2022-23 UConn vs 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 UConn, how does 2023 compare, whatIFsports will help to find out.

[Waquoit]

here’s the thing with these comparisons: Who is the coach? JC would win most match ups, period. Then it’s a seven game series?! JC wins with the #7 seed 91 team, the one that shut down Shaq and lost to OSU.

That was an #11 seed.

 

[FatElvis]

Didn't we just do this?

This one never gets old. Plus it's the one friendly debate you see on this board.

 

[tzznandrew]

1999 was undefeated when leading trailing at half.

Damn my typos these last two days. And damn the inability to edit posts!

 

[Mr. French]

I think 2023 beats 2011 in 6, and 2014 in 5.

More a comment on those other two title teams than a slight on 2023: in each matchup, which team do you trust more if it's within 5 with under 4 left?

That could be a problem for ‘23 head to head. That’s kind of why this team was almost MOST improbable to me at start of the year. I knew Kemba and Shabazz and those groups would be solid in tight games and I trusted those guys in every spot.

Maybe in a 7 game series ‘23 blows them out once or twice, but I bet ‘11 and ‘14 win a few grind it out games with Kemba/Bazz.

Bottom line, I can’t believe I’m talking about comparing 5 championship teams I’ve watched in my 30 years of fandom.

Edit: my list of improbable to start the season has to start with ‘11. But I might be more surprised at ‘23 than ‘14 from a preseason perspective. I thought Bazz was the best player in the country all year.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

I usually find myself afflicted with reverse recency bias, my kneejerk reaction is that the new guys aren't as good as the ones that came before. But that's changing. I'm not sure 99 had any more character and togetherness than 23. And I don't think Rip is going for 20 against AJ.

And Calhoun would have to do the big to big double on Sanogo and then Hawkins and Karaban would do the same thing they did to every other team this year.

I love the 1999 team, but they had HEART above all else.

I think people will appreciate the 2023 team even more as we get further away from the games.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

The 99 and 04 teams are the only ones who could match or overmatch the 23 team down low and still have perimeter firepower. Jake/Emeka on Sanogo would be a heavyweight bout.

 

[upstater]

You really are dissing 2023. I have always thought the 2004 team had the most talent and the 1999 had the best chemistry and the most character and togetherness. 2011 and 2014 as much as I loved both teams, they don’t really compare. 2023 might be our best team in my opinion. Why? Best defense and a terrific offensive team. And they have Andre Jackson who shuts the opponents best player down every game? How did Bradley do Monday? What about Wong Saturday?

My only hedge here is that 2011 was maybe good enough defensively to shut everything down.

Roscoe and Oriakhi were fly swatting everything that came near, Jeremy had length and was doing elastic man any time they tried to pass over him, while Kemba was very good on the perimeter defensively.

 

[Waquoit]

My only hedge here is that 2011 was maybe good enough defensively to shut everything down.

And what about Bazz and Boat on Tristan? It really is like picking amongst your children.

 

[tzznandrew]

I love the 1999 team, but they had HEART above all else.

Heart, a player who was a 2-time AA/BEPOY and 3-time NBA all star, two other players who saw minutes in the NBA, and a number of others who were Top 50 or 100 recruits.

That team was loaded. Rip is one or two steps up as a player than anyone on this team. Newton's size might affect KEA, but Ricky Moore on Hawk or Newton gives me nightmares. Rip would be the best offensive player, Moore the best defensive player.

 

[Dogdeacon]

here’s the thing with these comparisons: Who is the coach? JC would win most match ups, period. Then it’s a seven game series?! JC wins with the #7 seed 91 team, the one that shut down Shaq and lost to OSU. Everything matters, not just the players. Now JC with AJ, Sanogo, and Hawkins? They make that UNLV monster shart the bed. It’s not an accident nor a mistake that he was inducted into the HOF.

Obviously Calhoun of that year is the coach, time travel is possible and there are two Jim Calhouns matching old vs young vs older. 1999 Jim Calhoun is so hungry, prepared with index cards and will NOT be denied. But 2004 Jim Calhoun is confident and more schooled in navigating tournament pressure. Ditto 2011 Jim Calhoun.
If this isn't possible then 45yr old RIP has to battle AJ and balding Jake Voskhul vs Adama. While RIP certainly can still run and make a few buckets, it is not much of a game.

 

[tzznandrew]

That could be a problem for ‘23 head to head. That’s kind of why this team was almost MOST improbable to me at start of the year. I knew Kemba and Shabazz and those groups would be solid in tight games and I trusted those guys in every spot.

Maybe in a 7 game series ‘23 blows them out once or twice, but I bet ‘11 and ‘14 win a few grind it out games with Kemba/Bazz.

Bottom line, I can’t believe I’m talking about comparing 5 championship teams I’ve watched in my 30 years of fandom.

Edit: my list of improbable to start the season has to start with ‘11. But I might be more surprised at ‘23 than ‘14 from a preseason perspective. I thought Bazz was the best player in the country all year.

