For those of us who were around when it all started... the "run" at the beginning of the Georgetown game on the night of January 20th, 1990 still stands out as the most important regular season run in the history of UConn basketball. It was the first time that we started to really believe that team could be something.
There was no hurdle bigger for us to get over than the mighty Georgetown Hoyas at that time... not even St. John's. Syracuse? No. Calhoun had already taken a couple of games off of them by the time we beat them earlier that week on Big Monday. No... it was Mt. Georgetown and mighty John Thompson who had stood as "the bridge too far" until that game. Beating us in every way imaginable up until that night. And always with their domineering swagger that made us loathe them (and respect them) like no other foe. Also remember they came into that game not only ranked #2, but in line to move up to #1 the following Monday after then #1-ranked Kansas had already lost earlier in the day.
Sure, you can say that the run happened at the beginning of the game, and at one point Georgetown came all the way back and took the lead before we ultimately won the game (still the most clutch 2nd half regular season performance in a key game by a Husky - Nadav Henefeld), so how important could that run have been? It did not win the game for us.
And furthermore, you can say "you can't really call 14 points scored over 6 minutes a run", and normally I would agree. But the way it crescendo'ed with the Rod Sellers emphatic slam (16:43 mark on the video... thank you as always tcf!) and the crowd reaction overcomes that hurdle, at least for me.
All I can say is: you had to be there or be watching it to understand. Something happened during that run that carried our program to another level, really for the first time... where we had never been before. A belief that we could stand toe to toe with the best, hold our own, and even come out on top. And not just on the court - you could feel it boiling over from the crowd, too. It was an explosion of joy and excitement unlike anything I had ever witnessed up until that time at a sporting event.
Putting the back drop together with what happened as it unfolded, and then what came after is why that particular run will always belong on any list such as this... and as a 35-year Husky fan I will always be thankful for having the chance to have witnessed it first hand. Even if you have never seen it before, watch it. The video quality is not great... but it still gives me goosebumps watching that run, Nadav's 2nd half performance, and the crowd at the end of the game when it was over and we realized we had ripped that #1 ranking right out of the clutches of the big, bad Georgetown Hoyas... and ourselves become a team to be reckoned with in the process.
Enjoy:
