1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team

1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball

NCAA Tournament Champions Big Ten Regular Season Champions
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#4
AP	#3
1978–79 record	26–6 (13–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Jud Heathcote
Assistant coach	Bill Berry
Assistant coach	Fred Paulsen
Assistant coach	Dave Harshman
Home arena	Jenison Fieldhouse

1978–79 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
#3 Michigan State	13	–	5	.722	26	–	6	.813
#15 Purdue	13	–	5	.722	27	–	8	.771
#20 Iowa	13	–	5	.722	20	–	8	.714
Ohio State	12	–	6	.667	19	–	12	.613
Indiana	10	–	8	.556	22	–	12	.647
Michigan	8	–	10	.444	15	–	12	.556
Illinois	7	–	11	.389	19	–	11	.633
Wisconsin	6	–	12	.333	12	–	15	.444
Minnesota	6	–	12	.333	11	–	16	.407
Northwestern	2	–	16	.111	6	–	21	.222

Rankings from AP Poll)

The 1978–1979 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans were coached by Jud Heathcote in his third year and played their home games at Jenison Field House. They were members of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 26–6, 13–5 in Big Ten play, finishing in a tie for first place. They earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and defeated Indiana State for the National Championship. This marked the school's first National Championship in basketball.

Previous season

The Spartans finished the 1977–78 season with a record of 25–5, 15–3 in conference to win the Big Ten championship. They beat Providence in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament and Western Kentucky in the Mideast Regional Semifinal. However, they lostl to Kentucky in the Regional Final.

Season Summary

MSU was led by star sophomore, Ervin "Magic" Johnson (16.1 PPG), senior Greg Kelser (18.1 PPG), and sophomore Jay Vincent (13.7 PPG).^[1] The Spartans started the season well, finishing the non-conference season with an 8–1 recorded including a loss to #13 ranked North Carolina. They entered conference play as the #1 ranked team in the country.

After winning their first two conference games, they lost 4 of their next 6 games to fall to a 4–4 record in the Big Ten, trailing first place Ohio State by four games in the standings. However, Michigan State then won their next 10 games with wins over #7 Ohio State, at #15 Iowa, at #13 Ohio State, and #18 Purdue. A loss on the final day of the season to Wisconsin resulted in the Spartans slipping into a tie for the Big Ten championship with Iowa and Purdue. Michigan State received a bid to NCAA Tournament because of a better head-to-head performance against Big Ten rivals and a superior overall record (21–6).^[2]

Michigan State advanced to the Final Four by defeating Lamar, LSU and #1 seeded Notre Dame. In the Final Four, the second in school history, they faced Penn, blowing them out 101–67 to earn a trip to the championship. There, the Spartans faced #1 ranked and undefeated Indiana State led by senior Larry Bird. In what was the most-watched college basketball game ever,^[3] Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75–64 to win the school's first ever basketball National Championship. Magic Johnson was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

After two years in college, in which he averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game, Johnson declared himself eligible for the 1979 NBA Draft.^[4]

Roster

1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Name	Position	Summary
Gregory Kelser	F	18.1 Pts, 8.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Earvin Johnson	G	16.1 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 8.2 Ast
Jay Vincent	C	13.7 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Ron Charles	F	8.8 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 0.4 Reb
Terry Donnelly	G	6.5 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Mike Brkovich	F	6.5 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Rob Gonzalez	F	1.5 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Gerald Busby	F	2.3 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Greg Lloyd	G	1.2 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Mike Longaker	G	1.3 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Rich Kaye	F	0.9 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Don Brkovich	F	0.3 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gerald Gilkie	F	1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Jaime Hufffman	G	0.3 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Source^[5]

