HoustonBasketball Posts -- FanHouse

Remembering the Houston-UCLA 'Game of the Century' 40 Years Later

Nowadays, we come across a so-called "the game of the century" seemingly every year (didn't the Patriots have a few of them in the past NFL season?) that it has become cliche. Even the people giving that moniker know it.

However, on January 20, 1968 ... exactly 40 years ago today ... we had the actual thing. #1 UCLA, led by Lew Alcinder, against #2 Houston, with Elvin Hayes in the middle, in Houston's Astrodome in front of 52,629 fans. UCLA was riding a 47-game winning streak (spanning over two-plus seasons) that included a win over Houston in the 1967 Final Four. That was Houston's last defeat heading into this contest.

Not only was this a great game (Hayes hit two free throws to give the Cougars the 71-69 win) but it may have been one of the most important college basketball games ever. This was the first NCAA hoops game to be broadcast nationally in prime time. Up to that point, only postseason games were televised nationally and there was quite a buzz about the non-profit NCAA putting a regular season game out there like this.

In some ways, it birthed "March Madness". Sure, Magic vs Bird helped turn it into the spectacle that it is today, but this game fathered the idea that there could be a madness part of the tournament. People wanted to see games like this. It also put the thought of having basketball games in football/basketball domed stadiums ... something so radical at the time. Because of the success of this game, the Final Four went to the Astrodome in 1971, then the 1982 Final Four went to the Louisiana Superdome. Since 1996, every Final Four has been held in a domed-stadium.

Are You Taking Kentucky +3.5 at Houston?

According to Jeff Sagarin and Ken Pomeroy, both UAB and Houston are two of the better teams in Conference USA -- at least of the teams not located in Memphis -- and UAB was able to pull off a win against Kentucky last Saturday. Knowing those facts, I can't decide whether or not I'm surprised that when Kentucky takes the floor tonight against the Cougars in Houston, Big Blue will be underdogs. At least they will be in many sportsbooks, where UK is getting 3.5 points in tonight's game (of course, this is all "for entertainment purposes only," natch).

After all, this isn't Phi Slama Jama Houston, although they do some things well. They can shoot from behind the arc: UH is ninth nationally in three pointers made (and good for 38%). The Coogs take a lot of shots overall, and that means chances for rebounds. Statistically, Houston's a slightly better rebounding team, but they haven't played nearly the schedule Kentucky has. In a rebounding matchup, Patrick Patterson could have a big night for UK.

After all, Kentucky -- while reeling a little right now -- is still Kentucky. They've got Ramel Bradley, who can shoot the lights out, and they'll get some minutes from Jodie Meeks, who hasn't played since the 'Cats loss to Gardner-Webb in the second game of the season. That loss started the downward spiral that claimed four Kentucky losses in seven games, but a big win tonight could pull UK out of the nose dive.

So again I ask: would you take Kentucky and the points? Or will struggles continue for Billy Gillespie and co.?