The March 29, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated featured Kent Benson soaring toward the basket on its cover, captured during Indiana’s hard-fought 65-56 victory over Marquette in the Mideast Regional Final. Benson dominated the paint that night with 18 points and 9 rebounds, helping send the undefeated Hoosiers to the Final Four. Exactly 50 years to the day after that iconic cover hit newsstands, Benson returns to the Past Our Prime podcast for a second time — and he’s especially thrilled that Indiana has just completed a perfect 2025-26 football season and won the national championship.

That 1976 regional final against Marquette proved to be the toughest test on Indiana’s road to perfection. With Benson anchoring the defense and controlling the interior, the Hoosiers pulled away in the second half to advance. They would go on to defeat UCLA in the national semifinal and Michigan for a 3rd time that season, 86-68 in the championship game, where Benson posted 25 points and 9 rebounds to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. The Hoosiers finished the season a perfect 32-0, becoming the last team in Division I history to win the national championship without a single loss.

For Kent Benson, appearing on the March 29, 1976 Sports Illustrated cover was the crowning moment of a breakout college career. After playing a key role as a sophomore the year before, he emerged as the centerpiece of Bob Knight’s disciplined machine in 1976. Fifty years later, he returns to POP to reflect on that magical undefeated basketball run while also celebrating Indiana’s remarkable football achievement — completing a perfect 2025-26 season and winning the national championship. It’s a rare double dose of Hoosier perfection across two different eras, and Benson couldn’t be prouder on the Past Our Prime podcast.

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