That's true. Although people might look at Maryland's record of 23-5 that year and not think so.. Three of those losses were against NC State.. all very close. One was by one point against then number one UCLA which had won 76 straight games (on their way to 88), and one game by 9 to #4 North Carolina.
@@CapAnson12345 I remember all to well. Maryland had the Wolfpack on the ropes in that championship game but ran out of gas, mainly because Lefty went all out to embarrass Dean Dean Smith in the semifinals by leaving his starters in the entire game!
@@scottsands1634 Not just MD playing one more game…but also a career game from Burleson. It was indeed a shame to have 3 teams in the Top 5 and only being able to send 1 of the 3. UCLA? The Pac 8 was a paper lion. UCLA would cruise through that every year while we in the ACC played championship quality games 6-8 times each year. Oh well.
One of the greatest games ever. Elmore vs. Thompson is awesome to finally see! Thank you so much for uploading this. I have been trying to find it for years.
It had nothing to do with Elmore vs Thompson. That battle was solely about Elmore vs Burleson. There was a number of stars who played in that game. The Burleson/Elmore matchup was the only one which was of a personal nature.
This was the greatest college basketball game ever and the end result led to the expansion of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament field from 32 teams to 48. That's when the term at-large teams was invented....HISTORIC. The game went to 2 or 3 OTs. ACC still the best basketball conference in the NCAA. The two Mo's, Jim Thacker and Billy Packer, ACC basketball announcers (he later went national), and sponsored by Pilot Life Insurance....just takes me back to a time when I was a little boy and had my dreams in front of me.
Tournament was actually at 25 teams in 1974. 1975 is when it expanded to 32 teams with a two. Team per league limit. That ended after the 1979 tourney. The tournament expanded in 1979 to 40 teams(and teams were seeded for the 1st time) and to 48 teams in 1980 with no limit on the number of teams a league could have invited.
Was that Jefferson Pilot? In 70s in chicago area. Always got a ACC game at 11am on sat. Then Big ten Game at 1 or 330. ABC. Nbc had a half national game for east and west. Only a huge Non conf game would be national. Then i think Raycom would show SEC Games in Late afternoon. Did get alot of midweek games with indepedants. Irish. Marquette. Vs S . Carolina. Dayton. Depaul. Louisville. Cinncinati. Big 5 didnt want to play those teams.
Haven’t seen this since I saw it live in 74. I was 15 at the time and never forgot DT blocking elmores shot near 1/2 time. Actually goal tending but it fired up the team. What an unbelievable game. Probably the best in BB history. Big pack fan!!
@@johnvaughn2590 well I’ve been an nc state fan from birth. Father made sure of it since he graduated in 1950. So yeah, I saw every game from acc tournament and through ncaa. It was unbelievable really
A historic game and I will never forget it....sitting in the upper deck, near the ceiling in the corner with my parents and brother....Both teams were National Championship contenders and of course, NC State won it....The talent on the court that day was legendary! The Glory days of ACC hoops
I was probably sitting next to you with my dad. We drove almost 3 hours to get there not knowing if we would even be able to get gas to make it back home. Sooo many gas stations had their hoses draped over the tanks letting everyone know they had no gas to sell. But we found some and made it home. Greatest college game ever played!
I was 15 and a big Terp fan...still am...and this game broke my heart. Best game in NCAA regular season history and it altered the course of NCAA Championship participation opening up invitations to the Dance to non conference winning teams. This was the last year that only the ACC Champ received and invitation.
This is the very game changed college basketball forever it’s still true to this day. This is exactly the reason why March madness is what it is, the final four, mid-season games, the competition, the upsets, every single team in America with the crowd everything this is what changed it forever this is what made it America’s true spectacle to now as we all have always known it to be since day one.
I was only 8 and unbelievably my dad got 2 tickets. We left for Greensboro knowing we probably didn't have enough gas to get back home because of the _ahem_ ... 'OPEC gas shortage'. But we found some for about $6 at today's prices($3.35) lol. He filled er up. I still remember it like it was yesterday. My dad died this past February because of covid, but we still talked about the game until the end. What an unbelievable game... I'm still shocked we came back after being so far down earlier.
I can remember watching the 1995 ACC tournament game between Wake Forest and Duke on Raycom Jefferson Pilot network and Billy Packer made the comment that he had the videotape from this game that he had taken from the broadcast truck after the game was over in a closet at his house.
Notice the NC State male cheerleader with both glasses and a beard! Also notice there were no on-screen graphics used by the C.D. Chesley production company. I grew up with Thacker and Packer, they were quite a broadcast team. One very important play is missing here. With 9 seconds left in regulation, the game was tied and Maryland had the ball....but the Pack played tremendous defense and prevented the Terps from getting off a shot before time ran out.
If this game had been nationally-televised, a rarity back then, the network that televised it would have likely used on-screen camera-shot "supers", ranging from title cards to a scoreboard with flipping numbers. And if you had to win your conference tournament to get entry into the NCAA's, wouldn't it have made sense to say that the ACC tournament, as it was in '74, all but made a sham out of the regular season?
First sporting event I remember watching on TV,....I watched at a friends home of my parents, I was 10 and everyone was crazy for David Thompson ...I grew up a UNC fan....but I'll never forget how great this game was, Thompson is still my favorite non UNC player ever,
Had this game turned out a Maryland win, would the Terps have been able to knock off UCLA at the final 4? They nearly had at Pauley Pavilion in an under heralded game in the fall when time zone differences kept it largely out of the papers. We’ll never know.
