The Night Razorback Basketball was Born

[WilsonHog]

March 16, 1978, against the UCLA Bruins in the West Regional semi-final in Albequerque, New Mexico.

The Bruins were still the royalty of college basketball. They came into the game 25-2, undefeated in the Pac-8. They had some great players, guys like David Greenwood, James Wilkes, and Kiki Vandeweghe. We had Eddie Sutton and the "Triplets" - Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, and Marvin Delph. All Arkansas boys. We came in 26-3, not to bad either.

That was back when only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament, before ESPN, before it became all about money and "Plays of the Day." The game tipped late, 10:30 back here. I was 15 at the time, and I remember watching it by myself and crying when we upset the Bruins, 74-70.

Brewer and Delph each played 40 minutes; never left the floor. Moncrief and Jimmy Counce each played 39 minutes. Only seven Razorbacks got in the game, including U.S. Reed's one minute on the floor. Sutton preached "discipline, dedication, and defense."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i17Wy6Fdz0E

[elksnort]

Did not see this game on tv where I lived then, but many seem to agree with your title. 

[BigHog396]

March 16, 1978, against the UCLA Bruins in the West Regional semi-final in Albequerque, New Mexico.

The Bruins were still the royalty of college basketball. They came into the game 25-2, undefeated in the Pac-8. They had some great players, guys like David Greenwood, James Wilkes, and Kiki Vandeweghe. We had Eddie Sutton and the "Triplets" - Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, and Marvin Delph. All Arkansas boys. We came in 26-3, not to bad either.

That was back when only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament, before ESPN, before it became all about money and "Plays of the Day." The game tipped late, 10:30 back here. I was 15 at the time, and I remember watching it by myself and crying when we upset the Bruins, 74-70.

Brewer and Delph each played 40 minutes; never left the floor. Moncrief and Jimmy Counce each played 39 minutes. Only seven Razorbacks got in the game, including U.S. Reed's one minute on the floor. Sutton preached "discipline, dedication, and defense."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i17Wy6Fdz0E

That's where we should be.  All it takes is good recruiting, discipline, and fundamentals to get back there.

[WilsonHog]

That's where we should be.  All it takes is good recruiting, discipline, and fundamentals to get back there.

This thread is about honoring Eddie Sutton and the players from that time, not complaining about the present.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

March 16, 1978, against the UCLA Bruins in the West Regional semi-final in Albequerque, New Mexico.

The Bruins were still the royalty of college basketball. They came into the game 25-2, undefeated in the Pac-8. They had some great players, guys like David Greenwood, James Wilkes, and Kiki Vandeweghe. We had Eddie Sutton and the "Triplets" - Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, and Marvin Delph. All Arkansas boys. We came in 26-3, not to bad either.

That was back when only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament, before ESPN, before it became all about money and "Plays of the Day." The game tipped late, 10:30 back here. I was 15 at the time, and I remember watching it by myself and crying when we upset the Bruins, 74-70.

Brewer and Delph each played 40 minutes; never left the floor. Moncrief and Jimmy Counce each played 39 minutes. Only seven Razorbacks got in the game, including U.S. Reed's one minute on the floor. Sutton preached "discipline, dedication, and defense."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i17Wy6Fdz0E

did you really just link a 41 min YouTube video? Lol



PP

[hobhog]

Great game, but the basketball program was born a year earlier when we took the Houston Cougers down on a nationally televised game. Back then you only had a few games on TV a weekend and we arrived nationally that day. Then the UCLA game showed we were here to stay.

[BigHog396]

This thread is about honoring Eddie Sutton and the players from that time, not complaining about the present.

I didn't say anything about the present.  All I mentioned is what it takes to get back there.

I have never seen any of the games from the late 70's.  I'm just old enough to remember the games from the early 80's.  It was a different game back then, glad you posted the link.  Awesome watching what the original triplets could do.

[WilsonHog]

did you really just link a 41 min YouTube video? Lol



PP

I did. What I didn't do was hold a gun to anyone's head to make them watch it. I watch those pretty often.

[Pigasaurus]

This was the same time my love for Razorback basketball began. 

[Pulled(PP)pork]

I did. What I didn't do was hold a gun to anyone's head to make them watch it. I watch those pretty often.

i was expecting highlights, knew something was amiss when Connie Anderson kept yapping
Who would purposely name their male child "Connie"?


PP

[Pigasaurus]

Announcer referred to us as the porkers.  Haven't heard that in a while.

