Happy 77-74!

[CL82]

Not to overstate it's importance, but, honestly, can you think of a sports moment that affected you and brought you more joy than that one night in 1999? Personally, it means more to me than the Miracle on Ice, and that's saying something. I will never forget where I was, who I was with, or the sheer joy I felt when Langdon fell to the floor and it was over. I have goosbumps just thinking about it.

Bosox in 2004 is right up there as well.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

SomeGuy picked Duke

 

[Mr. Hand]

I don’t think they were overrated. That Dook team was really, really good. Blew out almost everyone they played. But we won and were every bit as good. UConn and Dook were definitely the two best teams that year by quite a bit. So happy we beat THEM for our first title

Naaaah...the ACC was crap that season. Only 3 ACC teams made the tournament, and only Duke survived the first weekend.

UConn and Duke had four common opponents that year, and UConn beat all four by more than Duke did.

 

[HooperScooper]

SomeGuy picked Duke

At least he thought it would be very close. I'm looking at you Pat Forde and Lean Robbins, just to name 2.

Looking at that list of predictions reminds me of what happened before the game. My friends and I were hanging out at Ferg's, a sports bar near Tropicana Field, before the game and they were broadcasting a national sports radio show from there (don't remember who it was). We were standing next to their set and the host says Duke is going to win and they just beat the second best team on Saturday already.

They go to a commercial break and we asked the guy why he said that since UConn had already beaten Michigan St. handily earlier in the season. I'm not sure he even knew that. He told us UConn was going to get killed. We said something about how he had no idea how good UConn was.

It was at that moment that it really started to hit us that almost everyone thought Duke was going to win big and that many times teams that are favored by a lot don't win. We are Giants fans and we were relating this to Super Bowl XXV when the Giants beat the favored Bills. And then it happened.

I still think about that story all the time when teams are heavily favored in big games.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I have this game on my laptop. When our ISS teacher is out, I'm the one usually put in there. If I have no kids for a little period, I watch this or the Kentucky title game.

Also, a friend of a friend won tickets to the game through a radio contest. He rode in a limo with a few friends from Storrs all the way to Tampa. Then he sold the tickets (I forget if it was 4 or 6 tickets) for $16,000 and they watched the game in a bar.

 

[Scot-e]

Still the best sports day of my life. Don’t even remember driving home for 8 hours after was so happy.
My dad could not make it down for the first game of the FF and gave me two good tickets. The prices were crazy cause all the dookies were driving the prices up.
Saw this dad and his kid in UConn gear with a sign that said “ we need a miracle” - have him and his kid the tickets and sat next to them. Kid was crying and telling his dad how awesome it was- the whole weekend was magical.

 

[Scoe]

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

UConn was a 9.5-point underdog to Duke in the 1999 title game. Even as a Final Four newbie, the Huskies did more than just hang around.

www.espn.com

This is an absolute must read tells you why we were better then Duke.

 

[seeya27]

Anyone remember what the betting line was going into that game?

9.5.

 

[Scoe]

The comments on this board are gold, 1999 - Fifteen years later [Archive] - DBR Boards

 

[husky8273]

And Mets '86

and Giants '08 and '12

 

[Mr. Hand]

The comments on this board are gold, 1999 - Fifteen years later [Archive] - DBR Boards

This is gold Jerry, gold!

 

[alphasigko]

I watched this game last evening with my 21 y o son who was 3 months old when it occurred. First time I have watched it over all those years. We totally enjoyed it!

What struck me most, aside from the shear joy of the win, was the very strong efforts of the bench players: Suliman, Morning, Saunders and Jones. I honestly do not remember any of them playing such major roles in getting this win. Add to that Rip's clutch shooting, Ricky's best game of his career, KEA's poise despite not having one of his best games, Freeman's intensity and the team's overall defense, it was a superb team effort that every Husky player should watch and emulate.

 

[Waquoit]

I was driving on I-75 listening to Sporting News Radio and the guy is saying, "Someone, anyone tell me why UConn has a chance." I pulled off into a truck stop and went to a pay phone. When I got through, I told him "three reasons why UConn will win." I forgot one but the other two were "you ask who's going to stop Brand, I say who will stop Hamilton and El-Amin" and "In Calhoun we trust, I don't know what the plan is but he will have a winning plan." I hoped the guy remembered me.

 

[ucp990411]

We flew back to Hartford with a stop in Raleigh and I was fully prepared to talk some trash. Instead we were greeted like conquering heroes. Turns out most of the people in N Carolina are UNC fans and they hate Duke as much if not more than we do.

 

[Waquoit]

KEA's poise despite not having one of his best games

Never forget him sticking it in Elton Brands face with a minute left. I'm sorry but CV ain't making that shot.

 

[swami7774]

Never forget him sticking it in Elton Brands face with a minute left. I'm sorry but CV ain't making that shot.

Classic mismatch on that play. Small, quick guy vs big, slow guy. KEA went around Brand like crap through a goose.

 

[alphasigko]

Then he sold the tickets (I forget if it was 4 or 6 tickets) for $16,000 and they watched the game in a bar.

$16K is good money now, but it was REAL money then!

 

[Deepster]

Souleymane Wane gave us really quality minutes against Brand. A very underrated piece of the win.

 

[coloradohusky]

Bosox in 2004 is right up there as well.

As a Yankee fan, I can totally see that. For me 2004 Bosox was not a great time for me. Lol . I was with my best friends, who all are diehard Sox fans, and I was very happy for them.

 

[August_West]

Souleymane Wane gave us really quality minutes against Brand. A very underrated piece of the win.

The strip!!

 

[Mr. Hand]

The strip!!

Hate to be "that guy," but it was actually my boy Edmund Saunders who made the strip. Wane made a nice baby hook though.

 

[August_West]

Hate to be "that guy," but it was actually my boy Edmund Saunders who made the strip. Wane made a nice baby hook though.

youre not being that guy, I of course know that. It was still "the strip".

 

[JCSuperstar]

Amazing that Saunders even attempted that strip given Brand's "POWERFUL HANDS"

 

[swami7774]

Amazing that Saunders even attempted that stip given Brand's "POWERFUL HANDS"

That play happened before Brand stepped up “LIKE A HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!!!”
God, I hated Packer.

 

[Waquoit]

God, I hated Packer.

I don't understand how he lasted that long. He sucked and he was corrupt.

 

[Dean Wormer]

I don't understand how he lasted that long. He sucked and he was corrupt.

He was a shill for the ACC and no upstart BE team was ever getting credit for being good. He was like a low-key Dukie Vitale, only he tried to put a legit face on his bias.

 

[August_West]

Amazing that Saunders even attempted that stip given Brand's "POWERFUL HANDS"

He’s no Kawhi Leonard who had powerful hands AND played at altitude

 

[prankster]

We were down 2 at halftime. Some Dookies in the bar were all upbeat, so I let out a cheer.

They were a little confused, so I exained that UConn was undefeated that season, when we were down at halftime.

 

[calluke]

I was in the pep band that year. Not sure too many people know this, but the guy in the Johnathan suit stole the blue devils pitch fork. Not sure he ever gave it back.

But there was a little karma...he was so dehydrated during the game he barfed in the mask after the game.

 

[calluke]