Thanks, Lefty, for getting these guys for the Terps. They lost this and other big games, but Washington area sports were way more exciting than they had been thanks to your recruiting. RIP
I was only 11 years old when this game was played but I remember it well. My dad was an NC State alumni and was extremely passionate for his beloved Wolfpack. I remember him watching this game and yelling throughout all the while begging my mom to bring him a fresh towel as he literally sweated out the 2nd half. I believe this game has often been referred to as the greatest ACC tourney game ever played.
What everybody else said. I’ve heard about this game for nearly half a century, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it. That Maryland team lost by 1 to UCLA at Pauley and they lost this game. Them not even going to the NCAA tournament was a cruel fate. This game was the greatest argument for expanding the field. A classic - probably the most underrated game in basketball history.
I will never forget this game! Daddy was watching it and I was a bored 14 year old but quickly got very interested in this exciting game. I pulled for State, not knowing they were the #1 seed, because they were losing at one point. I followed them all the way to their NCAA win!
Incredible jump shooting ability by both teams here. I remember the following year Maryland used Davis to team with Howard and Lucas for a great 3 guard lineup
I honestly think if Maryland had won this game they would have won the NCAA title in 1974. (They played UCLA in Pauley Pavilion to open the season and lost by 1 POINT--no way UCLA beats Maryland in Greensboro!) Then if Moses Malone (who signed with Maryland) had played in the 1974-75 season rather than go to the ABA Maryland probably wins a second straight title. Lefty Driesell could VERY EASILY have had back to back national championships. Ahhh the PAIN of it all--haunts me to this very day!!
Damn shame this fine 1973-1974 Maryland Terrapins 🏀 squad did not make the NCAA tourney 😐 Mo Howard smooth guard and reminds me of 6'5 Vern Fleming (University Of Georgia 1980-1984) 👍
Thank you for posting. I have actually searched for this game over the years. A heart-breaking loss for me as a 10-year old. Why does this go from actual broadcast to silent video and also misses some of the late stages of the game?
Can you imagine a team ranked #4 in the nation not invited to March Madness? A guaranteed #1 seed whether they win the conference tournament or not? (Though they didn’t have seeding in 1974) That’s the 1973-74 Maryland Terrapins. 23-5 for the season-a one point loss to #1 UCLA, defending National Championship, on UCLA’s home court. A six-point loss to then-#4 NC State. A nine-point loss to North Carolina in Chapel Hill when NC was ranked #4 (NC State had climbed higher in rankings.) A six-point loss to #2 NC State. They then beat #4 North Carolina by 11 and later in the ACC Tournament blew out #6 North Carolina by 20. In an era with no shot-clock, no 3-point line, and high-scoring games were few & far between, they hit 85 points or more 16 times, 90 points or more 12 times, and 100 or more points 8 times. How many colleges today hit 90 or more 12 times in a season & 100 points 8 times in a season? And this school wasn’t invited to NCAAs because the NCAAs was for Conference Championships only. Now you see why the NCAAs expanded incrementally to today’s 68 teams.
It was a tragedy. The tournament was a sham back then. It's why UCLA won so many national championships in the 1960's. Because they would beat a bunch of mid-majors to get to the national championship game, and maybe even beat a mid-major in the national championship. Meanwhile, all the great teams who didn't win their conference championship tournaments just watched on the sidelines.
@@josephhewes7081 The Kareem teams were dominant. The Bill Walton teams were not. They just had inferior opponents like you say. Put them up against a real team like Notre Dame or NC State or Maryland & they go down. Put that MD-UCLA game in Maryland or on a neutral court, Maryland wins. I heard someone say one time that home court is worth a minimum of 10 points.
@@Manolo0528 That Maryland, UCLA game was razor thin. Four things helped UCLA. The intimidation factor. They were legends in their own time with that long streak. Then, Wooden scheduled a warm up game where as this was the opening game for the Terps. And finally, as you say, it was on UCLA's own court. And a final thing was John Lucas choking (hate to say it) and throwing the ball right to a UCLA player with seconds remaining, giving up a chance to win the game... I've looked for that game for years, and sadly, I don't think there is a copy out there.
PROBALY one of the top 3 games ever played in the history of college basketball Terps got the short end of the stick ,Lefty probably had a national championship team
One of my siblings grew up to be a sportswriter and he still insists that this is the greatest college basketball game in history. We were all huge NCSU fans and followed every game in the early 1970s, I remember this game well, the audience was on the edge of their seats, an amazing game with amazing players, including the incomparable David Thompson!
Burleson was becoming a big time player in the NBA when injuries took him out. Check out his playoff performance against Bob Lanier, he was headed for a hall of fame career before the injuries ended his career.
Oh and forgot. There were so many awesome players on all the teams back then. UNC had kupchek, Bobby Jones, Clemson and tree Rollins, Wally walker at Virginia. Loads of talent and I’m sure so many more I can’t even remember now. Anyway. Just my opinion
This game changed NCAA tourney because up to this point if you didn't win your conference tournament you didn't go to NCAA. Also the game is called by the great Jim Thacker with Billy Packer doing the color commentary. Best duo ever.
Kwabena Jabbar I think the rules back then made for much more exciting games. Why try so hard to win if you’re already going to the NCAA? Maryland fought hard in this game. I actually pulled for State because they were losing when I tuned in. Had no idea they were #1 seed in the nation at the time because I didn’t follow any sports.
One of the best games ever played and very important in the history of the ACC. However, as of 2024, UNC has 6 national titles, Duke has 5, NC State with 2 and Maryland with 1. The last Big Ten team to win the national title was Maryland and that was when they played in the ACC.
