Who broke UCLA’s 88 game winning streak? A look back at the team that ended Bruins’ dynasty
In 1974, one of the most impressive winning streaks in the history of American team sports was just steamrolling everybody in sight. The team that was riding on it, the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team, likely felt invincible every time they stepped on the court.
By the time they took to the hardwood once again to try and extend it to 89, they had never lost in three years of play.
That is, however, until they finally met their match, who was coincidentally the same team that beat them before the start of their legendary undefeated run. UCLA's winning streak was helmed by legendary college hoops head coach John Wooden.
Who broke UCLA’s 88-game winning streak?
It was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And as previously mentioned, they were also the same team that beat UCLA on January 23, 1971, during the 1970-1971 season.
Before the loss against the Fighting Irish, the Bruins had already had an impressive 18-game winning streak. They had absolutely no idea that after losing to Notre Dame, they'll go on a run of absolutely epic proportions.
UCLA would beat every single team (surviving a few close calls along the way) and would win their 88th straight game via a 22-point beatdown of Iowa on January 17, 1974.
That win was even accomplished without then-Bruins star and eventual NBA legend Bill Walton, who's sat out three consecutive games, including the one against the Cyclones (via the LA Daily News, dated December 19, 2010).
By the time they faced the Fighting Irish, few believed they'd lose and everybody else thought they'd win their 89th straight.
A look at the 1973-74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
While they were the clear underdogs to the juggernaut that was UCLA at the time, the Fighting Irish of the 1973–74 college basketball season were no slouches of their own.
For the year, Notre Dame was solely at the top of their conference with a 26-3 record and was ranked 5th in the nation.
Their brilliance, however, seemed to have suddenly disappeared in the face of mighty opposition. The Fighting Irish were fighting an uphill battle in that fateful game, which was earmarked by these events (via NCAA):
- UCLA led by nine at the half, 43-34
- UCLA star Bill Walton shot 12-for-14 from the floor for 24 points in the game
- UCLA led 70-59 with only 3:32 remaining
- The Fighting Irish shot poorly, only making 48 percent of their attempts compared to the Bruins who shot 52 percent
- UCLA was beating teams to a pulp with an average margin of victory close to 23.5 points per game
- During the streak, UCLA had more wins by 30 or more points (29) than single digits (17)
Despite the odds, Notre Dame fought back with their defense. They grabbed a total of 31 boards, outrebounding UCLA by nine, while also forcing a total of 18 turnovers. Aside from that, nobody except Walton shot well--everyone else on that Bruins squad shot a meager combined 40.5 percent from the floor.
Eventually, the Fighting Irish won by a single point, 71-70, ending the legendary win streak. They would also go on to finish third in the Mideast Regional for the season, ending their NCAA campaign with a loss against Michigan.
Reactions to Notre Dame's win
Shortly after the victory, various accounts of fan reactions to the game's result surfaced. It includes this one, which was posted on the website celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Joyce Center--the home court of Fighting Irish hoops:
"The scene was electric. One student paraded a banner that read, "Dear John Wooden, God did make Notre Dame number-one," signed Bear Bryant, in a reference to Notre Dame defeating top-ranked Alabama and Bryant 24-23 to win the football national championship for the Irish 19 days earlier. For the first time in college history, the same school ranked number one in football and number one in basketball."
50 years later, Notre Dame's snapping of UCLA's win streak remains a landmark event in the history of basketball, even if the streak itself has already been surpassed numerous times.
It's also one of the highlights of the hoops rivalry between the two schools, which was at fever pitch during that streak when Notre Dame was coached by Digger Phelps and Wooden was the Bruins' coach.