Five Worst UConn Losses Ever

[jdb50]

1. Tate having the ball go out of bounds. Nothing compared to the energy that team brought to the State after being an afterthought on the National scene for decades.
2. George Mason. Being Goliath and being knocked off was not a good feeling.
3. UCLA. That was a team that really played great basketball and it seemed like Bailey just had a game that we couldn't overcome.
4. Mich St. In the Final 4 as an away game. Losing to Izzo.
5. Miss St. What a total letdown. Were we ever in it.

 

[NYCHusky]

The 2009 Final Four lose was particularly painful. Spent much of the game telling Michigan State fans that Michigan State is a school for those didn't get into Michigan. Was a long roadtrip back to NYC.

 

[gampelcrazies]

2009 Michigan State would have to be the worst for me. We drove 10 hours from CT. Really thought we would at least make the title game.

 

[the Q]

The 2009 Final Four lose was particularly painful. Spent much of the game telling Michigan State fans that Michigan State is a school for those didn't get into Michigan. Was a long roadtrip back to NYC.

You weren't wrong.

 

[Waquoit]

I was not a fan of the Rudy/Charlie teams.

So you're not a big Gay guy?

 

[Kolumbo]

George Mason is #1 and it's not even close. No way the talent on that squad should lose to a mid-major en route to another championship.

Not top 5 but this was awful. Feb 20, 1988. Tied with cuse at home with maybe 6 seconds left with a chance to win. Jeff King throws the in-bounds pass away and su gets the easy layup to win by 2. Watching Ron Seikely running off the court is about as bad as it gets.

That said, here is the W on 1/16/1988 at the dome.

 

[storrsroars]

So you're not a big Gay guy?

Not as much as you!

 

[Kolumbo]

George Mason is #1 and it's not even close. No way the talent on that squad should lose to a mid-major en route to another championship.

Not top 5 but this was awful. Feb 20, 1988. Tied with cuse at home with maybe 6 seconds left with a chance to win. Jeff King throws the in-bounds pass away and su gets the easy layup to win by 2. Watching Ron Seikely running off the court is about as bad as it gets.

That said, here is the W on 1/16/1988 at the dome.

Lindsey Hunter drops 39, only 5 at the half.

3/19/1993 - UConn vs. Jackson State (NIT - First Round)

 

[nadav]

Not top 5 but this was awful. Feb 20, 1988. Tied with cuse at home with maybe 6 seconds left with a chance to win. Jeff King throws the in-bounds pass away and su gets the easy layup to win by 2. Watching Ron Seikely running off the court is about as bad as it gets

I was at that game as a 10 year old, above the tunnel, watched my old man practically stick his middle finger in Seikely’s face as he ran off that night. Brutal finish.

 

[John]

George Mason should be 2nd or 3rd

2nd and 3rd. And 1st.

 

[boog204]

#1 George Mason: It was an embarrassing loss with what might have been our most talented yet perplexing team.
#2 Florida: That team may have been our best overall team. 'Yell just had made 20 of 20 the week before. Total choke when it counted the most.
#3 Miss St.: They bullied us all over the court and we shot like 30% as a team. I remember Ray just standing still on offense more often than not and I think he was 9-26 that game. Awful.
#4 Duke: It was an awful loss b/c that was such a magical season and it was just so close. But, the saving grace is that absolutely obnoxious Duke team got absolutely throttled by UNLV the next week. That game still makes me happy.
#5: San Diego: First (and only time) we were upset in the tourney.
#5a: Providence, 2010?: They dunked on us 3287 times that game and we completely quit. One of the worst performances I can remember.
#5b: Kansas, 1995: Nationally televised, we were ranked in the top 5, undefeated (I think) and they beat us by 30+.

Honorable Mentions!

• G-Town when Brian Fair threw a perfect lead pass (off his head) to Joey Brown for a game winning layup.
• Miami when Tooles threw Darius Rice a perfect chest pass for the game-winning 3.
• NC State 2005 when we never really showed up to play.
• Texas, 2003, Marcus White... Ugh.
• Ohio State 1993... Smitty's last game and he got benched and we were crushed in the 2nd half.
• Losing to Yale in 2015?
• Losing to Wagner and Northeastern 2017
• Iowa State thoroughly embarrasing us in 2012. Opening tip Royce White dunking on us and then they hit every open 3.