Maryland isn't the hotbed of Basketball talent in 70s. They also aren't considered ACC blood. Lefty Was a outsider and outspoken. He had McMillian, Elmore, John Lucas. With Lucas being a 2 time ncaa tennis singles champion. Only Kentucky was the most spoiled program. ACC did have the East Locked up as long as their Entry had a better record than Kentucky. Wildcats never went to West. Only Midwest when the committee sent independent teams like Marquette, Louisville, Notre Dame, get the brutal brackets. 74 had only 1 conference team. Half the top 25 didn't get in. In Midwest. #3 Irish have playing game. # 5 Marquette and 14 Vanderbilt on bottom. #9 Michigan was Irish 2nd game .3 top 10 teams in a 6 team bracket.
I agree. I felt like I was watching old family movies on 35mm with no sound. Great to finally see the game I've heard so much about over the years. Thanks for posting.
The no dunking rule was instated before the 1967 College Basketball season. It was instated because of Lew Alcindor, who had not changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar yet, before he played his first varsity college basketball game at UCLA.
IMO, this was the best college basketball game ever. The only team that would have had a real chance at beating Wooden and UCLA was NC State. But if Maryland kept up its confidence the way it did with ACC teams like NC State, UNC and Virginia, it could have given UCLA all it handled. The mystique of UCLA would shatter any team low in confidence.
te - 1974 Final Score: NC State 103 Maryland 100 Often called the greatest college basketball game of all time. Joseph Hewes makes no claim of ownership of this footage, and is not gaining any monetary value from it's posting here. It is posted for the purpose of educating a younger generation of basketball fans of the origins of big time college basketball.
I missed this game because of a big date. As a huge Terp fan I was heartbroken getting home after midnight and hearing the score. I hated Monte Towe especially the following season when we should/could have won it all again. BTW, Thompson could easily leap as high or higher than Jordan.
Seen a lot of great ones in person but never saw anyone reach the heights Thompson did. Subtract his afro and he's probably same height as Mo Rivers, which makes his above the rim play even more remarkable. It's as though he could somehow summon adrenaline to boost his stratospheric leaps.
@@donarthiazi2443Thompson I think was just learning to control his ability to jump. He was a better shooter from outside and when he drove into lane as a senior. Some guys can touch the top of backboard with 3 4 steps. When he blocked Waltons shot in Semis 74! Walton faked and Thompson did not bite. Then he went up and Thompson flat-footed exploded.
@@shawnyoung8752 Skywalker could touch the _top of the backboard?_ David Thompson was 76" tall with a vertical of 44". That would put his head at rim height... very impressive! But the top of the backboard is another 42" higher. Not to mention a human's arms don't start growing at head height. Michael Jordan has 34" arms. I don't know David's arm length but I don't think they're 8 inches longer than MJ's arms... and they would have to be 6" to 8" longer still... when we factor in our arms start growing from the shoulder. David Thompson, is my all-time favorite player and his NCSU championship team also my favorite, but I can't imagine even David Thompson leaping that high 🤔
@@donarthiazi2443 funny you replied to that. He wasn't one to take a step and sky. Yes he could but never used it right. Offensive or defensively. Bobby Jones was the best defender that used his jumping to the play. He rarely swatted the ball out of bounds. He would pin it on glass or shove it down. LeBron only does it when he wants.
Here's a factoid you might not be aware of. NC State was put on probation because of how it recruited David Thompson. I guess it was worth it, because they got a national championship out of it.
Ball handling has improved drastically over the years! And I agree with Jay Bilas. A little more space between the defenders and the team with the ball. The definition of a "foul" has certainly changed over the years.
Ball handling hasn't improved. They just don't call palming and carrying the ball as they used to. I'm guessing you're young. Otherwise you'd understand how little you can do if you actually have to dribble. I can't remember the last time a palming violation was called. They used to be called all the time. Hell, we called them on ourselves in pick up games.
Defenders? I can just think of Jerry Sloan 6'5 guard. Norm Van Lier 6'1 They were in your face. Nose to nose. Toes to toes. If you play 5 feet away from your opponent you suck. At least make the guy work. In jr. I learned that 95% of teams had only one guy that controlled the ball. When they were warming up doing their fancy dance i waited till they did layups from the left side. I saw that their guy cannot use his left hand. That just makes you want to pick up at 3/4 court. Let him go to his right 2 rimes. Then you press him and make him go to his left. I have to go back to Nolan Richardson At Arkansas. His 40 minutes of hell was simple. We are going to wear you down. 40 years ago in jr high. We ran a 3 1 1 halfcourt trap. We played a 2 3. A2 1 2. 23 zone. 3 2 zone. BOX AN ONE. Triangle an 2. A 1 3 1. We confused the shit out of everyone. Why cant these greatest players of all time not play D? We lose against internatoinal teams. But we claim we are the best.
How does a recording like this get put out? Do you go with the janitor into a closet full of tape reels, and transfer it to MP4 files? And why is the last few minutes on silent with a different source? Thanks for putting it up. Curious how this stuff works.
The best MD team ever!! I was a 12 year old kid and thought we had em. I was broken hearted when we lost this one. I thought we could beat Walton and UCLA too!
@@edwardbrown5056 We opened the 73-74 season against UCLA AT Pauley Pavilion and lost by 1 POINT!! (No way UCLA beats us in Greensboro--if Maryland had beaten the Pack in that unforgettable 74 ACC Championship they go on to win it all--I'm convinced of it!!)
