 The 1979 NCAA Division I Men s Basketball Championship game, between Michigan State University and Indiana State University, exactly as aired on NBA on March 26, 1979, except that the commercials are deleted. Although the game, won 75-64 by MSU, was not quite as dramatic as many other NCAA championship games, it is one of the most historically significant games ever played. The game was the first on-the-court meeting between MSU s Earvin "Magic" Johnson and ISU s Larry Bird, two future Hall of Famers who combined to win NBA championships in eight of the next nine years. Johnson and Bird are credited with restoring unselfish and fundamentally sound play to the basketball and lifting it to new heights of popularity.