"That was a shellacking"

[mlz01]

It's mid July, you're bored at work and there's over 3 months until next season starts. This should give you enough UCONN joy to last at least a couple of days:

http://articles.courant.com/2010-11...101124_1_shabazz-napier-niels-giffey-Kentucky

We're 4-1 all time against Kentucky and nothing can top beating them for a National Championship, but Kemba Walker and UCONN were awesome in this game, "shellacking" (according to Squid) Kentucky in the Maui championship. We were unranked, they were top 10, and Kemba destroyed them. Squid went on to admit that he made a mistake not recruiting Kemba.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

The last five minutes or so of the first half was an awful lot of fun.

But just keep in mind, that was just a mediocre team that got hot in March....

 

[mauconnfan]

AO had 18 and 11, Gifster had 14 and Bazz had 12 to top off Kemba's night. So Lamb was a mere shadow of what he would become by years end.

But yeah, they were very inconsistent during Big East play and amazingly enough probably needed to win a game in the tourney to make it. And then - BOOM

 

[HuskyBballFan]

They absolutely did not need to win a game in the Big East tournament. Winning that tournament wouldn't bring them from the bubble to a 3 seed all by itself.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I've been to a lot of UCONN games in a lot of great venues but that one may be my all time favorite game. We absolutely embarrassed Kentucky and their sea of annoying fans.

 

[alexd]

21-2 run to end the first half.....fun to watch this now....

Shabazz and Giff-EEE looks like they're about 16.

 

[Huskybass]

Kemba was simply amazing that season. Perhaps the best college season of anyone since Danny Manning.

 

[jfuchs91]

21-2 run to end the first half.....fun to watch this now....

Shabazz and Giff-EEE looks like they're about 16.

One of my favorite games to watch. Think about how much all of them have been through since then.

That team came into that season with no expectations. I can't remember a UConn team with lower preseason expectations. In 2010, UConn had one of their most disappointing years in the Calhoun Era, going 18-16 and failing to make the NCAA Tournament. That disappointing 2010 team lost four of their top six players, and lost on most of their top recruits in the off-season. It was one of the lowest points of our program under Calhoun.

This 2011 team wasn't even on the map nationally until they beat #2 Michigan State the day prior to this game. Little did anyone know that they would not only win the title that year, many of them would go on to be two time National Champs. Unbelievable.

Watching the team in this video and realizing that we'd win two of the next four national championships makes me incredibly grateful to be a UConn fan.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Werent we like 14-0 against non conference opponents that season?

 

[jfuchs91]

Werent we like 14-0 against non conference opponents that season?

19-0 vs. non-conference and 14-0 in tournament games.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

That team did something that will never be matched again - they won the three most difficult tournaments possible in the same season, beating 10 ranked teams and only one of the 14 defeated teams did not make the NCAA tournament. I would postulate they played the most difficult schedule of games in one season in NCAA men's basketball history.

Legendary!

 

[Migs]

AO had 18 and 11, Gifster had 14 and Bazz had 12 to top off Kemba's night. So Lamb was a mere shadow of what he would become by years end.

But yeah, they were very inconsistent during Big East play and amazingly enough probably needed to win a game in the tourney to make it. And then - BOOM

They went into the tourney ranked 19th nationally. They didn't need it, but they probably end up between a 7-9 seed with their end of year struggles. Especially if they lost to DePaul.

This game does have one of my favorite Shabazz moments ever. In the first half he strips Doron Lamb, gets the and one and stares Lamb down calling him a bitc h with his eyes.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

The last five minutes of the first half where most of the 21-2 run took place was with a lineup of Kemba, DBev, Giffey, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, and Oriakhi. No Shabazz, no Lamb, no Roscoe.

Also, no Kevin Ollie. I was looking for him on the bench and couldn't find him for the life of me. Turns out he "sustained a nasty injury...when a stretching band recoiled into his face." I definitely didn't remember that.

 

[HuskyFich]

I watched this game last week. The one thing that I was able to notice looking back on things now was Scoe's potential. He was such a ferocious rebounder, literally ripping balls away from Terrance Jones, who doo-doo'd all over us in this game. If he was a 4 year guy for us with KO's development system, I believe he would have become a very good player.

My favorite moment of this game was definitely Giff's diving save into the scorer's table, getting the ball to Kemba for the layup. Not super flashy, but showed the type of player Neils was (and would become). He might be the biggest surprise success story of the past decade for this team, ultimate glue guy.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Also, no Kevin Ollie. I was looking for him on the bench and couldn't find him for the life of me. Turns out he "sustained a nasty injury...when a stretching band recoiled into his face." I definitely didn't remember that.