@@edwardbrown5056 What ultimately led to Maryland's defeat in that 74' ACC Championship game was fatigue!! Lefty left all the starters in the day before against North Carolina because he wanted to stick it up Dean Smith's a$$--(Maryland won 105-85 in a ROUT--Lefty kept the starters in the ENTIRE game!!) I've seen/heard several interviews from John Lucas stating that they were completely gassed in that OT period against State. We had the ball down 101-100 under a minute to play holding for the final shot. Len Elmore cuts to the basket and is wide open but Lucas was so exhausted he overthrew the pass out of bounds. Monte Towe gets fouled, sinks 2 free throws-and that's your ballgame. It still hurts like HELL!!
Arguably the most important game in NCAA tournament history….# 2 & 3 (behind UCLA) all year, the ACC brass lobbied the entire year that they should change the rules and let both in and the NCAA finally did…..the next year (moral of the story, NC State went to, and won, the NCAA tourney, Maryland went home)
Dean Smith at UNC invented the 4 corners and, as a result of this "stall ball," led to the shot clock years later. ACC also was first to experiment with the 3 point line.
Kwabena Jabbar That’s right! And then other teams started doing the same. I always thought it was like cheating. Sitting on the clock til the time runs out. That’s just cheating.
Wish they could've played in the NCAA Championship game . That would've been epic! Just like the other meetings. Clearly the two best teams in the nation! Any disagreements ?
25 teams. Notre Dame was 26-2. Marquette 26-5. Michigan got bye along with Vanderbilt. Conf winners. So both Independant teams play first round games even thiugh they had better records and higher rankings. NC State was going to win. But had nobody in east. UCLA same in west. You had #3 nd. 6 Marq. 10 MICH. 15 Vandy in one bracket. Digger and coach Al were punished for critizing NCAA and their letting Conference winners get byes and easy brackets. No seeding but 7 top 20 teams in mid east and midwest. 2 in east and west. Irish were always given a fair seed. Yet always put in a brutal bracket. Only time at 23- 6 in 79. Got #1 seed. Of course They had to play MSU in reg final. Magic and kelser has 5 6 lobs that irish were so stupid not to get. All they did was move Johnson on wing. Hanzlik played off him instead of him putting ball on floor. Just force him baseline. This was a ream that was in Final 4 year before. Had 8 guys that went Nba. 6 that played. It was a bird magic made tourney. Putting the team that was always sent west with 23-6 23-5 as #1 team was absured. Depaul went west and beat the field. ISU ONLY beat hogs by 2 then Depaul by 2 when with 18 seconds left. Just get the ball to Agurrie down low. Also as a chicagoin Carl Nicks was the 6'4 scrappy guy who got all the points from his hustle .Another player Lou Henson ignored. Hofs Cheeks, hardaway. Wade. Thomas. Cummings. Aguirre.
This game is the reason multiple teams per conference get in the tournament now. Both these teams were 2 of the best teams in the history of the ACC!
That's true. Although people might look at Maryland's record of 23-5 that year and not think so.. Three of those losses were against NC State.. all very close. One was by one point against then number one UCLA which had won 76 straight games (on their way to 88), and one game by 9 to #4 North Carolina.
@@CapAnson12345 I remember all to well. Maryland had the Wolfpack on the ropes in that championship game but ran out of gas, mainly because Lefty went all out to embarrass Dean Dean Smith in the semifinals by leaving his starters in the entire game!
Crowds were kinda quieter back then,until something fantastic happens
@@scottsands1634 What was the rap on Lefty, a good recruiter but couldn't coach?
@@scottsands1634 Not just MD playing one more game…but also a career game from Burleson. It was indeed a shame to have 3 teams in the Top 5 and only being able to send 1 of the 3. UCLA? The Pac 8 was a paper lion. UCLA would cruise through that every year while we in the ACC played championship quality games 6-8 times each year. Oh well.
I'll never forget this game. It was the greatest ACC game ever played.
One of the greatest games ever. Elmore vs. Thompson is awesome to finally see! Thank you so much for uploading this. I have been trying to find it for years.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Elmore vs Burleson would be more correct. The two powerful centers banged away at each other all night long.
It had nothing to do with Elmore vs Thompson. That battle was solely about Elmore vs Burleson. There was a number of stars who played in that game. The Burleson/Elmore matchup was the only one which was of a personal nature.
This was the greatest college basketball game ever and the end result led to the expansion of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament field from 32 teams to 48. That's when the term at-large teams was invented....HISTORIC. The game went to 2 or 3 OTs. ACC still the best basketball conference in the NCAA. The two Mo's, Jim Thacker and Billy Packer, ACC basketball announcers (he later went national), and sponsored by Pilot Life Insurance....just takes me back to a time when I was a little boy and had my dreams in front of me.
Tournament was actually at 25 teams in 1974. 1975 is when it expanded to 32 teams with a two. Team per league limit. That ended after the 1979 tourney. The tournament expanded in 1979 to 40 teams(and teams were seeded for the 1st time) and to 48 teams in 1980 with no limit on the number of teams a league could have invited.
Was that Jefferson Pilot? In 70s in chicago area. Always got a ACC game at 11am on sat. Then Big ten Game at 1 or 330. ABC. Nbc had a half national game for east and west. Only a huge Non conf game would be national. Then i think Raycom would show SEC Games in Late afternoon. Did get alot of midweek games with indepedants. Irish. Marquette. Vs S . Carolina. Dayton. Depaul. Louisville. Cinncinati. Big 5 didnt want to play those teams.
Seriously underrated in a season of amazing upsets, one of the best college basketball games of all time
Haven’t seen this since I saw it live in 74. I was 15 at the time and never forgot DT blocking elmores shot near 1/2 time. Actually goal tending but it fired up the team. What an unbelievable game. Probably the best in BB history. Big pack fan!!
