The slipper fit especially snug for Florida State in 1972.

Playing in just their second NCAA Tournament, the little-known Seminoles went all the way to the national title game that year. But, who they beat along the way was even more shocking than how far they got.

FSU, an independent at the time, knocked off Big Ten champion Minnesota 70-56 in the second round. Next, the Seminoles crushed SEC champion Kentucky 73-54 in what was the last game for the legendary coach Adolph Rupp. That was followed by a 79-75 upset over ACC champion North Carolina and NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo (No. 2 pick in the draft that year).

Then, facing an undefeated UCLA team that boasted Hall of Famer Bill Walton (No. 1 pick in the '74 draft), and on UCLA's home court to boot, FSU nearly pulled off a monumental upset. UCLA held on for a 81-76 win, which was their closest margin of victory in the 10 national title games the Bruins won during a 12-year period in the John Wooden era.

FSU's remarkable run that season will be celebrated in a reunion this weekend with every coach and all but one player (Reggie Royals died last year) attending. They will be recognized at halftime of Florida State's home game against Miami Saturday (tip off is at 2 p.m.) and be receiving rings for winning the Mideast Region. Fans are encouraged to welcome the team which will arrive by bus Saturday at 1:15 pm outside the Donald Tucker Civic Center.

"We had such a Cinderella year," said Al Lawson, a former state senator in Florida who was an assistant coach on Hugh Durham's staff that season. "It was hard playing as an independent at that time. We didn't have the facilities or resources of many of the important schools. But we took on everybody that was known to be outstanding that year and we were leading UCLA with five minutes left. No other FSU team has gone that far."

What made the run even more improbable is that FSU suffered a 24-point loss in its final regular season game to an opponent that didn't even make the 25-team NCAA Tournament field that year, falling 88-64 at Cincinnati.

Then, seven days later, the Seminoles, still in a funk from their lopsided loss, nearly didn't get out of the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. The 'Noles had to hold off Eastern Kentucky, another Cinderella hopeful, down the stretch for an 83-81 win.

"It was different then, because the NCAA bids were given out before your (regular) seasons was over," said Durham, who was just 34 years old when he guided FSU to its first and only Final Four appearance. "We had already got a bid and went up to Cincinnati and nobody was thinking about that game. They were all talking about the NCAA Tournament. Then, everybody was talking about what happened in Cincinnati. Once we got over Eastern Kentucky everybody was focused and we beat some good teams."

Durham, also a former player at FSU, had produced some good teams of his own at his alma mater before putting a scare into Walton and Wooden. Led by a Hall of Famer of their own in Dave Cowens (No. 4 pick in the '70 draft), the Seminoles made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1968 (they were beaten in the first round by East Tennessee State). Two seasons later in Cowen's senior year, the Seminoles went 23-3, but weren't eligible for postseason play due to recruiting sanctions.

In the wake of Cowen's exit, another, but different kind of star emerged, one that would carry FSU to college basketball's biggest game. In 1970-71, Ron King, a silky-smooth shooting guard from Kentucky, made his debut as a sophomore (freshmen weren't allowed to play in games until 1972-73) and posted a scoring average of 22.7 points a game. King scored 46 points against Georgia Southern that year, which remains the most ever scored by a Seminole in a single game.

King had deep shooting range, deadly accuracy and at 6-foot-4 the size to shoot over just about any guard who defended im.

"He's the best shooter I ever had the chance to coach, without question," said Durham, who later guided Georgia to the 1983 Final Four.

King might have had the best swagger of anyone Durham coached too.

"When I played I thought I was the best shooter in the world," said King, who is now the youth director at a community center for underprivileged kids in Kentucky. "We weren't supposed to beat Minnesota. We weren't supposed to beat Kentucky. We weren't supposed to beat North Carolina. We were supposed to lose by 30 to UCLA. I loved proving people wrong."

In 2009, King became just the fourth player in FSU history to have his jersey retired (joining Bobby Sura, Sam Cassell and Cowens)and he donned an all-gold suit for the halftime ceremony at a home game. King promises to wear something unique again for Saturday's reunion.

"You know I can't wear the same thing twice, but I've got to show off my garnet-and-gold" he said with a laugh.

