February 13, 2012
  • 4/2/09

    ncaa

    By Max J. Dickstein

    Column: Where have all the Sycamores gone?

    By Max J. Dickstein

    Thirty years ago, Larry Bird’s undefeated Indiana State Sycamores stormed the NCAAs before running into Magic Johnson’s mighty Michigan State Spartans in the title game.

    The professionalized NCAA field of today and undignified “bracketology” atmosphere has its roots in Bird and Magic’s meeting. But our era can’t measure up to that moment.

    On March 26, 1979, nearly a quarter of all U.S. televisions were tuned into the championship game, which remains the highest-rated basketball game ever. A classic era of upsets (N.C. State, Villanova) and superstar debuts (Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing) followed, as Seth Davis notes in his thorough new history of that season, “When March Went Mad” (Times Books).

    Are we in a time when a man like Bird — a cantankerous fifth-year senior who dropped out at Indiana U. — can lead a nondescript program to a scintillating brink? Probably not. That was 30 years ago.

Vote

This year's Grammys were:

Okay, no real surprises Awesome! Lots of disappointments Meh, didn't watch


Partners

330 West 34th St,
17th Floor NY, NY 10001

212.239.5555 | Fax: 212.239.2828
Contact Us am-letters@am-ny.com

Archive

+ More