How many NC's…..

[huskyrob1]

…..might JC have if various things broke a little differently. KO's chance to get his 1st got me thinking back about JC's career at UCONN. I say 6 or 7. He's got 3 hard fought NC's, and if he was a little luckier….

4) The team doesn't look past George Mason, MW doesn't get called for palming near the end of the game, we shoot better, we win. Go on to the NC.

5) Winning in 2006 helps JC get Kevin Durant to UCONN. He almost came anyway as it was.

6) Tom Moore talks KD into staying for a 2nd year as well. With KD on the team we have a shot to win both years IMO. Especially 07-08.

7) 1990, Laettner misses.

8) We beat Florida in 94 and go on to win it all. Ray plays better in the game.


Anyone care to ad any thing I missed, calls that went against us, etc. Or any other years. Like I said IMO, JC could easily have 4 or 5 NC's, or maybe even 6 with some luck. The other thing is if we had won in 94, JC really liked that team btw, then recruiting goes much, much better?

 

[61cygni]

Price injury

 

[storrsroars]

I think 94 and 09 were the best shots for more NCs. But I think the premise of the question is silly because luck is always a factor, even in the ones we won. In 04 and 11, we did not face the best team for the NC, just the one that was left standing. IMO, things had to break right for us. Although in 04 I really do believe we were invincible.

 

[mauconnfan]

Donyell missed 2 FT's (hate remembering this though because 'Yell was so great) and we went to Ot only to lose to the Gators…….another game with we didn't secure which was within our grasp. BC was next and that was candy to get to the FF……..

(oh crap you had that - sorry)

 

[8893]

I know the only thing he's thinking about right now is that this could have been his fourth. I'll bet it's driving him crazy, and I love him for that.

 

[Bryan Lord]

I think we won the right number of ships. We won the two we were supposed to and one we weren't. Bout time for another!

 

[huskyrob1]

I think 94 and 09 were the best shots for more NCs. But I think the premise of the question is silly because luck is always a factor, even in the ones we won. In 04 and 11, we did not face the best team for the NC, just the one that was left standing. IMO, things had to break right for us. Although in 04 I really do believe we were invincible.

Calhoun gets asked that question all the time, and he usually responds by citing the 94 team more than any others.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Dyson's injury in 2009. We were #1 in America when he went down vs cuse at Gampel.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't know how we would have matched up with Arkansas (specifically Corliss Williamson) in 1994 and I've always viewed that as a lost opportunity at what should have been a final four run, not necessarily a title.

2002 still hurts (especially the shot that Blake pulled out of his @ss) and I truly believed that postseason that Caron was not going to be denied. In 2003, beyond having to play Texas in San Antonio, I still want to know how #&k the ball got stuck where it did. If the 2002 & 2003 squads had a bit more luck and the 2005 and 2006 squads had a bit more testiculos, we could have had five straight final fours and three or more titles during that stretch.

 

[huskyrob1]

Price injury

Yeah, that hurt us big time.

 

[huskyrob1]

I think 94 and 09 were the best shots for more NCs. But I think the premise of the question is silly because luck is always a factor, even in the ones we won. In 04 and 11, we did not face the best team for the NC, just the one that was left standing. IMO, things had to break right for us. Although in 04 I really do believe we were invincible.

Agree about the 04 team, I don't think there is anyone who could have beaten us the way EO was playing during the post season.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

…..might JC have if various things broke a little differently. KO's chance to get his 1st got me thinking back about JC's career at UCONN. I say 6 or 7. He's got 3 hard fought NC's, and if he was a little luckier….

4) The team doesn't look past George Mason, MW doesn't get called for palming near the end of the game, we shoot better, we win. Go on to the NC.

5) Winning in 2006 helps JC get Kevin Durant to UCONN. He almost came anyway as it was.

6) Tom Moore talks KD into staying for a 2nd year as well. With KD on the team we have a shot to win both years IMO. Especially 07-08.

