1978 Notre Dame Basketball: Digger’s Final Four Breakthrough

Notre Dame basketball was in a cycle—a successful one, to be sure, but one with a ceiling that was getting frustrating. Coming into 1978, the Irish had made the Sweet 16 four straight times…and lost in that round each time. The fan base wanted a Final Four. And in 1978, they got it.

A VETERAN CORE & A STAR FRESHMAN

Head coach Digger Phelps welcomed back a veteran lineup. Duck Williams was the senior leader in the backcourt, averaging 13ppg. Senior Dave Batton anchored the low post, with a 14 points/7 rebounds per-game average. Bill Laimbeer, with a bright NBA future ahead of him, was a junior and averaged seven rebounds a night. Junior forward Bruce Flowers provided more rebounding help for a lineup that was big and physical.

Williams had a younger running mate in the backcourt, sophomore Rich Branning, who could shoot from the outside and averaged 11ppg. But the big new addition that helped put Notre Dame over the top was an incoming freshman. Kelly Tripucka began a brilliant career in South Bend by averaging a 12/5 line.

The expectations were high—Notre Dame opened the season ranked #4 in the country. Now, they had to deliver.

HIGHS AND LOWS

The Irish tuned up with five comfortable wins and then traveled to fifth-ranked UCLA on December 10. Batton scored 22 points, Branning hit a couple of key free throws late in the game. Notre Dame got a 69-66 win and moved to #2 in the nation.

But difficult times lie ahead. The Irish traveled to Indiana to face Bob Knight’s Hoosiers, who ultimately made the Sweet 16. Trailing by eight late in the game, Notre Dame rallied to tie it, but still ultimately dropped a 67-66 decision.

The next marquee game was against Kentucky on New Year’s Eve in Louisville. This was a great Wildcat team, one that had validated extremely high expectations by winning the national championship in March. After falling behind by twelve points in the first half, the Irish chipped their way back into the game and eventually surged ahead 66-63. But they couldn’t close it out, ultimately losing 73-68.

Losing to an outstanding team was nothing to be ashamed of, but Notre Dame had to feel like an opportunity had been missed. At least the campus had something to cheer—two days later, Joe Montana and the Irish football team brought home the national championship. Now, Digger wanted to get in on the party.

San Francisco typically played good basketball in this era and 1978 was no exception. A January 10 visit resulted in a 79-70 loss. The Irish were 6-3. There was no reason to panic. But at a time when only 32 teams were chosen for the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame needed to get this ship turned around.

TURNING THE CORNER

A three-game stretch that included games with NCAA-bound teams in St. Bonaventure and Villanova produced three wins and got the Irish back on track. Notre Dame traditionally played UCLA home-and-home, something that was a national highlight of college basketball during the regular season. The Bruins made the return trip to South Bend on January 22.

Williams, nursing an ankle injury, didn’t start, but he got in the game quickly and showed no signs of impact from the injury. In the first half alone, Duck knocked down 13 points. The trio of Laimbeer, Flowers, and Batton were controlling the boards. The Irish led by nine at the half. UCLA rallied, and Notre Dame was clinging to a 74-73 lead in the closing seconds. But the Bruins missed the front end of a one-and-one, Flowers rebounded and rebounded and hit a final free throw that closed a 75-73 win.

The Irish had swept their series with UCLA, were back to #5 in the polls and were on a winning streak that eventually reached nine games. Notre Dame was 15-3 when they hosted DePaul on February 12.

BATTLING DEPAUL

The Blue Demons were 19-2 and also ranked in the top 10. So was Marquette, the defending national champion. The Catholic basketball universities of the Midwest, all independents in this era, were playing great basketball in 1978 and this game was a Sunday afternoon marquee.

This game was a thriller all the way, with the margin rarely outside one or two points after halftime. At the end of regulation, wee were in a 61-61 tie. Notre Dame appeared to assert themselves in overtime, seizing a 68-63 lead. But in echoes of the Kentucky loss, the Irish couldn’t close. DePaul scored the game’s final six points and handed the Irish a tough 69-68 defeat.

After beating Fordham, Notre Dame suffered a loss to a pedestrian South Carolina team. The Irish bounced back by beating a good N.C. State squad. That set up the next big showdown with a regional rival. Marquette was coming to South Bend on the final Sunday of February.

BATTLING MARQUETTE

Even with MU’s legendary head coach Al McGuire having retired, the Warriors didn’t appear to be missing a beat. The defending national champs were ranked #1 in the country. Digger had already built himself something of a legend for taking down #1 teams on his home floor, something that started when the Irish had ended the 88-game winning streak of John Wooden’s UCLA back in 1974.

