How would we feel if....

[Wise2]

we never won a title. Lets says we got to a few final fours, but never one the big one. A few things that may be different.

1. Would we celebrate the FF runs like the 4 titles?

2. We would not be treated as a blue blood, (some still don't treat us that way), so would our CR fate be sealed already?

3. Would we still consider Calhoun a great coach?


I think yes to all 3, but I'm sure others will disagree....

 

[8893]

Man, after the killer close calls in '94, '95 and '96 I thought that was going to be our destiny and I hated it. I began to fear the tourney because it just seemed to provide another opportunity for tremendous disappointment. For some reason I didn't feel as badly in '98 because I was certain that '99 was our year. So certain that I entered the NCAA ticket lottery for the first and only time after the '98 tourney (and got tickets), and by November I had already booked airfare to Tampa. If that Gonzaga game turned out differently I honestly feel like my life would be much different and much less fulfilling, but I'm figuring in the Duke win and the NC there, too. If we lost to Duke I think I'd probably feel the same as if we lost to Gonzaga, especially since it would have been Duke ending our season again. So happy that we got to return the favor a few times.

 

[storrsroars]

I don't think we'd be in the conversation of "blue blood" without a couple of NCs. With only one NC we'd basically be MSU. With none... OSU perhaps?

Yes, JC would still be considered a great coach with four fewer wins. But not a god.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I don't think we'd be in the conversation of "blue blood" without a couple of NCs. With only one NC we'd basically be MSU. With none... OSU perhaps?

Yes, JC would still be considered a great coach with four fewer wins. But not a god.

MSU has two titles, and Ohio State has one.

 

[Blue Blood]

I say no to all three to varying degrees.

1. We would appreciate the final fours but not to the same level because there would always be that bitter ending. (2009)
2. No chance we are a blue blood without a couple titles. Were just another squad whether I agree or not thats what national championships do.
3. Calhoun would still be a great coach and likely a hall of famer. But he would not be looked on in the same way and even be in the conversation with the Knights, Woodens, and Coach Ks of the world.

 

[CallMeBruce]

How many college coaches are in the HOF with no titles?

 

[storrsroars]

MSU has two titles, and Ohio State has one.

My error. I was only looking from 1999-present. Point being, MSU is popularly considered to be on a tier lower than the UConn/Ville nouveau riche level and OSU below even that.

And OSU's NC has only slightly more relevancy than a Helms banner.

 

[Hoophound]

I agree with 8893. I literally think the 99' title inspired me and drove my career forward. I made a very bold move right after we won that title and it paid off. I quit my job and started a business and it worked out. I was just a few years out of college and that title got me thinking big.

If we lost that year, I think my life truly would be very different.

 

[Blue Blood]

How many college coaches are in the HOF with no titles?

Fair point there are a few Carnesecca, Ralph Miller, Sam Barry for example. But most offered something else to the game I think he still would had a chance based on what he did for the program and the number of Big East Titles but it would not be a slam dunk.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

How many college coaches are in the HOF with no titles?

Off the top of my head Lou Carnasecca & John Cheney.

 

[gtcam]

we never won a title. Lets says we got to a few final fours, but never one the big one. A few things that may be different.

1. Would we celebrate the FF runs like the 4 titles?

2. We would not be treated as a blue blood, (some still don't treat us that way), so would our CR fate be sealed already?

3. Would we still consider Calhoun a great coach?


I think yes to all 3, but I'm sure others will disagree....

Ask a PeeCee fan

 

[gtcam]

Fair point there are a few Carnesecca, Ralph Miller, Sam Barry for example. But most offered something else to the game I think he still would had a chance based on what he did for the program and the number of Big East Titles but it would not be a slam dunk.

There's also a few who have won 1 and not in

 

[UCweCONN]

The 2011 NCAA Championship is on another level for me, but besides that, my favorite Husky teams were the Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall, Donny Marshall, Doron Sheffer teams of the 90's. They never won the big one but were damn exciting to watch. High scoring, pressing, high energy. They dominated the Big East like no other team had. If not running into UCLA and a couple of missed free throws......., they might have won a couple titles.

I like having a strong team every year and the HOPE of winning it all over winning a title every 4 or 5 years and missing the tourney two years in between. When UCONN misses the tourney, it sucks and the wait until the next season is excrutiating. Some here will say I'm a spoiled fan, but it's quite the opposite. I want HOPE every year and that's a reasonable thing to want. I don't expect championships but when they come I appreciate them (as someone who's followed UCONN my whole life, I honestly thought the 1999 Championship was going to be the only one I'd see in my lifetime, kinda like older Jets fans must feel about 1969. Glad they proved me wrong).

