Heading into the 1978-79 NCAA season, no one expected Indiana State to make it to the Final Four of March Madness, even though Larry Bird had elevated the college program to unprecedented heights with his arrival, averaging over 30 points in both his sophomore and junior years.
Ahead of the famous campaign, the AP preseason poll ranked them just 20th, but their undefeated 33-game streak quickly pushed them to No. 1 in the nation. Everyone was in awe of how well the team was playing. Still, despite Bird’s unreal performances, legendary NCAA announcer and commentator Billy Packer did not hold the Sycamores in high regard.
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Packer’s voice and analysis were highly influential
Packer spent 35 years calling NCAA basketball for NBC and CBS, often sharply criticizing teams and players, with his live commentary sometimes bordering on good taste. Even as Indiana State went undefeated and reached March Madness, Packer continued his loud criticism of Larry and Co.
Bird couldn’t accept that their work wasn’t getting public recognition, as Packer’s voice and analysis were highly influential at the time. It reached a boiling point where Bird could no longer listen, which his Indiana teammate Carl Nicks recalled.
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“The number one thing that got us really loose … is when Larry came up to us in practice during our shootaround and he said, you know, cause we didn’t like Billy Packer because he was hating on us all year. So Larry said, ‘Hey guys, everybody get a ball.’ And we just bombarded Billy with the ball [Laughter]. We just killed him, and I thought that was the highlight of the tournament. And that all got us kind of loose,” Nicks recalled.
The beginning of one of the greatest basketball rivalries
The 1979 Finals between Michigan State and Indiana State was the most-watched game in NCAA history, with an estimated 40 million viewers in 18 million households, a 20 percent increase from the 1978 NCAA championship game. It marked the beginning of one of the greatest rivalries ever seen in basketball – the start of the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era.
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Indiana, the cradle of basketball, a city proud of its working-class roots, had Bird as the perfect figure to represent them against the flashy Michigan State Spartans led by Magic, whom everyone admired. Larry, as a true competitor, wouldn’t let anyone belittle their work – even a big TV personality like Packer. As Nicks confirmed, it became something that united the team ahead of the most important game of the season.
Ultimately, Michigan won that matchup, but the magnitude of the game was felt for years to come. That rivalry between Larry and Magic elevated the NBA to new levels never before seen, which Larry himself once reflected on regarding the impact of that loss.
“That’s the toughest one I’ve ever taken, because you had all of your friends. You’re at a college, you step away from home, I felt that Indiana State, they accepted me, brought me in. It was tough and it’s still tough,” Bird said on Late Show with David Letterman in 2012.
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Packer’s career continued with numerous controversial statements
Bird and Johnson met three times in the NBA Finals. Although Bird avenged that college loss against his fierce rival in 1984, Magic ultimately had the last laugh, winning in 1985 and 1987.
As for Packer, his career continued with numerous controversial statements, including once calling Allen Iverson’s style “tough monkey-like” during a broadcast, though he later apologized. Clearly, Bird’s lesson of throwing balls as a message that he can’t behave that way toward players – especially those who hadn’t lost all season – didn’t entirely stick, as Packer continued his career in his critically sharp style.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.