game being the smallest margin of victory in any of their five tournament games.

I recall that game.

Tidbits of note: Of the 13 IU players, all but one was from Illinois or Indiana. Nine of the 13 Hoosiers was listed at 6-6 or taller. A towering IU team.

(03-30-2021 12:14 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  This game, played on March 30, 1981, was played in the shadow of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day and the game was delayed by 7 minutes due to network coverage of Reagan's recovery. I remember coming home from school and hearing about the shooting. It did not look like the game was going to be played but when it became clear Reagan would survive, it went ahead.

Hard to imagine today, but this was back when the Oscars and NCAA NCG were often scheduled on the same night, the last Monday in March, and this was true in 1981 too.

The Oscar's ended up getting postponed that day while the championship game was still played.

Since then in a normal year, the Oscar's are now usually the last Sunday in February and the NCAA NCG is the first Monday in April, over 5 weeks apart.

(03-30-2021 01:13 PM)goofus Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 12:14 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  This game, played on March 30, 1981, was played in the shadow of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day and the game was delayed by 7 minutes due to network coverage of Reagan's recovery. I remember coming home from school and hearing about the shooting. It did not look like the game was going to be played but when it became clear Reagan would survive, it went ahead.

Hard to imagine today, but this was back when the Oscars and NCAA NCG were often scheduled on the same night, the last Monday in March, and this was true in 1981 too.

Wow, I had forgot that the Oscars were scheduled for that day as well.

I remember that day. I was in 8th grade. The basketball game paled in comparison with the shooting of the President.

This was the last Final Four with a 3rd place game. Virginia beat LSU. Ralph Sampson was a sophomore. It was his only Final Four.

It was also the last NCAA tournament televised by NBC, and the trio of Dick Enberg, Billy Packer, and Al McGuire. CBS would pick up the tournament the next year.

(03-30-2021 04:21 PM)johnintx Wrote:  I remember that day. I was in 8th grade. The basketball game paled in comparison with the shooting of the President.

Yes, it really did. The shooting was the overwhelming story of the day, and for weeks afterward.

Dean got cute for the game and had the Carolina players wearing some kind of green ribbon to show support for the murdered children in Atlanta. I believe the killer (Wayne Williams) was eventually caught and convicted for 2 murders. He was believed to have killed at least 23 and perhaps up to 30 children in the Atlanta area.
Coach Smith should have had the players more focused on the game.

I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

(03-30-2021 06:08 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

It was a different era. Now national player of the year winners go directly to the pros. Sampson came back, won three Naismith Awards, but was not able to lead Virginia to the ACC nor NCAA titles. Each year there was speculation about NBA teams wanting him to declare for the draft (I think that the draft lottery system was created because of all the interference with Sampson).

(03-30-2021 07:12 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 06:08 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

It was a different era. Now national player of the year winners go directly to the pros. Sampson came back, won three Naismith Awards, but was not able to lead Virginia to the ACC nor NCAA titles. Each year there was speculation about NBA teams wanting him to declare for the draft (I think that the draft lottery system was created because of all the interference with Sampson).

Of course an irony is that the year after Sampson left, Virginia did make the Final Four, and came a lot closer to winning their semifinal than the 1981 Sampson team did. And that UVA team was essentially unranked all season. IIRC, they might have eeked in to the AP top 20 for a week or two, but going in to the NCAA tournament they were unranked.

Sampson was a tremendous player in his prime. And, yes, those UVa teams were strong.

(03-30-2021 08:47 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 07:12 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 06:08 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

It was a different era. Now national player of the year winners go directly to the pros. Sampson came back, won three Naismith Awards, but was not able to lead Virginia to the ACC nor NCAA titles. Each year there was speculation about NBA teams wanting him to declare for the draft (I think that the draft lottery system was created because of all the interference with Sampson).

Of course an irony is that the year after Sampson left, Virginia did make the Final Four, and came a lot closer to winning their semifinal than the 1981 Sampson team did. And that UVA team was essentially unranked all season. IIRC, they might have eeked in to the AP top 20 for a week or two, but going in to the NCAA tournament they were unranked.

The great Olden Polynice led Virginia to the Final Four the year after Ralph left. They ran into Phi Slama Jama in the semifinals. That year was Georgetown's national championship.

Virginia making the Final Four the year after the departure of Ralph Sampson is up there with Tennessee winning a national championship in football the year after Peyton Manning left. Sometimes, you just never know.

(03-30-2021 09:45 PM)johnintx Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 08:47 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 07:12 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 06:08 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

It was a different era. Now national player of the year winners go directly to the pros. Sampson came back, won three Naismith Awards, but was not able to lead Virginia to the ACC nor NCAA titles. Each year there was speculation about NBA teams wanting him to declare for the draft (I think that the draft lottery system was created because of all the interference with Sampson).

Of course an irony is that the year after Sampson left, Virginia did make the Final Four, and came a lot closer to winning their semifinal than the 1981 Sampson team did. And that UVA team was essentially unranked all season. IIRC, they might have eeked in to the AP top 20 for a week or two, but going in to the NCAA tournament they were unranked.

The great Olden Polynice led Virginia to the Final Four the year after Ralph left. They ran into Phi Slama Jama in the semifinals. That year was Georgetown's national championship.

Virginia making the Final Four the year after the departure of Ralph Sampson is up there with Tennessee winning a national championship in football the year after Peyton Manning left. Sometimes, you just never know.

Othell Wilson and Rick Carlisle were 4th year guards in 1984. During the Tournament run, their experience made a huge difference. It was somewhat a reversal of fortunes...what NC State had done in the prior year’s miraculous story.

(03-30-2021 09:45 PM)johnintx Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 08:47 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 07:12 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 06:08 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-30-2021 05:49 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  I remember UVA had been ranked #1 most of the season, and then stumbled at the end of the season. They kind of ran out of gas. UNC beat UVA in the FF semifinals...even though the Hoos had won their two previous games that season.

Those teams had a lot of talent. Isiah Thomas was unstoppable.

Those not around then cannot imagine how dominant a shadow Sampson and Virginia cast over college basketball in the early 1980s.

The entirety of Sampson's last three years at UVA, from late 1980 to March of 1983, Virginia was ranked in the top 10, and spent many weeks each of those years at #1. That's because not only did they have Sampson, but also a strong supporting cast each year.

It was astonishing that those teams never won the ACC tournament and made only one Final Four. They were favorites to win the national title all three years.

It was a different era. Now national player of the year winners go directly to the pros. Sampson came back, won three Naismith Awards, but was not able to lead Virginia to the ACC nor NCAA titles. Each year there was speculation about NBA teams wanting him to declare for the draft (I think that the draft lottery system was created because of all the interference with Sampson).

Of course an irony is that the year after Sampson left, Virginia did make the Final Four, and came a lot closer to winning their semifinal than the 1981 Sampson team did. And that UVA team was essentially unranked all season. IIRC, they might have eeked in to the AP top 20 for a week or two, but going in to the NCAA tournament they were unranked.

The great Olden Polynice led Virginia to the Final Four the year after Ralph left. They ran into Phi Slama Jama in the semifinals. That year was Georgetown's national championship.

... and almost beat them. Houston won that game 49-47 in overtime.

Funny thing is, Polynice ended up playing far longer in the NBA than did Sampson. Sampson played a total of 456 NBA games and his career ended in 1992. Polynice played 1058 games and his career extended all the way to 2004. Even subtracting four years off Polynice because he was younger, that's a good eight more years in the NBA.

Of course, peak Sampson was a far better player than peak Polynice. But some guys are more built to last.