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64 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f know what to do. So I just stayed there while my team took the lap." Not that anyone could have asked Car- roll why he didn't partake in the celebra- tion: He thought it was cool not to speak to the media and preferred to keep things to himself. "Looking back, I probably should have done things differently with respect to speaking with the media," Carroll said. "When you are in your 50s, you have per- spective, but when you are in your 20s not as much." Rose recalled seeing Heathcote in the media room after the game. The MSU coach was building his reputation as a standup comedian that he enjoyed in later years. Heathcote needled the coach by say- ing, "Lee, why don't you tell the reporters how you drew that play up for Arnette?" Rose still laughs about the exchange. Thanks to the dominating inside play of Carroll and the outside scoring of Sichting, the Boilermakers kept themselves in the conference race. The Big Ten was about as balanced then as it is in 2014 and had a star quality of future NBA stars like Magic, Wes Matthews, Kevin McHale, Kelvin Ransey, Mike Woodson, Eddie Johnson and Ronnie Lester, to name a few. "It was a war every week," Walker said. "There were so many great players in the league at the time that we had to be at our best every time out to survive." Purdue ended its Big Ten slate with three straight wins, including a couple of white knucklers at home over IU and Ohio State. Michigan State, which had a one-game lead going into the final contest, was thought to have an easy win at Wisconsin that would give the Spartans the outright title. But in one of the craziest plays in conference history, the Badgers' Matthews hit a 50-foot shot at the buzzer to defeat MSU. The Boilermakers didn't find out about it un- til they were getting dressed after a senior day win over the Buckeyes. It was too late to go back on the floor for another victory lap, but the Boilermakers were Big Ten champs, sharing the crown with Sparty and Iowa. But there was a catch. In those days, the NCAA Tournament consisted of only 40 teams and no more than two could go from a conference. And due to the fact the Boilermakers lost twice to Iowa and split with Michigan State, the short straw was placed in the palm of Purdue's hand. Rose was none too happy about be- ing relegated to the NIT, but as was his strength as a coach, he utilized the "us- against-them" mentality to motivate his team. "He actually had us vote to see if we wanted to play in the NIT," Carroll said. "Of course we wanted to play and we still had something to prove." The Boilermakers won three straight NIT games at home in Mackey and head- ed off to New York for the finals. It was a Big Ten invitational of sorts as Ohio State and Indiana faced each other in one semi- final with Purdue and Alabama, coached by Rose's mentor C.M. Newton in the other. A dazzling 42-point performance by Car- roll allowed Purdue to blow out the Crimson Tide. The Hoo- siers disposed of the Buckeyes, setting up a rivalry game played away from the Hoosier State for the first time in series history. The contest was close, cat and mouse between two of the game's great strategists in Rose and Bob Knight. With no shot clock and despite trailing 52-51, Indiana decided to hold the ball for three minutes. Michael "Scooby Do" Scearce intercepted a pass and allowed Purdue to set up its four-corner offense. Knight chose to foul Carroll with 21 seconds left, and it turned out to be a good choice. Carroll, who had hit just 2-of-7 attempts, missed. Rose and Knight called a com- bined six timeouts in the game's final 16 seconds, but in the end, IU's Butch Carter nailed a jumper from the top of the key with about five seconds left to give the Hoosiers a 53-52 lead. Purdue had one last chance for Rose to draw up a bas- ketball work of art. Positioned at half court with four sec- onds left, the Purdue coach drew up a "turnout" play that got Sichting an open jumper from about 18 feet. But the ball rimmed out, giving Indiana the title. Wayne Doebling Arnette Hallman's game-winner against No. 1 Michigan State set off a wild celebration in Mackey Arena.