Good ESPN Article on the 99 Championship

[BFieldHusky]

This weekend in Minneapolis, the Auburn Tigers and Texas Tech Red Raiders will attempt something that hasn't been achieved in this millennium: win a national title in their first Final Four appearance.

The 1999 UConn Huskies were the most recent to achieve the feat. With the benefit of 20 years of hindsight, it seems a no-brainer than UConn would go on to become both a Final Four perennial and repeat national champion (2004, 2011, 2014). But those labels were far less certain for a team that entered the 1999 national title game against Duke as a 9.5-point underdog. It remains the biggest title-game spread of the past 20-plus years. (The Huskies covered it, and then some, with their 77-74 victory against the 37-1 Blue Devils.)

Here is the story of how UConn pulled off what many thought impossible, told by some of those who lived it.

Twenty years later, UConn's upset of Duke still reverberates

 

[Guapo]

Good article.

ALL articles about the 1999 championship games are good articles.

 

[kansashusky]

Thanks for sharing. I remember arguing with my mom to let me stay up and watch the championship because it was a school night and I was nine. I didnt realize how big of an upset it was at the time or the chain of excellence it would trigger, but that team is easy to love.

 

[Tommyboy]

Needs less Nate James. Nine times out of ten my butt.

 

[Scrutiner]

Leitao's quote provides some insights into how important quality depth is not only in games but in practice. (NBA lockout brought players back to campus to work out.)

Leitao: We had, for an extended period of time, NBA players in our gym to practice against every day. You take a couple weeks of that -- high-, high-level basketball and established NBA players -- and it raised the level of day-to-day preparation beyond what Europe did for us, too. It was really amazing to watch. Those NBA guys, it wasn't like they were screwing around. They had to stay sharp.

 

[Scrutiner]

Needs less Nate James. Nine times out of ten my butt.

He either didn't notice the job Ricky did on Avery or else he believes in the Easter Bunny.

 

[Travelman6]

Needs less Nate James. Nine times out of ten my butt.

He can go suck an egg. Maybe if he had said 6 out of 10 but even after a loss, shows no respect to UConn.

 

[CTBasketball]

Loved seeing this on the homepage.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Needs less Nate James. Nine times out of ten my butt.

If that match up had happened 10 times, we would have won 7 or 8 of them. We were the better team. We had the best player in the country.

 

[Travelman6]

If that match up had happened 10 times, we would have won 7 or 8 of them. We were the better team. We had the best player in the country.

I think the teams were evenly matched and would require a deciding 11th game. 9 out of 10 is just an insane quote from a butthurt player who could never come to grips with and cope with a loss, especially that one.

 

[Hoophound]

We were the best team in the country that year. Not only did we have talent, but we were mentally superior to everyone else. We had the best player and the best defender in the tournament. I would argue we would win a ten game series and at minimum tie it.

I wasn’t surprised at all that we won. I expected to. It was still surreal, but I believed. I don’t always believe, so I’m no homer. We were the best.

 

[SubbaBub]

Wasn't that big of an upset. These were the two most dominant teams that year and they basically spilt time at #1. It's like saying the Lakers beating the Celtics was an upset. They were such a big dog because of ESPN and "Duke".

 

[ucp990411]

Good article? It is a f...... great article! About a great team!!!

 

[Bezzz]

My car sticker. Buy yours.

 

[Mister P]

Really enjoyed the article and getting the perspective and insight from the players and coaches.
Great coach , great player talent and the mental and physical toughness to go with the talent.

 

[Matrim55]

We were the best team in the country that year. Not only did we have talent, but we were mentally superior to everyone else.

Yup. I was the Daily Campus beat writer that year and got to travel with the team basically everywhere. And I had zero doubts going into that game.

They play it 10 times, that UConn team wins 9 titles. Toughest group of athletes I've ever been around.

EDIT: And let me add this... our coach was far superior. K couldn't crack the big-to-big double that Calhoun sprung on him that game. It was glorious.