Same here. Might check out the 1983 Final. NC State vs Houston and Hakeem.
@@johnvaughn2590 well I’ve been an nc state fan from birth. Father made sure of it since he graduated in 1950. So yeah, I saw every game from acc tournament and through ncaa. It was unbelievable really
I was amazed when I saw Thompson block one of Bill Walton's shots. Incredible players to watch.
A historic game and I will never forget it....sitting in the upper deck, near the ceiling in the corner with my parents and brother....Both teams were National Championship contenders and of course, NC State won it....The talent on the court that day was legendary! The Glory days of ACC hoops
I was probably sitting next to you with my dad. We drove almost 3 hours to get there not knowing if we would even be able to get gas to make it back home. Sooo many gas stations had their hoses draped over the tanks letting everyone know they had no gas to sell. But we found some and made it home.
Greatest college game ever played!
I was 15 and a big Terp fan...still am...and this game broke my heart. Best game in NCAA regular season history and it altered the course of NCAA Championship participation opening up invitations to the Dance to non conference winning teams. This was the last year that only the ACC Champ received and invitation.
No, the greatest game was State and UCLA
I wouldn't have called that a regular season game by any means. To this day, as good as any college basketball game ever played!
@@billgibson4134 They both were great, all three of those teams were just so good!
This is the very game changed college basketball forever it’s still true to this day. This is exactly the reason why March madness is what it is, the final four, mid-season games, the competition, the upsets, every single team in America with the crowd everything this is what changed it forever this is what made it America’s true spectacle to now as we all have always known it to be since day one.
The greatest game that I have ever seen. I was only 9 at the time and a long time HEELS fan but I remember this like it was yesterday..
I was only 8 and unbelievably my dad got 2 tickets. We left for Greensboro knowing we probably didn't have enough gas to get back home because of the _ahem_ ... 'OPEC gas shortage'. But we found some for about $6 at today's prices($3.35) lol. He filled er up. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
My dad died this past February because of covid, but we still talked about the game until the end. What an unbelievable game... I'm still shocked we came back after being so far down earlier.
I can remember watching the 1995 ACC tournament game between Wake Forest and Duke on Raycom Jefferson Pilot network and Billy Packer made the comment that he had the videotape from this game that he had taken from the broadcast truck after the game was over in a closet at his house.
Notice the NC State male cheerleader with both glasses and a beard! Also notice there were no on-screen graphics used by the C.D. Chesley production company. I grew up with Thacker and Packer, they were quite a broadcast team. One very important play is missing here. With 9 seconds left in regulation, the game was tied and Maryland had the ball....but the Pack played tremendous defense and prevented the Terps from getting off a shot before time ran out.
If this game had been nationally-televised, a rarity back then, the network that televised it would have likely used on-screen camera-shot "supers", ranging from title cards to a scoreboard with flipping numbers.
And if you had to win your conference tournament to get entry into the NCAA's, wouldn't it have made sense to say that the ACC tournament, as it was in '74, all but made a sham out of the regular season?
This is the game that my mother sat both me and my brother in front of the television, and we "officially became University of Maryland fans for life.
First sporting event I remember watching on TV,....I watched at a friends home of my parents, I was 10 and everyone was crazy for David Thompson ...I grew up a UNC fan....but I'll never forget how great this game was, Thompson is still my favorite non UNC player ever,
Had this game turned out a Maryland win, would the Terps have been able to knock off UCLA at the final 4? They nearly had at Pauley Pavilion in an under heralded game in the fall when time zone differences kept it largely out of the papers.
We’ll never know.
Thanks, Lefty, for getting these guys for the Terps. They lost this and other big games, but Washington area sports were way more exciting than they had been thanks to your recruiting. RIP
I was only 11 years old when this game was played but I remember it well. My dad was an NC State alumni and was extremely passionate for his beloved Wolfpack. I remember him watching this game and yelling throughout all the while begging my mom to bring him a fresh towel as he literally sweated out the 2nd half. I believe this game has often been referred to as the greatest ACC tourney game ever played.
David Thompson was just on another level.
What everybody else said. I’ve heard about this game for nearly half a century, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it. That Maryland team lost by 1 to UCLA at Pauley and they lost this game. Them not even going to the NCAA tournament was a cruel fate. This game was the greatest argument for expanding the field. A classic - probably the most underrated game in basketball history.
Kind of cool that the greatest game in ACC history involved neither the Tar Heels nor Blue Devils.
Great point....never thought of that.
I will never forget this game! Daddy was watching it and I was a bored 14 year old but quickly got very interested in this exciting game. I pulled for State, not knowing they were the #1 seed, because they were losing at one point. I followed them all the way to their NCAA win!
Incredible jump shooting ability by both teams here. I remember the following year Maryland used Davis to team with Howard and Lucas for a great 3 guard lineup
Met Mo Howard at a Philly gym once, and he was surprised l remembered that game.
Surprised? He was too humble!
how could anyone who saw it forget?
One of the greatest games ever.
Maryland had the third best team in the nation that year, yet didn't qualify for the N.C.A.A. tournament.
I honestly think if Maryland had won this game they would have won the NCAA title in 1974. (They played UCLA in Pauley Pavilion to open the season and lost by 1 POINT--no way UCLA beats Maryland in Greensboro!) Then if Moses Malone (who signed with Maryland) had played in the 1974-75 season rather than go to the ABA Maryland probably wins a second straight title. Lefty Driesell could VERY EASILY have had back to back national championships. Ahhh the PAIN of it all--haunts me to this very day!!
