Happy 17th Anniversary Uconn 77 Duke 74 (3/29/99)

[AZHuskiePop]

I had 7 year grandson in 1999
My youngest (the real AZHuskie) had moved out.
I had taken him to games since he was little ,we shared the Agony of 1990 together
In those days we had two land line phone
My wife had QVC on speed dial on one to the first to order NC sweatshirts
On the other line I had AZ on speed dial As time ran out I dialed when he picked up I screamed into the phone, I heard him tell his wife with me saying a word. It's only my dad going nuts
After every important UConn win my phone will ring to this day
It's it's our tradition

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

It's such a pleasure reading everyone's personal experiences on that night. So nostalgic. I hope to share memories like this with my children one day.

I was in 8th grade that year. I remember watching the game in my parents bedroom while they were in the kitchen watching. Once the final buzzer sounded I ran into the kitchen with indescribable excitement. The next day on the school bus my friends and I kept chanting the u-c-o-n-n chant and made a sign on poster board with "Go Huskies!"on it showing all the cars behind us.

Ever since then I have been obsessed with uconn basketball and played the sport growing up every chance I got. Played 3 years in high school. Hopefully one day I have a son or daughter who wears the Husky uniform.

 

[UConn 77]

I was there. What a great night.

 

[uconnfan68]

My entire family left me alone to watch the game by myself. Prolly a good thing....I was sobbing at the end!

Thought I was going to pass out, and no drinks were imbibed. Didn't want to miss a second of play.

 

[Scoe]

I was 15 at the time I remember waking up that day normally I would have to be in bed by 10-10:30, my parents of course understood and they said to me before I even said anything "you can stay up to watch the game but you can't if your homework isn't done" I had never been so motivated to get my homework done at that age, the second I got home I went straight into my room with the door shut to finish my homework.

I remember I watched the pre game I believe Digger Phelps was the only one who picked Uconn to win. I yelled as loud as I could and ran across my yard and my neighbors heard me yelling and yelled back in excitement. I stayed up till 2 am that night I wasn't tired at all getting up early to go to school. I felt like I could fly if I got nailed in the head with a cinder block I wouldn't feel it.

I would like to know what the reactions from Duke fans were from our Uconn fans who went to the game.

 

[Waquoit]

I only have memories of Dukies pregame. This one twerp kept saying, "Too much, too much, Duke is too much. Too much Elton Brand. Too much Corey Maggette. Too much William Avery..."

 

[JonnyRI]

I can honestly say it was the 3rd happiest day of my life after the days my 2 children were born. I never understood why my ex wife had a problem with that when I told her.

Couldn't agree more. Nothing sweeter than first time on top of the mountain. Dook invitational still makes my blood boil.

 

[Shabazzkets]

Unless UConn someday goes undefeated and beats Syracuse in the final to win the national championship, this will always be my favorite basketball memory...which is saying something when you're a UConn fan. (I confess that the 2011 Big East tourney might have rivaled this moment...it's actually a close call for me. Still think that the 5 games in 5 days achievement is the greatest thing any team has achieved since Indiana went undefeated in the 70s.)

I don't like to admit this, but I went to PC for undergrad. I was watching the game with all of my buddies, all of whom knew I was UConn-obsessed and loved to needle me about it. One of my "friends" openly rooted for Duke at key points in the game, but for the most part they were cool about it and probably enjoyed watching me suffer for 40 minutes of hoops. I don't think any of them thought UConn would actually win, until we did.

Anyway, I remember falling to my knees watching those last few minutes, and then being as happy as I'd ever been in my life up to that point (I've since gotten married, had kids, etc.). My dad called me moments after the game ended, and we just didn't know what to say. Stunned, complete happiness. That really was such an amazing night.

 

[Jimbo]

I was one of the crazily screaming UConn students watching the game on the big screen at Gampel, which you can see CBS cut to a couple of times during the game broadcast. I remember feeling horrified for a fraction of a second when the whistle blew on Duke's penultimate possession, thinking at first that the refs had called a foul on Ricky, and then instant relief when it turned out to be traveling on Langdon. Then, after Khalid's two free throws and Langdon tripping and losing the ball…just complete euphoria, mixed with a crazy feeling of "did we really just pull this off?" disbelief. And to have it happen against the team that absolutely broke my 10-year-old heart back in 1990, followed by all those great UConn players and teams that kept falling short of the Final Four in the 90s, only to finally break through that year and bring it all full circle by winning the whole thing? Greatest sports night ever.

 

[pepband99]

I was there. Front row.

 

[The Viking]

Watched it in my dorm room in Shakespeare/Troy with about 24 people packed in.

Hey boog, I was in Shakespeare in 95-97. Did you take part in Christmas Caroling too?

 

[The Viking]

As for the game, saw it at the Standing Stone in Hartford (miss the endless barrell of peanut shells you could just throw to the floor), then celebrated at the good old Federal Cafe where the owner left the bar open an hour after close.
Hartford was pretty nuts that night.