1977 Marquette Basketball: Al McGuire Goes Out A Winner

Marquette basketball was coming into 1977 on a high. They made a strong run in 1976 that was only stopped in a regional final by Bob Knight’s undefeated Indiana team. Al McGuire, later to gain fame as an NBC commentator was the head coach. McGuire was out of New York, colorful, witty and bombastic and in the days before the Big East got control of the New York area, was able to successfully recruit the Big Apple and get talent back to the Midwest.

McGuire turned Marquette into a consistent national contender and had reached the NCAA final back in 1974 before a loss to David Thompson and N.C. State ended Al’s pursuit of his first championship. 1977 would be his last ride, and it would prove to be one of the most memorable farewells in the history of any sport.

OPENING BOMBSHELL

Marquette was ranked #2 in the preseason polls. Butch Lee was coming into his own as a junior and would average 20ppg in the coming year. Bo Ellis, a four-year starter at forward was headed for a season where he averaged 16 points/8 rebounds. Jerome Whitehead gave MU a force in the middle. This 1977 edition of Marquette hoops wasn’t deep, but they had three core stars.

But December was a difficult month. After winning three tune-up games, the Warriors got set to welcome ranked opponents from Louisville and Minnesota to the MECCA Arena. The Cardinals were coming in on Saturday, the 18th.

On Friday, a bombshell dropped. McGuire announced that this was going to be his last year on the sidelines. Over the past six years, he had been on the Board of Directors for Medalist, a sporting goods company. In an era where coaches weren’t paid anywhere close to what they are now, the 48-year-old coach was taking steps to shore up his financial security. And, as we know today, he would soon have a TV gig on NBC.

Marquette responded to the announcement by losing the Cardinals and Gophers. They were 3-2, down to #12 in the polls and staring at an uncertain future.

BIG JANUARY WINS

The Milwaukee Classic, a holiday tournament held between Christmas and New Year’s that this writer used to attend with his father, represented one in what would be many turning points in this roller-coaster season. Marquette knocked off 10th-ranked Clemson, then beat in-state rival Wisconsin.

Four soft opponents were ahead, and the Warriors took advantage and built some momentum. They were on a six-game winning streak when Digger Phelps brought a good Notre Dame team north to Milwaukee on January 16.

Marquette handed the Irish a 66-53 loss. When the next polls came out, the Warriors were back up to #8. Then they won four more games, including an 85-64 blistering of DePaul, their Catholic rival from Chicago. When January ended, Marquette was 13-2. Maybe Al’s last ride would turn out okay after all.

AGGRAVATING FEBRUARY LOSSES

Or maybe not. Marquette’s winning streak came to end with a Sunday trip to Cincinnati on February 6, and a tough 63-62 loss. After a couple of easy wins, DePaul made the return trip to Milwaukee on February 14. A Blue Demon team that was mostly mediocre made its season by handing the Warriors a 77-72 upset in double OT.

Two days later, the University of Detroit came to the Mecca. The Titans had won 20 games in a row. They were bound for the NCAA Tournament. This was Dick Vitale’s best team in the Motor City. The game would be a classic. And Marquette dropped a 64-63 stunner.

A now slumping team hosted Wichita State for McGuire’s final home game on Feburary 19. In a game that would leave Warrior observers furious over what they saw as officiating out to get Al, the 18-win Shockers handed MU a 75-64 loss.

McGuire’s home career at Marquette had ended with three straight losses. They were down to #18 in the polls. They were staring at five road games to end the year.

Furthermore, in this era when only 32 teams made the NCAA Tournament, the Warriors were far from home free to even make the Dance. .

ROAD WARRIORS

Marquette bounced back. Again. They got on the bus to Madison and knocked off Wisconsin. Then Marquette got on plane to travel and rolled through a couple of good teams in Virginia Tech and Creighton, along with subpar Tulane.

That set up the finale with third-ranked Michigan on Selection Sunday. There are a lot of ways to illustrate how much the landscape of college basketball and the NCAA Tournament has changed over the years. Here’s one—Marquette found during the game—one they ended up losing by a point—that they were ticketed for the NCAA Tournament.

Al’s last run would continue on to the Midwest Regional and a rematch with 11th-ranked Cincinnati in Omaha.

HANDLING CINCINNATI

For roughly thirty minutes of basketball, Marquette still didn’t look like a national championship team. The Warriors trailed 31-28 at intermission, and were still down 41-40 with about ten minutes to play.

What MU was doing was the bread-and-butter basics of rebounding and playing aggressive defense. They outrebounded the Bearcats 30-20 and forced 16 turnovers while committing only nine. That’s the formula to break a team late and that’s exactly what the Warriors did.

They ripped off 13 unanswered points, most scored by Whitehead and Ellis in the frontcourt, and were suddenly sitting on a comfortable 53-41 lead with less than four minutes to play. The final was 66-51. Ellis’ 17 points led all Marquette scorers. Lee had a balanced 13/5/5 line. Whitehead scored 15 points and the big center combined with Rosenberger and Toone off the bench for 16 rebounds, keying the decisive Warrior glass edge. Marquette was moving on to the Sweet 16.

The Warriors had the advantage of a draw that was then unseeded with no real effort made to ensure bracket balance across the four regionals.  Of the four remaining teams in the Midwest, only ninth-ranked Wake Forest was in the top 10.. The pathway to Atlanta and the Final Four was right there for Al as he took his team to Oklahoma City.

RALLYING PAST KANSAS STATE

Kansas State was a well-coached team under Jack Hartman. A balanced Wildcat lineup had the Warriors in a 36-28 hole at the half.

