This was truly a game between two tragic programs—facing each other with teams from the highest of high moments, right before devastating falls—setting up the Final Four of new teams in our Value Add Basketball Game.
https://www.pudnersports.com/2019/02/value-add-basketball-board-game-debuts.html
The slight underdog was the 1972 Long Beach State team, which accomplished the unmatched feat of reaching the Sweet 16 in each of its first four years as a Division I program. This was the third straight season in which it ran into the greatest dynasty in the history of sports—the UCLA Bruins—who won their 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th straight national titles during Long Beach State’s first four years of existence. In that era, teams were placed strictly by region, meaning Long Beach State could only have reached the Final Four by beating UCLA.
Then came the tragedy. Despite featuring Ed Ratleff and four other future NBA players, Jerry Tarkanian left after those four seasons to coach at UNLV, and Long Beach State has won a total of just one NCAA tournament game in the half-century since his departure.
In the other corner was the 1950 City College of New York team, at the absolute height of college basketball. CCNY became the only program ever to win both the NIT and the NCAA Tournament in the same year—at a time when the two tournaments were considered equals. Then came its tragedy: players were caught shaving points—not throwing games, but allowing margins to shrink so gamblers would lose money. The fallout was severe, and CCNY’s Division I basketball program folded just three years after its historic double-title run.
In this matchup, CCNY led by roughly 10 points for most of the game. The only reason it stayed close was CCNY’s historically poor free-throw shooting in our simulation—just 9 of 28—despite setting a strong mark by committing only five turnovers.
CCNY led 67–63 with one minute remaining. Chuck Terry scored and drew a foul with 53 seconds left to cut the margin to 67–65, and although he missed the free throw, the clock stoppage created an extra possession. After a stop on the other end, Ed Ratleff stole the ball and scored to tie the game at 67–67.
Both teams then came up with defensive stops, leaving CCNY with one final possession to avoid a second straight overtime. The winner would advance to face the 1939 Long Island University team, which needed double overtime to defeat the 2025 Auburn squad in this thriller:
https://www.pudnersports.com/2026/01/elite-8-battle-of-ages-1939-champs-vs.html
It looked like another overtime Elite Eight game when Ed Warner missed the potential winner—however, Ed Roman grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in at the buzzer for the 69–67 victory. The result sets up a Final Four matchup between the 1950 CCNY team and the 1939 Long Island University squad.
| Pos | Long Beach St 1972 | Pts | 3pt | 2pt | FT | Att | Reb | Stl | Blk | Fl | Ht, Pts, NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-PG | Ed Ratleff | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6'6, 21.4 Pts, NBA |
| 2-SG | Glenn McDonald | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6'6, 5.6 Pts, NBA |
| 3-SG | Chuck Terry | 19 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'6, 15.1 Pts, NBA |
| 4-PF | Eric McWilliams | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'8, 10.0 Pts, NBA |
| 5-C | Nate Stephens | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'11, 11.9 Pts |
| Pos | Pts | 3pt | 2pt | FT | Att | Reb | Stl | Blk | Fl | ||
| 1-PG | Lamont King | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'2, 8.9 Pts |
| 2-SG | Roy Miller | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'2, 1.9 Pts |
| 3-SG | John Roth | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'6, 2.3 Pts |
| 4-PF | Leonard Gray | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'8, 10.8 Pts,NBA |
| 5-C | Bob Lynn | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'9, 6.2 Pts |
| 10 Turnovers | 67 | 5 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| Pos | CCNY 1950 | Pts | 3pt | 2pt | FT | Att | Reb | Stl | Blk | Fl | Height, Summary |
| 1-PG | Alvin Roth | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6'3, 6.4 Pts |
| 2-SG | Floyd Layne | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6'3, 6.9 Pts |
| 3-SG | Ed Warner | 20 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'2, 14.8 Pts |
| 4-PF | Irwin Dambrot | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'4, 10.2 Pts, NBA |
| 5-C | Ed Roman | 16 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6'6, 16.4 Pts |
| Pos | Pts | 3pt | 2pt | FT | Att | Reb | Stl | Blk | Fl | ||
| 1-PG | Meyer Wittlin | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5'10, 1.7 Pts |
| 2-SG | Ronnie Nadell | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5'11, 2.5 Pts |
| 3-SG | Herb Cohen | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'1, 5.4 Pts |
| 4-PF | Joe Galiber | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'4, 1.4 Pts |
| 5-C | Norman Mager | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6'5, 3.6 Pts, NBA |
| 5 Turnovers | 69 | 2 | 27 | 9 | 28 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
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