1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball | |
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NCAA Tournament Champions Big Ten Regular Season Champions | |
Conference | Big Ten Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 4 |
AP | No. 3 |
1978–79 record | 26–6 (13–5 Big Ten) |
Head coach | Jud Heathcote |
Assistant coach | Bill Berry |
Assistant coach | Fred Paulsen |
Assistant coach | Dave Harshman |
Home arena | Jenison Fieldhouse |
1978–79 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#3 Michigan State | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#15 Purdue | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#20 Iowa | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 20 | – | 8 | .714 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ohio State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 19 | – | 12 | .613 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 15 | – | 12 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 19 | – | 11 | .633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 12 | – | 15 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 11 | – | 16 | .407 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 6 | – | 21 | .222 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll) |
The 1978–1979 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were coached by Jud Heathcote in his third year and played their home games at Jenison Field House. They were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 26–6, 13–5 in Big Ten play, finishing in a tie for first place. They earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and defeated Indiana State for the National Championship. This marked the school's first National Championship in basketball.
Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1977–78 season with a record of 25–5, 15–3 in conference to win the Big Ten championship. They beat Providence in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament and Western Kentucky in the Mideast Regional Semifinal. However, they lostl to Kentucky in the Regional Final.
Season Summary
MSU was led by star sophomore, Ervin "Magic" Johnson (16.1 PPG), senior Greg Kelser (18.1 PPG), and sophomore Jay Vincent (13.7 PPG).[1] The Spartans started the season well, finishing the non-conference season with an 8–1 recorded including a loss to #13 ranked North Carolina. They entered conference play as the #1 ranked team in the country.
After winning their first two conference games, they lost 4 of their next 6 games to fall to a 4–4 record in the Big Ten, trailing first place Ohio State by four games in the standings. However, Michigan State then won their next 10 games with wins over #7 Ohio State, at #15 Iowa, at #13 Ohio State, and #18 Purdue. A loss on the final day of the season to Wisconsin resulted in the Spartans slipping into a tie for the Big Ten championship with Iowa and Purdue. Michigan State received a bid to NCAA Tournament because of a better head-to-head performance against Big Ten rivals and a superior overall record (21–6).[2]
Michigan State advanced to the Final Four by defeating Lamar, LSU and #1 seeded Notre Dame. In the Final Four, the second in school history, they faced Penn, blowing them out 101–67 to earn a trip to the championship. There, the Spartans faced #1 ranked and undefeated Indiana State led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,[3] Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64 to win the school's first ever basketball National Championship. Magic Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
After two years in college, in which he averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, Johnson declared himself eligible for the 1979 NBA draft.[4]
Roster
1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Position | Summary | ||||||
Gregory Kelser | F | 18.1 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast | ||||||
Earvin Johnson | G | 16.1 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 8.2 Ast | ||||||
Jay Vincent | C | 13.7 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast | ||||||
Ron Charles | F | 8.8 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 0.4 Reb | ||||||
Terry Donnelly | G | 6.5 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 2.1 Ast | ||||||
Mike Brkovich | F | 6.5 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 1.0 Ast | ||||||
Rob Gonzalez | F | 1.5 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 1.0 Ast | ||||||
Gerald Busby | F | 2.3 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.2 Ast | ||||||
Greg Lloyd | G | 1.2 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast | ||||||
Mike Longaker | G | 1.3 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast | ||||||
Rich Kaye | F | 0.9 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast | ||||||
Don Brkovich | F | 0.3 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast | ||||||
Gerald Gilkie | F | 1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast | ||||||
Jaime Hufffman | G | 0.3 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast | ||||||
Source[5] |
Schedule and results
Date Time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site City, State | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular season | |||||||||||