 

[EROCK CONN]

Duke was overrated — the ACC stunk that year. I think they only got 3 teams in the tourney and UNC went down in the first round, and the other team that was supposed to be good was Maryland and St. John’s crushed them in the sweet 16.

 

[huskyjawz]

Duke was overrated — the ACC stunk that year. I think they only got 3 teams in the tourney and UNC went down in the first round, and the other team that was supposed to be good was Maryland and St. John’s crushed them in the sweet 16.

Interesting point.

 

[Mano]

Freeman: Me and Richard Hamilton's one-on-one battles. We'd get up at 6 o'clock in the morning to play one-on-one and almost got into fistfights. We were roommates and we wouldn't speak to each other for two or three days. There were days, two best friends, not speaking to each other for two or three days, and then the pickup games with the team in the afternoon. Two-, three-hour pickup games, nonstop, until one team was tired and was done or it ended in a fight. It was bad. Coaches tried to tame that competitiveness. It was complete battles every day. We could fight on Thursday in practice and be hanging out on Thursday night. I think that makes the chemistry for a championship team.

I'm guessing it's unlikely we might hear stories of this kind of intensity from the guys from these past few years.

 

[Robertelamin]

Duke was overrated — the ACC stunk that year. I think they only got 3 teams in the tourney and UNC went down in the first round, and the other team that was supposed to be good was Maryland and St. John’s crushed them in the sweet 16.

Way to downplay the first championship. Congrats.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Chris Carrawell (Duke forward, 1996-2000): UConn was really good, too. They were right there: No. 1 or 2 all year long. Nobody talks about that. It wasn't like UConn was a Cinderella. David against Goliath? That wasn't the case.

This guy to his credit chooses to live in reality unlike Nate James who's still delusional decades later. I think its just as ridiculous to say UConn wins that game 9/10 times as it is to say Duke does. That team was loaded and was obviously well coached but so were we and we fans knew the spread was laughable. If those two teams faced off 10 times it could go 6-4 or 5-5 either way but there is no way in hell either wins 9 out of 10. Just for the record I truly believe UConn 04` beats either team.

 

[superjohn]

Needs less Nate James. Nine times out of ten my butt.

Nate James is an idiot. We were the deeper team and we had the two best guys on the court who you could just give the ball to at the end of the clock and they'll get you a bucket. We were the better team.

 

[UKemba15]

Calhoun: A lot of people have photo albums for their memories. I was fortunate enough to get rings.

The Man just breathes excellence. The toughness and 'chip on the shoulder' mentality shared by that whole team gives me goosebumps. I love this. I was only 11 when that game was played but I can still perfectly remember everything about that night: from Ricky's next-level first half, to my racing heart and sweaty palms when KEA stepped to the FT line, to the pure ecstasy of Langdon tripping and finally hearing the final horn sound. I stayed up with my dad and brother until maybe 2:30am rehashing what we'd just experienced, with my face hurting from the permanent smile that was on my face. Unforgettable.

 

[auror]

That Duke team is the highest rated team in KenPom history ('97-98-present, so the last 21 years). It's also not even close. They were at 43 AdjEM, and the next closest team is at 37. The best team in the country for any given year is usually from 28-32, and UConn was 32 that year. Duke had the equivalent of Villanova's barrage offense from last year, and a BETTER defense than Virginia's from last year. Out of 7,350 team seasons overall in that timeframe, they had a top 3/7350 offense AND a top 3/7350 defense.

Anyone saying they were/are overrated is a clueless hack. Our team was very, very good. We'd be favored to win the national championship in a lot/most years. We wouldn't win more than 4/10 against that Duke team, though.

BUT we won the one that matters. We had a great team. I love watching that replay. And I'll have the memory forever. Cherish the upset, don't downplay the significance.

 

[mauconnfan]

Carroll and Burgess nice job. Nate James still eating too many sweet tarts the d-head.

Thanks for sharing good stuff, great read. Read it fast could've missed it but no "..shock the world" comments?