The newest Showtime documentary will examine Indiana basketball’s 32-0 1975-76 season, and it has some big names involved. Perfect in ’76, which will premiere Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m. on Showtime, is produced by famed sports documentarian Ross Greenburg and narrated by rock star and Indiana fan John Mellencamp. Here’s the trailer, which Showtime released Thursday:
And some more information from the release on just what will be covered:
The film includes interviews with key players from the ’76 team, which won 18 Big 10 Conference games by an average of 23 points. It also reveals exclusive practice footage, photos, and audio recordings from Knight’s coaching mentors, all-time greats Red Auerbach and Pete Newell.
In the 1975 season, the Hoosiers lost just a single game when they were eliminated in the “Elite Eight” of the national championship tournament, losing by just two points to the University of Kentucky. Knight began the ’76 season stating to his team, “Your goal is not winning the Big 10 Championship. It’s not winning the National Championship, but going through the entire season, from first game to NCAA Championship game, undefeated.”
As that trailer illustrates, it wasn’t an easy journey for Indiana. They faced tests throughout the season, including a Decemeber overtime game against Kentucky, a two-point win over Ohio State to open conference play, and an overtime home win against Michigan in February. They also dealt with adversity in the championship game, also against Michigan, as they lost star player Bobby Wilkerson early on and trailed by six points at the half.
The ’76 Hoosiers remain the most recent team to go undefeated through both the regular season and win the NCAA tournament. They also gave Knight his first of three NCAA titles. They’re certainly a deserving subject for a documentary, and it looks like Showtime has put together something impressive here. The final product may well be worth checking out, especially for college basketball fans.
