1967–68 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball team
| {{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]] | |
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| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 3 (PreSeason), 9 (Final Poll) |
The 1967-68 Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball season is considered one of the greatest in the school's history. The Sycamore's won 19 games in the regular season and were led by Jerry Newsom. He led an the Sycamores to the national title game versus a George Tinsley-led Kentucky Wesleyan team, and ended the season as National Runner-Up with a record of 23-8.
Exhibition vs. Russian National Team
On November 20, the touring Soviet National team came to Hulman Center to play Indiana State. ISU defeated the Soviets, 83-79, to become one of only four college teams to beat them that season.[1]
Regular season
During the 1967–68 season, Indiana State qualified for the NCAA Tournament. ISU finished the regular season to finish 23-8, 9-3 in the Indiana Collegiate, and were ranked in the ten in the country for the season.[2]
Newsom received several honors at the end of regular season. He won the ICC Player of the Year, was named All-ICC for the third time and was a consensus All-American.
Roster
The Sycamores were led by Newsom, the ICC Player of the Year, and his 26.1 scoring average. He was followed by Mike Cooper's 17.8 average. The starting lineup also included Fred Hardman, Rich Mason and Steve Hollenbeck. Howard Humes and Mike Phillips were key reserves. The remainder of the roster consisted of Dan Chitwood, Ken Hass, John McIntire, Jerry Novak, Jim Waldrip, Don Weirich and Tom Zellers.
Mike Cooper Dan Chitwood Ken Haas Fred Hardman Steve Hollenbeck Howard Humes Rich Mason John McIntire Jerry Newsome – All-American; All-Conference; All-Tournament; Conf MVP, NCAA Tourney MVP Jerry Novak Mike Phillips Jim Waldrip Don Weirich Tom Zellers
NCAA basketball tournament
The top seed in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional was awarded to the Sycamores. The final game of the regional tournament was against heated-rival Illinois State with a berth in the Final Four on the line. The Sycamores won by 5, and returned to the National Tournament Finals for the first time in 15 seasons (1953 NAIA Tournament). They advanced to the championship game and faced Kentucky Wesleyan College, which was led by junior George Tinsley. Playing in a standing room only arean, they were unable to maintain their halftime lead and Kentucky Wesleyan defeated Indiana State 63–52, and Newsom was voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
- West
- Indiana State (#1 seed) 86, Virginia Tech (#8 seed) 69
- Indiana State 93, Oklahoma (#5 seed) 72
- Indiana State 73, Arkansas (#2 seed) 71
- Final Four
- Indiana State 76, DePaul 74
- Michigan State 75, Indiana State 64
Awards and honors
- Jerry Newsom, Consensus All-American teams
- Jerry Newsom, All-Indiana Collegiate Conference
- Jerry Newsom - AP, UPI, Coaches All-American selections
- Jerry Newsom, Indiana Collegiate Conference Most Valuable Player
See also
References
- ^ http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/wildcard_1/wildcard_01/in_isu_1978_79_Dream_Season_Recap_20090306
- ^ campus.mst.edu/athleticsarchives/.../d2basketball/ncaa2mbbpolls.pdf
- ^ a b http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1979