John Feinstein's book,
A Season on the
Brink, was published at the start of the 1986-87 season, which
led to plenty of scrutiny for Bob Knight and his program.
But led by Steve Alford and two junior-college transfers,
Dean Garrett and Keith Smart, Indiana won another title. In
the Hoosiers' semi Knight elected to run with UNLV, and
despite Freddie Banks's 38 points (he set Final Four
records of 10 three-pointers in 19 attempts), and Mark
Wade's tourney-record 18 assists, Indiana prevailed. In the
final it was Smart to the rescue, hitting a jumper—eerily
similar to Michael Jordan's 1982 title-game winner—with
five seconds left to put the Hoosiers ahead. The stunned
Orangemen stood around and let the clock run out. Smart—a
Baton Rouge native whose last visit to the Superdome was as
an usher for a pro football game—scored 12 of IU's last 15
points and finished with 21, five rebounds and six assists;
Alford led the Hoosiers with a game-high 23
points.
Surprise
Guest: Unranked Providence, a 6 seed, went crazy in the first
season of the three-pointer, getting to the Final Four
behind Billy Donovan and Delray Brooks (who began his
career at Indiana). The Friars upended No. 9 Alabama and
No. 4 Georgetown to win the Southeast
Region.
Close Calls:
Providence needed overtime to beat Austin Peay (which had
upset 3 seed Illinois) 90-87 in the second round. Indiana
overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Louisiana
State 77-76 in the Midwest final on a Ricky Calloway
putback in the final
seconds.
Memorable Moment:
In the Midwest final, Knight slammed a telephone at the
scorers' table in protest of a call. The action later drew
a fine and reprimand, but Knight showed his sense of humor
at the Final Four when he had a pink toy phone placed at
courtside.
Notable Performance:
Syracuse freshman Derrick Coleman grabbed 19 rebounds in
the final—but he also missed the front end of a
one-and-one with 28 seconds left that led to Smart's
game-winner.
Significant Stat:
UNLV finished the season 37-2, tying the NCAA record for
wins in a season set by Duke a year
earlier.
They Said It:
Smart on his game-winner—"I just tossed it up. I
didn't know where the ball
went."
Swan Song:
Providence coach Rick Pitino left the Friars to become head
coach of the NBA's New York Knicks. Navy's David Robinson
went out with style in his last game—50 points, 13
rebounds in a 97-82 first-round loss to
Michigan.