MU was being outplayed in most phases of the game. They allowed 50 percent shooting from the floor and only hit 41 percent themselves. They would lose the rebounding battle decisively, 36-27. Their deficit was double digits at multiple points in the second half. That’s the formula for defeat in any era, much less one without a shot clock or a three-point line to facilitate comebacks.

But come back is exactly what Marquette did. Lee tied the game at 58 with a jumper with seven minutes to go. In the closing minute, Marquette had nudged out to a one-point lead. Lee delivered again, a driving layup that put them up 67-64 with 0:18 on the clock. Kansas State scored one more time, but that was it. The Warriors survived 67-66.

ROLLING THROUGH WAKE FOREST

Wake Forest had finished second in the ACC to North Carolina and were looking to join their conference rival in the Final Four. The Demon Deacons had a great small forward in Rod Griffin, who scored 20ppg and rebounded. Skip Lockwood was a prolific scorer and ballhandler in the backcourt. For the third straight game, Marquette was slow out of the gate and trailed 35-31 at the half.

But that was a pace the Warriors could live with. Wake averaged more than 80ppg, compared to Marquette’s 70. MU’s success was built on giving up the second-fewest points of anyone in the country and this halftime score was in their wheelhouse.

Moreover, the Warriors had better balance and all of that started to show in the second half. Bo Ellis finished with 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Lee knocked down 19. And no one was more impactful in the second half than Toone. He scored 18 points—all of them after intermission.

Keyed by Toone’s takeover, Marquette surged out to a nine-point lead at 54-45. They turned back a brief Wake rally and pulled back away to win 82-68.

Lee was named the Midwest Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. For the second time in four years, Al had the Warriors in the Final Four.

FINAL FOUR EPIC

Back in 1974,  Marquette lost the final to N.C. State. The state of North Carolina loomed over this one as well, with upstart UNC-Charlotte waiting in the semi-final and the other side of the draw in Atlanta featuring North Carolina-UNLV, a battle of Top 5 teams.

Charlotte wasn’t highly regarded, but they had an elite power forward in Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, who would go on to a solid NBA career with the Boston Celtics and contribute to two championship teams.

But on Semi-Final Saturday, Jerome Whitehead outplayed him. MU’s own center scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. The game was a microcosm of the Warrior season. They surged out to a 23-9 lead and looked completely in command. But Marquette was not shooting well, and ended up at 40 percent on the afternoon. The 49ers came rallying back, had the Warriors on the ropes

Ellis was a non-factor in this game and Lee struggled to shoot 5-for-18. Marquette’s own defense and their ability close off meaningful contributions from Cornbread’s supporting cast was keeping it tight. The game was tied 49-49 in the closing seconds. The Warriors had the ball under their own basket. We looked headed for overtime

Whitehead was positioned down at the far end. He was surrounded by three Charlotte defenders, including Maxwell. A long pass went down to the opposite foul line. Everyone went up for it. Maxwell actually got his hands on the ball first, but it bounced off and Whitehead was able to corral lit. He put down a dribble and went to the hoop. Layup.

Had Whitehead gotten the shot off in time? While everything happened quickly, Maxwell’s deflection started the clock a little early. Everyone converged on the scorer’s table as the officials consulted.

NBC showed the replay. This was well before the era of the big red light above the basket. On the replay, it showed :01 still on the TV clock as Whitehead let the ball go. This was a good basket. And that’s what the officials concluded. It hadn’t been pretty, but Marquette was going to play for the national championship.

MONDAY NIGHT SWAN SONG

The wins over Kansas State and UNC-Charlotte were in the miraculous category, but as the Warriors got set to face North Carolina on Monday night the relative ease of the draw was also worth noting. Wake Forest was the highest-ranked opponent they’d faced and Charlotte’s upset of Michigan in a regional final was a big boost. North Carolina, meanwhile, had to take out elite opponents in Kentucky in the East Regional Final and then UNLV. It was McGuire and a young Dean Smith, each gunning for their first national title, in the old Atlanta Omni.

The Tar Heels were led by point guard Phil Ford, the National Player of the Year and the ACC champs were favored to win on Monday night, in front of the NBC cameras with Dick Enberg and Billy Packer calling the game.

Marquette’s zone was creating problems for a UNC team that relied on Ford’s creativity and power down low. For the first ten minutes or so, the game was played at the kind of grinding pace the Warriors wanted. And after his tough game on Saturday, Lee was getting into a groove, one that would take him to a 19-point evening. The Warriors surged in the latter part of the first half and took a 39-27 lead into the locker room.

Each legendary coach made some interesting strategic decisions. Al, after the successful first half, came out in a man-to-man defense. While he went back to a zone, it was enough to trigger momentum. The Tar Heels surged into a 41-41 tie, and then they kept rolling, stretching the lead to eight points. It appeared North Carolina’s talent edge was taking over.

Now, it was Dean’s turn to perhaps overthink things. To get the Warriors out of the zone, he went to his “Four Corners” offense. With no shot clock, the purpose was just to move the ball around and force the defense to start chasing.

The problem is, it also killed momentum. And the result was that this roller-coaster Marquette season had one final pivot.

By the time there were six minutes to go, the score was tied 47-47. Lee was taking over. He pushed the Warriors to a 53-49 lead as the clock moved under two minutes. Then it nudged out to a 59-54 with 0:47 left. Enberg welcomed the audience to “the longest minute of Al McGuire’s life.”

The Warriors had things under control for their beloved coach. They hit their free throws and the final score was ultimately 67-59. Lee was named Most Outstanding Player, while Ellis posted 14 points/9 rebounds and Whitehead grabbed eleven more boards.

But Al was the story. The indelible image of that game is the old warhorse himself, McGuire on the bench with tears rolling down his cheeks, a champion in the last game he ever coached.