[alohawg]

I was 15 at the time too and remember it well. Maybe because I was 15 and didn't know better, but I also recall expecting the hogs to win. Even though I knew how good UCLA was, in my mind we were practically invincible already. What a fun team to watch, Arkansas was it. My buddy and I pretty much idolized the triplets, they just seemed bigger than life. Those that missed it, really missed something special.

[BDSCT51]

Stationed in San Diego with the Navy at this time. ALL the media outlets, TV-newspapers, treated the UCLA loss to the Hogs as a complete meltdown, catastrophic, biblical level event! NEVER been so proud to be a Hog fan in my young life at that moment.

[intelligence]

Thanks for sharing your experience Wilson. Sutton truly was a great coach. I only wish i'd been alive to see it, and i hope that i live long enough to see the hogs be respected atleast once in my lifetime. Go hogs

[Iwastherein1969]

This thread is about honoring Eddie Sutton and the players from that time, not complaining about the present.

Agreed. I, too remember that evening. And I too was a teenager one year older than you at the time, Wilson. The beauty of it all was that everything seemed so brand new. Arkansas Basketball in it's infancy, I had just gotten a new car, girls, more girls, the Triplets and the Great Eddie Sutton at the helm. The memories of those precious times are so vivid well, to borrow a line from FIELD OF DREAMS, "one could wipe the memories from their face."  Thanks, Eddie, you took a program on life support, and made it a national contender.

[jlrock]

Just a few years younger than Wilson and it was my first year really remembering Razorback basketball.  The triplets would be great today, that two on one with Moncrief was a thing of beauty.  I never thought we did not have a chance when coach Sutton was here.  Sutton seemed to be cursed in big games wherever he was at losing games on last second shot.  Not just here but at his other stops.  When you see this game and then to what Nolan did with the program makes us older folks just cringe at what we have now. 

Wonder what coach thought of the team last night.  I bet if he had to tell the truth he was not overly impressed.  Just glad that they gave him a special night and that banner was def deserved.

[ricepig]

I watched the game at the fraternity house, and was able to get tickets to the Final Four in St. Louis. It was great time to be a student on campus, I mean, don't we finish every year in the top three in football and basketball???

[daBoar]

Great game, and stunned the nation. Along with many others on campus, I stayed up all night partying....

The guys on that team were my favorites of all time. 

[gmarv]

what a great time that was to be a hog fan.my first game to watch in barnhill was in 1975 I think?

[HogBreath]

  Sutton seemed to be cursed in big games wherever he was at losing games on last second shot. 

What about the Ron Brewer special to beat Notre Dame in the consolation game?

How about US Reed's shot to beat Louisville?

Or maybe Charles Balentine getting gruff at the bluff against Jordan , Worthy and Perkins with his game winner.

[Inhogswetrust]

I know Eddie and several of his former players and assistant coaches. Hog basketball wasn't born then but it sure as heck was resurrected by him and even before that game. That was also a time when the basketball program had NOTHING as far as facilities and emphasis on the sport. Arkansas had a pretty good reputation in basketball up until Duddy Waller was hired in the 60's. Followed that up with Lanny Van Eman. Two not good hires in retrospect. Then came Eddie and the rest is history! He deserves that banner and he deserves induction to the HOF.

[Inhogswetrust]

Sutton seemed to be cursed in big games wherever he was at losing games on last second shot. 

Man you need to study your Hog basketball history more.

[SuperSid4Ever]

What about the Ron Brewer special to beat Notre Dame in the consolation game?

How about US Reed's shot to beat Louisville?

Or maybe Charles Balentine getting gruff at the bluff against Jordan , Worthy and Perkins with his game winner.

FWIW, Worthy didn't play in that game.  He was a Laker at that time.

[hoglady]

Those were my favorite days of Hog Basketball.
It was an exciting time watching Sutton build the program.

[Ironhawg]

My love for Arkansas basketball had actually begun two years before this game and has continued ever since.  I have some great memories from Hog basketball.  I saw U.S. Reed play for Pine Bluff.  We had a pretty good team and the Zebras just destroyed us with Reed as the best player on the court.  I got to see a bunch of games in Barnhill as a student.  There was one game where it got so loud that my ears were ringing the rest of the night from the noise.  It was an unbelievable time to be a Hog fan.
 

[Randy Johnson]

Arkansas had a relatively late start in basketball; it did not field its first team in the sport until 1924. Francis Schmidt coached the Razorbacks from the 1924 season until the 1929 season, while also coaching the football and baseball teams. During this time, Arkansas finished first in the Southwest Conference four out of six years, and compiled an overall record of 113-17, which, at .869, is the highest winning percentage of any Arkansas coach ever.

This above would be our (birth) historical beginning.

