by PointGuard » Sun Apr 06, 2025 12:43 pm
Game 3: Michigan State Spartans (1979) vs Indiana State Sycamores (1979)
[This is a matchup of the NCAA National Championship game for 1979 featuring two all-time greats: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. On March 26, 1979 the Spartans triumphed 75-64. Magic scored 24 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Larry Bird had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals. So let’s see what happens in 2025.]
1979 Michigan State Spartans: Coach Jud Heathcote; 26-6; 1st in Big 10; 3rd in final AP poll; National Champs
Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Magic Johnson, 6-8 So; 17.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 8.4 apg
SG Terry Donnelly, 6-2 Jr; 6.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg
SF Ron Charles, 6-8 Jr; 8.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg
PF Gregory Kelser, 6-7 Sr; 18.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg
C Jay Vincent, 6-7 So; 12.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg
[Michigan State rolled into the NCAA championship game after winning their earlier tournament games by margins from 12-34 points. Midway through the first half, the Spartans moved out to a double digit lead. Ahead by 9 at the break, their lead grew to 16 early in the 2nd half. Indiana State got within 6 points midway through the 2nd half, but Michigan State rallied to regain a double-digit lead and go on to win.]
[Earvin “Magic” Johnson got the nickname after recording a triple-double (36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists) as a 15-year old sophomore at high school. He entered the NBA draft after one season at Michigan State and was the #1 pick in the draft. He played 13 years for the LA Lakers, with a career average of 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 11.2 apg. He was a 12 time all-star, 3 time MVP, and won 5 NBA championships with the Lakers. He’s been named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Later he has been part of ownership for teams in the WNBA, MLB, and MLS as well as involved in numerous other business and philanthropic activities.]
1979 Indiana State Sycamores: Coach Bill Hodges; 33-1; 1st (6-0) in Missouri Valley Conference; MVC Tourney Champs; 1st in final AP poll; Runner-up in NCAA Tournament
Starters and key subs with their season stats:
PG Steve Reed, 6-3 So; 5.0 ppg, 7.0 apg
SG Carl Nicks, 6-1 Jr; 19.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.0 apg
SF Larry Bird, 6-9 Sr; 28.6 ppg, 14.9 rpg, 5.5 apg
PF Brad Miley, 6-8 Jr; 5.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
C Alex Gilbert, 6-7 Jr; 9.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg
F Bob Heaton, 6-5 Jr; 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
F Leroy Staley, 6-4 Sr; 7.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
[The Sycamores came into the NCAA championship game with an unblemished 31-0 record and the 6th best scoring average (86.8 ppg) in Division 1 play throughout the season, but their strength of schedule was lower than Michigan State’s.]
[Larry Bird (The Hick from French Lick) initially signed to play at Indiana for Coach Bob Knight, but dropped out after a month to attend Indiana State, a local college. In his 3 seasons with the Sycamores, he averaged 32.8, 30.0, and 28.6 ppg and 13.3, 11.5 and 14.9 rpg. He was the 6th pick in the 1979 draft and played 13 seasons for the Boston Celtics with a career average of 24.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 6.3 apg and knocked down 49.6% of his shots from the field and led the Celtics to 5 NBA finals including 3 NBA championships. He was Rookie of the Year, a 12 time all-star and MVP 3 times. He later was head coach of the Indiana Pacers for 3 seasons and was Coach of the Year in 1998 and then became the Pacers president of basketball operations and was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2012. He’s recognized as one of the 50 greatest players in the NBA.]
Game Summary:
1st Half—Both teams started slowly. After 5 minutes the score was knotted at 6-6. Then the Spartans opened a 5 point lead, only to be quickly reeled in by Indiana State. As the offenses warmed up, the lead flip-flopped back and forth with Michigan State’s Gregory Kelser and Indiana State’s Carl Nicks both leading their teams’ scoring. The Sycamores made a run that put them up by 8 with 6-1/2 minutes left in the half. Larry Bird finally began loose and gave Indiana State a 47-34 halftime cushion. Bird finished the half with 14 points and 9 boards while teammate Nicks had 12 points for the Sycamores. Kelser scored 16 for the Spartans with Magic Johnson contributing 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Indiana State coach Bill Hodges said, “The Spartans’ defense bottled up Larry early, but when he figured out how to get free, we caught fire. But we’re going to have to work hard to not let Michigan State come back in the 2nd half.”
2nd Half—Michigan State went on an 11-4 run to begin the 2nd half, cutting the Sycamores’ lead to 6 points with 16 minutes remaining. Nicks and Bird rallied Indiana State for 15-0 run giving the Sycamores a 66-45 lead 3 minutes later. The Sycamores continued to draw away and came away with a blow-out victory. The Spartans’ coach Bill Hodges said, “We fell apart completely in the final 15 minutes. We were our own worst enemies by making 23 turnovers plus never findind a way to control Bird or Nicks.”
Final Score: Indiana State—100, Michigan State--63
Team Stats:
Michigan State—41% FG’s, 94% FT’s, 29 rebounds, 17 assists, 23 turnovers.
Indiana State—49% FG’s, 65% FT’s, 35 rebounds, 21 assists, 7 turnovers.
Player Stats:
Michigan State—Magic Johnson-25 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast; Gregory Kelser-16 pts, 5 reb.
Indiana State—Larry Bird-26 pts, 13 reb, 3 ast, 5 stl, 3 blk; Carl Nicks-25 pts, 3 ast, 4 stl; Alex Gilbert-11 pts, 7 reb; Bob Heaton-8 pts, 7 ast.
Dynasty Threads:
Fedora-CB;Town Crier-CB;FIve Friends/Foes-CB;Media Perspective-CB;Whatever It Takes-CB;Who's Bret Vandergard-CB;Gym Rat-CB;Repairman-CB;S.Mastroani-TPG;V.Stevenson-TPG