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Forty-one years ago today, Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas finished leading his Indiana Hoosiers on a dominant NCAA Tournament run to a national championship.
Players with NBA success are not always successful in college basketball, but Thomas thrived on both levels.
Thomas demonstrated the skills that helped him become one of the best point guards in NBA history.
Playing in a 48-team tournament, Indiana won all five games by double digits.
The Hoosiers (26-9), the No. 3 seed in the Mideast, topped No. 6 Maryland 99-64, No. 7 Alabama-Birmingham 87-72 and No. 9 St. Joseph's 78-46 to win the region. In the Final Four, they belted LSU, the No. 1 seed from the Midwest, 67-49 in the semifinals. They then topped North Carolina, the No. 2 seed from the West, 63-50 in the championship game.
As the current March Madness has shown, winning every tournament game by double digits is almost impossible because of the competition level. Thomas' abilities made him the perfect orchestrator for the Indiana offense and were crucial to the team's dominance.
Thomas, the team captain, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. He averaged 16.0 points and 5.8 assists per game in his sophomore season, his last at IU.
Thomas was the No. 2 pick in the draft behind DePaul's Mark Aguirre. The two were part of the Detroit Pistons' NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. Thomas, a 12-time All-Star in 13 seasons, was the 1990 Finals MVP.
Isiah Thomas went from leading Indiana to a championship to leading Detroit to championships
Isiah Thomas parlayed his dominance in the 1981 NCAA Tournament into a fantastic NBA career, all with the Detroit Pistons. In Detroit, Thomas showed why, despite his diminutive stature, he was one of basketball's all-time greatest players.
A crucial reason for his success was his court vision and ability as a passer. Even late in his career, Thomas could showcase his flashy passing to help the Pistons win.
Thomas' ability to score is still something he can do 41 years later. His shot was built on technique that can age more gracefully than other NBA legends.
Thomas is not going to get back into playing shape and rejoin the Pistons. But the technically sound play that made him great is something he still has in his muscle memory.
The 2022 Indiana Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament. But the program still lacks the success from when Thomas played and Bobby Knight coached. Indiana last won the national title in 1987.
Indiana and the Pistons are looking to recreate the success they had when Thomas played.
