Four semi-final 65–51 victory against UCLA, Benson had 16 points and 9 rebounds; In the National Championship, he scored 25 points with 9 rebounds in the Hoosiers' 86–68 victory over Michigan. Of the undefeated 1975–76 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team, Benson said, “If the team wins, everybody wins. Coach Knight knew the potential that could be with that team. He molded us and made us a team.” After the perfect season during his junior year, "Benny" became the lone star for Indiana after May and Buckner both left after their senior years for the next level. He averaged 19.8 points and 10.4 rebounds a game his senior season. He led them to a 16–11 record, but Indiana received no post season appearance. Benson was named the Big Ten's 1977 Player of the Year, while also receiving All-American honors for the second straight season. Kent Benson ended his college career with 1,740 points (15.3) and 1,031 (9.0) rebounds, a 71.5% free throw and 53.6% field goal percentage. He is the fourth all-time rebounder in Indiana Hoosier history with 1,031 rebounds. Professional career After graduating from Indiana University in 1977, Benson was the number one overall draft pick of the 1977 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Two minutes into his very first game as a professional, Benson elbowed Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the abdomen, and Abdul-Jabbar gave Benson a concussion with a retaliatory punch. Abdul-Jabbar broke his hand in the incident and was out for two months; otherwise, he could have potentially been suspended by the NBA. Meanwhile, Benson missed only one contest and was back in action four days later against Chicago, playing 24 minutes. On April 6, 1979, Benson scored a career high 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, recorded 5 assists, blocked 3 shots, and stole the ball 3 times while helping lead the Bucks to a 140-131 victory over the Utah Jazz. Benson spent eleven seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee (1977–1980), Detroit (1980–1986), Utah (1986–1987) and Cleveland (1988). He averaged 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 680 regular season games. He wore jersey #54 for his entire career. Benson never quite lived up to the potential of a number one NBA draft pick. Twice in his career, he was traded for a player that helped his former team get "over the hump" and contend for an NBA title. In 1980, the Bucks traded him