Something was wrong with UCLA that year they lost 4 games that year.
Jim Thacker one of the best play by play guys ever. He and Billy made a great team. RIP Jim and Billy.
RIP Billy Packer
Damn shame this fine 1973-1974 Maryland Terrapins 🏀 squad did not make the NCAA tourney 😐
Mo Howard smooth guard and reminds me of 6'5 Vern Fleming (University Of Georgia 1980-1984) 👍
The best 2 teams in the country. MD lost and didn't go to the tournament yet this team is one of the greatest in NCAA history.
This is the first time that I have actually seen this game but it might be the most memorable game in my memory. I was 21 at the time and in the Army.
If you get the ACC network on tv they have a documentary on ACC basketball, great to see these guys now talking about the old days and this game.
Thank you for posting.
I have actually searched for this game over the years.
A heart-breaking loss for me as a 10-year old.
Why does this go from actual broadcast to silent video and also misses some of the late stages of the game?
me as a 13 year old
Can you imagine a team ranked #4 in the nation not invited to March Madness? A guaranteed #1 seed whether they win the conference tournament or not? (Though they didn’t have seeding in 1974) That’s the 1973-74 Maryland Terrapins.
23-5 for the season-a one point loss to #1 UCLA, defending National Championship, on UCLA’s home court. A six-point loss to then-#4 NC State. A nine-point loss to North Carolina in Chapel Hill when NC was ranked #4 (NC State had climbed higher in rankings.) A six-point loss to #2 NC State. They then beat #4 North Carolina by 11 and later in the ACC Tournament blew out #6 North Carolina by 20.
In an era with no shot-clock, no 3-point line, and high-scoring games were few & far between, they hit 85 points or more 16 times, 90 points or more 12 times, and 100 or more points 8 times. How many colleges today hit 90 or more 12 times in a season & 100 points 8 times in a season?
And this school wasn’t invited to NCAAs because the NCAAs was for Conference Championships only. Now you see why the NCAAs expanded incrementally to today’s 68 teams.
It was a tragedy. The tournament was a sham back then. It's why UCLA won so many national championships in the 1960's. Because they would beat a bunch of mid-majors to get to the national championship game, and maybe even beat a mid-major in the national championship. Meanwhile, all the great teams who didn't win their conference championship tournaments just watched on the sidelines.
@@josephhewes7081 The Kareem teams were dominant. The Bill Walton teams were not. They just had inferior opponents like you say. Put them up against a real team like Notre Dame or NC State or Maryland & they go down. Put that MD-UCLA game in Maryland or on a neutral court, Maryland wins. I heard someone say one time that home court is worth a minimum of 10 points.
@@Manolo0528 That Maryland, UCLA game was razor thin. Four things helped UCLA. The intimidation factor. They were legends in their own time with that long streak. Then, Wooden scheduled a warm up game where as this was the opening game for the Terps. And finally, as you say, it was on UCLA's own court. And a final thing was John Lucas choking (hate to say it) and throwing the ball right to a UCLA player with seconds remaining, giving up a chance to win the game... I've looked for that game for years, and sadly, I don't think there is a copy out there.
PROBALY one of the top 3 games ever played in the history of college basketball Terps got the short end of the stick ,Lefty probably had a national championship team
This is the very game of why college basketball in general is what it is, and always was since.
One of my siblings grew up to be a sportswriter and he still insists that this is the greatest college basketball game in history. We were all huge NCSU fans and followed every game in the early 1970s, I remember this game well, the audience was on the edge of their seats, an amazing game with amazing players, including the incomparable David Thompson!
Burleson was becoming a big time player in the NBA when injuries took him out. Check out his playoff performance against Bob Lanier, he was headed for a hall of fame career before the injuries ended his career.
Oh and forgot. There were so many awesome players on all the teams back then. UNC had kupchek, Bobby Jones, Clemson and tree Rollins, Wally walker at Virginia. Loads of talent and I’m sure so many more I can’t even remember now. Anyway. Just my opinion
David Thompson was a great Player. If I am not mistaken he had a 42-inch vertical jump.
This game changed NCAA tourney because up to this point if you didn't win your conference tournament you didn't go to NCAA. Also the game is called by the great Jim Thacker with Billy Packer doing the color commentary. Best duo ever.
Kwabena Jabbar I think the rules back then made for much more exciting games. Why try so hard to win if you’re already going to the NCAA? Maryland fought hard in this game. I actually pulled for State because they were losing when I tuned in. Had no idea they were #1 seed in the nation at the time because I didn’t follow any sports.
Jim a Thacker Hall of Fame.
One of the best games ever played and very important in the history of the ACC. However, as of 2024, UNC has 6 national titles, Duke has 5, NC State with 2 and Maryland with 1. The last Big Ten team to win the national title was Maryland and that was when they played in the ACC.
Don’t care what they say. This was the National Championship Game.
Anything with UCLA was the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆
Maryland isn't the hotbed of Basketball talent in 70s. They also aren't considered ACC blood. Lefty Was a outsider and outspoken. He had McMillian, Elmore, John Lucas. With Lucas being a 2 time ncaa tennis singles champion. Only Kentucky was the most spoiled program. ACC did have the East Locked up as long as their Entry had a better record than Kentucky. Wildcats never went to West. Only Midwest when the committee sent independent teams like Marquette, Louisville, Notre Dame, get the brutal brackets. 74 had only 1 conference team. Half the top 25 didn't get in. In Midwest. #3 Irish have playing game. # 5 Marquette and 14 Vanderbilt on bottom. #9 Michigan was Irish 2nd game .3 top 10 teams in a 6 team bracket.
