Rise of March Madness

The Forgotten Larry Bird Punch That Almost Changed Everything by Keith O'Brien (The Ringer)

March 19, 2026

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The NCAA basketball tournament Round of 64 (March Madness) tips off today on CBS.

In today’s featured article, Keith O'Brien argues the annual spectacle really began in 1979, with an electric, raucous game that's largely been forgotten.

Thankfully, he's dredged up the details, and the footage, to help us relive it (The Ringer).

Keith O’Brien is the author of Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird

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