1968 College Basketball Recap
The biggest basketball crowd in NCAA history (52,693) packed the Astrodome on Jan. 20 to watch local hero Elvin Hayes and No.2 Houston take on Lew Alcindor and No.1 UCLA.
Hayes had the game of his life, scoring 39 points, pulling down 15 rebounds and tossing in the deciding free throws for a dramatic 71–69 Cougar victory. Alcindor had only 15 points, but played with a scratched left eyeball.
Two months later they met agains, this time at the L.A. Sports Arena in the NCAA semifinals. No contest. UCLA crushed Houston 101–69. The Bruins then routed North Carolina by 23 for the title.
This was also the first season that the dunk shot was outlawed during games and pregame warm-ups. Aimed at moderating the dominanace of big men like Alcindor, the rule remained in effect through the 1976–77 season.
Meanwhile sophomores Pete Maravich of LSU and Calvin Murphy of Niagara led the country in scoring with 43.8 and 38.2 averages, respectively.
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