Michigan Goes down! | Page 6 | The Boneyard
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Michigan Goes down!

UConn was #1 almost half of that season. That's considered Duke dominance only in Durham, where the #1 Final AP Poll banner hangs.
 
I've made this point before, but Duke really was that good in 99, and that fact makes our win more satisfying, not less. We beat an all-time great team. Why people want to take away that aspect of it is beyond me.
 
Inyatkin said:
I've made this point before, but Duke really was that good in 99, and that fact makes our win more satisfying, not less. We beat an all-time great team. Why people want to take away that aspect of it is beyond me.
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Because it shades UConn. UConn was the better team with the better coach not plucky underdogs. UConn wins over 50% of the games if they played more often. Duke could never solve the defense UConn had on Brand, their main weapon. Our guys were bigger and as strong. Something Duke never had to face. Their best shooter, the tripping Alaskan Assassin, shot out his mind to keep it close while Rip was under 50%, 10-22. Bump Duke.
 
Duke 99 was all time dominant. Uconn 99 was all time great. Two of the best teams in the last 30 years just happened to be in the same year. And when you beat one of the most dominant teams in the finals, yes it makes Uconn season even greater.

Still to this day, that game by Calhoun was the greatest coached game that I have ever seen. I remember him saying that he would take notes on them all season long.
 
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Inyatkin said:
I've made this point before, but Duke really was that good in 99, and that fact makes our win more satisfying, not less. We beat an all-time great team. Why people want to take away that aspect of it is beyond me.
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An all-time great team beat another all-time great team. UConn would've won that matchup 7 out of 10 times.
 
superjohn said:
An all-time great team beat another all-time great team. UConn would've won that matchup 7 out of 10 times.
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You'd be in a small group of humans that actually think that. I'd say most of those humans reside on the Boneyard. Shocker.
 
superjohn said:
An all-time great team beat another all-time great team. UConn would've won that matchup 7 out of 10 times.
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So if they played again on the same floor two days later, Uconn is favored by 1 or 2 points?

We will never know the answer on a best of 10.
 
UNLV was a machine when Duke beat them. Duke rightfully takes extra pride in taking down a team that dominant.

Same with us in 99. Doesn't make us plucky underdogs at all. But the win was extra sweet because of how good our opponent was
 
RuffRuff said:
You'd be in a small group of humans that actually think that. I'd say most of those humans reside on the Boneyard. Shocker.
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Because most people are stupid and fall for media driven narratives, even Vegas blew it. I expected this post from you.

Duke had a larger margin of victory during the season and 1 loss to UConn's two losses. UConn's loss to Syracuse they didn't have Rip or Voskuhl so it should've been thrown out the window. Duke played 9 ranked opponents through the regular season and conference tournament, UConn played 10. Both teams played St. John's, Duke beat them in overtime, UConn beat them by 4 and then curbstomped them. Both conferences were mediocre/bad, the ACC was worse. UConn was ranked #1 more weeks than Duke was ranked #1. UConn beat Duke for the national championship.
 
superjohn said:
Because most people are stupid and fall for media driven narratives, even Vegas blew it. I expected this post from you.

Duke had a larger margin of victory during the season and 1 loss to UConn's two losses. UConn's loss to Syracuse they didn't have Rip or Voskuhl so it should've been thrown out the window. Duke played 9 ranked opponents through the regular season and conference tournament, UConn played 10. Both teams played St. John's, Duke beat them in overtime, UConn beat them by 4 and then curbstomped them. Both conferences were mediocre/bad, the ACC was worse. UConn was ranked #1 more weeks than Duke was ranked #1. UConn beat Duke for the national championship.
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Riiiiiiight. Your narrative is highly predictable. Anyone arguing your bias is "stupid". Riiiiiiight. King of know it alls in this place. You're a smart poster, but it's always so one sided. You realize that Duke team had 4 lottery picks, right? Along with first pick of the draft. Your claim on UConn winning 7 out of 10 times is highly subjective to your view.

Every metric would support otherwise. You know there is a possibility that UConn simply had the better day, right?
 
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superjohn said:
Because most people are stupid and fall for media driven narratives, even Vegas blew it. I expected this post from you.

Duke had a larger margin of victory during the season and 1 loss to UConn's two losses. UConn's loss to Syracuse they didn't have Rip or Voskuhl so it should've been thrown out the window. Duke played 9 ranked opponents through the regular season and conference tournament, UConn played 10. Both teams played St. John's, Duke beat them in overtime, UConn beat them by 4 and then curbstomped them. Both conferences were mediocre/bad, the ACC was worse. UConn was ranked #1 more weeks than Duke was ranked #1. UConn beat Duke for the national championship.
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Duke had nothing on UConn that year but Duke "mystique". UConn guys said all year that Duke was overrated and we were right. The nation insisted Duke had a coaching advantage. Heh. To have some bandwagoners continue to carry Duke water 25 years later really grinds my gears.
 
99 Duke had the greatest margin of victories that season. They ran up the score on everyone. If analytics were available back then they would have been considered number one in those metrics. And because of how they won during the regular season they were considered better than UConn. Which is why when we won Khalid ran around the court proclaiming "we shocked the world." Hardly anybody outside the orbit of UConn felt UConn had a chance. We proved them wrong. UConn was the better team.
 
RuffRuff said:
Riiiiiiight. Your narrative is highly predictable. Anyone arguing your bias is "stupid". Riiiiiiight. King of know it alls in this place. You're a smart poster, but it's always so one sided. You realize that Duke team had 4 lottery picks, right? Along with first pick of the draft. Your claim on UConn winning 7 out of 10 times is highly subjective to your view.