These players don't have today's muscular build.
Every player today palms the basketball. These were such better games.
The change from video to film at 1:10:36 has the Zapruder effect on me.
I agree. I felt like I was watching old family movies on 35mm with no sound. Great to finally see the game I've heard so much about over the years. Thanks for posting.
@@davidwinndw According to sports-reference.com, this game actually happened. Lol
People were so deprived by the ACC making it illegal for Thompson to dunk. Just imagine what was missed.
You can thank KAREEM for that.
The no dunking rule was instated before the 1967 College Basketball season. It was instated because of Lew Alcindor, who had not changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar yet, before he played his first varsity college basketball game at UCLA.
What a dumb rule
It wasn’t an ACC rule, it was NCAA.
IMO, this was the best college basketball game ever. The only team that would have had a real chance at beating Wooden and UCLA was NC State. But if Maryland kept up its confidence the way it did with ACC teams like NC State, UNC and Virginia, it could have given UCLA all it handled. The mystique of UCLA would shatter any team low in confidence.
te - 1974
Final Score: NC State 103 Maryland 100
Often called the greatest college basketball game of all time.
Joseph Hewes makes no claim of ownership of this footage, and is not gaining any monetary value from it's posting here. It is posted for the purpose of educating a younger generation of basketball fans of the origins of big time college basketball.
This is when college ball was sensational nothing with juniors and seniors
DAMN, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SOUND AT THE END OF THE GAME!!!
Sail with the Pilot!
Indeed! Good days. CD Chesley, Thacker-Packer, and Greensboro.
Those days where the best. Thacket and Packer.. A big Heels fan here. . Damn I'm old. Lol
I missed this game because of a big date. As a huge Terp fan I was heartbroken getting home after midnight and hearing the score. I hated Monte Towe especially the following season when we should/could have won it all again. BTW, Thompson could easily leap as high or higher than Jordan.
Seen a lot of great ones in person but never saw anyone reach the heights Thompson did. Subtract his afro and he's probably same height as Mo Rivers, which makes his above the rim play even more remarkable. It's as though he could somehow summon adrenaline to boost his stratospheric leaps.
David Thompson was MJ's inspiration.
@@donarthiazi2443Thompson I think was just learning to control his ability to jump. He was a better shooter from outside and when he drove into lane as a senior. Some guys can touch the top of backboard with 3 4 steps. When he blocked Waltons shot in Semis 74! Walton faked and Thompson did not bite. Then he went up and Thompson flat-footed exploded.
@@shawnyoung8752
Skywalker could touch the _top of the backboard?_ David Thompson was 76" tall with a vertical of 44". That would put his head at rim height... very impressive! But the top of the backboard is another 42" higher. Not to mention a human's arms don't start growing at head height.
Michael Jordan has 34" arms. I don't know David's arm length but I don't think they're 8 inches longer than MJ's arms... and they would have to be 6" to 8" longer still... when we factor in our arms start growing from the shoulder.
David Thompson, is my all-time favorite player and his NCSU championship team also my favorite, but I can't imagine even David Thompson leaping that high 🤔
@@donarthiazi2443 funny you replied to that. He wasn't one to take a step and sky. Yes he could but never used it right. Offensive or defensively. Bobby Jones was the best defender that used his jumping to the play. He rarely swatted the ball out of bounds. He would pin it on glass or shove it down. LeBron only does it when he wants.
I think David Thompson was the greatest ACC player in history.
Here's a factoid you might not be aware of. NC State was put on probation because of how it recruited David Thompson. I guess it was worth it, because they got a national championship out of it.
Ref actually called palming. Wouldn't be a game today with ref like that.
I was at this ACC TOURNEY !!!!
35:04, a Palming violation. Players today, "What's that"?
So good........... Big sized dudes even back then......... Just great stuff
Being tall has always been an asset in Basketball.
when jay bilas suggests that i go check out a basketball game..that's what i do
John Wilson me too. And as is usually the case, Bilas was wrong in his opinion. There’s defense being played here.
NCAA outta pay reparations to Maryland and all the other schools who belonged in the dance back then,how stupid was that rule,just 32 teams,geez
I believe it was 24 teams, either that year, or the year before.
Ball handling has improved drastically over the years! And I agree with Jay Bilas. A little more space between the defenders and the team with the ball. The definition of a "foul" has certainly changed over the years.
Ball handling hasn't improved. They just don't call palming and carrying the ball as they used to. I'm guessing you're young. Otherwise you'd understand how little you can do if you actually have to dribble. I can't remember the last time a palming violation was called. They used to be called all the time. Hell, we called them on ourselves in pick up games.
Monte Towe could dribble with anybody.
Watch Pistol Pete Maravich .
@@dalepress1581 Young folks don't realize the best players are retired or dead . I'd take the 80s & 90s all day !
Defenders? I can just think of Jerry Sloan 6'5 guard. Norm Van Lier 6'1 They were in your face. Nose to nose. Toes to toes. If you play 5 feet away from your opponent you suck. At least make the guy work. In jr. I learned that 95% of teams had only one guy that controlled the ball. When they were warming up doing their fancy dance i waited till they did layups from the left side. I saw that their guy cannot use his left hand. That just makes you want to pick up at 3/4 court. Let him go to his right 2 rimes. Then you press him and make him go to his left. I have to go back to Nolan Richardson At Arkansas. His 40 minutes of hell was simple. We are going to wear you down. 40 years ago in jr high. We ran a 3 1 1 halfcourt trap. We played a 2 3. A2 1 2. 23 zone. 3 2 zone. BOX AN ONE. Triangle an 2. A 1 3 1. We confused the shit out of everyone. Why cant these greatest players of all time not play D? We lose against internatoinal teams. But we claim we are the best.
