Photographer Phyliss Massey merely has to glance at the walls in a room of her Memphis home to recall the specifics.

The moments she captured of Memphis State’s 1973 national championship basketball game against UCLA in St. Louis hang proudly amid an array of Tigers’ athletics photos.

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One of her favorites is of Larry Kenon shooting over the outstretched hands of UCLA All-American center Bill Walton. The other is of Larry Finch rising up in the same game and firing a pass to a teammate in the midst of a sea of Bruins defenders.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be on the floor that night. I hadn’t taken a camera.”

Phyliss Massey
Memphis State photographer

It’s been 50 years since the Tigers reached the first Final Four in the program’s history, an achievement credited with uniting a fractured city and bestowing upon coach Gene Bartow and the Tigers’ key players — Finch, Kenon and Ronnie Robinson — legendary status.

Recalling the specifics of the journey from a memorable regular season to a magical postseason run is difficult for most, even for those directly involved in the program’s shining moment.

Some, however, can vividly put the 1972-73 season into focus, one many said helped the city heal after the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King in downtown Memphis.

“You can’t imagine what it was like being in Memphis at that time,” Massey said.

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“The city was a mess. There was not much hope for the city at the time,” added Massey, a university photographer in the early 1970s. “But Larry (Finch) and Ronnie (Robinson) were cute and talented. They knew no strangers. They didn’t see colors. They just loved people, and people loved them.”

When Bartow and his staff added junior college transfers Kenon, Billy Buford and Wes Westfall to a roster that already included Melrose High products Finch and Robinson and guard Bill Laurie, the defining pieces for a potential championship run were in place.

Even before they began their 24-6 season, many in and around the program sensed something special brewing.

“There was this (confident) talk of (finishing the year in St. Louis) the whole year, reaching the Final Four,” said Leonard Draper, a Tigers superfan then and now. “Everyone had this feeling.”

The university’s basketball sports information director, Bill “Scoop” Grogan, felt the hype was legitimate and used the team’s media guide to display his optimism.

On Page 2 of the guide, Grogan offered this outlook for the 1972-73 season, listing John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins, led by Walton, as the biggest obstacle in the Tigers’ path to a championship.

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“Memphis State’s chances in 1972-73 are as good as any of the major (teams) in the nation with but possibly one exception. Only Coach Wooden and his UCLA Bruins appear, on paper, to be possibly stronger than the Tigers. And both might just find each other at the NCAA finals in St. Louis.”

Grogan had fun with the national title possibilities and fashioned a few lyrics about the potential meeting with UCLA in St. Louis by borrowing from the song, “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis.”

Grogan’s shortened version, set to the same music: “Meet me in St. Louis, Wooden, beat your Bruins there. Meet me in St. Louis, Wooden, Memphis State’ll be there.”

“More than likely, the material found in the following pages will undoubtedly be used by opposing coaches for ammunition,” Grogan also wrote, “but as has been said before ‘words and locker rooms never have beaten a great team. …’ And from outward appearances, Memphis State has all the makings of what it takes.”

Grogan was right. But Bartow was less than thrilled with the marketing pitch.

“Bartow got so upset about that,” Lee Hunt, a Tigers assistant coach at the time, said with a laugh five decades later.

“Anyway, it came to fruition. … That’s what happened. We got there.”

After the Tigers won their games against South Carolina and Kansas State at the Midwest Regional in Houston, the next stop was St. Louis and a national semifinal meeting against a talented Providence team led by flashy point guard Ernie DiGregorio and center Marvin Barnes.

A dream matchup against UCLA in Monday’s national championship game would require getting past a dangerous opponent that was 27-2 overall and ranked fourth nationally.

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In 1973, the city’s love affair with Memphis State basketball blossomed. Finch and Robinson were seniors whose talents helped place the team in a national spotlight. Kenon’s impressive scoring and rebounding skills provided the piece the Tigers needed to enter the national championship conversation. The program ascended to its loftiest perch at an event not yet christened the Final Four.

A look back at the Tigers’ final two games of a season still treasured:

MEMPHIS STATE vs. PROVIDENCE

March 24, 1973, NCAA Tournament semifinal

Ask Tigers players and coaches about the national semifinal matchup 50 years later, and they all mention the same moment early in the first half.

Providence point guard DiGregorio, whose passing skills were reminiscent of former LSU great Pete Maravich, whipped a behind-the-back half-court pass while on the dribble to teammate Kevin Stacom, who caught the ball in stride near the free throw line and drove in for a layup. The pass zipped between Tigers Buford and Finch, who were seemingly in a good defensive position.