7) 1990, Laettner misses.
Could I amend this to Tate doesn't go for the steals just tips the ball into the back court. Time runs out. Laettner never gets a shot.
I still have nightmares as I scream at Tate

8) We beat Florida in 94 and go on to win it all. Ray plays better in the game.

Mississippi State
Jerome Dyson doesn't 't get hurt.
Khalid doesn 't get hurt in 2000
Anyone care to ad any thing I missed, calls that went against us, etc. Or any other years. Like I said IMO, JC could easily have 4 or 5 NC's, or maybe even 6 with some luck. The other thing is if we had won in 94, JC really liked that team btw, then recruiting goes much, much better?

 

[Matrim55]

In order:

1) Dyson in '09. If he doesn't get hurt, we don't lose.
2) Moore in '96. If he doesn't get hurt, we don't lose.
3) Price in '06. If he's available vs. GMU, we don't lose.

Those are the three most painful, since those are the ones where bad luck (bad decisions in AJ's case) beat us.

The '90, '95 and '02 teams were my three favorite non-title teams, but none was the best in the country. Any of them could have won it all, but they'd have needed a lucky break - basically the opposite of what happened to us in '09, '96 and '06.

The '94 team is the only one I can think of that was actually the best in the country but came up short for non-injury/suspension reasons. They just choked on the court.

No regrets, though. We all know that Calhoun got more out of his teams than anyone over the past 30 years. Injuries and bad luck are just part of the game.

 

[CTBasketball]

2006 is an obvious choice. As is 2009. 1994 and 1996 right behind that.

But the 2002 team was hot at the end and then Steve Blake grew these giant testicles, .

 

[Kitaman]

That 'latnear' shot team had a damn good chance at winning it all.

 

[aceboon]

I think 94 and 09 were the best shots for more NCs. But I think the premise of the question is silly because luck is always a factor, even in the ones we won. In 04 and 11, we did not face the best team for the NC, just the one that was left standing. IMO, things had to break right for us. Although in 04 I really do believe we were invincible.

In 04 we did face the best other team, it just happened to be in the Final 4 and not the title game. That Duke team had the following players play in the NBA:

Deng, Reddick, Williams, Randolph, Duhon, and Ewing, that team was loaded and was Duke's last stacked team

 

[ASweet3781]

1 1990- If Tate George holds onto the pass Laettner doesn't get a shot at the buzzer beater.
Result- National Runner Up to UNLV

2. 1994- If Donyell doesn't miss those free throws against Florida.
Result- Beat BC to get to the Final 4, legit shot at a title vs Duke and Arkansas

3. 1995- If Tyus Edney doesn't go coast to coast against Missouri
Result- Beat Arkansas for the title

4. 1996- skipped due to result being vacated

5. 2000- If Khalid doesn't hurt his ankle-
Result- Make the final Four (UNC made it as an 8 seed from that region), lose to MSU for the title

6. 2002- If we had been in any other bracket other than Maryland
Result- likely lose to MD in the title game

7. 2006- If they had some "testiculos".
Result- beat GMU, toss up vs Florida for the title.

8. 2009- If Jerome doesn't get injured
Result- I think we lose to UNC for the title.

So I think 1994, 1995, and 2006 were the best shots at more titles had those brakes gone our way if you look at our path.

1990, 2002, 2009, and yes even 2000 had legit shots at going to the title game and being Runner Up had the breaks gone for us.

I know you can also list 1998 (UNC in GBoro), 2003 (Texas in the AlamoDome and Marcus White stuck ball), and 2008 (AJ ACL) but I prefer to think of those as "year away" losses.

Of course we got some breaks our way in 1999, 2004, and 2011 as well. That's how the tournament works.

 

[intlzncster]

In 04 we did face the best other team, it just happened to be in the Final 4 and not the title game. That Duke team had the following players play in the NBA:

And in no part of that game did I feel invincible until about 5 seconds left.