On March 26, 1973, the UCLA basketball juggernaut was at the height of its powers. Its 87-66 victory over Memphis State that night was the Bruins’ 75th consecutive victory over three seasons. The championship was UCLA’s seventh in a row.

On that night, Walton tallied 44 points, still the championship-game record. His shooting percentage of 95.5 percent remains 5.5 points higher than anybody else’s The Ja with twice as many shots taken.

It wasn’t the first time that Walton neared perfection in a Final Four game. In the previous year’s semifinal against Louisville, he was 11-of-13 from the field, still the No. 5 Final Four field-goal performance of all time.

In the 1973 final — the first to be played on a Monday night — Walton also contributed 13 rebounds. His only flaw: a 2-of-5 rate from the foul line.

Perhaps the ultimate tribute to Walton’s performance came with two minutes left when he injured his ankle and was unable to continue. In one of the Final Four’s greatest displays of sportsmanship, Memphis State players Billy Buford and Larry Finch lifted up one of college basketball’s greatest players and carried him to his bench.