How much do you know about March Madness?
If you鈥檙e like me, you鈥檇 be all caught up in the second weekend of March Madness.
Or, if you鈥檙e like my mom, you鈥檇 be wondering why the Young & the Restless isn鈥檛 on again. Mom鈥檚 been watching the exploits of Victor Newman and the Y&R gang since its inception, so it upsets her when the soap opera (sorry, daytime drama) is preempted.
But, that鈥檚 a moot point now with bigger issues preempting a lot of things in all our daily lives.
So, with only classic tournament games available for diehard viewers, I thought I鈥檇 dust off a little bit of trivia to break the monotony and hopefully give a brief respite from the reality of living in today鈥檚 world.
Most of these useless bits of information I already know (yeah, I鈥檓 one of THOSE people). Now, you鈥檙e on your honor. The answers are located at the bottom of the column (no peeking!).
Please keep it friendly. No betting.
Here ya go!
1, The late Steve Patterson was the bridge in the late 1960s-early 1970s between which two Hall of Fame centers who played for a legendary Division I program and coach.
2, The NCAA tournament used to play a consolation game between the losers in the semifinal round. The last time the game was played Virginia defeated LSU, 78-74. What year was the last consolation game played?
3, Only one state has been the home of both teams in the NCAA final (in back-to-back title games). Name the state (if you鈥檙e not sure, I鈥檓 willing to bet you won鈥檛 guess correctly).
4, Name the only team to win the NCAA and NIT titles in the same year. Bonus if you throw out the decade. Bigger bonus if you know the year.
5, This free-spirited big man remarkably missed only one shot in the 1973 title game. His point total is also a tournament finals record.
6, The last undefeated NCAA men鈥檚 champion was 鈥� ?
7, The most-watched NCAA championship game featured which two teams?
8, This former U.S. Senator from New Jersey (and Rhodes scholar) almost single-handedly led Princeton into the NCAA Final Four in 1965.
9, Who made the game-winning dunk in North Carolina State鈥檚 improbable victory in the 1983 championship?
10, Which team had to vacate its championship because of violations?
11, Who famously (infamously?) called a timeout his team did not have in the 1993 championship?
12, Texas Western (now the University of Texas-El Paso) famously broke UCLA鈥檚 string of championships in 1966 by defeating Kentucky. What other notable feat was accomplished by the Don Haskins-coached Miners?
And, not to be superstitious 鈥�
13, James Naismith is credited to be the inventor of basketball and writing the original rule book. What famed college program did he found and coach?
Answers:
1, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Bill Walton (freshmen were not eligible to play at this time)
2, 1981 鈥� Ralph Sampson led the Cavaliers. The game was played hours after John Hinckley鈥檚 assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan.
3, Ohio .. Cincinnati and Ohio State. The teams actually bookended three consecutive appearances with Buckeyes winning the 1960 title, the Bearcats going back-to-back in 1961-62 against Ohio State, and Cincinnati lost to Loyola (Illinois) in 1963. Cincinnati鈥檚 roster included longtime UConn coach Jim Calhoun. Jerry Lucas (who attended college on an academic scholarship), famed Boston Celtics sixth man John Havlichek and some guy named Bob Knight were all sophomores on the OSU 1960 title team.
4, CCNY (City College of New York) won both titles in 1950. Actually, at the time, winning the NIT crown, played at venerable Madison Square Garden, was a bigger deal than the national championship. Then, one year later the dual champions were brought down by a point-shaving scandal.
5, Bill Walton, UCLA. The hippy-dippy redheaded big man incredibly made 21-of-22 field goal attempts to score a championship record 44 points. The Bruins, under legendary coach John Wooden, defeated Memphis State, 87-66, in the 1973 title game.
6, The 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers (32-0).
7, The highest-rated title game was the 1979 final in Salt Lake City between Larry Bird鈥檚 Indiana State squad and Michigan State led by Magic Johnson (with a rating of 24.1 and over 35 million viewers). The Spartans thwarted the Sycamores鈥� attempt at an undefeated season with a 75-69 victory.
8, Bill Bradley. Bradley put up 58 points in the Tigers鈥� 118-82 win over Wichita State in the consolation game. He averaged 33.7 points per game in the NCAA tournament. Bradley later went on to star with the New York Knicks (alongside Jerry Lucas).
9, The late Lorenzo Charles grabbed Dereck Whittenburg鈥檚 prayer (an air ball) and dunked it home for an improbable 54-52 win over high-flying Houston. The 鈥淧hi Slamma Jamma鈥� squad featured Hakeem Olajuwan and Clyde 鈥淭he Glide鈥� Drexler. The game is forever remembered for a shocked Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano racing around the court, looking for someone to hug.
10, The 2013 title won by the University of Louisville squad coached by Rick Pitino was vacated for violations involving arranging 鈥渉anky-panky鈥� (tried to clean it up a little for the kiddies) for student-athletes.
11, Michigan鈥檚 Chris Webber. Webber gathered in a missed free throw and got a away with a traveling violation in the backcourt. Trailing 73-71 with 11 seconds left, Webber crossed half court and called a timeout the Wolverines did not have. Webber had quite a game, though, with a double-double, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds, both team highs, in the 77-71 loss.
12, The Miners were the first team to have an all African-American starting five (which really upset the Wildcats鈥� legendary coach Adolph Rupp).
13, The University of Kansas Jayhawks. (Well, how鈥檇 ya do?)