Nov 27, 1978* |
No. 7 | Central Michigan | W 71–54 | 1–0 |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Dec. 9, 1978* |
No. 4 | Cal State Fullerton | W 92–89 | 2–0 |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Dec 13, 1978* |
No. 3 | at Western Michigan | W 109–69 | 3–0 |
University Arena Kalamazoo, Michigan | ||||||
Dec 16, 1978* |
No. 3 | at No. 13 North Carolina | L 69–70 | 3–1 |
Carmichael Auditorium Chapel Hill, North Carolina | ||||||
Dec 19, 1978* |
No. 3 | Cincinnati | W 63–52 | 4–1 |
Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, Michigan | ||||||
Dec 28, 1978* |
No. 4 | vs. Washington State | W 98–52 | 5–1 |
Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon | ||||||
Dec 29, 1978* |
No. 4 | at Oregon State | W 65–57 | 6–1 |
Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon | ||||||
Dec 30, 1978* |
No. 4 | vs. Indiana | W 74–57 | 7–1 |
Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon | ||||||
Jan 4, 1979 |
No. 1 | Wisconsin | W 84–55 | 8–1 (1–0) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Jan 6, 1979 |
No. 1 | Minnesota | W 69–62 | 9–1 (2–0) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Jan 11, 1979 |
No. 1 | at No. 4 Illinois | L 55–57 | 9–2 (2–1) |
Assembly Hall Champaign, Illinois | ||||||
Jan 13, 1979 |
No. 1 | at Purdue | L 50–52 | 9–3 (2–2) |
Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana | ||||||
Jan 18, 1979 |
No. 6 | Indiana | W 82–58 | 10–3 (3–2) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Jan 20, 1979 |
No. 6 | Iowa | W 83–72 OT | 11–3 (4–2) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Jan 25, 1979 |
No. 4 | at Michigan Rivalry |
L 48–49 | 11–4 (4–3) |
Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan | ||||||
Jan 27, 1979 |
No. 4 | at Northwestern | L 65–83 | 11–5 (4–4) |
Welsh–Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois | ||||||
Feb 1, 1979 |
No. 14 | No. 7 Ohio State | W 84–79 OT | 12–5 (5–4) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Feb 3, 1979 |
No. 14 | Northwestern | W 61–50 | 13–5 (6–4) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Feb 4, 1979* |
No. 14 | Kansas | W 85–61 | 14–5 |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Feb 8, 1979 |
No. 10 | at No. 15 Iowa | W 60–57 | 15–5 (7–4) |
Iowa Field House Iowa City, Iowa | ||||||
Feb 10, 1979 |
No. 10 | at No. 13 Ohio State | W 73–57 | 16–5 (8–4) |
St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio | ||||||
Feb 15, 1979 |
No. 8 | at Indiana | W 59–47 | 17–5 (9–4) |
Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana | ||||||
Feb 17, 1979 |
No. 8 | Michigan Rivalry |
W 80–57 | 18–5 (10–4) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Feb 22, 1979 |
No. 7 | No. 18 Purdue | W 73–67 | 19–5 (11–4) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Feb 24, 1979 |
No. 4 | Illinois | W 76–62 | 20–5 (12–4) |
Jenison Field House East Lansing, Michigan | ||||||
Mar 1, 1979 |
No. 4 | at Minnesota | W 76–63 | 21–5 (13–4) |
Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||||||
Mar 1, 1979 |
No. 4 | at Wisconsin | L 81–83 | 21–6 (13–5) |
Wisconsin Field House Madison, Wisconsin | ||||||
NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
Mar 10, 1979* |
(2 ME) No. 3 | vs. (10 ME) Lamar Second Round |
W 95–64 | 22–6 |
Murphy Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee | ||||||
Mar 16, 1979* |
(2 ME) No. 3 | vs. (3 ME) No. 7 LSU Regional Semifinal |
W 87–71 | 23–6 |
Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||
Mar 18, 1979* |
(2 ME) No. 3 | vs. (1 ME) No. 4 Notre Dame Regional Final |
W 80–68 | 24–6 |
Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||
Mar 22, 1979* |
(2 ME) No. 3 | vs. (9 E) No. 14 Penn Final Four |
W 101–67 | 25–6 |
Special Events Center Salt Lake City | ||||||
Mar 26, 1979* |
(2 ME) No. 3 | vs. (1 MW) No. 1 Indiana State National Championship |
W 75–64 | 26–6 |
Special Events Center Salt Lake City | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=MidEast Region. Source[6] |
Awards and honors
- Magic Johnson, Consensus All-American teams
- Magic Johnson, Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball
Team players drafted into the NBA
Year | Round | Pick | Player | NBA Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | 1 | 1 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers |
1979 | 1 | 4 | Greg Kelser | Detroit Pistons |
1980 | 4 | 74 | Ron Charles | Chicago Bulls |
1981 | 2 | 24 | Jay Vincent | Dallas Mavericks |
1981 | 8 | 181 | Mike Brkovich | Milwaukee Bucks |
References
- ↑ "1979 Michigan State Spartans". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
- ↑ Halls, Bill (March 21, 1989). "Magic Moment: Ten years later, Johnson vs. Bird still special". The Detroit News. p. 1E, 7E.
- ↑ Katz, Andy. "From coast to coast, a magical pair". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- ↑ "Magic Johnson Statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
- ↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1979.html
- ↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1979-schedule.html
- ↑ http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1979&lg=N
- ↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1980.html
- ↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1981.html