Indiana collected the fifth NCAA championship in school history with a 74-73 win against Syracuse as Keith Smart delivered the winning jumper with five seconds left to help down the Orangemen and star freshman Derrick Coleman.
64 Teams, Three-Point Shot Added
The NCAA field once again remained at 64 teams. But a major change came as the three-point shot was added to college basketball. And three of the Final Four teams used it to reach the final weekend. The tournament ran from March 12 to March 30, 1987 with the Final Four being played in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Indiana No. 1 In Midwest
Bob Knight's Indiana was made the No. 1 seed in the Midwest. In the first round, sharpshooter Steve Alford and company cruised past Fairfield 92-58 and then beat Auburn 107-90. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Hoosiers beat Duke 88-82 before a real struggle against LSU in the Elite Eight. Knight's men overcame a 12-point second half deficit to beat the Tigers 77-76 on a Ricky Calloway putback in the final seconds to reach New Orleans.
David Robinson Finishes College Career
The 1987 tournament saw the end of David Robinson's collegiate career with Navy as the future NBA star collected 50 points and 13 rebounds in a 97-82 first round loss against Michigan.
Indiana Joined By UNLV, Syracuse And Providence
Joining Indiana in the New Orleans Final Four was the Western regional No. 1 seed UNLV; the East region's No. 2 seed Syracuse, which beat North Carolina; and surprise outfit Providence. Rick Pitino's unranked Friars - led by Billy Donovan - used the three-pointer to knock off No. 9 Alabama in the Elite Eight and then No. 4 Georgetown in the Southeast final.
Hoosiers Outgun UNLV
In the national semifinals, Knight decided to run with UNLV. The Hoosiers could not stop UNLV's Freddie Banks, who set made 10 of 19 three-pointers in scoring 38 points while Mark Wade dished out 18 assists. But Indiana overcame and won 97-93 - thanks to a big lead which held up. Syracuse, in the Final Four for the first time with coach Jim Boeheim, stopped Providence's shooters and advanced with a 77-63 victory.
Alford, Smart Jumper Down Orangemen
The final was a tight game throughout as Alford kept the Hoosiers in the game with 23 points. But it was Keith Smart - a Baton Rouge native - who proved the winner, hitting a baseline jumper with five seconds left to put Indiana ahead 74-73. The Orangemen were too stunned to attempt another shot and Indiana grabbed the title. Smart won Most Outstanding Player honors as he scored 12 of Indiana's final 15 points on his way to 21 points, five rebounds and six assists. Syracuse had failed to get the job done despite having three long-time NBA players in Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman and Rony Seikaly.
Knight's Third Title, Indiana's Fifth
The title was Indiana's fifth in school history following crowns in 1940, 1953, 1976 and 1981. The Hoosiers have not won an NCAA title since then. The championship was Knight's third and final as coach after the crowns in 1976 and 1981.
UNLV Evens Duke Victories Mark
UNLV finished the season with a 37-2 record, tying the NCAA marks for wins in a season set by Duke a year earlier.