'11 came after a dismal 2010 season where they fell apart and Kemba was awful. Ater Majok left and we were convinced our recruiting class was awful.

Start of year, I'd say 2011 was the least expected, followed by this year, followed by 2014.

Going into the conference tournament I'd say least to most would have been 2014, 2011, 2023. Going into the NCAAs it would be 2014, 2023, 2011.

 

[Hunt for 7]

UConn fans are truly blessed to have enjoyed so many incredible seasons.

So in this battle royale 2022-23 vs the other 4 top teams.

Using What IF Sports I have created a Best of 7 series between 2022-23 UConn and the other 4 championship teams in a neutral setting.

2022-23 UConn vs 1998-99 UConn
Game 1: 1999 wins 90-81, RIP and El-Amin combine for 55 points!
Game 2: 1999 cruises, 92-65, 5 from 1999 in double digits
Game 3: 1999 wins in a close high scoring affair, 97-92, Hawkins and Newton for 2023 score 21, as well as RIP with 21 of his own, Freeman with 20
Game 4: 2023 grabs their first win, 81-79.
Game 5: 1999 closes the series out, 82-79, RIP leads the way with 31.

2022-23 UConn vs 2003-04 UConn
Game 1: 2004 wins 88-67, Sanogo's 22 not enough. Emeka and Ben combine for 56
Game 2: 2004 wins 82-65, Emeka scores 23, Ben 21, Brown 15
Game 3: 2004 wins in a blowout, 92-57, 6 players from 2004 in double figure scoring
Game 4: 2004 finishes the sweep, 97-77

2022-23 UConn vs 2010-11 UConn
Game 1: 2011 wins 73-72, Walker leads the way with 26
Game 2: 2011 wins 88-82 behind Kemba's 22 and 7 assists
Game 3: 2011 wins 87-76, Kemba goes off for 29!
Game 4: 2011 finishes the sweep, 85-75

2022-23 UConn vs 2013-14 UConn
Game 1: 2023 wins 91-81, 5 players from 2023 in double figure scoring, Napier with 26
Game 2: 2023 wins 79-71, outscoring 2014 by 18 in the 2nd half. Karaban and Sanago with 29 combined
Game 3: 2014 wins 90-81
Game 4: 2014 evens the series with an 87-78 win
Game 5: 2023 gets the win 79-75 behind Hawkins 23, Sanago with 18
Game 6: 2014 evens the series with 81-72 win
Game 7: 2023.....In OT, they take it 92-87!

Not sure I agree with those numbers. Do they even calculate the distance of the three point shot. I am not taking anything away from Gordon, Anderson, Rip was a mid range player more than a three point shooter. If I am picking the best shooter at UConn it’s a draw between Hawk and Ray. Ray maybe has the edge because of his nba career. But the first time I saw JH elevate and shoot will always be a memory. Like Caron taking the ball one handed weaving through defenders from the foul line and dunking. I think AI really only takes data and can’t measure the way this team played together.

 

[RoderickSpode]

People sometimes forget how good the 1999 team was. We all remember Okafor’s back problems in 2004 — but the fact is that if Rip and Jake hadn’t gotten hurt before the Syracuse game, that team would have been one basket away from an undefeated season (referring to their loss to Miami on senior day).

1999 was a juggernaut, but they historically don’t seem to get the credit they deserve - probably because the media painted them as a Cinderella against Duke.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Heart, a player who was a 2-time AA/BEPOY and 3-time NBA all star, two other players who saw minutes in the NBA, and a number of others who were Top 50 or 100 recruits.

That team was loaded. Rip is one or two steps up as a player than anyone on this team. Newton's size might affect KEA, but Ricky Moore on Hawk or Newton gives me nightmares. Rip would be the best offensive player, Moore the best defensive player.

I'll give you Voskhul because he played 9 years, though I'm reserving judgement as to how the matchup with Sanogo and Clingan goes without the Freeman double team they put on Brand. Love Khalid, but he played 50 games total in the NBA. Bouknight has played in more games in his NBA career. The overall team was greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[nomar]

1999 was undefeated when leading at half. 2004 faced some real adversity, and their defense was fantastic.

2004 v. 2023, in particular, demonstrates the evolution of the game. But, maybe Boone isn't chasing Alex around, but instead Charlie is. That dude can shoot.

2004 was a better all around team, I think, and the talent then in college was better. But...a thing to note is that, relative to their peers, 2023 is the best UConn team on KenPom.

Williams-Deng-Redick-Duhon-Ewing was light years ahead of any lineup the 2022-23 team faced. (Including Shav Randolph, they had 6 NBA players.) That's how good 2004 UConn was.

Nothing against this season's team which, unlike the '04 team, was by far the best team in college basketball.

 

[Hunt for 7]

That could be a problem for ‘23 head to head. That’s kind of why this team was almost MOST improbable to me at start of the year. I knew Kemba and Shabazz and those groups would be solid in tight games and I trusted those guys in every spot.

Maybe in a 7 game series ‘23 blows them out once or twice, but I bet ‘11 and ‘14 win a few grind it out games with Kemba/Bazz.

