March Madness: Reliving Michael Jordan's final NCAA tournament game NCAA.com

CHAMPS

PRESENTED BY North Carolina and Indiana will face off in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 32 years on Friday night. That 1984 Regional Semifinal game is memorable for a few reasons, but most notably it was Michael Jordan's final college game. The story of the contest proved to be a bold coaching decision by Indiana coach Bob Knight. Knight started Dan Dakich for just the sixth time of the season and stuck him on Jordan. Knight reportedly told Dakich before the contest, “Just don’t let him dunk on you. That will embarrass me and you both.” Dakich has that was Knight's message. READ: Dakich not only avoided embarrassment for he and Knight, but proved to be one of the stars of the game. He held Jordan to just 13 points, and the UNC star ultimately fouled out. Behind Dakich’s defense and 27 points from Steve Alford, the Hoosiers took down the Tar Heels, , and punched their ticket to the Regional Final. The Hoosiers' run would end there, as seven-seeded Virginia took them down in a tight . While the Hoosiers were a very respectable No. 4 seed and entered the tournament with a 21-8 record, this was still a fairly sizable upset. UNC was the tournament's top overall seed with a 27-2 record and had a star-studded roster that included MJ, Sam Perkins and Kenny Smith. Current UNC head coach and then-Tar Heels assistant coach Roy Williams on Tuesday he will never get over the loss. "That was a really tough, emotional day,” he said. “That was a fantastic, fantastic basketball game and a fantastic game played by Indiana, coached by Bob Knight, and played by Steve Alford, Dan Dakich and all those guys. It was one of the most negative moments ever in my basketball life."

Colleges with most players in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

UCLA leads all schools with seven basketball players in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Here s what you need to know about the 2022-2023 preseason wrestling rankings

The wrestling season is officially just days away, and the pre-season rankings offer an early preview of which teams could be contending for a national title. Here’s what you need to know about those Top 25 teams.

11 impact juniors in men' s college basketball ranked by Andy Katz

Andy Katz ranks the juniors he predicts will have the biggest impact in DI men's college basketball for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

DI Men' s Basketball News

Follow NCAA March Madness

Subscribe To Email Updates

Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners Sign Me Up