[HogBreath]

FWIW, Worthy didn't play in that game.  He was a Laker at that time.

Yeah, my bad, I meant Joe Wolfe instead of James Worthey.

[SuperSid4Ever]

Yeah, my bad, I meant Joe Wolfe instead of James Worthey.

Fair enough, but even you'd have to admit there was a pretty big difference between Joe Wolfe and James Worthy!!  LOL!!

That was a heckuva game.  Will never forget Dick Enberg yelling, "PANDAMONIUM IN PINE BLUFF!!!"  The Hogs didn't even get back to Arkansas until the morning of the game because of an ice storm the day before in TX.  Who was that we played the day before?  Rice?

[HogBreath]

Fair enough, but even you'd have to admit there was a pretty big difference between Joe Wolfe and James Worthy!!  LOL!!

That was a heckuva game.  Will never forget Dick Enberg yelling, "PANDAMONIUM IN PINE BLUFF!!!"  The Hogs didn't even get back to Arkansas until the morning of the game because of an ice storm the day before in TX.  Who was that we played the day before?  Rice?

Yeah, I always got Wolfe & Big game James mixed up...lol.

And yes, believe it was Rice, but not sure.

[PonderinHog]

Fair enough, but even you'd have to admit there was a pretty big difference between Joe Wolfe and James Worthy!!  LOL!!

That was a heckuva game.  Will never forget Dick Enberg yelling, "PANDAMONIUM IN PINE BLUFF!!!"  The Hogs didn't even get back to Arkansas until the morning of the game because of an ice storm the day before in TX.  Who was that we played the day before?  Rice?

SMU maybe. 

[k.c.hawg]

Yeah, my bad, I meant Joe Wolfe instead of James Worthey.

You might want to throw in Matt Doherty, Brad Daugherty, Steve Hale and though he was injured Kenny The Jet Smith. That team was loaded and had a mix of veterans and up and coming freshmen.

[Tejano Jawg]

I was about that same age too, a freshman in HS I think.

I haven't watched the clip yet, but I remember 2 things—one, yes, the significance of the win (fitting that our great NCAA run happened to go through UCLA). And two, Sidney flying through the air and getting flipped, hitting the floor hard. When he jumped, his feet were at most people's chin level, so I'm surprised this didn't happen more often.

Great game. Great season.

[alohawg]

I was about that same age too, a freshman in HS I think.

I haven't watched the clip yet, but I remember 2 things—one, yes, the significance of the win (fitting that our great NCAA run happened to go through UCLA). And two, Sidney flying through the air and getting flipped, hitting the floor hard. When he jumped, his feet were at most people's chin level, so I'm surprised this didn't happen more often.

Great game. Great season.

Sidney was hurt and played hurt afterwards. Still the greatest hog and certainly the guy I admired the most.

[gmarv]

Sidney was hurt and played hurt afterwards. Still the greatest hog and certainly the guy I admired the most.

yes he is the greatest hog in my mind also.we will most likely never see the likes of our famed triplets in a hog uniform again.that was a special time.

[Ironhawg]

yes he is the greatest hog in my mind also.we will most likely never see the likes of our famed triplets in a hog uniform again.that was a special time.

I went to high school in North Little Rock.  I believe it was my junior year, which would have been 77-78, we were playing LR Hall at our place.  The gym was pretty much full and the game was in progress, when all of a sudden the other end of the gym just erupted in a huge standing ovation that spread to the rest of the gym when folks realized that Sidney Moncrief and a couple of other Razorbacks had walked into the gym.  Even the game stopped for a few minutes.  I think Sidney had a brother playing on that Hall team.  Those guys were, are and always will be Razorback legends.

[SuperSid4Ever]

Will never forget how I felt when the rug got ripped out from under us in the 1979 Regional Finals in Cincinnati against Indiana State.  That was an absolutely horrible call on U.S. Reed at mid court.  It was a glorified mugging, and I literally cried my eyes out as much because we lost as the fact that I realized I'd never see Sidney Moncrief wearing a Razorbacks uniform again.

And I hated Larry Bird his entire professional career because of it.

[PonderinHog]

I actually liked the '79 team better than the '78 team was pissed off at Bird for years.

[TrueBlue]

I agree on the night Razorback basketball was born. It was legendary.

The big question is: When did Razorback basketball die?

[jlrock]

What about the Ron Brewer special to beat Notre Dame in the consolation game?

How about US Reed's shot to beat Louisville?

Or maybe Charles Balentine getting gruff at the bluff against Jordan , Worthy and Perkins with his game winner.

These are true.  Look up his tournament losses.  I should have been a bit more clear  Believe me I am a Eddie Sutton fan without question.  I was sick the day he left for Kentucky.

