The Spirit Of '76

Planned or spontaneous, Knight's message got through. Over the final 10 minutes, Buckner (16 points, eight rebounds, four assists for the game) played his best basketball of the season, and May (26 points) and Benson (25 points) were all but unstoppable. As the final seconds ticked away in the victory, both Buckner and May went into impromptu victory dances. How Marquette-like.

Buckner said he screamed so loud that he almost passed out. The crusade had lasted two years, the release was exquisite. However, in the full bloom of youth none of the players realized how special the moment was. Not until years later, when most of their pro careers had proven to be less satisfying than their four years at Knight U, and not until they had seen team after team fall short of perfection, did it hit them. "To have been part of such a great team with such great guys, and to have had Coach Knight as my mentor, well, that's a tremendous honor and a humbling experience," says Benson.

The Hoosiers of 1975-76 profess not to care if another unbeaten champion emerges, though May adds this: "I'd like it to be a certain kind of team, one that had grown together, learned together, suffered together, had a procession of experiences to get to the top." He smiles. "You don't find that too often today, do you?"