Labeled “The Game of the Century” #1 UCLA faces #2 Houston before 52,693 fans at the Houston Astrodome. Both teams were unbeaten, creating extra ticket demands and a national television audience. The Bruins came in with a 47-game winning streak, beating the Cougars in the Final Four a year earlier. Houston edged UCLA 71-69 on Elvin Hayes’s two clutch free throws; the game was as good as advertised.