 

[FfldCntyFan]

You do realize that we had an incredibly long stretch of dropping to the NIT every fourth year. That streak didn't end until 2005.

 

[storrsroars]

How many college coaches are in the HOF with no titles?

Counting all championships (NCAA/NIT/Helms), some guys who won nothing include:
Frank Keaney
Slats Gill
Henry Iba
Edgar Diddle
Bruce Drake
Harry Litwack
Sam Barry
Eddie Hickey
Everett Case
Jack Gardner
Harold Anderson

Granted, most of these guys are from another era. But it's possible that JC might've still gotten in. It's not like there's a huge club of guys with 4 FF appearances, an NIT championship and numerous BE championships, along with 860+ wins. John Cheney got in with a single DII championship and a few NCAA appearances.

 

[Wise2]

My fear however is that we would no longer be in any conversation for a move to a P5 conference. We've left at the alter a few times already and maybe there is a life raft out there for us, but without the perceived strength of our BB team, we might as well be UMass. Forever stuck in a Mid major conference...

 

[eireman]

My error. I was only looking from 1999-present. Point being, MSU is popularly considered to be on a tier lower than the UConn/Ville nouveau riche level and OSU below even that.

And OSU's NC has only slightly more relevancy than a Helms banner.

Maybe no relevancy to today's basketball world but that team was a lot of fun to watch and had a three player core which didvery well in the nba.....hurts to get old

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Maybe no relevancy to today's basketball world but that team was a lot of fun to watch and had a three player core which didvery well in the nba.....hurts to get old

Hondo, Lucas, who was the third. They did also have one guy who had a nice baseball career (Frank Howard) and one who became a reasonably successful college head coach (Bobby Knight).

 

[champs99and04]

Basketball doesn't matter in conference realignment. It's been proven time and time again.

 

[CallMeBruce]

My fear however is that we would no longer be in any conversation for a move to a P5 conference. We've left at the alter a few times already and maybe there is a life raft out there for us, but without the perceived strength of our BB team, we might as well be UMass. Forever stuck in a Mid major conference...

I'm not sure we're in any such conversation now, unless we're the ones having those conversations.

 

[tzznandrew]

Counting all championships (NCAA/NIT/Helms), some guys who won nothing include:
Frank Keaney
Slats Gill
Henry Iba
Edgar Diddle
Bruce Drake
Harry Litwack
Sam Barry
Eddie Hickey
Everett Case
Jack Gardner
Harold Anderson

I can't give the reason why everyone that made it there did, but here are some notables, some of whom actually did win sometime.

Henry Iba did win something: he won back to back titles in 1945 and 1946, and made two other Final Fours.

Kearney is in because he was the coach that innovated the fast-break and full-court offense. First coach to have his teams score in the 50s.

Diddle is in because when he retired he was the NCAA's All-Time leader in wins.

Harry Litwack won an NIT when it still sort of meant something (1969 - NCAAs had passed the NIT about 10-15 years prior, but still).

Sam Barry is in for speeding the game up (center-court line with 10 second rule; no jump ball every quarter; created the triangle offense).

Eddie Hickey won the NIT in 1948, which is definitely when it still meant something. It definitely counts as a significant accomplishment.

Jack Gardner didn't win a title, but he is one of only 3 coaches to officially lead 2 different teams to the Final Four (Pitino and Roy). He took Kansas State to 2, and Utah to 2.

Harold Anderson had some deep NIT runs when that meant something, and was the first coach ever to win 500 games.

 

[UConnNick]

Counting all championships (NCAA/NIT/Helms), some guys who won nothing include:
Frank Keaney
Slats Gill
Henry Iba
Edgar Diddle
Bruce Drake
Harry Litwack
Sam Barry
Eddie Hickey
Everett Case
Jack Gardner
Harold Anderson

Granted, most of these guys are from another era. But it's possible that JC might've still gotten in. It's not like there's a huge club of guys with 4 FF appearances, an NIT championship and numerous BE championships, along with 860+ wins. John Cheney got in with a single DII championship and a few NCAA appearances.

Henry Iba won back-to-back NCAA championships in 1945 and 1946 as the head coach at Oklahoma A&M, n/k/a Oklahoma State.

 

[eireman]

Hondo, Lucas, who was the third. They did also have one guy who had a nice baseball career (Frank Howard) and one who became a reasonably successful college head coach (Bobby Knight).

Larry siegfried .........and mel newell had a cup of tea in the pros