It launched the NCAA Tournament on a flight to its current status as one of the sports calendar’s premier events, prompting millions of Americans each March not only to watch the games, but to participate in them, to make them theirs by filling out brackets in countless office pools from coast to coast. And it lifted basketball — college and professional — to new heights.
This year’s NCAA Tournament marks the 40th anniversary of that championship game, played in the building now known as the Jon M. Huntsman Center, a contest that ended up being the most-watched basketball game of all time.