[ShadowHawg]

March 16, 1978, against the UCLA Bruins in the West Regional semi-final in Albequerque, New Mexico.

The Bruins were still the royalty of college basketball. They came into the game 25-2, undefeated in the Pac-8. They had some great players, guys like David Greenwood, James Wilkes, and Kiki Vandeweghe. We had Eddie Sutton and the "Triplets" - Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, and Marvin Delph. All Arkansas boys. We came in 26-3, not to bad either.

That was back when only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament, before ESPN, before it became all about money and "Plays of the Day." The game tipped late, 10:30 back here. I was 15 at the time, and I remember watching it by myself and crying when we upset the Bruins, 74-70.

Brewer and Delph each played 40 minutes; never left the floor. Moncrief and Jimmy Counce each played 39 minutes. Only seven Razorbacks got in the game, including U.S. Reed's one minute on the floor. Sutton preached "discipline, dedication, and defense."

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i17Wy6Fdz0E

I will never forget seeing U.S. Reed come in and shoot the free throws. He had a HUGE Fro!

[Inhogswetrust]

Will never forget how I felt when the rug got ripped out from under us in the 1979 Regional Finals in Cincinnati against Indiana State.  That was an absolutely horrible call on U.S. Reed at mid court.  It was a glorified mugging, and I literally cried my eyes out as much because we lost as the fact that I realized I'd never see Sidney Moncrief wearing a Razorbacks uniform again.

And I hated Larry Bird his entire professional career because of it.

There is a great story my best friend told a lot of times before he died about when he met Bob Heaton at Bird's place years later.

[hoglady]

Will never forget how I felt when the rug got ripped out from under us in the 1979 Regional Finals in Cincinnati against Indiana State.  That was an absolutely horrible call on U.S. Reed at mid court.  It was a glorified mugging, and I literally cried my eyes out as much because we lost as the fact that I realized I'd never see Sidney Moncrief wearing a Razorbacks uniform again.

And I hated Larry Bird his entire professional career because of it.

I understand
I grew up loving the Boston Celtics. John Havlicek and Bill Russell are still 2 of my all time favorite players.
I hated when Bird when to Boston. I still liked them, but I didn't love them anymore and haven't since.

[PonderinHog]

I understand
I grew up loving the Boston Celtics. John Havlicek and Bill Russell are still 2 of my all time favorite players.
I hated when Bird when to Boston. I still liked them, but I didn't love them anymore and haven't since.

Wilt fan here.     Bill Russell was a great color guy, though.

[HogBreath]

These are true.  Look up his tournament losses.  I should have been a bit more clear  Believe me I am a Eddie Sutton fan without question.  I was sick the day he left for Kentucky.

2 of those 3 were tournament games.

[hoglady]

Wilt fan here.     Bill Russell was a great color guy, though.

To me those were the best days of the NBA through to the Jordan led Bulls.
After that the NBA just hasn't been the same.

[TexArkHogFan]

And the day it died was when Nolan got on his soapbox and said, give me the money and I'll leave right now.  I was a big Eddie and Nolan fan and I still am even after Eddie crawled to Kentucky and Nolan just didn't seem to care any more.  Maybe he just got tired of fighting his battles.  They both put Arkansas basketball on the map and for that they will always have a place in Hog Heaven.  I remember it all too well.  Me and my buddy used to take a radio to the Kettle and listen to the games when Eddie owned the SWC.  Those were the days and all we have left now are the memories of the way it used to be.

[ShadowHawg]

And the day it died was when Nolan got on his soapbox and said, give me the money and I'll leave right now.  I was a big Eddie and Nolan fan and I still am even after Eddie crawled to Kentucky and Nolan just didn't seem to care any more.  Maybe he just got tired of fighting his battles.  They both put Arkansas basketball on the map and for that they will always have a place in Hog Heaven.  I remember it all too well.  Me and my buddy used to take a radio to the Kettle and listen to the games when Eddie owned the SWC.  Those were the days and all we have left now are the memories of the way it used to be.

...and hope. You left out hope.

[jlrock]

2 of those 3 were tournament games.

I will get your research started, we also lost to Louisville and Ind State in the last seconds. That should get your research started but I am sure you won't.  There are more.

[ShadowHawg]

I will get your research started, we also lost to Louisville and Ind State in the last seconds. That should get your research started but I am sure you won't.  There are more.

We lost to Virginia on a last second shot in the tourney in Alvin Robertson's senior year.

[alohawg]

Worst call ever against the hogs. I hate Bird too. The media got the match up they wanted.