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1942

Jeff Mullins is born in Astoria, New York.

1961

Missing their star guard Tom Gola due to a knee injury, the defending champion Warriors bow out meekly in the playoffs, getting swept by the Syracuse Nationals in a first round series.

1972

Larry Miller sets the ABA single game record with 67 points, leading the Carolina Cougars to a 139-125 win over the Memphis Pros.

1978

Calvin Murphy scores 57 points in a 106-104 Rockets loss to the Nets, setting a single game franchise record that would stand for over 30 years.

1980

Mike Krzyzewski is named head coach at Duke, replacing Bill E. Foster.

1983

Dave Bing has his jersey #21 retired by the Pistons. The six-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year was the first player in franchise history to be honored as such.

1985

With seven blocks during a Jazz win over the Warriors, Mark Eaton becomes the first (and still only) player to surpass 400 blocks in a single season, eventually stretching the single season record to 458.

1987

C.J. Miles is born in Dallas, Texas.

1988

Indiana is upset in the first round as a #4 seed by #13 seed Richmond, becoming the first defending champion of the modern era to lose in the first round of the subsequent NCAA Tournament.

Rick Barry has his jersey #24 retired by the Warriors. In eight seasons with the franchise, which were bifurcated by a stint in the ABA, Barry was an All-Star eight times, 1st-Team All-NBA five times, and Finals MVP in 1975.

1991

Wilt Chamberlain has his jersey #13 retired by the 76ers. Chamberlain would eventually become the first player to have their jersey retired by three franchises, with the Lakers and Warriors both also honoring him.

1993

For the second straight season, Arizona suffers a shocking loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, this time as a #2 seed falling 64-61 to #15 seed Santa Clara. Led by Steve Nash, Santa Clara became just the second #15 seed to win an NCAA Tournament game.

1997

Ivica Zubac is born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1998

Clyde Drexler is hired as head coach at his alma mater, University of Houston, and concurrently announces his NBA retirement at the conclusion of the ’97-’98 season.

1999

#10 seed Gonzaga upsets #6 seed Florida in the Regional Semifinals to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

2001

Reggie Miller becomes the first NBA player with 2,000 career three-point field goals, shooting 4-of-8 from long distance in a Pacers win over the Kings. Miller eventually finishes his career with 2,560 three-pointers and holds the all-time record for 13 years until it’s broken by Ray Allen.

2005

#14 seed Bucknell shocks #3 seed Kansas 64-63 in an NCAA Tournament first round game. It marks the first time in 20 appearances that Kansas is eliminated in the opening round.

2016

A rare first round NCAA Tournament loss for Michigan State comes at the hands of #15 seed Middle Tennessee, who stun the #2 seeded Spartans 90-81. It’s just the eighth time in tournament history that a #15 seed defeated a #2 seed.

2021

For the first time in 35 years, the NCAA Tournament field does not include Kentucky or Duke. A youthful, inexperienced Kentucky team finished with a 9-16 record in ’20-’21, their first losing season since ’88-’89. Duke finished 13-11 and had their season come to an end when a positive COVID-19 test prevented them from participating in the ACC Tournament. It was the Blue Devils’ worst season since ’94-’95, when Coach K was forced to take a sabbatical for a back injury.

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