Jim Calhoun's Best Coached Game

[Scoe]

2011 Elite 8 having Okwandu playing crunch time minutes guarding Derrick Williams taking away his drive on that last possession.

 

[mauconnfan]

If you want to single out a significant "single" move in a game the NIT semi throwing Lyman on a red hot Barros 2nd half would stand out in my mind. Just a great decision stopping BCs momentum in a huge way leading to the NIT championship a couple days later. They don't win the NIT without that move period!

 

[McLovin]

If we take out any postseason game, the game at a #8 17-1 Indiana in 2008 sticks out in my mind.

Jim Calhoun had to make the tough decision to suspend two guards one day before the game against Indiana. But the rest of his team responded with a big-time win, writes Andy Katz.

"To do what we did is certainly the greatest I've had and it's going to get up there since the national championship team beat Georgia Tech," he said. "Quite frankly, they deserve more than a hug from me. They deserve one from the state of Connecticut, from the university, from our fans."

UConn 68-63 Indiana (Jan 26, 2008) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the UConn Huskies vs. Indiana Hoosiers NCAAM game from January 26, 2008 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[goskis2018]

February 2nd, 2009. #1 UConn @ #5 Louisville. I believe Louisville was ahead of us in in the Big East standings. We went to Louisville and beat the #$%^ out of them.

UConn 68-51 Louisville (Feb 2, 2009) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the UConn Huskies vs. Louisville Cardinals NCAAM game, final score 68-51, from February 2, 2009 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Wow, UConn didn't make a single 3. That's wild

 

[UofCT]

Wow, UConn didn't make a single 3. That's wild

Great catch. That is actually bananas

 

[Spaceman213J]

It's the title game in 99 for me.

1. Yes, the big to big double.
2. Not calling a timeout when Duke built an early lead. Calhoun was great throughout his career at breaking a team's moment with a well timed timeout, but it was important he didn't in that game. He didn't give them a chance to doubt. He made them stay on the floor and play. I think it was a vote of confidence in his team.
3. He put players in spots to succeed. Wane, Saunders and rest of the bench had key plays. Everyone was ready to play.

I've heard a lot of people talk about Coach K 'blowing' this game with his coaching, but people forget that El-Amin struggled until the last few minutes. The margin could have been larger.

 

[BGesus4]

We were 9.5 point dogs vs the 1999 team and 2 point favorites vs the 2004 team. Not even close which was the better coaching job.

I actually agree with this. I think the 99 championship by far but if we're going to have any other games be part of the discussion gotta love that 2004 Duke game with the Okafor foul situation. We were very slight favorites but if Vegas knew we wouldn't have Emeka most of the game, we wouldn't have been.

More than anything, even x and os, I think the biggest coaching impact was JC made everyone else in almost every gym's toughness seem pathetic. There's a level of confidence you have against everyone (99 Duke being a good example) when you know your coach is the toughest dude in the building. Hurley mentioned this i think as the biggest similarity between his dad and JC.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Butler championship game. Switched up how we were going to use Lamb in the second half.

 

[UofCT]

I guess it boils down to what your definition of best coached game. Is the biggest upset the best coached game? Is the biggest blowout the best coached game? Does it have to be a game where we won... Are there games in the 80's and early 90's where we were underdogs, lost, but almost pulled the upset?

 

[Deadrody]

Obviously the 99 championship game is the easy answer.

Here's another great one - 1998 Big East tournament final vs Syracuse where he put Rash Jones at the power forward spot on the baseline against the SU zone. He led all scorers with 17 pts and he led UConn with 8 rebounds.

 

[RichZ]

The obvious and irrefutable answer is the 99 championship. He started prepping for that game early in the season, when he realized barring a miracle or a catastrophe, it was going to him VS K.

Sitting Emeka for almost the whole first half in the '04 semifinal was pretty stout, too.

But I have a kind of soft spot in my heart for the 2011 BET tourney game against Pitt. Especially when he said, "Get the ball to Kemba, force a switch so he's got a big on him, and stay out of his way." That's coaching genius, right there.<G>

 

[ncteacher]

My first instinct was to say the 99 championship game. This is mostly because I loved to remind people how Jim out coached Coach K. However, as that entire season I told anyone who would listen that UCONN was better than Duke, I have never considered it the upset that some people do.

He obviously coached a great game in 2004, I think this was more of a case of just following his rules and guidelines. Benching omeka was just how he played that situation in every game. He didn’t change his philosophy just because it was a tournament game. I applaud his decision to stick to his guns.

I also felt the 2011 game the team was more prepared defensively than anytime I could remember. The roster was nowhere near as good as the 1999 squad, and therefore I think the coaching for this game was every bit as good. If I had to choose I would probably choose the 2011 game over the 1999 game.

there were obviously other great games but I stuck with the championship ones because the stakes were so much higher.

 

[djct1999]

99 Championship game, where he totally schooled K

He made a habit of this.

 

[CTBasketball]

If we take out any postseason game, the game at a #8 17-1 Indiana in 2008 sticks out in my mind.

Jim Calhoun had to make the tough decision to suspend two guards one day before the game against Indiana. But the rest of his team responded with a big-time win, writes Andy Katz.

