Chansky's Notebook: Frustration In Philly

The world waited to see if President Reagan would survive.

On Monday, March 30, 1981, John Hinckley tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan, and while the president was under intensive care the NCAA had to decide whether to play the national championship game that night in Philadelphia between Carolina and Indiana.

The Tar Heels had avenged two regular-season losses to fifth-ranked Virginia on Saturday behind Al Wood’s spectacular 39 points while UNC held Ralph Sampson to 11.

But basketball became second to whether the president lived or died, and Dean Smith made his opinion known that the game should be postponed. When Reagan was deemed out of danger, the NCAA said “let’s play.” The Heels and Hoosiers took the court at the Spectrum, a rematch of the December game in Chapel Hill won by Carolina.

Led by All-American guard Isiah Thomas, IU erased an early deficit and led 27-26 at halftime. Carolina star James Worthy had sat out the last few minutes of the first half with two fouls, and Worthy soon picked up numbers 3 and 4 on what Dick Vitale would say were ticky-tack fouls called by official Booker Turner, who was working the game with long-time Smith nemesis Lou Moser.

With Thomas and running mate Randy Whitman combining for 39 points, the Hoosiers ran off to a big lead and a 63-50 victory. Worthy was held to seven points on 3 for 11 shooting, as the Carolina bench barked at Turner and Moser throughout the second half.

It was Bob Knight’s second national championship and furthered the dialogue about Smith having now been to six Final Fours without winning the big one. The next morning, before boarding the bus for the airport, the Tar Heels held a private team meeting, and with four starters returning and a kid named Jordan coming in they vowed to get back to the Final Four and championship game in New Orleans the next season and to, at long last, win one for Smith.

Tomorrow, that epic 1982 gut-wrenching game against John Thompson, Patrick Ewing and Georgetown at the Super Dome.