Bottom line, I can’t believe I’m talking about comparing 5 championship teams I’ve watched in my 30 years of fandom.

Edit: my list of improbable to start the season has to start with ‘11. But I might be more surprised at ‘23 than ‘14 from a preseason perspective. I thought Bazz was the best player in the country all year.

Some of the surprise for this team was taken away by how good they played for the first two months. You knew you were watching something special. Hawks beautiful jumper, Newton and his triple double, Andre and then the hammers of Sanogo and DC. You could see right away how special AK was for a freshman. So going into the tournament I picked them in every for money bracket I was in. This was a special TEAM. Just look at the movement in their offense. They were the best team, don’t care who we would have played we would have one. This team is going to be the team that every other university tries to replicate. As Danny said he broke the code and that was more than just figuring out how to use AJ. This team is on par with any other team. The game has changed so much in the last twenty years. How many times have they moved the three point line back since 99. That should tell you all you need to know about how much better todays players are compared to 99 or even 04.

 

[UConnSwag11]

2023 is our third best title team.

S Tier: 1999, 2004
A Tier: 2023
B Tier: 2011
C Tier: 2014

Agreed. I think you can put 2006 and maybe 2009 ahead of them if we’re expanding to all teams. Someone mentioned the ‘96 team too. It’s not a diss to the ‘23 team

 

[businesslawyer]

You really are dissing 2023. I have always thought the 2004 team had the most talent and the 1999 had the best chemistry and the most character and togetherness. 2011 and 2014 as much as I loved both teams, they don’t really compare. 2023 might be our best team in my opinion. Why? Best defense and a terrific offensive team. And they have Andre Jackson who shuts the opponents best player down every game? How did Bradley do Monday? What about Wong Saturday?

Not in any way a dis, but Andre Jackson isn’t close to being the best defensive player on the five championship teams. Ricky Moore is. And it’s not close just because I have never seen a defensive player have the defensive season that Moore had that year.

While comparing interior defenders to exterior defenders is comparing apples to oranges, I would also argue that Okafor was a better defender than Jackson.

 

[businesslawyer]

here’s the thing with these comparisons: Who is the coach? JC would win most match ups, period. Then it’s a seven game series?! JC wins with the #7 seed 91 team, the one that shut down Shaq and lost to OSU. Everything matters, not just the players. Now JC with AJ, Sanogo, and Hawkins? They make that UNLV monster shart the bed. It’s not an accident nor a mistake that he was inducted into the HOF.

No. In 91 we beat Shaquille and LSU and then Xavier before losing to Duke in the Sweet 16. In 92 we beat Nebraska in an 8 v 9 game before losing to Ohio State.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

I think I would have 2023 as 4th behind 2014.

Think they beat 2011 because 2023 is just too good defensively to let one player beat them and I don’t think 2011 has answers for Hawkins, Sanogo, and the bench. Don’t see Lamb doing well on Hawkins or Oriaki shutting down Sanogo. Roscoe Smith can guard the Kawhi’s and Derrick William’s of the world but Karaban is a completely different player that didn’t need the ball to be effective.

Pretty much, 2011 wouldn’t be able to out tough 2023 defensively because that’s not 2023’s offensive style.

2014 on the other hand I think would cause a lot of problems for 2023 in the backcourt. Bazz and Boat were STINGY defenders that knew how to pick a pocket and get turnovers. I’m not sure how Newton and Hawkins would’ve been able to handle that. On top of trying to stay in front of them on offense with the way they knew how to draw fouls, that’s a tough back court matchup.

The front court is a matchup 2023 wins obviously but I’m not sure if 2014 couldn’t do just enough with Nolan’s good positional defense and Brimah’s length to block shots. It’d make for a great series.

Which one wins, great guards or great bigs?

 

[Waquoit]

Not in any way a dis, but Andre Jackson isn’t close to being the best defensive player on the five championship teams. Ricky Moore is.

Not a dis but reverse recency bias. To say "isn't close" isn't close.

 

[storrsroars]

Agreed. I think you can put 2006 and maybe 2009 ahead of them if we’re expanding to all teams. Someone mentioned the ‘96 team too. It’s not a diss to the ‘23 team

I said it in 2005 and I'll say it again - you're not winning a natty with Rudy Gay.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not a dis but reverse recency bias. To say "isn't close" isn't close.

It’s obviously a matter of opinion, but we strongly disagree. AJ had an outstanding defensive year. Ricky Moore had the best, most consistent defensive year I have ever seen a player have. I said that in ‘99 and nothing that I’ve seen since has reached that level.

 

[UConnSwag11]

It’s obviously a matter of opinion, but we strongly disagree. AJ had an outstanding defensive year. Ricky Moore had the best, most consistent defensive year I have ever seen a player have. I said that in ‘99 and nothing that I’ve seen since has reached that level.

I think Boat has an argument too

 

[businesslawyer]

I think Boat has an argument too

Boat played at that level in the tournament. Boat did not play at that level game in, game out the entire season.