<Tr> <Td> "1978 </Td> <Td> 1980" </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament involved 40 schools playing in single - elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball . It began on March 9, 1979, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Salt Lake City . A total of 40 games were played, including a national third - place game . </P> <P> Michigan State, coached by Jud Heathcote, won the national title with a 75--64 victory in the final game over Indiana State, coached by Bill Hodges . Indiana State came into the game without a loss all season, but couldn't win their final game . Magic Johnson of Michigan State was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player . Michigan State's victory over Indiana State was its first over a number one ranked team, and remained its only victory over a number one ranked team until 2007 (Wisconsin). </P> <P> The final game marked the beginning of the rivalry between future Hall of Famers Johnson and Larry Bird . As of 2016, it remains the highest - rated game in the history of televised college basketball . Both Johnson and Bird would enter the NBA in the fall of 1979, and the rivalry between them and their teams (respectively, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics) was a major factor in the league's renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s . The game also led to the "modern era" of college basketball, as it introduced a nationwide audience to a sport that was once relegated to second - class status in the sports world . </P>

Who won the 1979 ncaa men's basketball championship