When you walk into Assembly Hall, you can almost feel the ghosts of 1976. It’s a heavy, expectant kind of air. People talk about "perfection" in sports like it’s a myth, but for Scott May Indiana basketball isn't just a stats sheet—it's the last time a men’s Division I team actually did it. They went 32-0. No one has touched that record in fifty years.
Honestly, if you ask old-school Hoosier fans about that era, they don't start with the championship. They start with the 1975 season. That was the year Scott May broke his arm. It’s one of those "what if" moments that still haunts Bloomington. Indiana was 31-0 heading into the regional finals against Kentucky. May, who was basically the engine of Bob Knight’s motion offense, was playing with a cast. He only managed two points. IU lost by two.
That loss is what fueled the 1976 run. It wasn't just about winning; it was about finishing what the '75 team started. Scott May was at the center of all of it.
The Player Who Made the Motion Offense Work
Bob Knight’s motion offense is famous for being a nightmare to learn. It requires constant movement, unselfish passing, and an almost psychic connection between players. Scott May was the perfect avatar for that system. Standing 6'7" and weighing about 215 pounds, he had the size of a power forward but the shooting touch and agility of a guard.
He wasn't flashy. You won't find many clips of him doing 360 dunks. Instead, you'll see a guy who lived in the mid-range. He would catch the ball on the wing, square up, and hit a jumper with a release so high it was basically unblockable.
Breaking Down the 1975-76 Numbers
In his senior year, May was essentially unstoppable. Look at these stats from that perfect season:
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- Points per game: 23.5
- Rebounds per game: 7.7
- Field goal percentage: 52.7%
- Free throw percentage: 78.2%
He wasn't just a volume shooter. He was efficient. In a system that demanded extra passes, May still found a way to drop 20+ a night. He swept every major award that year—the Naismith, the Rupp, the AP Player of the Year. He was the undisputed king of college basketball.
The Night in Philadelphia: The 1976 Championship
The 1976 title game against Michigan is a masterclass in Hoosier grit. At halftime, Indiana was actually trailing. People forget that. They were down 35-29.
Bobby Wilkerson, another key starter, got knocked out early with a concussion. The "perfect" season was slipping away. But May and Kent Benson took over. May finished with 26 points and 8 rebounds. He played 39 out of 40 minutes. When the final buzzer sounded and IU won 86-68, the monkey was finally off their back.
It’s kinda wild to think that in 2026, we are still looking back at that game as the gold standard. Every time a team like Kentucky or Gonzaga starts 25-0, Scott May’s phone probably starts ringing. He’s the guardian of the last perfect record.
Life After the Candy Stripes: NBA and Beyond
Scott May was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1976 NBA Draft, heading to the Chicago Bulls. His pro career is often labeled as "what could have been" because of injuries. He made the All-Rookie First Team, averaging 14.6 points, but those knees just didn't hold up over the long haul.
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He spent seven seasons in the NBA with the Bulls, Bucks, and Pistons before heading to Europe. He actually had a massive second act in Italy, playing for teams like Brescia and Torino.
But for May, Indiana was always home.
The Bloomington Real Estate Mogul
Most retired athletes try to coach or do broadcasting. Scott May went into real estate. He started buying apartment buildings in Bloomington while he was still playing. Today, he’s one of the biggest landlords in the area. If you’ve ever lived in an apartment near the IU campus, there’s a decent chance Scott May owns it.
He’s a businessman now, but he’s still deeply connected to the program. You’ll see him at games. He’s a quiet presence, not someone who hunts the spotlight, which fits the way he played.
The May Family Legacy
Basketball runs deep in the May bloodline. His son, Scott May Jr., played for the IU team that went to the national title game in 2002. Then you have Sean May. Sean famously chose North Carolina over Indiana—a move that definitely raised some eyebrows in Bloomington at the time.
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Sean went on to win a national championship with UNC in 2005, making Scott and Sean one of the few father-son duos to both win NCAA titles. It’s a cool bit of trivia, even if Sean wore baby blue instead of cream and crimson.
Why Scott May Matters in 2026
We live in an era of "one-and-done" players and the transfer portal. The idea of a core group of guys staying together for four years to chase perfection feels like a relic.
Scott May represents a different version of the game. It was about the "General" (Knight) and a group of guys who were willing to be broken down and rebuilt into a machine. May wasn't just a talent; he was a worker.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Historians
If you want to really understand the impact of Scott May, don't just look at the 1976 box scores.
- Watch the 1975 Kentucky game. It’s on YouTube. Watch how the offense stalls without a healthy May. It’s the clearest evidence of how much he mattered.
- Visit the Cook Hall museum. IU has a dedicated space for the 1976 team. Seeing the jersey and the trophies puts the "undefeated" talk into perspective.
- Study the mid-range. If you’re a young player, watch May’s footwork on the catch-and-shoot. It’s a lost art in the "three-pointers only" modern game.
The 1976 Hoosiers are the last of their kind. And Scott May was the heart of that team. He didn't just play for Indiana; he defined what Indiana basketball was supposed to be: tough, smart, and perfect.
To see how the 1976 team compares to modern champions, you can look up the adjusted efficiency ratings on sites like KenPom or checking the IU Athletics Hall of Fame digital archives for full career highlight reels.