Am I missing something (re: 1999 Uconn)

[Travelman6]

I always understood Uconn and Duke were 1-2 pretty much all year and especially going into March, they were the two best. Is it revisionist history now with some people (seen it on reddit) claiming it was Duke-Msu-Uconn and that msu was the second best team going into March? What in the world?

 

[storrsroars]

MSU was never #1 in AP. Only Duke and UConn.

 

[auror]

I always understood Uconn and Duke were 1-2 pretty much all year and especially going into March, they were the two best. Is it revisionist history now with some people (seen it on reddit) claiming it was Duke-Msu-Uconn and that msu was the second best team going into March? What in the world?

It comes partially from KenPom, which only added full stats from 1999 a couple years ago. He has Michigan St #2.

That being said, KenPom has that '99 UConn team as having the best defense of the last 25 years. MSU and UConn are real close in the ratings and are about the same relative strength as Purdue this season. All 3 teams would be #1 in 8 of the last 25 years.

So basically Duke was an absolute juggernaut, the best team of the last 25 years. And then UConn and MSU were roughly the strength of the average best team in the country.

 

[nomar]

It comes partially from KenPom, which only added full stats from 1999 a couple years ago. He has Michigan St #2.

That being said, KenPom has that '99 UConn team as having the best defense of the last 25 years. MSU and UConn are real close in the ratings and are about the same relative strength as Purdue this season. All 3 teams would be #1 in 8 of the last 25 years.

So basically Duke was an absolute juggernaut, the best team of the last 25 years. And then UConn and MSU were roughly the strength of the average best team in the country.

So, to answer Travelman's question, yes, it's revisionist history.

Duke & UConn were 1A and 1B all season long. IIRC, we were ranked #1 more weeks than they were.

 

[SL Husky]

Yes, you're missing that we had this going on:

 

[Inyatkin]

Our loss to Miami had us 3 in the polls at the end of the year, but all year long it was us and Duke. If you ask anyone outside CT, it was Duke and everyone else

 

[UConnRock]

The only thing that scares me about tonight is the 1999 vibe where UConn is the heavy favorite (like Duke in 1999) and Purdue is the underdog team that has been great most of the year (like UConn in 1999). The factor that lessens my fears is knowing that Hurley and staff will game plan much better than Coach K and staff did in 1999.

 

[phillionaire]

People on Reddit being loud wrong about things? I’m shocked!

 

[freescooter]

It comes partially from KenPom, which only added full stats from 1999 a couple years ago. He has Michigan St #2.

That being said, KenPom has that '99 UConn team as having the best defense of the last 25 years. MSU and UConn are real close in the ratings and are about the same relative strength as Purdue this season. All 3 teams would be #1 in 8 of the last 25 years.

So basically Duke was an absolute juggernaut, the best team of the last 25 years. And then UConn and MSU were roughly the strength of the average best team in the country.

KenPom or one of the others gave Duke a National Championship banner. I’m happy with the one UConn won on the court, but then I’ve never been all that impressed with metrics over actual games.

 

[tzznandrew]

UConn beat Michigan State by 14.

I don't know what is up with KenPom's numbers to put UConn behind Michigan State. It might be because the Big East was down relative to the Big Ten. Big East had 5 bids out of 13 (1-2-3-8-8) and the Big Ten had 7 bids out of 11 (1-4-5-5-6-7-10). They were a very good team, but a beat behind everyone not named UConn and Duke that year.

 

[EnochRoot]

I DGA flying F about KenPom when it was used to award teams in the Big Ten Quad 1 wins vs Maryland all this past season.

It's being used as a built-in bias loop for the P5 to shut the door on the rest of the basketball universe.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I always understood Uconn and Duke were 1-2 pretty much all year and especially going into March, they were the two best. Is it revisionist history now with some people (seen it on reddit) claiming it was Duke-Msu-Uconn and that msu was the second best team going into March? What in the world?

There is no universe than anyone but UConn and Duke were top 2 teams. No one knew who mich st was

 

[yifangd]

I always understood Uconn and Duke were 1-2 pretty much all year and especially going into March, they were the two best. Is it revisionist history now with some people (seen it on reddit) claiming it was Duke-Msu-Uconn and that msu was the second best team going into March? What in the world?

