[5] The final game marked the beginning of the rivalry between future Hall of Famers Johnson and Larry Bird.

[6][7] 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.

This was also the first tournament where unique logos for the event were introduced, creating a diversity of branding which lasts to the present day.

Several conferences, including the Big Ten and Southeastern, used three officials for its regular season games prior to the NCAA adopting it universally.

Both victors, the lowest two seeds, achieved upsets again in the next round with #9 Penn defeating #4 Syracuse and #10 St. John's winning over #6 Rutgers, to make the regional final.

Penn won 64-62 to reach the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Michigan State.