FSU won a heated recruiting for King, who said Durham was at his house so often he would help his father take out the garbage some mornings. But, landing King had more to do with his high school point guard, 5-foot-7 Otto Petty. FSU was the few schools to offer a scholarship to both.

"We were a package deal, but every where we went they said Otto was too small to play college basketball," King said. "Otto signed with FSU first so I was actually followed him. I knew he could play. Together we were like magic. On the court, we knew where each other was going before we got there."

King was right about Petty. The diminutive floor general proved to be an assist machine. His 227 assists in '70-71 still stand as the single-season school record.

Royals was part of FSU's 1969 recruiting class with King and Petty and also proved to be an integral piece to that historic team in '72. A versatile big man at 6-10, Royals became the first FSU player to post a triple double that season.

Veteran guards Rowland Garrett and Greg Samuel, both seniors in '72, were the unsung heroes of the squad. Garrett went on to have a five-year NBA career and Samuel, who was under 6-feet tall, played bigger than his size like Petty.

Seven-footer Lawrence McCray was FSU's sixth man and combined with Royals to give the team the size to match up with any opponent.

King, Petty, Royals, McCray, Garrett and Samuel combined for more than a good share of size and talent. They also formed a unique bond among one another.

"A lot of times teams don't have chemistry, but everybody liked each other on that team," Durham recalled. "They all spent a lot of time together on an off the floor. Nobody was jealous because Ron was the leading scorer. All the players liked Ron. They wanted him to shoot. They knew how good a shooter he was. "

"It was easy for me to check on them at night, because they were always together," said Lawson. "On the weekend they went to the same clubs. In their down time they just hung together. I've never witnessed a group as close as that team."

Their tight-knit bond had a lot to do with the fact that all five starters (and McCray) were African-Americans, a rare sight at that time in college basketball.

"Going into the Georgia Tech game that year we were being called all sorts of names," said Lawson, who is also an African-American. "I just told them, 'Don't think about that. Let's just beat these guys.'"

FSU did, edging Georgia Tech 71-69 in Atlanta.

The Kentucky team that Rupp, who was one of the last coaches to integrate, pit against FSU was completely white.

Beating Rupp and his homestate school was especially sweet for King. Rupp had been quoted as saying he didn't offer King a scholarship, but King claims otherwise.

"Rupp denied it, but I took a visit there," King said. "They didn't have any blacks on the basketball team then. On my visit I had to hang out with the football players. I wasn't ready for that, but they tried to recruit me. When (Rupp) said that, it made me mad. To send him out retiring with a loss to us was pretty good. I loved that."

King believes FSU would have beaten UCLA had he played the entire game. King scored 27 points, the most of any player on either side despite coming to bench for a brief stretch.

"If coach Durham had played me 40 minutes I believe to this day we would have won," King said. "I still don't know why he sat me down to this day. UCLA was one of the schools that didn't recruit me and didn't know much about me. I ate that up. I was hot."

According to Lawson, Durham was trying to give his star player some rest. FSU led in the early stages of the game and even forced Wooden to take a rare timeout in the first half. But, UCLA took over, thanks largely to Royals and McCray landing in foul trouble, and grabbed a 50-39 lead at the half.

FSU still stormed back in the second half and Walton fouled out, but UCLA managed to hold on down the stretch.

Durham won't use the fact that UCLA got to play in its own Pauley Pavilion as an excuse, something that would never happen in today's era with the NCAA Tournament moving into bigger and more neutral arenas.

"I'm sure It was an advantage, not because of the officiating, but just because they didn't have to travel," Durham said. "I never have and never will use that as a reason why we didn't play good. We got into foul trouble in that one period and that hurt us. We played well against North Carolina. We didn't play nearly as well against UCLA."

Lawson doesn't see things as objectively, though he agrees the outcome had more to do with the opponent than the setting.

"They still talk about why we lost the game to this day," Lawson said. "I always say there are a number of factors. First, we were going up against John Wooden. He didn't have to say much to the officials to intimidate. When he stood next to a ref you could almost feel the guy shaking in his boots. He was a legend and a gentleman and really respected. They wanted him to be happy.

"Overall, we were happy to be there and Ron had a phenomenal night. We really got on that map after that game."