RetroIndy | 1976 Indiana Hoosiers: No doubt -- Indiana's the top banana

As part of the 40th anniversary of Indiana University's undefeated 1975-76 men's basketball team -- the last men's Division I team to finish a season unbeaten -- the IndyStar and RetroIndy are re-publishing every game story during the Hoosiers' historic season. You'll get to relive, or experience for the first time, IU's run to perfection as it happened.

We start with Game No. 1, Nov. 29, 1975 against UCLA.

ST. LOUIS -- Indiana's Hoosiers lived up to their pre-season billing as the nation's No. 1 college basketball team last night with a near-brilliant opener that completely swamped UCLA's defending national champions.

Ahead by 36-28 at the intermission, the Hoosiers erupted with some sterling defense and hot shooting in the opening minutes of the second period to literally blow the Bruins out of the St. Louis Arena, then held on for an 84-64 victory.

Defense, as usual, was the name of the game for Bobby Knight's Hoosiers who completely turned on an Arena crowd of 19,115 with defense that turned the usually sure-handed Bruins into a bunch of butter-fingers.

INDIANA HIT 10 of its first 14 shots in the opening 8 1/2 minutes of the final half while holding UCLA to 3 of 13 and forcing the Bruins into five quick turnovers.

Only Richard Washington (28) and Marques Johnson (20) could keep up with Scotty May and his Hoosier scoring buddies -- and even that was no contest as May led all hands with 33 points -- after a rather-poor (for him) opening half.

The contrast was team balance, as it usually is with Indiana. Kent Benson, easily the outsanding man under the board for either side, "ate up" 7-2 Ralph Drollinger, 6-11 Washington, 7-foot Brett Vroman and 6-10 David Greenwood. Benny scored 17 points on the I.U. point parade with Quinn Buckner adding 12, Tom Abernethy 10 and Bobby Wilkerson six.

Bobby Wilkerson, at 6-7, went up for the opening jump against 7-2 Ralph Drollinger -- and got it. But it was Jim Spillane, an unheralded starting guard for UCLA, who scored the game's first two points on a follow shot.

Tom Abernethy, the "fill-in" for the graduated Steve Green, then tied it with a tip and Kent Benson put I.U. up before Spillane swiped the ball from Quinn Buckner and drove the length of the floor for the tying bucket.

Benson came right back with another tip and converted it into a three-point play just before Richard Washington notched his first two points for the Bruins.

Buckner, after missing his first four shots, finally added a tip, and Scotty May, followed with his first completion in five tries just before Benson gave Indiana a 15-8 advantage with 12 1/2 minutes to play.

IU will recognize 1976 champs throughout the season

THE MARGIN boomed to 17-10, then UCLA responded with a pair of field goals before May hit again, Marques Johnson had a wide-open (lay-up) on an uncontested fast break, forcing Indiana to call time out with a 19-16 lead and 10 minutes to play in the half.

May and Buckner combined for the next eight I.U. points and with the Hoosiers holding a 25-20 lead, UCLA Coach Gene Bartow removed Drollinger from the game and switched Washington into the middle against Benson. That put Wilbert Olinde at forward and Ray Townsend replaced Spillane at guard for the Bruins who fell behind 27-20, with 6 minutes to play in the period.

May hit a pair of free ones on the game's first 1-and-1 to open the gap then Johnson popped a pair from the corner to offset another fielder by Abernethy before Tommy took a feed from Benson and opened I.U.'s lead to 35-26 with 2 1/2 to play.

Johnson picked up his third foul at the 1:35 mark and May hit the second of a pair of free ones to move Indiana up by 10 points with 1:35 to go in the half.

With the Indiana defense shutting off the middle, UCLA finally got a long-ranger from sub Ray Townsend to make it 36-28 just before the half ended.

THE HOOSIERS, not having one of their better shooting nights, were paced by May's 15 points and 9 from Benson while UCLA had 20 of its 23 points from Washington and Johnson, the latter picking up 12 before leaving the game with his third personal foul.

Benson was doing a superlative job in the middle and after shutting off Washington when he moved to the pivot, Bartow sent Drollinger back into the game, moving Washington to a forward again, trying to get some movement into UCLA's offense.

Knight made only two late substitutes in the period, Jimmy Crews and Rich Valavicious.

In the opener of the basketball doubleheader, St. Louis University opened a 13-point lead early in the second half and withstood Southern Methodist's fast finish to post an 80-79 victory.

Ahead by 42-34 at half time, St. Louis watched its lead shrink to 42-39 before sophomore Howard Jackson sparked a counter-attack.

With Jackson pumping in six points and Lewis McKinney the same number, the Billikens opened a 56-43 advantage that withstood pressing SMU defenses in the final minutes.

The 6-foot-five McKinney headed St. Louis scoring with 23 points, yielding game honors to SMU's Ira Terrell, who totaled 30.

INDIANA 84, UCLA 64

Indiana -- (84) -- May 15 3-4 33, Abernethy 4 2-2 10, Benson 7 3-4 17, Wilkerson 3 0-0 6, Buckner 6 2-3 14, Radford 0 0-0 0, Wisman 0 0-0 0, Crews 1 0-0 2, Valavicius 0 0-0 0, Bender 1 0-0 2.

UCLA -- (64) -- Washington 12 4-4 28, Johnson 7 4-4 18, Drollinger 1 0-0 2, Spillane 3 0-0 6, McCarter 2 0-0 4, Townsend 1 0-1 2, Vroman 1 0-0 2, Greenwood 1 0-0 2, Olinde 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0.

Indiana   36  48  -- 84

UCLA     28  36  -- 64

TOTAL FOULS -- UCLA 18, Indiana 17. A -- 19,115.