 

[Stainmaster]

#1 George Mason: It was an embarrassing loss with what might have been our most talented yet perplexing team.
#2 Florida: That team may have been our best overall team. 'Yell just had made 20 of 20 the week before. Total choke when it counted the most.
#3 Miss St.: They bullied us all over the court and we shot like 30% as a team. I remember Ray just standing still on offense more often than not and I think he was 9-26 that game. Awful.
#4 Duke: It was an awful loss b/c that was such a magical season and it was just so close. But, the saving grace is that absolutely obnoxious Duke team got absolutely throttled by UNLV the next week. That game still makes me happy.
#5: San Diego: First (and only time) we were upset in the tourney.
#5a: Providence, 2010?: They dunked on us 3287 times that game and we completely quit. One of the worst performances I can remember.
#5b: Kansas, 1995: Nationally televised, we were ranked in the top 5, undefeated (I think) and they beat us by 30+.

Honorable Mentions!

• G-Town when Brian Fair threw a perfect lead pass (off his head) to Joey Brown for a game winning layup.
• Miami when Tooles threw Darius Rice a perfect chest pass for the game-winning 3.
• NC State 2005 when we never really showed up to play.
• Texas, 2003, Marcus White... Ugh.
• Ohio State 1993... Smitty's last game and he got benched and we were crushed in the 2nd half.
• Losing to Yale in 2015?
• Losing to Wagner and Northeastern 2017
• Iowa State thoroughly embarrasing us in 2012. Opening tip Royce White dunking on us and then they hit every open 3.

Wagner and Northeastern are officially on the board!

 

[Tenspro2002]

#1 George Mason: It was an embarrassing loss with what might have been our most talented yet perplexing team.
#2 Florida: That team may have been our best overall team. 'Yell just had made 20 of 20 the week before. Total choke when it counted the most.
#3 Miss St.: They bullied us all over the court and we shot like 30% as a team. I remember Ray just standing still on offense more often than not and I think he was 9-26 that game. Awful.
#4 Duke: It was an awful loss b/c that was such a magical season and it was just so close. But, the saving grace is that absolutely obnoxious Duke team got absolutely throttled by UNLV the next week. That game still makes me happy.
#5: San Diego: First (and only time) we were upset in the tourney.
#5a: Providence, 2010?: They dunked on us 3287 times that game and we completely quit. One of the worst performances I can remember.
#5b: Kansas, 1995: Nationally televised, we were ranked in the top 5, undefeated (I think) and they beat us by 30+.

Honorable Mentions!

• G-Town when Brian Fair threw a perfect lead pass (off his head) to Joey Brown for a game winning layup.
• Miami when Tooles threw Darius Rice a perfect chest pass for the game-winning 3.
• NC State 2005 when we never really showed up to play.
• Texas, 2003, Marcus White... Ugh.
• Ohio State 1993... Smitty's last game and he got benched and we were crushed in the 2nd half.
• Losing to Yale in 2015?
• Losing to Wagner and Northeastern 2017
• Iowa State thoroughly embarrasing us in 2012. Opening tip Royce White dunking on us and then they hit every open 3.

There's a few separate categories here:

A) Heartbreaking/gut-punch losses where we gave it our all and either lost painfully or lost to a superior or equal opponent; they hurt, but we can feel proud about the performance (Duke 1990, UCLA 1995, UNC 1998, Maryland 2002, Texas 2003)
B) Embarrassing losses to inferior or equal opponents or where we played horribly, choked, or quit; there's no silver lining here (Florida 1994, MSU 1996, NC State 2005, Mason 2006, ISU 2012, most of the late KO years)

Some are in the middle or had extenuating circumstances (Tennessee 2000, SD 2008).

 

[boog204]

There's a few separate categories here:

A) Heartbreaking/gut-punch losses where we gave it our all and either lost painfully or lost to a superior or equal opponent; they hurt, but we can feel proud about the performance (Duke 1990, UCLA 1995, UNC 1998, Maryland 2002, Texas 2003)
B) Embarrassing losses to inferior or equal opponents or where we played horribly, choked, or quit; there's no silver lining here (Florida 1994, MSU 1996, NC State 2005, Mason 2006, ISU 2012, most of the late KO years)

Some are in the middle or had extenuating circumstances (Tennessee 2000, SD 2008).

