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Forty Years Ago Today

3/11/03
by John C. Thomas

Monday, March 11, 1963 vs. Tennessee Tech at Evanston, IL

The two first-round NCAA Tournament games at Northwestern's McGaw Hall began with a rematch between a surging Bowling Green team and Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. The Falcons had defeated the Irish earlier in the year at Bowling Green, and the Mid-American Conference champion Falcons had won 10 of their previous 12 games-including a decisive victory over the then-#2 Ramblers. A standing-room only crowd of 8,613-most of them backing the Irish-- filled the arena to watch the Irish go down 77-72 to Nate Thurmond and the Bowling Green Falcons. The next opponent for the Falcons would be Big 10 champion Illinois at East Lansing, MI, on Friday, March 15.

The Ramblers came out for their warm-ups immediately after the floor was cleared from the first game of the night at about 9:40 p.m. Many of the Notre Dame and Bowling Green fans drifted out of the building before the opening tip of the second game. Pity them, because they missed what still stands as the game with the biggest margin of victory in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

With the score tied at 2-2 early in the game, Loyola reeled off 14 consecutive points to lead 16-2 before Tech scored their second basket. Before seven minutes had ticked off the clock, Loyola had a 26-6 lead, largely on the strength of playing the passing lanes for steals and easy breakaway lay-ups. The Ramblers continued to pour it on without mercy for the rest of the half. At the break, it was Loyola 61, Tech 20.

A lot of observers wondered if the philosophy behind Loyola's total first half dominance of Tennessee Tech was to make a statement. Loyola players deny that Coach Ireland wanted to pour on the scoring against Tech to make a statement to McCarthy and the rest of the college basketball world. Nevertheless, some of the members of the press interviewed Mississippi State coach Babe McCarthy at halftime, and McCarthy was stunned.

"I wish I'd stayed home," McCarthy told the Chicago Tribune. "Nobody can beat a team like that."

McCarthy told the Chicago Daily News: "They are the best fast break team-- the best ball hawks-- I've ever seen. We haven't played anybody like this. We have the best speed in our conference, but it's nothing like this. Look at these shooting statistics. Both teams took 46 shots. Chicago made 25. Tech made eight. They'll beat anybody in America if they swap shots with 'em. We can't get off that many shots."

It was more of the same in the second half, as Tennessee Tech played out their NCAA appearance as though they were happy to be there. Loyola passed the 100-point mark with 5:17 left in the game, as John Egan sank two free throws. And when Loyola reserve and Evanston native Jim Reardon stole the ball and sank a lay-up in the last minute to give Loyola their final points, it broke the all-time tournament record for scoring by a single team.

Loyola shot 56% from the floor compared to Tech's 22%. Loyola's scoring was balanced almost to the point of perfection-- Ron Miller led Loyola's starters with 21 points and the low scorer among the starting five was Les Hunter with 17. The bench figured in with 18 points of their own. The Ramblers dominated on the boards, as well, capturing 66 rebounds to Tech's 42. Every player, including the last man on the bench, 6'9" 240-pound Rich Rochelle, saw time and scored in the game.

The Ramblers had certainly made a statement. It addition to setting the tourney scoring record with 111 points, the Ramblers' defense held Tech to the lowest shooting percentage in tournament history, and the 69-point margin of victory is a tournament record that still stands.

The AP poll was impressed, too. After dropping to #5 in the rankings, the Ramblers' performance against Tennessee Tech boosted Loyola back to the #3 spot in the final poll of the year, behind Duke and the team that had led the polls throughout the season-the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Mississippi State Coach Babe McCarthy may have been a little apprehensive after watching Loyola's complete demolition of Tennessee Tech. McCarthy was in attendance scouting the game only because the Mississippi State university officials had approved his playing in the tournament, potentially against integrated teams. Unfortunately, the university administration did not have the final word.