1975 Notre Dame Basketball: Solidifying A Contender

Notre Dame basketball came into the 1975 season off a ’74 campaign that had marked a historic breakthrough. The breakthrough came from Digger Phelps, in his third season, getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and reaching the Sweet 16. The historic part came from ending the 88-game winning streak of John Wooden’s UCLA. The 1975 edition of Notre Dame basketball didn’t do anything quite that grandiose, but they did solidify the progress under Phelps and set themselves up for continued success.

A NEW STAR RISES

The Irish had to replace one of the country’s best power forwards, the departed John Shumate. Digger needed sophomore forward Adrian Dantley to step up. No problem—Dantley merely dropped a stunning 30ppg, and in an era with no shot clock or three-point line. He also went to the glass, averaging ten rebounds a night. Notre Dame’s lineup was top-heavy dependent on its star, but what a star to have.

Dantley’s primary support came from Bill Paterno in the backcourt and Toby Knight up front, each of whom scored in double figures. Dwight Clay was the senior quarterback, running the show from the point and 6’10” Dave Batton could bang down low.

Starting at #14 in the polls, Notre Dame opened the season with an easy win over Northwestern. They went on to decisively beat a good Princeton team that was well-coached under Pete Carrill and would ultimately win the Ivy League. That set up the schedule’s Murderer’s Row—Kansas, Indiana, and UCLA.

THE DECEMBER GAUNTLET

The Jayhawks were coming off a Final Four trip in 1974, but they weren’t quite as good this year. The first hint of that came in their December 9 trip to South Bend. Dantley went off for 31 points, Notre Dame’s pressure defense consistently forced turnovers. The Irish won 72-64 in a game more lopsided than the score makes it look.

Indiana came in next, and the result here was a different story. They were embarking on a run where they would post two consecutive undefeated regular seasons. Which of course gives away the ending of how their visit to South Bend went. Dantley got his points, scoring 32. But the Irish turned it over 22 times, couldn’t stop the Hoosier duo of Scott May and Kent Benson and were never really in a game that ended as a 94-84 loss.

On the Saturday prior to Christmas, Notre Dame went to UCLA. It was Wooden’s final season, and the Bruins would ultimately send him out with a national championship. The Irish got off to a good start, with Dantley scoring 20 in the first half and Notre Dame leading by as many as 16 points. But it didn’t last. UCLA first rallied, then pulled away themselves, ultimately winning 85-72.

The Irish had taken two decisive losses but given that they came to the two best teams in the country, there was little to worry about. Yet.

MORE ROADBLOCKS

Phelps’ team wasn’t done with early season challenges. A week later, they played Kentucky in a road-neutral game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. This year’s Wildcat team was back to being a national contender and ultimately made the Final Four. And once again, Dantley was a lonely warrior against a top opponent. He poured in 39 points. But Kevin Grevey led a balanced Kentucky attack with 20 points. The Wildcats led comfortably the entire way and beat Notre Dame 113-96.

After closing the calendar year with a win over a bad Butler team, the Irish were ranked #19 in the polls. They traveled to seventh-ranked Maryland on the first Saturday of January and dropped a 90-82 decision.

While out east, Notre Dame zipped up to Philadelphia to play Villanova, a program still in construction mode under Rollie Massimino. The Irish took out some frustration by dropping 118 points on ‘Nova in an easy win. But an overtime loss to Pitt meant more frustration.

The Irish had fallen out of the polls when they went up to Milwaukee on January 18 to play Al McGuire’s Marquette team. This was a big rivalry game, between two of three Midwest Catholic universities (DePaul being the other) that played big-time college basketball as independents. It was also a big game, because McGuire routinely turned out national contenders, this year included.

Notre Dame played well for most of the game, leading by seven with 11:30 to go and poised to get a big road win. But as the Warrior defense tightened, the Irish couldn’t respond. Notre Dame faded down the stretch and lost 71-68.

There was no getting around that the Irish were in serious trouble, staring at a 6-6 record. It’s even worse than it may look to the modern college basketball mind. Only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament in 1975. Notre Dame’s back was to the wall.