Buford admitted he was so stunned by the pass that he didn’t react to tip it away. He simply watched and later called it “probably the greatest pass” he’d seen.

“They were on a fastbreak,” Tigers reserve guard Doug McKinney said. “They got the rebound and fired it to Ernie, and Ernie took probably one step and fired that son-of-a-gun behind his back, half court between two players. (It was) a perfect pass that hit inside for a layup. He freaked the whole country out with that one.

“You know, that’s hard to throw a behind-the-back pass that far. He was something else, man.”

Assistant coach Hunt, sitting next to Bartow, watched from the Memphis State bench.

“He (DiGregorio) was the only player I’ve ever seen in all my years of college basketball (do that),” Hunt said. “Even in the pros, I’ve never seen that done. He hit it right on the button.”

The stunning assist was one of several in the half for DiGregorio, whose Friars led, 49-40, at the break. DiGregorio started the game by assisting or scoring on 22 of Providence’s first 24 points.

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“They started out hotter than a pistol,” said Bill Cook, a freshman who Bartow began playing with regularity midway through the season. “I think they scored the first five or six times down the court.”

But the Friars’ chances of advancing were dealt a blow midway through the first half, when Barnes sustained a knee injury attempting to block a shot. Barnes collided with Robinson on the play and had to leave the game.

With Barnes sidelined, the Tigers eventually dominated inside. Kenon had 22 rebounds, and Robinson finished with 16. The duo combined for 52 points. Finch added 21 points.

Although Barnes returned with five minutes and 51 seconds to go in the game, his leg heavily taped, the Tigers were able to withstand an emotional Barnes-led rally that trimmed the Memphis State lead to one point. The Tigers quickly regrouped and closed on a 13-1 run en route to a 98-85 victory.

“I’m going to tell you the truth,” said Verties Sails, a coach at Melrose in 1973 who attended the game. “If Marvin Barnes doesn’t get hurt, that game goes down to the wire. Ernie D could pass the heck out of the ball. And Marvin Barnes was a heck of a basketball player. That man was a talent.”

Randy Covitz was a 23-year-old sports reporter for the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar, the city’s afternoon newspaper. He covered the national semifinals and finals and was assigned to report on the Tigers’ opponent.

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“Truth be told, Providence wins the game if Barnes doesn’t get injured,” Covitz said. “Ernie D put on a show. He was the closest I’d seen to Bob Cousy (the former Boston Celtics’ great with flashy playmaking skills).”

The Tigers knew Providence would present a challenge before getting to the arena. DiGregorio, Barnes and Stacom were future NBA players. Once the Tigers arrived at the venue, they were convinced it was going to be a battle.

“They started out hotter than a pistol.”

Bill Cook
Memphis State basketball player

“I remember showing up at (St. Louis Arena) and ... Ernie D’s already out there shooting an hour before the game,” said Kenny Andrews, the popular substitute nicknamed “The Buffalo” by Tigers radio play-by-play announcer Jack Eaton.

(Eaton thought Andrews resembled the Indian head on the Buffalo nickel, minted in the early 1900s.)

No extra amount of pregame jump shots, however, could overcome the loss of Barnes.

“After Barnes went out with the injury, the game changed,” Andrews said. “He was their main guy. Once he went out, our two big guys just took over the game. I think (the Friars) were kind of in shock.”

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MEMPHIS STATE vs. UCLA

March 26, 1973, NCAA championship game

The city of Memphis came to a standstill, glued to its television sets and basking in a much-needed boost in community pride. Never had a sporting event captivated the area like it did in 1973. It was the first time the championship game, nationally televised, was played on a Monday night.

Tigers fans showed up in large numbers displaying “Believe in Memphis” signs, a slogan the team needed to embrace facing a college basketball dynasty.

UCLA entered the game seeking a seventh straight championship and a 75th consecutive win, unheard of accomplishments in today’s sport where top-ranked players routinely spend one season in college before entering the NBA Draft, while others seek better options through the transfer portal.

Memphis entered the title game a decided underdog, facing a team led by the legendary Wooden.

Play-by-play man Eaton aptly described the moment shortly before tipoff: “Hi everybody, and welcome to an evening of basketball, the biggest game in the history of Memphis State University.”

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If the Tigers were intimidated, they didn’t show it. If several were overly hyped, well, maybe they couldn’t conceal it.

The Tigers held their own in the first half, despite Kenon getting into early foul trouble. He picked up his third with the score tied 14-14.

At halftime, the game was tied at 39. Memphis State grabbed a 41-39 lead early in the second half following a pair of free throws by Finch.

McKinney admitted the Tigers were not in awe of the UCLA dynasty.