How does a recording like this get put out? Do you go with the janitor into a closet full of tape reels, and transfer it to MP4 files? And why is the last few minutes on silent with a different source? Thanks for putting it up. Curious how this stuff works.
The days of non greed , no transfers and few flunkies.
Like the guy with a stopwatch at 2:03. The headset with a receiver attached made it look like he was smoking a pipe. LOL
The best MD team ever!! I was a 12 year old kid and thought we had em. I was broken hearted when we lost this one. I thought we could beat Walton and UCLA too!
we almost beat ucla out there either the year before or this year
@@edwardbrown5056 We opened the 73-74 season against UCLA AT Pauley Pavilion and lost by 1 POINT!! (No way UCLA beats us in Greensboro--if Maryland had beaten the Pack in that unforgettable 74 ACC Championship they go on to win it all--I'm convinced of it!!)
@@nyterpfan i remember that game and all the key games they were leading the whole game and lefty [as usual] was outcoached but never outrecruited
@@edwardbrown5056 What ultimately led to Maryland's defeat in that 74' ACC Championship game was fatigue!! Lefty left all the starters in the day before against North Carolina because he wanted to stick it up Dean Smith's a$$--(Maryland won 105-85 in a ROUT--Lefty kept the starters in the ENTIRE game!!) I've seen/heard several interviews from John Lucas stating that they were completely gassed in that OT period against State. We had the ball down 101-100 under a minute to play holding for the final shot. Len Elmore cuts to the basket and is wide open but Lucas was so exhausted he overthrew the pass out of bounds. Monte Towe gets fouled, sinks 2 free throws-and that's your ballgame. It still hurts like HELL!!
@@nyterpfan as i said OUTCOACHED
Before Dean Smith and Coach K it was Norm Sloan. With the Left Hander right behind him.
In 2024 this game is 50 years old
Greatest game of all time.
Monte Towe takes some ridiculous shots.
Greatest game ever
Arguably the most important game in NCAA tournament history….# 2 & 3 (behind UCLA) all year, the ACC brass lobbied the entire year that they should change the rules and let both in and the NCAA finally did…..the next year (moral of the story, NC State went to, and won, the NCAA tourney, Maryland went home)
What a game!
Who remembers 4 corners? Didn't Carolina start that? Not sure.
Dean Smith at UNC invented the 4 corners and, as a result of this "stall ball," led to the shot clock years later. ACC also was first to experiment with the 3 point line.
Kwabena Jabbar That’s right! And then other teams started doing the same. I always thought it was like cheating. Sitting on the clock til the time runs out. That’s just cheating.
No, Frank McGuire. Then went to South Carolina and when they went into 4 corners Nobody could get the ball from the great John Roach
John McClendon
Wish they could've played in the NCAA Championship game . That would've been epic! Just like the other meetings. Clearly the two best teams in the nation! Any disagreements ?
UCLA would have a very legitimate argument, but yeah, I'd still go with these two.
UCLA
15:08 Goaltending? Play on!!!
College basketball needs to do away with the 3 and dunk!!. Then maybe we could see teams again like this. No jumping to the pros either
Wrong and the players are too athletic!!! The 3 point line was instituted in 1945
Mo Rivers was a Bricklayer
It seems like neither team runs any plays at all.
25 teams. Notre Dame was 26-2. Marquette 26-5. Michigan got bye along with Vanderbilt. Conf winners. So both Independant teams play first round games even thiugh they had better records and higher rankings. NC State was going to win. But had nobody in east. UCLA same in west. You had #3 nd. 6 Marq. 10 MICH. 15 Vandy in one bracket. Digger and coach Al were punished for critizing NCAA and their letting Conference winners get byes and easy brackets. No seeding but 7 top 20 teams in mid east and midwest. 2 in east and west. Irish were always given a fair seed. Yet always put in a brutal bracket. Only time at 23- 6 in 79. Got #1 seed. Of course They had to play MSU in reg final. Magic and kelser has 5 6 lobs that irish were so stupid not to get. All they did was move Johnson on wing. Hanzlik played off him instead of him putting ball on floor. Just force him baseline. This was a ream that was in Final 4 year before. Had 8 guys that went Nba. 6 that played. It was a bird magic made tourney. Putting the team that was always sent west with 23-6 23-5 as #1 team was absured. Depaul went west and beat the field. ISU ONLY beat hogs by 2 then Depaul by 2 when with 18 seconds left. Just get the ball to Agurrie down low. Also as a chicagoin Carl Nicks was the 6'4 scrappy guy who got all the points from his hustle .Another player Lou Henson ignored. Hofs Cheeks, hardaway. Wade. Thomas. Cummings. Aguirre.
The ncaa dropped the ball during this period of time when they didn't allow the dunk. SMH
DT was a FORWARD!
THEE best college game of all-time. Shelby NC, not far from Hickory.
who is here bc of jay bilas ?
Me I literally am watching it just because he just said to.lol
Tom Burleson was tall and not much else. Eight inches shorter and he’s nothing more than a business major
Tom Burleson was a good player. Played in the NBA for 7 years and his best season he scored over 15 pts a game. Not too bad for a business major.
MYLD had a Stacked ass team--Lefty, God Bless his soul, was always a great recruiter! & I'm a 🐺pack fan!
Wonder who wins?-lol
Greatest game ever
Greatest game ever
yes the Duke twats still say their tournament game vs Kentucky but this game changed the NCAA and frankly had far better players and it was pure ACC