REVIVAL

The Irish came home and faced a Holy Cross team that was en route to a 20-win season and won a fast-paced 96-91 game. That set up a return trip from UCLA, who regularly played home-and-home with Notre Dame in this era.

Phelps’ team badly needed a signature win. Beating the fourth-ranked Bruins 84-78 certainly qualified.

Less dramatic, but no less notable, is what happened two days later at Western Michigan. The Broncos were a good team, and Notre Dame was in a prime letdown spot on the road. But the Irish kept their focus and pulled out a 73-71 win. They went on to hammer Xavier 96-58.

The surge was briefly quelled against a pretty good Michigan State squad, a tough 93-91 loss. But Notre Dame bounced back against South Carolina. The Gamecocks were also fighting for an NCAA bid. The Irish pulled out a 66-65 thriller. A 99-66 beatdown of Air Force lifted the Notre Dame record to 12-7. They weren’t home free by any stretch. But they were back on their feet.

SECURING AN NCAA BID

A date with St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on a Thursday night was big. The Redmen were 14-6 and also on the NCAA bubble (a term that did not yet exist in popular parlance). This was just the latest in a series of must-win games for the Irish.

Notre Dame was sloppy, managing to turn the ball over 17 times in the first half alone. Somehow, they still led 33-30. But the tide turned in the second half, and the Irish trailed 60-52. The evening, and perhaps the season, were looking bleak.

It was Toby Knight who stepped up. He scored two quick baskets to make it a game and finished with 16 points/12 rebounds. Dantley hit a late free throw to give Notre Dame a 68-67 lead, and one last defensive stop preserved the win.

Two days later, Notre Dame came home to face LaSalle. The Explorers, coached by Paul Westhead, would make the NCAA field, but the Irish handed them a decisive 91-75 loss.

Their prospects for the NCAAs now looking good, Notre Dame stumbled, DePaul, who would end the season with a 15-10 record, wasn’t going anywhere. But they did their part in adding to the anxiety in South Bend. A trip to Chicago ended in a 75-70 loss for the Irish.

Notre Dame made their closing arguments against subpar teams from Fordham and Dayton, juicing up the offense and averaging 100 points in the two wins. The Irish finished the regular season at 16-8. The quality of their schedule still had them ranked #16 in the country. They would be going to the NCAA Tournament.

DANTLEY CLOSES OUT KANSAS

Notre Dame was placed in the Midwest Regional and would go to Tulsa for their Round of 32 game, a rematch with Kansas. Dantley dominated. He scored 33 points on the afternoon. Not only did 19 of those points come in the second half, but most of those 19 came in the final ten minutes. It was an exceptional display of closing by the Irish star and it produced a 77-71 win. Notre Dame was going to Las Cruces, New Mexico for the regionals.

THE RUN COMES TO AN END

Another rematch awaited, this time with Maryland, who was now ranked #4 nationally. The Irish came out firing in this Sweet 16 battle. They led early 15-5 and used their size advantage to produced a 40-29 rebounding advantage on the night.

What they couldn’t do was match the Terps’ dynamic three-guard attack, led by John Lucas. The point guard, with an NBA future ahead of him, scored 24 on the night and pushed Maryland out to a 38-36 lead by halftime.

Turnovers were coming fast and furious on both sides, more than twenty both ways. But the Terps kept shooting well, while the Irish cooled. Maryland got to the foul line more frequently. While Dantley went for 25 points/11 rebounds, Paterno knocked down 17, and Knight grabbed twelve boards, it wasn’t enough. The Terps got more bench contributions, and Notre Dame lost 83-71.

1975 was the final season the NCAA played a consolation game between the teams that lost in the Sweet 16. Notre Dame officially closed their season two days later against Cincinnati. It was a similar result. Dantley poured in 34, Paterno scored 20 and Knight crashed the boards to the tune of 15 rebounds. But turnover problems, 27 in all, led to a 95-87 loss that officially ushered in the offseason.

A PROGRAM HERE TO STAY

1975 was still a year when Notre Dame basketball under Phelps solidified their presence as a consistent contender. This was the second season in a run where Digger made eight straight NCAA Tournaments, seven Sweet 16 trips, and the Final Four in 1978.