Schedule and results

Date Time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site City, State
Regular season
Nov 27, 1978*	#7	Central Michigan	W 71–54	1–0	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Dec. 9, 1978*	#4	Cal State Fullerton	W 92–89	2–0	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Dec 13, 1978*	#3	at Western Michigan	W 109–69	3–0	University Arena Kalamazoo, MI
Dec 16, 1978*	#3	at #13 North Carolina	L 69–70	3–1	Carmichael Auditorium Chapel Hill, NC
Dec 19, 1978*	#3	Cincinnati	W 63–52	4–1	Pontiac Silverdome Pontiac, MI
Dec 28, 1978*	#4	vs. Washington State	W 98–52	5–1	Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR
Dec 29, 1978*	#4	at Oregon State	W 65–57	6–1	Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR
Dec 30, 1978*	#4	vs. Indiana	W 74–57	7–1	Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR
Jan 4, 1979	#1	Wisconsin	W 84–55	8–1 (1–0)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Jan 6, 1979	#1	Minnesota	W 69–62	9–1 (2–0)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Jan 11, 1979	#1	at #4 Illinois	L 55–57	9–2 (2–1)	Assembly Hall Champaign, IL
Jan 13, 1979	#1	at Purdue	L 50–52	9–3 (2–2)	Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN
Jan 18, 1979	#6	Indiana	W 82–58	10–3 (3–2)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Jan 20, 1979	#6	Iowa	W 83–72 ^OT	11–3 (4–2)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Jan 25, 1979	#4	at Michigan Rivalry	L 48–49	11–4 (4–3)	Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 27, 1979	#4	at Northwestern	L 65–83	11–5 (4–4)	Welsh–Ryan Arena Evanston, IL
Feb 1, 1979	#14	#7 Ohio State	W 84–79 ^OT	12–5 (5–4)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Feb 3, 1979	#14	Northwestern	W 61–50	13–5 (6–4)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Feb 4, 1979*	#14	Kansas	W 85–61	14–5	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Feb 8, 1979	#10	at #15 Iowa	W 60–57	15–5 (7–4)	Iowa Field House Iowa City, IA
Feb 10, 1979	#10	at #13 Ohio State	W 73–57	16–5 (8–4)	St. John Arena Columbus, OH
Feb 15, 1979	#8	at Indiana	W 59–47	17–5 (9–4)	Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN
Feb 17, 1979	#8	Michigan Rivalry	W 80–57	18–5 (10–4)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Feb 22, 1979	#7	#18 Purdue	W 73–67	19–5 (11–4)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Feb 24, 1979	#4	Illinois	W 76–62	20–5 (12–4)	Jenison Field House East Lansing, MI
Mar 1, 1979	#4	at Minnesota	W 76–63	21–5 (13–4)	Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN
Mar 1, 1979	#4	at Wisconsin	L 81–83	21–6 (13–5)	Wisconsin Field House Madison, WI
NCAA Tournament
Mar 10, 1979*	(2 ME) #3	vs. (10 ME) Lamar Second Round	W 95–64	22–6	Murphy Center Murfreesboro, TN
Mar 16, 1979*	(2 ME) #3	vs. (3 ME) #7 LSU Regional Semifinal	W 87–71	23–6	Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN
Mar 18, 1979*	(2 ME) #3	vs. (1 ME) #4 Notre Dame Regional Final	W 80–68	24–6	Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN
Mar 22, 1979*	(2 ME) #3	vs. (9 E) #14 Penn Final Four	W 101–67	25–6	Special Events Center Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 26, 1979*	(2 ME) #3	vs. (1 MW) #1 Indiana State National Championship	W 75–64	26–6	Special Events Center Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=MidEast Region. Source^[6]

Awards and honors

Magic Johnson, Consensus All-American teams
Magic Johnson, Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Team
1979	1	1	Magic Johnson	Los Angeles Lakers
1979	1	4	Greg Kelser	Detroit Pistons
1980	4	74	Ron Charles	Chicago Bulls
1981	2	24	Jay Vincent	Dallas Mavericks
1981	8	181	Mike Brkovich	Milwaukee Bucks

^[7] ^[8] ^[9]

References

↑ "1979 Michigan State Spartans". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
↑ Halls, Bill (March 21, 1989). "Magic Moment: Ten years later, Johnson vs. Bird still special". The Detroit News. p. 1E, 7E.
↑ Katz, Andy. "From coast to coast, a magical pair". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
↑ "Magic Johnson Statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1979.html
↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/michigan-state/1979-schedule.html
↑ http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1979&lg=N
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1980.html
↑ http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1981.html

Michigan State Spartans Men's Basketball 1978–79 NCAA Champions

11 Terry Donnelly 12 Mike Brkovich 15 Ron Charles 21 Don Brkovich 31 Jay Vincent 32 Greg Kelser 33 Earvin Johnson (MOP) 35 Rob Gonzalez Head Coach Jud Heathcote Assistant Coach Bill Berry

Michigan State Spartans men's basketball

Venues	Armory (1899–1918) IM Circle (1918–1930) Demonstration Hall (1930-1940) Jenison Fieldhouse (1940–1989) Breslin Student Events Center (1989–present)

Rivalries	Michigan

Culture & lore	Basketbowl Champions Classic "The Flintstones" Izzone Michigan State student riots

People	Head coaches Retired numbers

Seasons	1898–99 1899–00 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball champions

1939: Oregon
1940: Indiana
1941: Wisconsin
1942: Stanford
1943: Wyoming
1944: Utah
1945: Oklahoma A&M
1946: Oklahoma A&M
1947: Holy Cross
1948: Kentucky
1949: Kentucky
1950: CCNY
1951: Kentucky
1952: Kansas
1953: Indiana
1954: La Salle
1955: San Francisco
1956: San Francisco
1957: North Carolina
1958: Kentucky
1959: California
1960: Ohio State
1961: Cincinnati
1962: Cincinnati
1963: Loyola (IL)
1964: UCLA
1965: UCLA
1966: Texas Western
1967: UCLA
1968: UCLA
1969: UCLA
1970: UCLA
1971: UCLA
1972: UCLA
1973: UCLA
1974: NC State
1975: UCLA
1976: Indiana
1977: Marquette
1978: Kentucky
1979: Michigan State
1980: Louisville
1981: Indiana
1982: North Carolina
1983: NC State
1984: Georgetown
1985: Villanova
1986: Louisville
1987: Indiana
1988: Kansas
1989: Michigan
1990: UNLV
1991: Duke
1992: Duke
1993: North Carolina
1994: Arkansas
1995: UCLA
1996: Kentucky
1997: Arizona
1998: Kentucky
1999: Connecticut
2000: Michigan State
2001: Duke
2002: Maryland
2003: Syracuse
2004: Connecticut
2005: North Carolina
2006: Florida
2007: Florida
2008: Kansas
2009: North Carolina
2010: Duke
2011: Connecticut
2012: Kentucky
2013: Louisville
2014: Connecticut
2015: Duke
2016: Villanova

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