IU officially announced plans to honor the 1974-75 men’s basketball team in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of its undefeated regular season when IU plays Michigan State on Saturday.
Steve Ahlfeld, Steve Green, John Kamstra and John Laskowski will be in attendance. Doug Allen, a fifth senior on the team, will also be recognized but is unable to attend.
“As with most other lifelong Hoosier basketball fans, the ’74-’75 team and its senior class holds a special place in my heart,” IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass said in a statement. “I’m very pleased most of them have been able to come back and receive this special and well-deserved recognition.”
The celebration of the 1974-75 team will take the place of a conventional senior night, as the Hoosiers have no seniors on the roster.
The 1974-75 team finished the regular season 29-0, won the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the Elite 8 where the Hoosiers lost to Kentucky 92-90. The Hoosiers were hampered in the postseason, in part, because of Scott May’s broken arm suffered against Purdue in the final game of the regular season.
Eight players from the team former IU Coach Bob Knight called his best group were drafted into the NBA. Five earned All-American honors.
Members of the 1975 senior class finished their Hoosier careers 76-12 and won three Big Ten titles. In addition, the 1973-74 team won the Collegiate Commissioners Associate title.
“As a young fan of Big Ten college basketball, I could not wait to watch a game that Indiana was going to play in,” IU Coach Tom Crean said in a statement. “What this team accomplished is simply astounding.”
IU and Michigan State will tip off at noon Saturday.
Sam Beishuizen
