10/28/2022 basketball Edit

Indiana to honor '72-'73 Final Four team at halftime versus Marian

Mason Williams • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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Saturday not only marks the unofficial return of Indiana basketball for their 123rd season, but it will also be a cause for celebration.

Indiana is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1972-73 Indiana team, a squad that won the Big Ten Championship and made a Final Four appearance. The celebration is set to take place at halftime of the Hoosiers' exhibition matchup with the Marian University Knights on Saturday.

The '72-'73 Hoosiers won 23 games and a Big Ten Championship en route to a Final Four appearance. (IU Athletics)

Second-year head coach Bob Knight led the Hoosiers to a 22-6 record that season, finishing the season ranked sixth in both the AP and Coaches polls. After starting the season unranked, the Hoosiers took down the likes of No. 8 Kentucky, No. 13 Houston, and No. 6 Minnesota, capping off the regular season with a win over Purdue at home to finish 11-3 in conference and secure the Big Ten Championship outright.

Indiana was led in scoring and rebounding by current Marian University Director of Athletics, Steve Downing. An Indianapolis native, Downing was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player, averaging a double-double of 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Downing would then go on to the NBA, where he was drafted in the 17th overall in the first round by the Boston Celtics.

Indiana also featured four other future NBA players in freshman Quinn Buckner, sophomore John Laskowski, sophomore Steve Green, and freshman Tom Abernathy. Downing's running mate down low, senior John Ritter, played an important role as well.

Although the '72-'73 team would bow out in the Final Four to eventual champion and powerhouse UCLA, who finished the season 30-0 and earned the national title, Indiana would then defeat Providence in the third-place game, and Bob Knight's legacy began as the most successful coach in Indiana history began.