“No, not really,” he said. “They were good. They knew that. And we knew we were good. So we thought we could play against anybody.

“I remember Bill Walton said later they knew they were in for a (difficult) game at halftime when they couldn’t have played much better, and they were tied with us. He said he knew they were in for a battle.”

But Walton proved too much to overcome in one of the most dominating final game performances in NCAA Tournament history.

Walton finished with 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting, but could have scored 52. He had four baskets nullified by offensive goaltending in an era when dunking was illegal. UCLA guard Greg Lee was Walton’s chief enabler, credited with 14 assists on lobs to Walton.

Walton scored on a variety of shots: lobs, layups, 10-foot bank shots and tip-ins. On the only shot he missed, he grabbed the rebound and scored.

“Bill Walton just killed us, man,” Kenon said. “We played a good first half, but in the second half, the big guy just rolled. He just rolled. That’s all there was to it.

“I do remember the hurt after that game. I remember the hurt inside because we were so close (after the first half).”

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During ESPN’s broadcast of UCLA’s win over Arizona earlier this month, when asked about the 1973 game, Walton said: “Our guys that day, Greg Lee and Larry Hollyfield, combined for 23 assists. And the ball movement, which was the hallmark of our team — besides the fast break off the full-court press — (created a situation) where the other teams really had no chance.”

On the same broadcast, Jamaal Wilkes — known in 1973 as Keith Wilkes — also noted the pinpoint accuracy of his teammates.

“They were putting (passes) right where (Walton) could finish,” Wilkes said. “And he finished.”

Kenon wound up with 20 points and eight rebounds. He didn’t pick up another foul after that third whistle, and there are those who believe had Kenon been on the court longer, the outcome may have been different. Robinson also encountered foul trouble.

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“It was unbelievable,” said Clarence Jones, a freshman guard on the team. “At the start of the game, it was Larry Kenon against Bill Walton. They were going back and forth. Most of the points Bill Walton scored should have been disqualified. Most of them were goaltending. His hands were in the cylinder.”

Walton was injured late in the game, and it was Finch who helped him to the sideline, earning Finch lifelong praise from Walton for his sportsmanship.

“I can see where people in the pros think (Walton’s) worth $2 million,” Bartow said after the game. “Isn’t he something?”

Bartow, who died in 2012, accepted a job at Illinois after the 1973-74 season, before replacing Wooden at UCLA a year later. Bartow eventually started the UAB athletics program. He frequently called leading the Tigers to the NCAA championship game “the greatest highlight of my coaching career.”

His son, Murry, was an 11-year-old with a courtside seat to one of the most significant moments in the university’s history.

Murry Bartow, who would become a college basketball coach like his father, recalls how electric the atmosphere was.

“It was a tale of two halves,” he said. “You go in at halftime, and you’re right there. Then, obviously, the second half totally went UCLA’s way.

“But, a great first half, and you’re sitting there, and you’re feeling pretty good about the game. Then it turned into a little different story.”

Murry talked with his father on multiple occasions about that night and what it meant for the program and the Bartow family. With the team his father had assembled — and the way its core of Finch, Robinson and Kenon was playing entering the game — there was a confidence emanating from the Tigers’ sideline.

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“Just knowing my dad the way I (knew) him and listening to him over the years, I never felt that there was any of Bill Walton, John Wooden or UCLA (intimidation factor),” Murry said. “I really think he had the team believing they were going to line up and maybe, hopefully, figure out a way to win that thing.”

Watching to see if it would happen was university photographer Massey, who expected to spend the historic night as a spectator. Her boss, Gil Michael, had the only credential issued to MSU Photo Services, so she obtained two tickets, attended with a friend and was prepared to watch the game from the upper reaches of St. Louis Arena.

Minutes before tipoff, she happened to spot Michael from his courtside perch. He was frantically waving at Massey to hurry down to the court. He had gotten an extra credential, a Sports Illustrated “runner’s pass” that would get Massey a spot next to him behind the baseline.

“I looked at my friend, and I said, ‘I’m gone,’ and I flew down the stairs,” she said. “I knew at that point he must have gotten an extra pass. How I happened to look at him at that moment is a miracle.”

The eye contact led her to the floor, where Michael had packed extra camera equipment. It was from that spot that Massey snapped several of the game’s iconic photos.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be on the floor that night. I hadn’t taken a camera,” she said. “I sat down on that floor and started taking pictures. It was a blast. I couldn’t believe what was going on. I haven’t told many people that story.”

Contributing: Deputy sports editor/senior writer Tim Buckley

Sources include: University of Memphis sports information, espn.com