| EMU surged ahead again to open the second half but a 16-6 run brought Evansville to within two points, 77-75--and the crowd came back to life. But Gervin scored twice to increase the lead to six. The "Iceman," Gary Tyson, and Bill James had committed four fouls apiece. Playing perhaps too carefully, EMU then failed to score on four straight possessions. Back came the Aces, who cut the deficit to one, 85-84, with three minutes left to play. A minute-thirty later, EMU up 88-86, Dutcher directed the Hurons to stall. The Aces had no choice but come out and defend the perimeter. That left forward Earl Dixon all alone under the basket. He took a pass and laid it in to make it 90-86. Trying not to foul, the Hurons allowed room for Evansville center Steve Welmer to score in the paint. Running out the clock, the Hurons again played keep-away until Buse fouled Dixon with 19 seconds left. Coach McCutchan called time out to make Dixon think about his free throws. He did, making the first but missing the second. Evansville got the rebound. Working quickly, down by three, the Aces missed a hurried shot. Dixon raked in the rebound, slapped the ball up to Gervin, who in turn rushed a long pass upcourt to Lindell Reason, who accepted the pass off-balance along the Evansville end line. Falling backwards under the basket, Reason threw up a shot that caromed in. Eastern's final fast break of the game sealed the victory and finally quieted the 13,000 fans. Well, most of them anyways, because Sponberg and the tiny band of Huron fans raced onto the court as the final buzzer sounded, mobbing Eastern's original Road Warriors. The Hurons pulled off a stunning 93-88 upset over the defending NCAA champions on their home court. Reason led all scorers with 24 points; Gervin added 23. As a team, the Hurons shot 57% from the floor. But this was a total team effort from a squad that was about to be broken up for good. After mowing down Assumption in the next round of the tournament, the Hurons imploded in shocking fashion. In the national semi-finals, they were demolished by Roanoke College in a game that ended in an on-court brawl. Gervin was suspended from the team and eventually quit college for a Hall-of-Fame career in the pros. Dixon, Reason, and James were also suspended, but their eligibility was finished, anyhow. Citing an inability to control his team, Dutcher resigned, bringing down the curtain on the second Golden Era of Huron basketball. But that one magical night in Evansville, the Hurons proved they belonged in the ranks of the College Division in the very first NCAA campaign in Huron Hardwood History. Return to: Huron Hardwood History Dave's Attic |
| You first become conscious of the noise as you wait in the lockerroom. Twisting a towel in your hands...absentmindedly dribbling a basketball...relacing your shoes for the third time... The expectant buzz of anticipation begins to fill the room from a growing crowd somewhere outside. It begins as a murmur but soon swells into a raucous, swirling roar as game time approaches. Once you notice it, you can't put it out of your mind. The arena is almost full as you and your teammates trot down the runway and through the tunnel, where the noise reverberates. You pause for a moment and realize you are not in the friendly confines of Bowen Field House but have come to play in a much larger, louder, and more hostile environment. You jog on to the playing court and are met by a burst of boos. You and the Eastern Michigan Hurons have just entered a screaming madhouse known as Roberts Municipal Stadium in Evansville, Indiana. To imagine the odds faced by those 1972 Hurons as they entered the NCAA College Division Tournament is to understand the tremendous home-court advantage enjoyed by the University of Evansville Purple Aces. Evansville had hosted the College Division finals since the tournament's inception in 1957. The host team won the title five times--including the one the year before. The legendary Arad McCutchan coached the Aces to all those championships, and possessed the talent to contend again. On the court, Don Buse was an All American guard who would later star in the ABA and NBA. Steve Welmer was a powerful 6'9", 240 pound center who could dominate the paint. The Hurons, on the other hand, were newcomers to the College Division, having moved up from the NAIA that season. Eastern certainly deserved a shot at the Aces. Silky smooth George Gervin emerged early in the season to post All-American statistics and ignite a school-record 18 consecutive victories. Both EMU and Evansville won their first round tournament games, and met on a cold Friday night to determine the Great Lakes Regional Champion. A capacity crowd filled the 13,000 seat stadium to cheer the Purple Aces on to yet another tournament victory. A tiny contingent of Huron fans, led by President Harold Sponberg, made the trip from Ypsilanti but seemed lost amid the loud Evansville partisans. The unfriendly reception made no impression on the Hurons, who burst out of the gate with a blitzkrieg fast break that left the Aces in the dust. McCutchan often employed run and gun offenses, but this time he was outgunned. When reserve Dave Frost completed a three-point play, the Hurons led 50-37. A late Evansville run cut the Eastern lead to 52-45 by halftime. But Head Coach Jim Dutcher had established several things: the fast break was working with precision; the Hurons were hitting their field goals; and most importantly, they had taken the crowd out of the game from the opening tipoff. |
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| Jim Dutcher |
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| George Gervin |
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| March 11, 1972 Evansville, IN Eastern Michigan 93 Evansville 88 |