Indiana To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of 1976 Undefeated Champions

Several players from coach Bob Knight's 1975-76 national championship team will be in Bloomington on Feb. 9.

Indiana head coach Bobby Knight celebrates with forward Scott May (center) and guard Quinn Buckner (21) after winning the 1976 NCAA basketball championship. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

A banner inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall reads "1976 Indiana Hoosiers NCAA's #1 All-Time March Madness Team."

They hold that title as the last NCAA men's college basketball team to go undefeated all the way to a national championship, a record that has stood for 50 years. And on Feb. 9, Indiana is hosting a few events to honor the 50th anniversary of the legendary team.

Prior to the Indiana men's basketball game at 7:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9, a press conference will be held at 7 p.m. ET at Cook Hall with players from the 1975-76 team, including Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Kent Benson, Bobby Wilkerson, Jim Crews, Scott Eells, James Roberson and Tom Abernethy. Mitchell Radford, the son of Wayne Radford, will also be there to honor his late father, who passed in 2021.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson will also hold a brief press conference to discuss the team, and they will be honored at halftime of the Indiana vs. Oregon game.

Only Indiana University can make this claim

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti hoists the national championship trophy as he celebrates with defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker (95), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13), quarterback Fernando Mendoza (16), defensive lineman Mikail Kamara and defensive back D'Angelo Ponds (5) after defeating the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It was fitting that the Indiana football program's historic season came on the 50-year anniversary of the basketball team's championship. Because now, Indiana has the last undefeated national champions in both football and men's basketball.

While it's an extremely rare accomplishment in basketball, the record may not last long in football given recent history. Recent examples like Michigan in 2023, Georgia in 2022, Alabama in 2020 and LSU in 2019 also went undefeated and won the national championship.

However, Indiana's title came with a notable distinction. In the second year of the 12-team format, Indiana went 16-0, while the aforementioned teams only played 15 games, or in Alabama's case, just 13, due to the old four-team playoff format and COVID-shortened season.

Under second-year coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana became the first team in the modern FBS era to go 16-0, and the first team since Yale in 1894 to do so.

How long will the 1975-76 Hoosiers' record last?

Indiana center Kent Benson (54) celebrates after winning the 1976 NCAA basketball championship. The Hoosiers beat the Wolverines 86-68. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

There's a long way to go, but a few teams are threatening Indiana's claim as the last undefeated national champion in men's college basketball.

Arizona is ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 22-0 record, including six wins over ranked opponents: No. 3 Florida, No. 15 UCLA, No. 3 UConn, No. 20 Auburn, No. 12 Alabama, and No. 13 BYU. Fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd has a veteran point guard in Jaden Bradley leading the way, alongside talented fresmen like Brayden Burries and Koa Peat.

Arizona has certainly established itself as a national title contender, but going undefeated on its way there will be extremely challenging. To close out the regular season, the Wildcats still have to play No. 11 Kansas twice, along with No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 16 BYU, No. 8 Houston and No. 7 Iowa State. And if they get through that gauntlet, the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament will be no cake walk, either.

The other undefeated team remaining is Miami of Ohio, which is ranked No. 23 in the nation at 22-0. It's been an incredible season for the Redhawks under fourth-year coach Travis Steele, but they've only played the 336th strength of schedule, according to KenPom.

As it stands, Miami of Ohio is projected as a No. 11 seed, so the path to a national title will be daunting even if they enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated.

So while Arizona is certainly a threat to go undefeated and win the national championship for the first time since the 1975-76 Hoosiers, it's not quite time to be concerned just yet.

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