Every metric would support otherwise. You know there is a possibility that UConn simply had the better day, right?
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You couldn't refute a single thing I said. Since lottery picks are what's important to you, Langdon and Avery were busts. They played a combined 261 games in the NBA. Jake Voskuhl played 450. Rip had the best NBA career out of all of them. None of that matters though since we're talking about the two college teams and the seasons they had.
 
RuffRuff said:
Riiiiiiight. Your narrative is highly predictable. Anyone arguing your bias is "stupid". Riiiiiiight. King of know it alls in this place. You're a smart poster, but it's always so one sided. You realize that Duke team had 4 lottery picks, right? Along with first pick of the draft. Your claim on UConn winning 7 out of 10 times is highly subjective to your view.

Every metric would support otherwise. You know there is a possibility that UConn simply had the better day, right?
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they don't call him Supersplainer for nothing.
 
Waquoit said:
Duke had nothing on UConn that year but Duke "mystique". UConn guys said all year that Duke was overrated and we were right. The nation insisted Duke had a coaching advantage. Heh. To have some bandwagoners continue to carry Duke water 25 years later really grinds my gears.
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RuffRuff simultaneously carrying Michigan's water and Duke's water from 25+ years ago. I'm worried about his back.
 
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ctchamps said:
99 Duke had the greatest margin of victories that season. They ran up the score on everyone. If analytics were available back then they would have been considered number one in those metrics. And because of how they won during the regular season they were considered better than UConn. Which is why when we won Khalid ran around the court proclaiming "we shocked the world." Hardly anybody outside the orbit of UConn felt UConn had a chance. We proved them wrong. UConn was the better team.
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This
 
RuffRuff said:
Riiiiiiight. Your narrative is highly predictable. Anyone arguing your bias is "stupid". Riiiiiiight. King of know it alls in this place. You're a smart poster, but it's always so one sided. You realize that Duke team had 4 lottery picks, right? Along with first pick of the draft. Your claim on UConn winning 7 out of 10 times is highly subjective to your view.

Every metric would support otherwise. You know there is a possibility that UConn simply had the better day, right?
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The head to head combined with the fact that we beat every common opponent by more than Duke did makes the argument valid. Metrics are one data point. There are others.
 
No one is arguing against UConn 99's greatness. I'm also not at all sold that we would've beaten them 7 out of 10 times or whatever.

Who cares. We played once. We won.
 
Excalibur said:
The head to head combined with the fact that we beat every common opponent by more than Duke did makes the argument valid. Metrics are one data point. There are others.
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It’s debateable - but you can’t take one head to head and then suggest we’d have won 7 out of 10 when there is plenty to suggest otherwise. Most national views would 100% suggest the opposite. They aren’t stupid for doing so. Many believe they had the better day and strategy in a one game scenario (the beauty of it), but Duke would win a long series. They’re often thought of as one of the best teams to not win it all, highest KP of all time.
 
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Besides the Syracuse loss, UConn also had a starter out in their other loss, I forget who. They were undefeated with their full team.
 
RuffRuff said:
It’s debateable - but you can’t take one head to head and then suggest we’d have won 7 out of 10 when there is plenty to suggest otherwise. Most national views would 100% suggest the opposite. They aren’t stupid for doing so. We had the better day and strategy in a one game scenario (the beauty of it), but Duke would win a long series. They’re often thought of as one of the best teams to not win it all, highest KP of all time.
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In RuffRuff's world It's debatable that head to head combined with the fact that UConn beat every common opponent by more than Duke did makes the argument valid.

"Duke would win a long series."

RuffRuff never disappoints.
 
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superjohn said:
"Duke would win a long series."

RuffRuff never disappoints.
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I'm saying anyone NOT a UConn fan would go with that one. Heck, you even see that Duke team listed as one of the best teams of all time, over that UConn team. I'm not saying either way, but just throw the 7/10 out there is so on brand.

Here is what CHAT says:

If you mean the 1998–99 UConn team (Rip Hamilton / Khalid El-Amin / Jake Voskuhl; title winner) vs the 1998–99 Duke team (Elton Brand / Shane Battier / Trajan Langdon / William Avery; title-game runner-up), in a 10-game series I’d pick Duke, 6–4.

Why Duke (slightly) over UConn:

Matchups in the paint: Duke’s biggest edge is Elton Brand (and Duke’s overall size/rebounding). UConn’s title team wasn’t built around overwhelming interior scoring, and Brand could tilt close games by getting UConn in foul trouble and owning the glass.
  • Half-court reliability: Over 10 games, the team that can generate “good shots” when things bog down usually wins more often. Duke had more dependable half-court options (Brand touches + shooters like Langdon + secondary playmaking).
  • But UConn absolutely takes games: UConn’s guard play (El-Amin) and Hamilton’s ability to score in bunches means they’d steal multiple games—especially if tempo rises or if Duke’s perimeter defense gets stretched.
What swings it the other way (if you wanted UConn):

  • If you assume foul trouble or Duke can’t keep UConn out of transition, or Rip is consisently the best closer on the floor, UConn could flip it to something like 5–5 or 6–4 UConn.
If you tell me neutral site vs home-court split, and whether it’s college rules as in 1999 (shorter 3-point line era ended earlier, but style/hand-checking still mattered), I can tighten the pick—but my baseline is Duke in a tight 6–4.
 
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