IU-Syracuse 1987 Rewatch Postgame Show: Keith Smart is One Hero Among Many

On Sunday night, we rewatched Indiana's 74-73 victory over Syracuse in the 1987 National Championship game. Keith Smart took over down the stretch, culminating in the biggest shot in IU basketball history. But this was a total team effort in which Daryl Thomas, Dean Garrett, Joe Hillman, and, of course, Steve Alford all made massive contributions. After the rewatch, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.On the mics: Jerod, Coach, and GalenAmong the topics discussed:— Why Daryl Thomas deserves nearly as much credit as Keith Smart for the final shot.— How Indiana was able to win despite Steve Alford not attempting a jump shot over the final 10 minutes of the game.— The importance of Dean Garrett's defense after Syracuse's 15-3 run in the second half.— The contrast between the first 30 minutes for Keith Smart, and the final ten after he sat on the bench.— Why Joe Hillman made such a big difference in the second half, and the brilliance of Bob Knight to hold him back in the first half.— What this game continues to mean in the larger context of Indiana basketball.We also point out a few meaningful moments you may have missed, go inside the numbers, hand out our game balls, and discussed what aged the best and worst from this game. All of that, and so much more, on this edition of The Assembly Call.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.