Fansided

10 best Final Four teams that didn’t win the national championship

By Mike Phillips

02 APR 2005: Guard Luther Head (4) of Illinois drives the to the basket past Louisville's Taquan Dean (5) during the Division I Men's Final Four semi final game held the the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO. The University of Illinois went on to defeat Louisville 72-57 to advance to the championship game. Photo: Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
02 APR 2005: Guard Luther Head (4) of Illinois drives the to the basket past Louisville's Taquan Dean (5) during the Division I Men's Final Four semi final game held the the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO. The University of Illinois went on to defeat Louisville 72-57 to advance to the championship game. Photo: Ryan McKee/NCAA Photos via Getty Images /
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(Original Caption) Indiana State’s forward, Larry Bird, get a handshake of condolence from his coach Bill Hodges after the Sycamore’s loss to Michigan State 75-64 in the NCAA Championship game at Utah University 3/26. Bird was named to the All-Tournament Team.
(Original Caption) Indiana State’s forward, Larry Bird, get a handshake of condolence from his coach Bill Hodges after the Sycamore’s loss to Michigan State 75-64 in the NCAA Championship game at Utah University 3/26. Bird was named to the All-Tournament Team. /

4. 1979 Indiana State Sycamores

The third entrant on this list to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated, the 1979 Indiana State Sycamores could easily stake a claim to the most unlikely unbeaten team entering March Madness. Indiana State was an unheralded program coming out of the Missouri Valley Conference, but they did have a trump card in future Hall of Famer Larry Bird.

Bird, who had earned the moniker of “The Hick from French Lick”, was the NCAA’s best player in 1979 by averaging 28.4 points per game, 14.9 rebounds per game, and 5.5 assists per game for good measure. On the strength of that excellent performance from Larry Legend, the Sycamores went 29-0 in the regular season to secure their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

Indiana State had to endure some nail-biters along the way, including a pair of two-point victories in the Elite Eight and Final Four, to earn a date in the title game against Michigan State. The Spartans were also making their first appearance in the championship led by a future Hall of Famer of their own in Magic Johnson.

Johnson and the Spartans ended up walking away with the title, ending the Sycamores’ remarkable run one game shy of glory. The matchup between Bird and Johnson, who would continue their rivalry in the NBA over the next 15 years, remains the most watched college basketball game in history.

The Sycamores did find a place in the history books, however, as they are the only school to get to the national championship game in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The odds of that happening again are slim-to-none.

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