Amen to that. He's probably being ornery in heaven too!

Best? Nope

@@r3tr0actiongamer24 He coached 1 NBA all-star, Isiah Thomas, his entire career. Yet he accomplished what he did. Dean Smith and Coach K had scores of all-stars at their disposal. They were better recruiters than Knight, but as an X's and O's coach, he may have no equal.

@@galvatronfletchI believe what hurt Knight in mid to late 90s recruiting was not moving onto those longer shorts that had taken off in fashion. Those things are important to kids.

Mine too! My 1st and last.......... great game!

Exactly!

Alford is very much spot on with his "in hindsight" assessment! It had been Syracuse's Achilles throughout that season! And the most hurtful was in missing 3 of their last 4 during the final minute and change, leaving the door wide open for Smart's go ahead jumper! But it hasn't been just Syracuse where FT shooting proved costly! It also provided the "snakebit" to '83 Houston, '89 Seton Hall, '03 Kansas and '08 Memphis! It's a very fine line between winning and losing a national championship

If IU could rebound, they'd still be champions even if Syracuse could hit free throws.

Don’t forget Jerry Tarkanian.

I'd say that's incorrect. They regular season tested the 3pt line in the ACC a year prior. Had they implemented it in the 70's or 60's we'd be just a talking different names. They were just some of the better shooters in 87 that's all. And nobody in the history of the game utilized the 3pt shot like loyola Marymount 87-92

​@@joerussell838They actually tested the three point line in the ACC during the 1982-83 regular season of which NC State completely used it to their advantage! They used the experimental arc so much that season it enhanced their perimeter game during their magical NCAA tournament run

I was 16 and watched it at IU campus. The screaming in the apt complex was insane. After the game all the students rushed the fountain. Crazy.

Yes; I was 15 in my freshman year of HS! Like '83 Houston before them and '89 Seton Hall (in the OT) and 2008 Memphis after them, Syracuse's poor FT shooting, coupled with Alford's three point performance, cost the Orange in the end! Everybody can debate and analyze all they want, but in this game the key analysis was Syracuse's inability to put the game away at the stripe! I also get tired of the emphasis put on Smart's game winning jumpshot! Yes it won the game on the scoreboard, but if Syracuse hits at the line down the stretch, he's not in that position! He also wouldn't have had that opportunity if Alford hadn't kept Indiana in it

Watched it live in Canada

Watched the game at my house in Illinois. I was a senior in high school then. It was a great finals game.

I was 15 and watched it live on TV and while a freak snow storm was happening outside my house in Indiana. After the game my brother, myself, and 2 mutual friends went outside and had an epic snowball fight. A great night to be a Hoosier!

Get over it

Len Bias

I can think of a dozen players from Dr. J to David Thompson, so on. Smart was a great athlete but peaked in college.

@@joerussell838 Yeah...there are others I agree. My main point is he had a wicked controlled vertical in college and on that point was very good. Definitely peaked at that time.

@@davidburkholder7360 I really feel (having watched this game 3-4 times) Syracuse had the better talent, Indiana executed better as a team. My father played @ Niagra in the late 60's & I @ Oakland (Mi) in the late 90's. Bobby knight was always our favorite college coach (coaching style). Not that we're Indiana fans.

@@joerussell838Syracuse definitely was more loaded with talent. Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman and Sherman Douglas all turned out to be solid NBA players. Not one player in this IU team made more than a splash 💦 in the NBA. This game was won by the better coach, more than by the better team.

That just adds more madness to the madness....

I thought this game was missing at least 3 scores!!

Right!

@Emma Rukavena smart hit a pull up 8 footer.

Certainly after dismantling the #1 team in the nation, UNLV, two nights prior, this game against Syracuse was rather poorly played by IU, I would agree.

Syracuse under Boeheim kinda makes you play bad.

When you are a better coached team, you can under perform as a team and still win. I agree that IU didn’t play well to the extent that they played a much better game against UNLV.

He is actually today an assistant coach for Eric Musselman at Arkansas

About this......am I the only one that always remembered this as it actually ENDING on the shot vs. 1 second being left on? To my memory it did.

Hi!

Woodson gonna bring us back to this ?????

Bobby Knight had severe mental issues.

@@dustylee4879based on the what do you make this claim?

Compare to Georgetown v. Nova in '85 when Hoyas tried everything they could to stop the clock & win. (unwanted last TO; flagarent foul; batting ball out of bounds)

@Emma Rukavena clock should have stopped regardless

Why should the clock have stopped?

It wouldn't have matted, Keith Smart stole the inbound pass. Even if there were 3 seconds, Syracuse wouldn't have made it down the court under a full press and would've been stuck trying a shot from beyond mid court.

Back then, you had to call a timeout to stop the clock after a ball went in, and they called it too late.

Syracuse did call time out with three seconds left

@@geekynerd7346 no they didn't dude, i'm not even an indiana or syracuse fan, plus even if he did, in what universe is Syracuse making a half court shot to win the title, oh yeah that's right, NONE

@@thebillscast90 Yeah cause halfcourt shots or crazy buzzer beaters definitely dont happen all the time in march madness 😅 and it still would of been a much better chance than the full court pass they had to throw since there was less time

Facts..'Cuse had this game in the bag & got robbed in the end.

No. Orangemen worst enemy. Champions don't miss FTs. Compare to Nova in '85. Made (2) & missed (2) in last 3:00. Shot 79% from field so could afford to miss (2). Still over 75%. Orangemen no room for error. That's why you hit those FTs.

@Emma Rukavena Exactly, some people just refuse to accept defeat no matter how obvious it is. Just because you lead for most of the game doesn't entitle you to a victory. The team who leads when that clock reads 00:00 is the winner.

Coulda shoulda woulda.

😢