"To do what we did is certainly the greatest I've had and it's going to get up there since the national championship team beat Georgia Tech," he said. "Quite frankly, they deserve more than a hug from me. They deserve one from the state of Connecticut, from the university, from our fans."

UConn 68-63 Indiana (Jan 26, 2008) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the UConn Huskies vs. Indiana Hoosiers NCAAM game from January 26, 2008 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

We didn’t have Wiggins or Dyson either, they just got suspended. We played that game with like 7 players.

 

[Chin Diesel]

If we take out any postseason game, the game at a #8 17-1 Indiana in 2008 sticks out in my mind.

Jim Calhoun had to make the tough decision to suspend two guards one day before the game against Indiana. But the rest of his team responded with a big-time win, writes Andy Katz.

"To do what we did is certainly the greatest I've had and it's going to get up there since the national championship team beat Georgia Tech," he said. "Quite frankly, they deserve more than a hug from me. They deserve one from the state of Connecticut, from the university, from our fans."

UConn 68-63 Indiana (Jan 26, 2008) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the UConn Huskies vs. Indiana Hoosiers NCAAM game from January 26, 2008 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

The double double double with Adrien and Sticks both going for 11 and 11.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Calhoun’s 99 game was a masterpiece. Brand double team, isolating Brand in the PnR with El-Amin. we went at all their weaknesses.

They couldn’t guard us and we really took it to them off the dribble. Calhoun had some great games.

Also some stinkers...George Mason game was mind boggling. As was sweet 16 vs miss state.

 

[B1GEast]

I don't remember the game, but i think it was in 04, early in the season, JC knew he had a stacked team. He had no concern for the score, he just kept subbing, trying to figure out what the best matchup would be.

Uconn seemed sloppy and they trailed, but JC wasn't his usual upset or angry. He was just coaching, time outs, subs and then down by almost double digits before the half, it was like a light bulb and he noticed a mismatch and went wholesale subs. Uconn blitzed them, creating havoc, turnovers, back door cuts with easy baskets. The defense set and Uconn came out in the second half and just blew the doors open.

I had a strong feeling that 04 was going to be special, not magical like 11, but special. That team was complete and JC toyed with the opposition. He knew what he had and a mad genius he just began to mix things up.

 

[the Q]

Calhoun’s 99 game was a masterpiece. Brand double team, isolating Brand in the PnR with El-Amin. we went at all their weaknesses.

They couldn’t guard us and we really took it to them off the dribble. Calhoun had some great games.

Also some stinkers...George Mason game was mind boggling. As was sweet 16 vs miss state.

miss st had a guy shoot the game of his life while both Allen and Doron were off.

mason is the black eye of all black eyes. So is San Diego.

 

[2ndFlBelden]

His next one.

 

[HCCForever]

miss st had a guy shoot the game of his life while both Allen and Doron were off.

mason is the black eye of all black eyes. So is San Diego.

I don't agree that Miss State was bad coaching. Darryl Wilson had 27 points, Allen was 9 for 25 and Doron was 3 for 14 which contributed to the loss. I had to look at the box score for that info. I did see Miss State up close in Indy when they manhandled Princeton. They were bigger than UConn with guys like Erick Dampier, Dontae Jones and Marcus Bullard. That was the difference in my mind.

I do agree that George Mason and San Diego were tough losses.

 

[the Q]

I don't agree that Miss State was bad coaching. Darryl Wilson had 27 points, Allen was 9 for 25 and Doron was 3 for 14 which contributed to the loss. I had to look at the box score for that info. I did see Miss State up close in Indy when they manhandled Princeton. They were bigger than UConn with guys like Erick Dampier, Dontae Jones and Marcus Bullard. That was the difference in my mind.

I do agree that George Mason and San Diego were tough losses.

That’s what I was saying (re miss st)

 

[StllH8L8ner]

'99 was my immediate thought.

I'd also say the '89-90 wins vs G-Town with Mourning and Dik Mutumbo, then Cuse with Coleman, Owens, Thompson and Co are up there also. It was the first time a team had beaten those two (at the time) powerhouses in the same week. There were no real superstars so it was truly a team effort.

 

[McLovin]

We didn’t have Wiggins or Dyson either, they just got suspended. We played that game with like 7 players.

Yup. I think I heard Price was puking in the locker room after the game from exhaustion. Pretty incredible effort by everyone that day.

 

[Palatine]

'99 was my immediate thought.

I'd also say the '89-90 wins vs G-Town with Mourning and Dik Mutumbo, then Cuse with Coleman, Owens, Thompson and Co are up there also. It was the first time a team had beaten those two (at the time) powerhouses in the same week. There were no real superstars so it was truly a team effort.

I completely agree with this especially the home win against G'town. It would have been natural to expect a letdown after beating Syracuse, who was in the top ten. Calhoun had them ready. We can out of the gate on fire. It was 8-0, 10-0 almost before the anthem was over. John Thompson called an early time out and had this "WTF is happening" look on his face. The Huskies played with energy and poise the entire night. You knew it wasn't some blip or one time deal. The Huskies had arrived. Calhoun made the team believe and the team made us believe. What a great night. What a great job by JC.