Game of the Century (college basketball)
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Date | January 20, 1968 | ||||||||||||
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Venue | Astrodome, Houston, Texas | ||||||||||||
Attendance | 52,693 | ||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||
Network | TVS Television Network | ||||||||||||
Announcers | Dick Enberg and Bob Pettit |
In men's
History
The UCLA Bruins were the dominant NCAA men's basketball program of the era, having won
The game
Ted Nance, the sports information director for the University of Houston, put the schedule together.[4] UCLA sports information director J. D. Morgan talked Bruin head coach John Wooden into the game by explaining how great it would be for college basketball.[4] Nance put advertisements in the Cougar football programs touting the game as the "Game of the Century."[4]
The game was televised nationally via a
The Bruins arrived in Houston with a 47-game, two-and-a-half-season winning streak. The Cougars were also undefeated since the last meeting between the two teams.
The first half between the
With two minutes remaining in the game, the score was tied at 69 after the Bruins'
In the end, the Cougars pulled the upset, 71–69, ending the Bruins' 47-game winning streak.
Aftermath
Up to that point, only NCAA post-season games had been broadcast nationally, so there was much skepticism regarding where the broadcast would take the non-profit organization's policy.[9] The broadcast drew a vast television audience in addition to the 52,693 fans who had filled the Astrodome for its first basketball game. Each school received $125,000 for the game, four times the 1968 NCAA tournament payout of $31,781.[7]
The January 1968 cover of Sports Illustrated depicted the game, with Hayes shooting over Alcindor. Alcindor—who had sustained an eye injury at a game against Cal a week earlier—had the worst performance of his college career.[10] It was one of only two times in his UCLA career that he shot less than 50% from the field.[7]
Three days after the game, UCLA starting forward Edgar Lacy quit the team.[11] Wooden had benched him after 11 minutes, and he never re-entered the game. Upset with Wooden's public comments implying that he did not want back into the game, Lacy quit the team.[12][13] "I've never enjoyed playing for that man," Lacy said of Wooden after quitting.[14] In 2008, Wooden stated, "I'm sorry I said that. It hurt him, and that's why he quit. I was very disappointed. Edgar was a fine boy."[12]
Neither Houston nor UCLA lost another game for the remainder of the regular season. The teams met again in the
The
UCLA and Houston played again in 1969 at Pauley Pavilion for the regular-season rematch. UCLA won 100–64.[20] UCLA won six more national championships under Wooden. Lewis led his Phi Slama Jama teams to three consecutive Final Fours (1982–1984), advancing to the national championship game in 1983 and 1984.[21]
In 2006, Hayes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) and Wooden were inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame,[22] followed by Lewis in 2007.[23]
Significance
Previously, only NCAA post-season games were broadcast on national television. The "Game of the Century" proved that a national audience would watch college basketball games during the regular season. Furthermore, it was telecast not by a Big Three Network but rather by the independent TVS Television Network. In 1969, NBC became the first major network to broadcast the championship game, at a cost of more than $500,000. In 2008, the NCAA deal with CBS to televise the entire tournament was worth $545 million.[24][25]
References
- ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi - UCLA-Houston ‘Game of the Century’ still leaves impression 50 years later. Los Angeles Daily News, January 20, 2018
- ^ Smith, John Matthew. The Sons of Westwood: John Wooden, UCLA, and the Dynasty That Changed College Basketball. United States: University of Illinois Press, 2013.
- ^ a b 2007-2008 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide - PDF copy available at www.uclabruins.com. pg. 61 Post Season Scoring Recaps
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Einhorn, Rapaport 2006.
- ^ a b Robertson, Dale (August 13, 2016). "Game of the century: UH's basketball victory over UCLA in the Astrodome stands the test of time". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ Einhorn, Rapaport 2006, p. 51.
- ^ a b c Wizig, Jerry (January 20, 1988). "It's been 20 years since they've played The Game of the Century". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012.
- ^ Ron Rapoport - 1968: Houston vs. UCLA at the Astrodome - The game that took college basketball to a new level. UCLA fell at the cavernous Astrodome and had its 47-game winning streak stopped. Los Angeles Times, January 20, 2008 link at Latimes.com
- ^ Wizig, Jerry - Madness began with one game. Houston Chronicle, The Home Court, March 26, 1995
- ^ Robyn Norwood - Game of the Century. Los Angeles Times, January 20, 1998
- ^ "Funeral in Downey today for UCLA player Edgar Lacey". Long Beach Press Telegram. April 8, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Norwood, Robyn (January 19, 2008). "Game of the Century". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (November 30, 1970). "Ucla: Simple, Awesomely Simple". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ AP Report (January 29, 1968). "Bruin cage star Lacey quits in huff". The Press-Courier. p. 12. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
- ^ Chapin, Dwight - How Wooden Stopped the Big E. Los Angeles Times, March 23, 1968; A1;
- ^ Esper, Dwain (March 25, 1968). "Bruins Hope Norman Stays". The Independent. Pasadena, California. p. 15. Retrieved July 22, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gasaway, John (June 7, 2010). "John Wooden's Century". Basketball Prospectus. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ^ Einhorn, Rapaport 2006, p. 40.
- ^ Littlefield, Bill (April 2, 2016). "The Final Four's Complicated History With Domes". WBUR.org. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ 2007-2008 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide - PDF copy available at www.uclabruins.com. pg. 122 Year by Year results
- ^ Phi Slama Jama: The greatest team to never win it all. NCAA Video, January 9, 2015
- ^ "Players & Legends | Hall of Fame". College Basketball Experience. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "Coaches | Hall of Fame". College Basketball Experience. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "CBS renews NCAA B'ball". CNN. November 18, 1999.
- ^ Al Carter - College Basketball: UH and UCLA, under the big top. San Antonio Express-News, January 19, 2008,
Bibliography
- Einhorn, Eddie; Ron Rapaport (2006). How March Became Madness: How the NCAA Tournament Became the Greatest Sporting Event in America. Chicago, Illinois: Triumph Books. ISBN 1-57243-809-6.
- Sports Illustrated January 29, 1968
- Jerry Wizig - UH Stuns Mighty UCLA 71-69. Houston Chronicle, January 21, 1968
- Jeff Prugh - Big E Stands For End Of Bruin Streak. Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1968
- J.R. Gonzales - The Game of the Century: Looking back 40 years
- Al Carter - `GAME OF THE CENTURY'/A boon for college basketball, a bust for spectators. Houston Chronicle, January 20, 1988
- Eddie Sefko - `GAME OF THE CENTURY'/Game now unimportant, says Hayes. Houston Chronicle, January 20, 1988