Just brutal. Hadn't watched it since March '78 as a senior in high school.

Such a gifted collection of players and one that was playing great basketball at the time. The reservoir of talent was so deep here that Digger didn't need to glance in frosh Orlando Woolridge's direction.

The moment offers further proof of the old axiom that there's no time like the present because you don't know whether - or if - you'll have an opportunity like this again.

If you were around at the time, was there anyone who did not believe that Tripucka's class would never return to the Final Four . . . nor would any other ND team since then?

This team was just a tad before my time, the 81 team was the team i really was able to follow, and was in providence for the win over JMU, before ainge ripped my young heart out.

Was great to see this team play, and see KT and TJ as young players, and was wondering if OW was hurt since I didnt see him play. What a loaded roster.

And good to know Billy Packer was just as annoying back then, the guy only talked about teams getting tired, like herbstreit talks about speed.

Just had no answer for Banks and Gminski, they just killed us, which is odd since we had Flowers, Batton and BL...but i did feel duke got the benefit of the whistle a few times, nothing major, but just enough to never let us get going.

Interesting game to watch with no three, no shot clock, a jump ball at the half, and quick commercial breaks, and loved hearing Al break it down...and I am not sure there was one ball screen against the zone, and hardly any screens against the zone, just trying to work it side to side and get a hi post catch, different times

Interesting that in the early parts of the game they seemed to be saying that ND had to worry about playing too fast v Duke, and certainly Duke built a big lead, but I thought that was mostly against our press...but they were also saying we had more depth than duke and that foster did a great job getting his kids breathers (see packer obsessing over who is tired), but that doesnt make much sense to me, but I dont know these teams enough...was duke known as more of a running team than us, were we seen as plodders? Was our size supposed to overwhelm Duke? Cant imagine that with banks and gminski down low?

Clearly we got insanely hot at end to make the comeback, but I also thought the quicker tempo was good for us, we looked comfortable playing it...wasnt this a common complaint of digger's, that he put the clamps on his teams too much?? maybe I am wrong there, not sure...

Anyway, truly a heartbreaking loss, great fight by the irish...

They would only win 1 game in NCAAs in their next 2 years. The loss to Mizzou in 1980 (my last game as a student) was esp. inexcusable.

From 1974-81, Irish lost 5 highly winnable games (74, 77, 78, 80, and 81) in NCAA's.

1974 team was better, but this team was THIS close to having a finals rematch on an actual neutral floor with a UK team that it took down to the wire in Louisville.

It was a round closer than 2015 with a deeper & more talented team in an era when S 16 appearances were expected. It was an era that ended far too soon.

one of a dozen people in Diggers Suite after the UK game. Denny Doyle of the Philadelphia Phillies was there and Digger was salivating over the thought of playing them in the tourney. He was so focused on Kentucky that he forgot Duke was pretty good too. Fronting Giminski with Laimbeer with Flowers or Batton providing weakside help could have changed the direction of the game. Hanz fouling out didn't help matters either.