You Tube Gold: NC State vs. Maryland 1978

For all practical purposes, Maryland basketball started when Lefty Driesell took over in 1969. The team had a program prior to Lefty’s arrival, but it’s safe to say it was anemic.

Driesell changed that quickly and until Len Bias died in 1986, Maryland was immensely entertaining to watch. You might just as easily get a train wreck as good basketball but that was part of the fun.

In 1978, Maryland started Albert King, Buck Williams, Larry Gibson, Ernie Graham and Craig Manning.

One of the great forgotten rivalries in the ACC and college basketball was Maryland vs. NC State and this was largely because the intensity of Driesell was easily matched, and perhaps surpassed, by State coach Norm Sloan.

These two teams really went after each other as you’ll see in this game from 1978, where Graham went off for 44 points.

Sloan started Hawkeye Whitney, Tiny Pinder, Craig Watts, Clyde Austin and Tony Warren, whose son TJ followed him at NC State and is now in the NBA.

Graham had a great game but the rest of his teammates scored 80 points. It’s not often that you score 110, as NC State did, and still lose by 14.