 

[freescooter]

I DGA flying F about KenPom when it was used to award teams in the Big Ten Quad 1 wins vs Maryland all this past season.

It's being used as a built-in bias loop for the P5 to shut the door on the rest of the basketball universe.

All these algorithms are biased toward P5 conferences. If you think the NEWBIE doesn’t benefit most of the time you are dreaming. But in a way it’s like a lawyer judge shopping. You can probably find 1 who is better for your position

 

[huskyinfl]

I knew we were going to win when our guys were doing the rough riders anthem and the Duke guys were trying to be stoic but you could see the fear

 

[gsmooth]

The only thing that scares me about tonight is the 1999 vibe where UConn is the heavy favorite (like Duke in 1999) and Purdue is the underdog team that has been great most of the year (like UConn in 1999). The factor that lessens my fears is knowing that Hurley and staff will game plan much better than Coach K and staff did in 1999.

yup and UConn was the sentimental favorite in 1999 with 75% of the fans pulling for them. I think Purdue is the sentimental favorite for most neutral fans. But I say to that, let's spoil their redemption story. If UConn plays their A+ game they will win. UConn's A+ game is better than any other teams' A+ game and I say this as someone that respects Purdue and knows how great they are.

Respect all, fear none.

 

[fatlucy]

The only thing that scares me about tonight is the 1999 vibe where UConn is the heavy favorite (like Duke in 1999) and Purdue is the underdog team that has been great most of the year (like UConn in 1999). The factor that lessens my fears is knowing that Hurley and staff will game plan much better than Coach K and staff did in 1999.

Purdue and ZE have been the favorites for three years now. But they haven’t gotten it done. They have the pressure, not us. We already our championship.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Yes, it's revisionist much like Helms trophies awarded years after games were played.
In 2024 terms MSU Houston this year.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I swear that I had to have been watching something different than what the talking heads were watching that year. We did beat Michigan St pretty easily and had as good of a regular season as Duke (possibly better, our two losses were without a full team), but for some reason, once the brackets came out there were complaints that the alleged top two teams (Duke & MSU) were going to meet in the semi-finals. The tournament hadn't even started and we somehow became an also ran.

We were the best team. We beat a top ten team (Stanford) in their house, without our best player (don't remember of Jake also missed that one). Everyone was in such a hurry to annoint Duke that they overlooked a team that was actually better. I don't know how they missed what we were shoeing them all season long.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I swear that I had to have been watching something different than what the talking heads were watching that year. We did beat Michigan St pretty easily and had as good of a regular season as Duke (possibly better, our two losses were without a full team), but for some reason, once the brackets came out there were complaints that the alleged top two teams (Duke & MSU) were going to meet in the semi-finals. The tournament hadn't even started and we somehow became an also ran.

We were the best team. We beat a top ten team (Stanford) in their house, without our best player (don't remember of Jake also missed that one). Everyone was in such a hurry to annoint Duke that they overlooked a team that was actually better. I don't know how they missed what we were shoeing them all season long.

Maybe that was 2000 in 1999. Literally, that was not the talk everyone was on duke and UConn.

Wrong year for me.

I would like to see an article from that time that said that duke and Michigan State were the two best teams in the tournament.

State was No. 4 in the S curve.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Maybe that was 2000 in 1999. Literally, that was not the talks everyone was so hall that duke and UConn were there.

MSU was a No. 2 seed anyway. They weren’t even one of the top 4 seeds

It was absolutely 1999.

 

[Waquoit]

MSU was a pretty big deal that year, Mateen Cleeves and all. But never Top 2 real time.

 

[tzznandrew]

I swear that I had to have been watching something different than what the talking heads were watching that year. We did beat Michigan St pretty easily and had as good of a regular season as Duke (possibly better, our two losses were without a full team), but for some reason, once the brackets came out there were complaints that the alleged top two teams (Duke & MSU) were going to meet in the semi-finals. The tournament hadn't even started and we somehow became an also ran.

We were the best team. We beat a top ten team (Stanford) in their house, without our best player (don't remember of Jake also missed that one). Everyone was in such a hurry to annoint Duke that they overlooked a team that was actually better. I don't know how they missed what we were shoeing them all season long.

Jake played. Rip didn't. We won regardless.