Preparing to post some NCAA Tournament related pictures and info about the tournament I found this picture of our Oral Roberts University team in 1972. That was our second year to play D1 at ORU and our first trip to the NIT. This team, led by All-American, Richard Fuqua, and Boston Celtic draft pick Sam McCamey went 26-2. We played most every D1 school on the road because no one wanted to play us in our gym, which would seat about 3,000, and was packed an hour before game time. In 1973 we moved into our new 10,500 seat Mabee Arena. The arena had all cushioned, chair back seats and the newest, electronic scoreboard that was available. But, back to the NIT and 1972. We led the nation in scoring 105.1 points a game and gave up 90.1 points. Needless to say, a LOT of offense, it was entertaining basketball. (NBA style, unlike most of college basketball today.) Fuqua averaged 35.9 points a game, second in the nation. All FIVE of our starters averaged in double figures. We beat Illinois State, UConn, Butler, Fresno State, Harvard, and Memphis State. Our only two losses were to Murray State and to St. Johns in the second round of the NIT. Which is my segue to the reason for this post, the NIT.

I was watching an exciting and “fun” game two nights ago between Indiana State and Cincinnati, which the Sycamores won by a score of 85-81. They both have good teams and Indiana State, a mid-major, is a fun team to watch. Their fans were great, over 9,000 of them in their arena.  I couldn’t help but feel sad for the players and their program though because I remember how awesome it was for our ORU team to play in Madison Square Garden that first time back in 1972. MSG is the mecca of college AND NBA basketball. We won our first game, and Fuqua scored 40 points. The entire college basketball world took notice of the little “Bible” school from Tulsa, Oklahoma! What a “stage”! I was a 28-year old awestruck, assistant coach, who got to shoot some hoops on the same floor that all of the basketball greats like Oscar, Wilt, Pettit, Russell, West, and Cousy had played on. I wondered all over the building, soaking in all the history of the building.

Indiana State will move on to the semi-finals and play in storied Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis but it won’t be like playing in MSG, and that is sad to me. The NIT back in the 50’s was bigger than the NCAA tournament, and up until the NCAA expanded to 54 teams and then 68 teams it was a GREAT tournament. Playing on your own court may give an advantage to the higher seeded team but if you ask the players I bet they would rather go to New York and play on the “biggest” stage, MSG. I am not disparaging the NIT or Hinkle but the NIT tournament is not what it used to be. I am a 79-year old basketball fan that at times wish we could go back to the “good ole days”.