1974 Notre Dame Basketball: Making History & Starting A New Era

Digger Phelps had Notre Dame basketball on the upswing coming into the 1974 college basketball season. While he inherited a program in 1972 that had just gone to consecutive Sweet 16s, every single notable player from those teams was gone. Starting from scratch, Phelps won just six games in his first year in South Bend. But the Irish improved in 1973, winning 18 games. In 1974, they took the big leap—returning to the NCAA Tournament, starting a sustained string of success and pulling off what is likely the biggest regular season victory in the history of college basketball.

Notre Dame was built around their forwards. Sophomore John Shumate averaged 24 points/11 rebounds and was the team’s best player. Adrian Dantley was a freshman with a Hall of Fame NBA career ahead of him. Dantley posted a per-game average of 18/9.  Gary Novak rounded out the frontcourt, averaging six rebounds a night.

The Irish also got good work on the backcourt. Dwight Clay was a reliable playmaker, and Gary Brokaw was good for 17ppg per game. Notre Dame was ranked #8 in the preseason polls.

After winning three tune-up games, they went downstate to Bloomington to face Bob Knight’s Indiana team. The Hoosiers were fresh off a Final Four appearance and would tie for the Big Ten championship this season. Shumate stole the show, scoring 26 points and the Irish won 73-67. They went on to knock off Kentucky, who was going through a down year. Notre Dame’s record moved to 8-0 by the time they faced UCLA.

NOTRE DAME MAKES HISTORY AGAINST UCLA

To say the Bruins were #1 in the country drastically understates the significance of their visit to South Bend on January 19. Under the leadership of John Wooden, the Bruins had won eight consecutive NCAA championships. They had an all-time great at center in Bill Walton. Oh, and UCLA had also won 88 consecutive games coming in. And with 3:28 to play, UCLA led 70-59 and looked comfortably on their way to #89.

Shumate turned the tide. He scored, forced a turnover and scored again. Notre Dame was suddenly back within seven. And the Bruins went cold. The Irish cut the lead to 70-69. The crowd was rocking.  

After a charging call, Notre Dame got the ball back. Clay dropped a soft baseline jumper to get the lead with 0:29 left. UCLA got the last shot. In fact, they got five of them. They all missed. The Irish had shocked the nation with a 71-70 win, and it signaled the first crack in the Wooden Dynasty.

WITHSTANDING THE PRESSURE

Now #1 in the country, the Irish had no time to celebrate. They went to Kansas, who was bound for the Final Four. Notre Dame got a big basket late from Dantley and pulled out a 76-74 win.

This was an era when Notre Dame and UCLA frequently played a home-and-home sequence. The Irish visit west for the rematch wasn’t a shock—a 94-75 loss to a revenge-minded team. But they were still #3 in the country and poised to host a big rival, fifth-ranked Marquette.

Shumate again delivered against a high-quality opponent, scoring 27 points. Notre Dame won 69-63. The Marquette win was followed by a home date with DePaul, the third of three major Catholic basketball-playing schools along I-94 to I-90 in the Midwest. The Blue Demons were in a rebuilding process, and the Irish cruised to a 101-72 win.  

Notre Dame kept their focus against good opponents from Davidson, Michigan State, and LaSalle, continuing to win and building their record to 18-1. They went to South Carolina and beat another good team, 72-68. Then the Irish took advantage of a soft schedule spot, cruising through four home games and dropping 115 points on a bad Villanova squad.

The Irish lost the finale, 97-82 at Dayton, where the Flyers were playing to try and get in the NCAA field. But Notre Dame still closed the regular season at #3 in the polls.

A SMALLER NCAA FIELD & THE MIDEAST GAUNTLET

The NCAA Tournament was—to put it mildly—a little smaller, and not quite the same event that it is today. Only 25 teams qualified. Notre Dame, along with Marquette, was placed in the six-team Mideast Regional (a region that is today called the South). There was no seeding. Michigan and Vanderbilt had been placed directly into the Sweet 16. The Irish and Warriors would have to win a game in Terre Haute to try and join them.

Notre Dame was matched up with Austin Peay, who had one of the most electric players in the country. James “Fly” Williams averaged over 27ppg, and was also a double-digit rebounder. While the Irish had more balance, the Fly was no one to overlook in a one-game shot.

But Notre Dame’s own offense controlled the game. They shot 60 percent from the floor. Brokaw poured in 25. The Irish were up 54-34 by halftime. The Fly got his points, but at the cost of 13-for-31 shooting. Notre Dame was moving on to Tuscaloosa for the regionals.

MICHIGAN ENDS NOTRE DAME’S FINAL FOUR DREAMS

The renewal of Notre Dame and Michigan’s football rivalry was still four years off. The two schools had to settle their grudges on the hardwood. The Wolverines had gotten here by winning a tiebreaker game against Indiana to be the one Big Ten team able to qualify for the NCAA Tournament (like we said, it was a very different era). Michigan was led by a standout forward in Campy Russell, with a well-balanced lineup around him.

Notre Dame got off to a horrible start, falling behind 28-8. But they didn’t quit. Shumate got rolling and the deficit was cut to 34-29 by halftime. Then Shumate and Russell settled into an epic battle. The Irish forward went off for 34 points/17 rebounds. His Wolverine counterpart answered with a 36/18 line.

The supporting casts were the difference. Notre Dame’s secondary players struggled. Brokaw and Novak combined to shoot 9-for-31. What had been a magical season in South Bend came to an end with a 77-69 loss.

CONSOLATION FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON

In something that’s hard to fathom in our own day, the losers of the Sweet 16 round played a “third-place” regional consolation game through 1975. Notre Dame and Vanderbilt, who lost to Marquette, were each given the opportunity to go out on a good note. The Irish took advantage. They shot 60 percent from the floor and the Shumate/Dantley duo was on fire—a combined 59 points and 17 rebounds. Brokaw and Novak provided more than their share of support, combining for 36 more points. The fact both teams were dealing with disappointment may have and contributed to the lack of defense, but Notre Dame closed out their season with a 118-88 win.

More important, Phelps had the Irish program back on the national radar. This began an eight-year run that constitutes the glory days of Notre Dame basketball history. From 1974-81, the Irish made the NCAA field every year, reached the seven Sweet 16s, and went to the Final Four in 1978. It was all part of the magic that began in 1974.