Indeed... I never looked at Maryland, UCLA, or MSU as "bad" losses as I felt like we played well but lost to a team that was as good as if not better than us. Especially maryland and UCLA. The first Duke game would qualify here as well except I was 10 and cried after we lost. Thus it deserves a top 5 ranking.

 

[August_West]

So you're not a big Gay guy?

 

[UConnWingman]

I’ll echo those who mentioned the ‘95 UCLA game. Aside from the poor first half UCLA played v Missouri earlier in the tournament, nobody really was good enough to beat them. It took their team effort of 54.5% FG shooting to outlast UCONN, who were actually built to run with them (few, if any, were).

I initially thought about George Mason, but it sadly, wasn’t that surprising that they’d get burned. Easily the worst 30 win team I can recall.

 

[CTBasketball]

Everyone knows the main ones but I’ll list some others:

1. Georgetown 2008 when Roy Hibbert hit that 3.
2. Maryland 2002 and Caron’s presser after. Crushed me.
3. San Diego 2008 just awful.
4. Notre Dame 2011 on Kemba’s senior night.

 

[UConn Dan]

Man this thread is really trudging up some bad memories... thanks... i think the mojo god's are pleased now.

Worst L's
1) Mason
2) Duke Elite 8 1990
3) Miss St.
4) UCLA
5) Mich St

 

[KemBaller]

MSU in the 2009 FF was another tough one for me. Even without Dyson, that team was loaded enough to win the title.

MSU saved us from being smoked by UNC. Nobody was beating them the way they were playing in March that year.

 

[the Q]

MSU saved us from being smoked by UNC. Nobody was beating them the way they were playing in March that year.

Thabeet would’ve had hasnbroughs lunch. That was the exact guy he had no answer for.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Wagner and Northeastern are officially on the board!

I was waiting for those!

 

[J187Money]

1) Florida 1994
2) Duke 1990
3) Miss St 1996

These are the clear top 3 to me. Nothing after 1999 can surpass these, IMO. The reason these hurt so bad, particularly Florida and MSU, is because we had never been to the Final Four.

4) George Mason 2006
5) Maryland 2002

Honorable mentions: UCLA, San Diego, NC State, Mich St, Texas (am I the first to reference the loss to Julius Hodge?)

The 6-OT game isn't in the top 30. We went on to win the title. It was a fun game.

I can think of a number of regular season games that hurt worse, including that 30-point beat down Kansas put on us (on CBS) when we were poised to be ranked #1.

Don’t get me started on that game again. That was probably the worst loss for me personally. And it was 29 points. Lol.

Fred Hoiberg is in MY house this time...

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Everyone knows the main ones but I’ll list some others:

1. Georgetown 2008 when Roy Hibbert hit that 3.
2. Maryland 2002 and Caron’s presser after. Crushed me.
3. San Diego 2008 just awful.
4. Notre Dame 2011 on Kemba’s senior night.

That dhiivxaaatnmoidwagdannif Hibbert 3.
“He hits it all the time in practice!”

That Maryland game is one of the best games I’ve ever watched. Sans final result.

Knew we done when AJ got carried off. Damn 5 vs 12 game.

Can’t believe hansbrough got that win. We got the last laugh though

 

[the Q]

Everyone knows the main ones but I’ll list some others:

1. Georgetown 2008 when Roy Hibbert hit that 3.
2. Maryland 2002 and Caron’s presser after. Crushed me.
3. San Diego 2008 just awful.
4. Notre Dame 2011 on Kemba’s senior night.

I thought that was Greg Monroe who hit that 3.

I’m still bitter about that madebup goaltend call in 2008. Clearly wasn’t a goaltend.

 

[tzznandrew]

I thought that was Greg Monroe who hit that 3.

I’m still bitter about that madebup goaltend call in 2008. Clearly wasn’t a goaltend.

He wasn't on the team until the next year. They did kick our butt with the full team in 2009, but I think it was one of Stanley's (if not the) first games back.