The efforts to do it again began poorly, as Marquette roared to a 39-25 lead. Tripucka keyed the comeback. After a quiet first half, the freshman scored 15 after intermission. Notre Dame rallied and with less than three minutes left, a Duck Williams jumper gave them a 58-57 lead. The Irish executed down the stretch. Duck hit a couple free throws. Tripucka scored his final two baskets. Digger had taken down another #1 team in a 65-59 win.

HEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT

Even with a week to recover, Notre Dame still dumped a game at mediocre Dayton a week later. But they closed the season out by comfortably beating a respectable Loyola-Chicago team. The Irish finished with a 19-6 record and were ticketed to the Midwest Regional. This was the last year the NCAA Tournament bracket was unseeded, but it was clear the pairings were set up to put Notre Dame and DePaul on a collision course to eventually play in the regional final. It was time to see if Digger could finally get to a Final Four.

DOMINANCE OVER HOUSTON

Houston, coached by Guy Lewis, was the opponent in the Round of 32 game in Tulsa. The Cougars had qualified for the field by winning the tournament of the old Southwest Conference and getting an automatic bid, beating an eventual Final Four team in Arkansas.

But they had little left in the tank for Notre Dame. The Irish were up by fifteen at the half. Laimbeer went off for 20 points/9 rebounds. The outcome was never in doubt. Notre Dame’s 100-77 win was the most decisive victory anyone had in the opening round. They were headed for Lawrence, and old Allen Fieldhouse for the regionals.

TRIPUCKA TAKES OVER

Utah had made a pair of Final Fours as recently as the 1960s, and the Utes had a strong frontcourt that could potentially neutralize Notre Dame’s strength. The Irish trailed 52-51 past the midway point of the second half. The possibility of more Sweet 16 frustration loomed.

It was the freshman who took over. Tripucka scored seven of his 20 points on an 11-0 run that put Notre Dame in command as the clock moved under three minutes. Tough defense held Utah to 43 percent shooting. The game was closer than the 69-56 indicated, but the important thing was that the Irish were finally playing beyond the Sweet 16.

DePaul had survived a thriller against Louisville. Appropriately, a regional final scheduled for Palm Sunday would see the two Catholic rivals battle for the Final Four.

PALM SUNDAY SHOWDOWN

There was a lot of back-and-forth through much of the first half, although the Blue Demons appeared to have a slight upper hand and they pushed out to a 29-21 lead. What the Irish had was an advantage in depth. DePaul’s starters were getting fatigued and their shots in the final few minutes of the opening half started to come up short. In the meantime, Notre Dame’s rested big men were finding some open looks in the Blue Demon zone from 10-15 feet. The Irish wiped out the lead, pulled even 31-31, and then took a 37-33 lead going into intermission.

With halftime to rest up, DePaul found their mojo from earlier in the first half and blitzed Notre Dame with a 12-2 run to open the second half. The Irish trailed 44-39. Tripucka, much like he had two nights earlier, stepped up. He got himself in the middle of the Blue Demon zone and started connecting, leading the Irish into a 47-46 lead. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with Notre Dame holding a 58-54 edge with seven minutes left.

The Irish advantage in depth certainly wasn’t going away, and they ended the second half as they had the first—on a roll. Once again in these regionals, an 11-0 run late was decisive. Notre Dame was ahead 67-54 with five minutes to play. In an era that had no shot clock and no three-point line, the Irish were in complete command. They managed the final minutes and won 84-64.

Tripucka finished with 18 points/11 rebounds and was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player. A 43-32 edge in rebounding was decisive. At long last, Notre Dame was going to the Final Four.

BITTERSWEET IN ST. LOUIS

The magic finally ran out in Saturday’s national semifinal in St. Louis. Notre Dame faced Duke. A younger generation may find this hard to believe, but in the world of 1978, the Blue Devils were the lovable underdog, the total surprise team making their first Final Four appearance. The Irish fell behind 43-29 at the half and trailed by double digits much of the second half. A dramatic surge late in the game actually gave them a chance to win it, but they ultimately fell short, 90-86.

Notre Dame was going home in disappointment, but they had still enjoyed a historic breakthrough and had found a freshman to build around in Tripucka. The bigger disappointment is this—even though the Irish continued to be a nationally elite team during Tripucka’s next three seasons, they could not get back to the Final Four.