I have seen virtually every game posted so far but the absolute best for me came in the spring of 1957 -- the first basketball season at Moody.. This was also the first NCAA game to be held at Moody and it was the Kansas Jayhawks, led by sophomore Wilt Chamberlain, and our Mustangs led by the great Jim Krebs. This was a game that we could, and should, have won. Jim could not get close to Chamberlain without being called for a foul -- and fouled out with about 5 minutes to go. Krebs, at 6"8" was replaced by Bob McGregor at 6"5". We still had a 2 point lead with about 10 seconds to go when Kansas scored to send the game into overtime. With no Jim Krebs Chamberlain took over in the overtime and we went down. Starting lineup for the Ponies was Jim Krebs at center. Larry Showalter and Rick Herrscher at forwards, and Ned Duncan and Bobby Mills at guards. For those interested, Ned Duncan was an All American at Kilgore J.C. and played his high school ball at Cayuga. Larry Showalter was from Dallas Adamson and Krebs, Herscher, and Mills were part of the St. Louis pipeline. Coach was the great Doc Hayes who was assisted by Bob Prewitt.
I don't know about best but certainly the most memorable game I ever attended was the SMU-Tulsa double overtime loss. I lost my voice for a day and a half after that one.
SMU had been a power in the 50's and the team had a strong following in 1960-63 when I saw the homes games coached by Doc Hayes. We were the class of the old SWC, but this was well before integration in Texas college sports. The game has changed since then with taller and faster players, but I really did enjoy our status under coach Hayes.
I was at Moody in, I believe, 1956?? when SMU played Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain in the first round of the NCAA Regionals. Our all-American Center, Jim Krebs, battled Chamberlain all game and with 5 minutes left SUM led Kansas by about 6 points when Krebs fouled out. The packed house of SMU fans went wild, showering the court with boos and debris. It too Matty Bell, the athletic director, to quiet things down. He walked to center court and pled with the SMU fans to cease the abuse and we did. The game went on and Kansas caught SMU playing without Krebs to guard Chamberlain and the game went into overtime where SMU lost by about 5-6 points. Sports Illustrated later said SMU had the pbviously better team but without Krebs, it was a different story.
THAT is my most memorable game of many I saw during the fabulous Ji Krebs/Bobby Mills/Larry Showalter/Doc Hayes era at SMU.
I also attended the K-State / Mizzo games in’71 and agree they were arguably the best back-to-back games. Being a student during the SWC days I can tell you that probably every conference home game I ever attended was better than any WAC conference game we’ve played. The bottom section was for students only and usually packed. I remember several games were I had to stand in the corner to watch; the bleachers were so overflowing with students.
My personal best was against Phi-Slamma-Jamma. I sat directly behind the Houston bench, so close I could have pushed Guy Lewis onto the court. Game was a back-and-forth barnburner settled late when Clyde Drexler launched a spectacular breakaway dunk from the free-throw line.
First round NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame, in Chapel Hill, NC. 1989? Can't remember exactly the year. I believe the "Dean Dome" had been only recently built. My dad was with me at the game (he had never seen SMU play), and Kato Armstrong had a monster performance, including a couple of spectacular, high-flying, Spud Webblike dunks. Every neutral fan in my vicinity (mostly curious ACC fans) cheered for SMU. They complemented our team, said Armstrong was hands-down one of the best guards they had ever seen. They couldn't understand why they had never heard of him before. Of course we got throttled by Duke two days later, as expected, but it was nice while it lasted, and I left that ND game walking on air. Wouldn't mind having that feeling back sometime soon. (hint hint)
KnuckleStang wrote:First round NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame, in Chapel Hill, NC. 1989? Can't remember exactly the year. I believe the "Dean Dome" had been only recently built. My dad was with me at the game (he had never seen SMU play), and Kato Armstrong had a monster performance, including a couple of spectacular, high-flying, Spud Webblike dunks. Every neutral fan in my vicinity (mostly curious ACC fans) cheered for SMU. They complemented our team, said Armstrong was hands-down one of the best guards they had ever seen. They couldn't understand why they had never heard of him before. Of course we got throttled by Duke two days later, as expected, but it was nice while it lasted, and I left that ND game walking on air. Wouldn't mind having that feeling back sometime soon. (hint hint)
I remember that game, think it was '88--it was during spring break and I was at S. Padre watching it. We schooled the Irish on St. Patty's day of all days, as I recall. Kato made David Rivers look bad.
I was at that Notre Dame game in Chapel Hill and it was fun. Kato's drive down the lane and "in your face" slam kind of set the tone for that win. I've been to so many great hops games over the years, I can't really say what the best might have been...but I remember a game during my years in the student section when we beat Nebraska and Clayton Korver played the game of his life...I think we won 80-75 or something like that...student section never sat down the entire game. That's what mkaes it so hard watching what's going on today. I have to remind people that Moody was once set up just like Cameron Indoor and we actually had a rowdy student section and most of the mezzanine was full as well.
The Chapel Hill game was in 1988 and we won 83-75. And you're right, all the Duke and ACC fans were cheering for us on St. Patrick's Day. But that changed when we played them two days later. Franklin Street sure was fun after we won!
The NC state game at Moody is probably my second favorite SMU game to see in person.
The talk about the Chapel Hill game reminded me of my favorite SMU game I saw in person. It might have been the same year (1988) as the tournament game with Notre Dame. It happened back when there was a four team, two night tournament(Dallas Morning News Classic?) at Reunion Arena. At the time, they had North Carolina and Purdue come here, along with Towson State and SMU. When the deal to bring the Tar Heels and Boilermakers to Dallas was made, at that time those teams weren't ranked that highly (the year before). Those two teams came into Dallas the number one and two ranked teams in the country at the time, and played each other the first night before almost a full house. Carolina won easily, along with SMU that night.
No one gave SMU a chance against the Tar Heels for the tournament championship. I remember sitting there in the Carolina section watching the tournament championship game with Carolina's smug and arrogant fans. I remember overhearing them before the game taking bets on how much the Tar Heels would win by, 30 or 40 points, etc. Kato Armstrong had the game of his life, something like 30 plus points as SMU took the number one team in the country to the wire, and lost 80-77 (I think it was that score) in overtime. I remember the end of the game. This was back before the 35 second shot clock was brought into college basketball, and the only way Carolina won was going into their "four corners stall" late in overtime. They always used that annoying tactic in the last few minutes of games if they had a close lead. If there was a shot clock back then, I have no doubts SMU would have won the game somehow.
It was an incredible game, and the neutral fans at the game who had no affiliation with either school got solidly behind the underdog Mustangs the entire game. Great game, great atmosphere. One I will never forget.
