Hoosier legends recall stellar season

Tonight's NCAA national championship game marks the 25th anniversary of IU's undefeated season.\nTwenty-five years and teams have passed, but none of them duplicated the feat of that Hooiser squad.\nA perfect 32-0 season culminated March 29, 1976 with an 86-68 win against Michigan in the national championship game. After trailing by six at halftime, the Hoosiers dominated the second half, outscoring the Wolveriness 57-33.\n"Playing in that game, the season as a whole and the quest for the national championship were all great memories," said Kent Benson, the team's center who was named Final Four MVP.\nSince the Hoosiers cut down the nets, ending that magical season in the Spectrum in Philadelphia, the question has been fired at them hundreds of times: "Will it happen again?"\nThe University of Nevada-Las Vegas, featuring NBA players Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Larry Johnson, claim the closest team to matching IU's mark, but were upset by Duke in the national semi-final, halting UNLV's 34-game unbeaten streak.\nIU had an unmatched work ethic, players said. Before the school year started, the players were out at the football field, running up the stadium steps -- with ankle weights. Working for then-coach Bob Knight was an amazing experience, Mark Haymore, then a freshman, said.\n"I can't believe how hard a person can work you with a whistle," said Haymore, a reserve on the 1976 team. "I haven't worked that hard since Indiana."\nThe tough mentality Knight exemplified affected floor leader Quinn Buckner. While there are a lot of tough coaches, Buckner's dedication and commitment to leading the team drove them to excellence.\n"He was the closest thing to Coach Knight on the floor," Haymore said. "If you were out past curfew, you'd rather have Coach catch you than Quinn."\nHaymore said he understands how strong the team was, but adds that the reason no team will ever complete a season undefeated is because of the changes the game has seen. In 1976, there was no shot clock and no three-point line. IU took its time finding good shots, using the dominance of Benson inside to outbattle opponents.\n"It's the day of the forward now," Haymore said. "The center can run, and the shot clock forces the action. The addition of a third referee allows them to catch a lot of things that we could get away with." \nAnother hurdle for today's teams in equaling IU's perfect season is the high player turnover rates coaches must deal with. Searching for money and more notoriety, many of the best players leave for the NBA after just a season or two.\n"The teams just aren't as mature, now," Benson said.\nThe dedication and focus of the team was unique as well. The players wanted to win, but each one knew his role and stuck to it, Rich Valavicius, then a freshman on the team, said. Whether it was Buckner or Benson leading things, each one knew what his job was, and how it would help the team. Benson said Knight was able to put together a team that realized group goals were more important than individual ones.\n"We believed in the coaches' system and we played as a team," Valavicius said. "My job was to play defense. I'd come in and just help out as much as I could, giving guys a rest. That kind of teamwork carries on throughout your life."\nThe Hoosiers did not run through a cakewalk of a schedule, either. They opened the season with victories against UCLA, Kentucky, and Notre Dame, all strong title contenders. The Big Ten season was tough as always, Valavicius said. \nThe team's focus and work ethic were accompanied with talent which put them over the edge. The players were actually good enough to win the title one year earlier, but an arm injury to Scott May, led to a tournament loss to Kentucky -- their only loss of the season.\n"The year before," Valavicious said, "I remember they were a great team. That gave them experience. I feel honored to have played on a team like that."\nThe legacy they created was obvious from the moment the final buzzer sounded in Philadelphia, as the difficulty of the accomplishment was recognized by utter confusion from opponents.\n"There's no question Indiana's the best team in the country," then-Michigan head coach Johnny Orr told the IDS after IU's championship win, his Wolverines being the final hurdle. "I don't think I could have done anything different that would have changed the outcome."\nNobody seems to think a team can win every game, but at the same time, nobody is counting the possibility out. After listing reason after reason why going undefeated won't happen, there is still enough doubt to through in the inevitable clause:\n"But records are meant to be broken," Benson said. "It's going to take an incredible group of guys, though"