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1937

Wayne Embry is born in Springfield, Ohio. He attended Tecumsah High School in nearby New Carlisle, where a stretch of road was renamed in his honor.

1945

George Mikan leads DePaul to a 71-54 victory over Bowling Green in the NIT Final at Madison Square Garden. Mikan averaged 40.0 points per game for the tournament and is named MVP.

1949

Kentucky wins its second consecutive NCAA Tournament title, defeating Oklahoma A&M 46-36 in the National Final in Seattle. Alex Groza is named Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year. This game is also notable as the first ever match-up between the #1 and #2 teams in the AP poll.

The defending BAA champion Baltimore Bullets are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with a 103-99 loss to the Knicks in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

1962

Uwe Blab is born in Munich, Germany. He represented West Germany at the 1984 Olympics and then a unified Germany at the 1992 Olympics.

Naismith Hall of Fame inductee John Stockton is born in Spokane, Washington.

Jerry Lucas (Cincinnati) and Dave DeBusschere are territorial picks in the NBA Draft of the Royals and Pistons, respectively. The first overall pick is Bill McGill (Utah) to the Chicago Zephyrs, while John Havlicek (Ohio State) is selected by the Celtics at #7 overall.

1963

Oscar Robertson leads the way with 32 points, 19 rebounds, and 13 assists as the Cincinnati Royals defeat the Syracuse Nationals 131-127 in overtime in the clinching game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It’s the Royals’ first playoff series win in 11 years and first since re-locating from Rochester to Cincinnati. Meanwhile, it’s also the final home game for the Nationals in Syracuse, as they re-locate to Philadelphia in the ensuing off-season and change their name to the 76ers.

1972

With a 124-98 victory over the SuperSonics in their final regular season game, the ’71-’72 Lakers become the first team in NBA history to reach 69 wins in a season.

1973

In one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA Tournament history, Bill Walton scores 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in an 87-66 UCLA win over Memphis in the National Final in St. Louis. It’s the seventh consecutive title for UCLA while Walton is named Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.

The Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA play their final home game in Dallas, a 112-110 win over the Carolina Cougars; in the ensuing offseason, the Chaparrals re-locate from Dallas to San Antonio and change their name to the Spurs

1977

Marquette defeats Charlotte 51-49 in the NCAA Tournament National Semifinals after Jerome Whitehead hits one of the most improbable and controversial buzzer beaters in tourney history.

1994

Ryan Arcidiacono is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father Joe played football at ViIllanova University, where Ryan eventually became an NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player winner.

1996

Dikembe Mutombo sets the Nuggets single game franchise record with 31 rebounds in a 119-112 overtime loss to the Hawks.

2000

#8 seed North Carolina continues their Cinderella run through the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four by defeating #7 seed Tulsa in the South Regional Final in Austin. North Carolina had previously upset #1 seed Stanford and #4 seed Tennessee.

2004

Gus Williams has his jersey #1 retired by the SuperSonics. Williams was a two-time All-Star for Seattle, and a key part of their 1979 title team.

2017

#7 seed South Carolina clinches the first NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in program history with a 77-70 victory over #4 seed Florida in the East Regional Final in New York. The Gamecocks had previously pulled off upsets over #2 seed Duke and #3 seed Baylor.

2019

Chris Bosh has his jersey #1 retired by the Heat. Bosh spent six seasons with Miami, making the All-Star team each time and winning two championships.

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