I talked with KO for a few minutes in the beachfront bar at the Hyatt after the game and don't recall him having an eye injury. I'll have to dig out the pictures.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I talked with KO for a few minutes in the beachfront bar at the Hyatt after the game and don't recall him having an eye injury. I'll have to dig out the pictures.

The article I found said he was cleared to travel to Maui, but wouldn't be on the bench coaching during the tournament.

 

[Rico444]

I watched this game last week. The one thing that I was able to notice looking back on things now was Scoe's potential. He was such a ferocious rebounder, literally ripping balls away from Terrance Jones, who doo-doo'd all over us in this game. If he was a 4 year guy for us with KO's development system, I believe he would have become a very good player.

My favorite moment of this game was definitely Giff's diving save into the scorer's table, getting the ball to Kemba for the layup. Not super flashy, but showed the type of player Neils was (and would become). He might be the biggest surprise success story of the past decade for this team, ultimate glue guy.

My favorite moment was during the huge run, after Kemba had just hit a couple of shots in a row and was generally cruising. We got out on the fast break, and Kemba had an open 3. A defender closed out quickly, and he left the ground looking to shoot, but then dumped it inside to a wide open Giffey (I think?) who then completed the layup. He was the man, and the best player in the country, but he didn't have too much of an ego to make the smart play.

 

[Justin M]

"I fell in love with this team," Calhoun said. "I know the effort is legitimate and as coaches that's what you want all the time."

Gives me goosebumps, as a player there is nothing more you want to hear from a coach

 

[IMind]

In retrospect that team was absolutely stacked with great college players. It's too bad the personalities and the NCAA had to screw with everyone... but then again all UConn did after that was win another national title.

 

[amory]

Nice to see Cal actually admit his team was outplayed and outcoached. He doesn't do that anymore just whines about how young everyone is.

 

[UConnSwag11]

It's mid July, you're bored at work and there's over 3 months until next season starts. This should give you enough UCONN joy to last at least a couple of days:

http://articles.courant.com/2010-11...101124_1_shabazz-napier-niels-giffey-Kentucky

We're 4-1 all time against Kentucky and nothing can top beating them for a National Championship, but Kemba Walker and UCONN were awesome in this game, "shellacking" (according to Squid) Kentucky in the Maui championship. We were unranked, they were top 10, and Kemba destroyed them. Squid went on to admit that he made a mistake not recruiting Kemba.

Kemba would've wasted away with cal coaching him

 

[Inyatkin]

That team did something that will never be matched again - they won the three most difficult tournaments possible in the same season, beating 10 ranked teams and only one of the 14 defeated teams did not make the NCAA tournament. I would postulate they played the most difficult schedule of games in one season in NCAA men's basketball history.

Legendary!

This is a great stat but I don't think it's right. DePaul obviously didn't make the tournament and I think Wichita State won the NIT that year. Not that it detracts from the larger point of how awesome a season it was.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Imho we will NEVER see another run like that 11` team. 5 games in 5 nights including 4 straight against ranked teams to then win 6 more in a row in the big tournament as a 3 seed is just not possible. Not sure i even believe that it really happened.

 

[mets1090]

They absolutely did not need to win a game in the Big East tournament. Winning that tournament wouldn't bring them from the bubble to a 3 seed all by itself.

Villanova was in a similar spot record wise and lost to 15th ranked USF in the first round. They made it in as a 9 seed. I'm guessing a loss to Depaul may have dropped UConn to a 10 seed, still relatively safe in terms of bubble teams. Still, the point is that it was a crazy swing to go from being a possible 10 seed to being a 3 seed in 5 days.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Villanova was in a similar spot record wise and lost to 15th ranked USF in the first round. They made it in as a 9 seed. I'm guessing a loss to Depaul may have dropped UConn to a 10 seed, still relatively safe in terms of bubble teams. Still, the point is that it was a crazy swing to go from being a possible 10 seed to being a 3 seed in 5 days.

If Nova was a 9, we would have been in even better shape than them. Our conference resumes were identical but our non-conference resume was significantly better. They had two nice wins (UCLA and Temple) and a loss to Tennessee. What we did - beating Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wichita State away from home, beating that same Tennessee team, and beating Nova head-to-head for good measure - probably should have been worth a two seed jump. So I say we would have been around a 7 with a loss to DePaul.