40 for 34 # 25 - June 8

Divine Intervention

in the Dean Dome

In his signature game, Len Bias Helps Maryland Upset Number 1 UNC

Needing to win three of its last four ACC games in 1986 for a chance at an NCAA tournament bid, Maryland traveled to Chapel Hill to meet top-ranked North Carolina in late February. For a team trying to recover from its worst conference start in history and a recent suspension to its star player, nothing could seem more daunting a task than beating the top team in the country on their court.

Against North Carolina, Bias showed why a basketball guru such as Red Auerbach promised he would try to make him a member of his Celtics team. With Maryland down by nine with just under three minutes remaining in regulation, Bias hit a medium-range jumper, then converted a dunk after stealing the inbounds pass.

With Maryland ahead by one and about 15 seconds remaining in overtime, he helped secure the win by blocking a driving jump shot in the lane by Kenny Smith. Bias finished with 35 points, leading Maryland to a 77-72 win in overtime.

It was the signature game of his college career: winning a game few thought Maryland could win, against the best team in the country, in front of more than 21,000 people in the Dean Dome, the most daunting arena in the conference – one named after its then-head coach, Dean Smith, no less.

"God was with us tonight and God means Len Bias,” teammate Keith Gatlin said at the time. Gatlin scored Maryland’s last four points in the game after Bias’s block.

Excerpted from the book,

Born Ready: the Mixed Legacy of Len Bias

Buy autographed copies

as a Father's Day Gift

The audio for this post was narrated by the author,

Dave Ungrady.

And listen to more about Len's early life in Episode 2 of the narrative podcast series, Len Bias: A Mixed Legacy

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