Raise The Champagne Glasses Indiana, No More Unbeatens

Now that Wake Forest lost Wednesday night to Virginia Tech for the Demon Deacons first loss of the year, the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers remain the last NCAA Division one men's basketball team to go through an entire season undefeated.

7 teams have cut the nets at the end of the season with a zero in the loss column, UCLA did it 4 times during the John Wooden era (1964, 1967, 1972, 1973) but the Hoosiers of '76 were the last.

You wonder if it's a big deal to that team like it is every year in the NFL with the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Does Kent Benson, Quinn Buckner, Scott May and the rest raise a glass of champagne?

That '76 Indiana team was awesome. Scott May won National Player of the Year honors. In the National Final against Michigan, May helped in a big way scoring 26 points as the Hoosiers took home the NCAA title. 29 year later May would watch his son Sean win an NCAA Championship with North Carolina.

Kent Benson, the burly 6-11 center, (Picture to right: Thanks AP) found his groove in the title game with 26 points capping off a great year and a great NCAA Tournament. Benson would receive Most Outstanding Player honors. The next year Benson would be the Big 10 player of the year and go on to a serviceable NBA career.

Come to think of it, no one from that Hoosier team became superstars in the NBA. The 1976 Indiana Hoosiers were a collection of great college players that became a great college team. This was before the shot clock and 3 point line came around. Purest will say it was when basketball was real. It was a much different game then.

Will another team run the table in Division I men's college basketball again? UNLV almost did it in 1991 losing to Duke in the '91 National Semifinal for the first time that season but that has been the closest.

With the shot clock and 3 point line, it's almost impossible for teams to protect their lead. Back in '76, a 10 point lead was almost to much to overcome. In today's game a trio of 3's has you down by a single point.

I'm not saying it's impossible but what Indiana did in 1976 won't happen again in my lifetime.

Photo Courtesy: Hoosier Historia