![]() Indiana’s championship coincided with the debut of a cheesy song that has since become as synonymous with the NCAA tournament as upsets and buzzer beaters. (Photo by Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images.) ‘One Shining Moment’ debuts Syracuse's Rony Selkaly (4) and Indiana guard Keith Smart (23), Indiana forward/center Daryl Thomas (24) during the 1987 NCAA men's basketball championship game held at the Louisiana Superdome. ![]() The top-seeded Hoosiers then survived close call after close call in the NCAA tournament, ousting Duke, LSU, UNLV and Syracuse by a combined 12 points. With Smart and fellow junior-college transfer Dean Garrett bolstering the supporting cast surrounding Alford, Indiana bounced back from back-to-back disappointing seasons to share the 1987 Big Ten title with Purdue. It’s no coincidence he finally became more open-minded in the mid-1980s after other Big Ten teams started beating the Hoosiers by loading up on junior-college talent. Smart was a flashy Baton Rouge-bred, former McDonald’s fry cook who broke his wrist in a motorcycle crash after high school, flipped burgers and waited for his chance while it healed and blossomed into a Big Ten-level prospect in junior college.įor years, Knight had resisted recruiting junior-college players because of concerns about their academic capabilities and their attitudes. ![]() The performance cemented Smart as an Indiana hero who defied many ironclad stereotypes about Hoosiers players under Knight. Overshadowed most of the season by his polarizing coach and by Alford’s catch-and-shoot barrages, Smart piled up 17 of his 21 points during the second half against Syracuse culminating with his baseline game-winner. Indiana would not have even been in striking distance entering its final possession were it not for Smart’s unexpected heroics. “Obviously, in retrospect, I’d have run out at him and forced him to drive if I had known he was going to make it, but that was the game plan and I think I played it the best I could.” Keith Smart’s legend grows “He wasn’t known as a shooter, so for the most part, we played off of him,” Triche told Yahoo Sports during a 2013 interview. Indiana’s fifth-leading scorer that season drove baseline, pulled up from 18 feet and sank the go-ahead jump shot over Triche’s outstretched arms to give the Hoosiers a 74-73 victory. Smart needed to make a play against Triche 1-on-1, and he needed to do it quickly. Coleman, however, recovered quickly, leaving Thomas little choice but to kick the ball back to Smart on the left wing with just seven seconds left in the game.Īt this point, there was no looking for Alford anymore. When Coleman and Douglas both stuck with Alford as he curled around a Daryl Thomas pick, Smart fed the open Thomas cutting to the rim. Boeheim called for the Orangemen to play a box-and-1 with Douglas shadowing the sweet-shooting Alford and the other four defenders playing zone. Syracuse’s defensive strategy was to force an Indiana player besides All-American Steve Alford to take the potential go-ahead shot. The trio of Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman and Rony Seikaly had the Orangemen one defensive stop away from denying Bob Knight his third national title and delivering Jim Boeheim his first. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.It was the closing seconds of a star-laden national title game on March 30, 1987, and Syracuse was on the cusp of making history. The Final Four begins at NRG Stadium in Houston on April 2, and the championship game is on Monday, April 4.Įric Vander Voort has covered college sports for since 2013. This year’s NCAA tournament will include the national championship game airing to TBS, the first time the championship has ever been televised on cable television. Barkley’s version might not be mistaken for the one we're all familiar with, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.īe on the lookout for the spot during CBS’s pregame coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday, but if you want a sneak peak, you can watch it above. The version used after the national champion is crowned since 2003 (except for 2010) features Luther Vandross. The iconic song of the NCAA tournament like you’ve never heard it before.Ĭharles Barkley, NBA legend and basketball analyst for Turner Sports, provided his rendition of “One Shining Moment” for a Super Bowl commercial to promote TBS’ coverage of the NCAA tournament, and for the first time, the national championship game.
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