Final 4 post

[Gurleyman]

Duke beat Michigan State by 6 in the semis - and by 6 in the regular season. A team we rolled (albeit at home). They went overtime at St. John’s. We beat them twice in regulation. The signs were there that it wasn’t exactly a mismatch.

The transitive property doesn’t always work - and our 1999 team had a flaw that we let teams hang around a lot (Pitt, UMass, Seton Hall, Iowa, Gonzaga, etc.). We trailed at the half 10 times and won all 10. We let Duke hang around too - we kinda seized control of that game with 10 minutes left, and if we played better instead of losing our minds for a few minutes, we’d have built a bigger lead.

But the signs were there that the national final was going to be a battle. We had a 5-man starting lineup that was 70-7 in two seasons of playing together (with a couple of the losses when we weren’t whole).

People believed the hype instead.

 

[huskyjawz]

The thread on their board comparing collapses is entertaining…especially since for many 99 stands alone!

I don't see how 99 is a collapse. They lost to the better team and they didn't blow a big lead.

 

[UCan3]

Then you have to give Khalid crap for his “shock the world” statement too. We were a pretty good team in 1998-99 too.

Maybe but wasn’t Khalid a student athlete at the time?

We’re talking the coach addressing the media after one of the most unlikely ends ever..;

The dude should have been counting his blessing…..

Houston played the worst 1st half I’ve ever seen in the FF 4 and was dang lucky to win that game.

Duke gave it away.

Just say “that was great game and we were fortunate to win it.”

#1 Seeds can’t take the mantle no one respects us.

Sorry.

 

[drayenob]

 

[gsmooth]

Coach Dan Hurley with the win. I don't agree with everything he has said and done, but his response was perfect here.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

First McNeeley's vs. Memphis, now Cooper's. IMO two of the biggest calls of the season went against the Montverde boys.

Colorado State fans probably still unhappy about Derrick Queen's path to Maryland's winning basketball that kept them out of the Sweet 16.

I’m not buying the Sampson faux “We shocked the world" take. [Edited to reposition the closing quotation mark]

You're entitled to your opinion; I never bought El-Amin's take as any more than what the majority felt. I was elated but not shocked.

 

[alexd]

On the DBR Duke forum there's a lot of talk where this loss ranks for them.... there's a lot of mentions of "the UConn losses".

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Dan Hurley got to the word "honorable" on game day within a short time after his hallway profanity.

"Disgrace" demonstrates continued growth.

All of this with good news about & from Demary, Stewart, Ball, Reed.

As Haven Hamilton sang, "Keep a goin'."

Next up, UConn-South Carolina WBB Finals.
Go Huskies!

 

[gtcam]

Would love to hear as to the context they were used.
That was a BLEEP call or You are a BLEEP'N BLEEP

 

[Palatine]

I could well be wrong but I believe there was a bit more to KEA saying that than merely a run of the mill team who was a massive underdog beating a seemingly unbeatable opponent.

When Muhammad Ali beat Sonny Liston the first time (as a massive underdog who should not have been much of an underdog) he exclaimed "I shocked the world!" a few times. I imagine that Ali was a supreme heroic figure in KEA's eyes and he in part was emulating him when he said it (again, I could be wrong on this).

Everyone within that basketball team fully believed they could go toe to toe with that Duke team and if they played their game, come out on top. About eight or nine years after that game I brought up to JC his comments "maybe they beat us 99 times out of 100 but we only had to win one game" as I felt we'd beat them more times than they'd beat us. He told me "if you have a good line you use it". He didn't mind playing up to the general public but he also knew it wasn't an upset in any way, shape or form.

Th media call the '99 tournament "The Duke Invitational." So yeah, many were shocked.

 

[BGesus4]

Let's face it, that loss torpedoed the ratings for Monday's game. Not that I am complaining. I hope it's a great game no matter who wins on Monday.

I’ll watch but definitely not as pressed to not miss it had there been a chance to watch Duke lose. Multiply that times 1000 for ppl who don’t watch college basketball and are intrigued by Flagg

 

[BGesus4]

It was technically the right call but it prolly should have been allowed to play on. That being said Houston was getting raped on shots all night with no calls.

I missed that but probably was blurred for the tv audience

 

[Redding Husky]

Root for Houston. In 1999, Kelvin Sampson was the only coach or national media person who said UConn would beat Duke in the NC.

 

[Scoe]

Root for Houston. In 1999, Kelvin Sampson was the only coach or national media person who said UConn would beat Duke in the NC.

Was he really, I remember the pre game and remember quite a bit of coaches picked UConn. I remember Digger Phelps did and Rick Majerus.

 

[gsmooth]

Root for Houston. In 1999, Kelvin Sampson was the only coach or national media person who said UConn would beat Duke in the NC.

Digger Phelps picked UConn as well. Out of a panel of 20 people, there were 3 that picked UConn to win from what I recall.

 

[BGesus4]

Digger Phelps picked UConn as well. Out of a panel of 20 people, there were 3 that picked UConn to win from what I recall.

I remember Brian Ellerbe the Michigan head coach at the time being one of the few

 

[Redding Husky]

Was he really, I remember the pre game and remember quite a bit of coaches picked UConn. I remember Digger Phelps did and Rick Majerus.

I remember watching the pre-game and waiting for somebody (anybody) to pick UConn and Sampson did. I didn’t remember anyone else doing that. But now as I think about, Digger Phelps picking us sounds right. It’s been 26 years and I’m old. I stand corrected.

 

[caw]

Would love to hear as to the context they were used.
That was a BLEEP call or You are a BLEEP'N BLEEP

Does it matter? If it were Hurley either one would have been news for a day.

 

[superjohn]

It was definetly an epic choke job.

I had too much to drink. It was one of the worst chokes ever, Duke scored 1 field goal in the final 11 minutes of the game. Supposedly generational player and a bunch of other NBA players, highest rated offense ever on Kenpom and barfed all over their shoes when it mattered.

 

[superjohn]

This is hard to believe...

WATCH: Security keeps Hakeem Olajuwon from celebrating with Cougars after improbable Final Four comeback

Security personnel kept all-time Houston great Hakeem Olajuwon from celebrating with the Cougars after a historic comeback win over Duke.

www.on3.com