INTRODUCTION from The Sports Time Traveler™
Today’s story took place 50 years ago this weekend on December 15, 1973 and featured college basketball’s 2 premier players - Bill “Big Red” Walton of UCLA and David “Skywalker” Thompson of N.C. State.
In all fairness I have to admit that the earliest reference I can find of basketball superstar David Thompson being called, “Skywalker,” was not until after Star Wars debuted in 1977.
But I couldn’t resist referring to David Thompson as Skywalker for this article, because that nickname was absolutely perfect for Thompson. His signature move was a leap skyward, before releasing a soft jumper. Thompson ascended higher in the air on his jump shot than possibly anyone in basketball history, and certainly higher than anyone up to that time.
Thompson’s N.C. State team came into the game with a 29 game winning streak and a legitimate claim to be the best squad in the country. Thompson led the Wolfpack to an undefeated season in 1972-73 and they were ranked #2 behind UCLA. In that season, they had beaten 4 teams that were ranked in the top 7, while UCLA had only beaten 1.
UCLA, of course, was the beast of basketball in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the time of the game in December, 1973, UCLA had won 7 consecutive NCAA basketball titles, and they were on a record 78 game winning streak.
Even though both teams went undefeated in 1972-73, they never met.
That’s because N.C. State was stripped of the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament in 1973.
The 2 teams ideally would have met in the title game, which would have been one for the ages.
Even 50 years later in 2023, 2 undefeated college basketball teams have never met in the NCAA Final.
Instead, the 1973 title game, which was played in St. Louis, on March 16, 1973, between UCLA and Memphis State (24 - 5) was a laugher with UCLA winning 87 - 66.
In that 1973 NCAA Championship game, Bill Walton had perhaps the greatest performance in college basketball history scoring 44 points on 21 of 22 shooting (the only miss was on a lob pass for an alley-oop attempt).
That game was previously covered in The Sports Time Traveler™ and you can read the article at this link:
The Mountain Man Meets Memphis State
Since the clear 2 best schools in the nation could not meet in the 1973 NCAA tournament, they got together and agreed to play a regular season game together, at the beginning of the 1973-74 season. And they further agreed the location should be the very same court in St. Louis where the NCAA championship had been played.
From a fan perspective it can’t get any better than that!
Naturally, this intriguing match up was one that The Sports Time Traveler™ had to go back in time precisely 50 years to experience.
Below is my story of the game, the one that should have been the 1973 NCAA Title game, but instead took place 9 months later on December 15, 1973.
UCLA vs. N.C. State
ST. LOUIS - December 16, 1973
I’m here in St. Louis virtually where yesterday, the 2 greatest teams in college basketball squared off in a battle of the undefeated.
UCLA led by Bill Walton and Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes came into the game with a 78 game winning streak.
N.C. State led by David Thompson and 7’4” Tom Burleson are riding a 29 game winning streak.
It’s the championship game match up that almost certainly would have been played 9 months ago right here in St. Louis if N.C. State hadn’t been ruled ineligible to play in the 1973 NCAA tournament.
Yesterday’s game was broadcast nationally on ABC at 4pm CT.
The big story early in the contest was that Bill Walton picked up 4 fouls in the first 9 minutes of the game. As a result, he had to sit out the last 11 minutes of the half.
Backup center, 7’2” sophomore Ralph Drollinger was called in for significant playing time.
“I was nervous. But I was not afraid,” Drollinger told Dwight Chapin of the Los Angeles Times. Yet he missed his first 5 shots, and UCLA’s 15 - 10 lead evaporated without Walton in the game. N.C. State was ahead by 1 point at halftime.
N.C. STATE 33 UCLA 32 - Halftime
You can watch the 2nd half of the game in this video below:
At 2:03 on the tape watch as the smallest man on the court, 5’7” inch point guard Monte Towe of N.C. State, sprints with the ball the full length of the court, past every Bruins player, on the way to a driving layup over back up center Ralph Drollinger to keep N.C. State in front.
Drollinger started at center in the 2nd half, in place of the foul plagued Bill Walton. Fortunately, he got substantial help from forward Jamaal Wilkes.
Watch at the 12:05 mark on the tape as Wilkes hits one of his patented jump shots along the baseline. He brings the ball up behind his head as he shoots over 7’ 4” Tom Burleson.
Wilkes now has 17 points and UCLA has moved back into the lead at 48 - 44. ABC announcer Keith Jackson says admiringly, “He is so smooth.”
Watch again 15:24 as Wilkes drives and scores over Burleson again and the lead is now 50 - 44 UCLA.
A few seconds later at 15:39 on the tape, Burleson gets the ball in the low post and makes a nifty spin around back up center Ralph Drollinger, and then puts in a reverse layup. The UCLA lead is cut to 4 at 50 - 46
At 21:52 watch little Monte Towe do it again, as he drives from deep in the back court, past 4 UCLA players, for a layup to cut the lead down to 2 points. It’s 54 - 52 UCLA.
Shortly after that play, with just under 10 minutes to go in the game, John Wooden finally inserts Bill Walton back into the game.
At 22:55 on the tape, on the first offensive set with Walton back on the court, Big Red gets the ball in the low post and maneuvers past Burleson for a layup. It’s now 56 - 54 UCLA.
At 24:50, ABC puts a graphic on the screen that is just mind boggling. It displays the remarkable 132 game personal winning streak of Bill Walton.
BILL WALTON’S CAREER WINNING STREAK
High School - last 49 straight games
UCLA frosh 20 - 0
Sophomore 30 - 0
Junior 30 - 0
Senior 3 - 0
Walton’s streak is now on the line in this close battle.
Next watch at 25:30 on the tape as Walton is defending against Burleson in the post. Burleson misses, Walton grabs the rebound and at the other end of the floor Wilkes makes another one of his patented jumpers, and UCLA finally has some breathing room with a 7 point lead at 61 - 54.
30 seconds later, Walton clears the defensive boards again and as soon as he touches the ball on offense he hands off to Wilkes for another basket.
The Bruins have now scored 9 straight and it’s 63 - 54.
At 28:36 on the tape Walton grabs an offensive rebound and puts the ball in the hole for UCLA’s largest lead at 67 - 56.
At 34:00 on the tape, Wilkes makes 2 free throws and UCLA’s lead has grown to 17 at 73 - 56.
The score has been 19 - 4 since Walton entered the game. In the time that Walton has been on the court in the game so far it’s 34 - 14 UCLA.
At 34:30 we finally get to see a glimpse of David Thompson’s greatness. Watch as he floats into the lane and then skies for a jumper. But N.C. State is still down 15.
The Battle of the Giants
At 35:05 begins an incredible sequence. Bill Walton blocks the 7’4” Tom Burleson. Just 25 seconds later, Walton stuffs Burleson again. Burleson gets the ball back and goes up against Walton a 3rd time and gets called for traveling. Keith Jackson is heard saying about Burleson, “He’s frustrated.” And then Bill Russell, who is also calling the game on ABC says, “I’d say he’s a little upset.”
There are now less than 4 minutes to play in the game and UCLA leads 75 - 58.
At 37:50, Burleson finally gets in a shot over Walton, and the UCLA lead is cut to 75 - 62, but there are just over 2 minutes left to play.
At 41:47 on the tape, Burleson tries to shoot over Walton again and once more Walton blocks his shot.
Walton Can Pass Too!
At 42:02 there is another great pass by Walton and the lead is 81- 62 with a minute to play.
UCLA finishes the game ahead by 18 with a final score of 84 - 66.
The Bruins outscored the Wolfpack 30 - 14 in last 9:54 after Walton came back in the game. And Bill Walton despite playing tough on both ends of the court, blocking the taller Burleson 3 times, never got his 5th foul.
Jeff Meyers covered the game for the St. Louis Dispatch and he described Walton’s impact when he entered the game with 9:54 to play, “What was particularly impressive during the Bruins breakaway was not so much what Walton did, but how he did it. Despite the 4 fouls he played with abandon, with seemingly no concern for his tenuous situation. What audacity!
“What an ass whippin,” yelled UCLA’s Tommy Curtis as he ran off the court as reported by Jeff Prugh in the Los Angeles Times.
Prugh noted that Jamaal Wilkes chose “softer words,” in his comments about the game. Wilkes told Prugh, “We came out expecting a tough game - and it was.”
Wilkes was the other hero of the game for UCLA, finishing with a career high 27 points while also guarding David Thompson and holding him to 17, well below his average of 25 per game.
Wilkes played the first 39 minutes of the game, the only player to do so, before being taken out with 1 minute to play.
It was Wilkes offensive output, in the long stretch of the game where Walton sat with 4 fouls, that kept UCLA in the contest.
Dave Dorr, another writer for the St. Louis Dispatch interviewed UCLA coach John Wooden after the game. Wooden told him, “I’m happiest most, for Keith Wilkes, a young man whose virtues I have extolled at length for some time. He has been overshadowed by Walton, but Keith plays every facet of the game well.”
And so UCLA and Bill Walton’s winning streak continues on and the debate over which college basketball team was the best in 1973 is resoundingly resolved.
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