Must Watch: Bleacher Report video on 2011 Tourney run

[UConnStats]

One of the things that gets lost in that season's story line is what an amazing job Calhoun did developing Lamb, Napier, Smith, and Oriakhi as the season went on. Those guys all stepped up come tournament time.

 

[CTBasketball]

Kemba had big time intestinal fortitude. Major Onions!

 

[UConnSwag11]

greatest tournament player ever? look at his numbers in maui, the big east tourney, and ncaa tourney... along with the results... that team didn't lose a game OOC

 

[Scottzer]

2011 was special. A decent number of folks picking us in their brackets just means they were starting to recognize kemba's greatness. How many game winners/ clutch performances did he have that year? That team had junior Kemba, sophomore Oriaki, and a freshman class ranked about 21-23rd. Yes, that class was better than advertised, but they were really good not spectacular. Kemba's run put him into tourney lore in a way that almost rivals Lettner. I'd have Kemba on an all time NCAA clutch first team.

 

[HuskyFich]

That was brilliantly done. Heard from everybody I wanted to (Bilas especially), got the squid to make a compliment about UConn, and made it apparent how much that ______ Jamaal Franklin fueled the fire. I remember my not so calm reaction just like it was yesterday...

 

[tcf15]

SDSU fans still salty...from reddit comments:

"he flopped like a b tch vs SDSU in the tourney

it truly took 'will' to flop that hard"​

Reminds me of steve fisher saying a couple years after the fact saying that he still believed SDSU was better than UConn.

 

[RichZ]

I can recreate each game in my mind still.

Lucky you. I have trouble recreating this morning's breakfast in my mind.
It's awful getting old.
Yet it's so very preferable to the alternative.

 

[uconnfan68]

Weird feeling but I'm probably ten years away from needing to see that video. Why? Because I know it very well almost to each shot, including the BE. I can recreate each game in my mind still.

The biggest benefit from that 2011 team is that they instilled a belief in Bazz, Giff and Tyler that they could win another regardless of the regular season and all its issues. That 2014 season to me is equally outstanding and unforeseen as the 2011 both having the All Star to take us there. But that BE strectch in 2011 was the difference maker making it the best post season ever at UConn.

Thanks Kemba (and lets not forget Donnell).

Or Charles. "I love this team".

 

[Waquoit]

SDSU fans still salty...from reddit comments:

"he flopped like a b tch vs SDSU in the tourney

it truly took 'will' to flop that hard"​

Reminds me of steve fisher saying a couple years after the fact saying that he still believed SDSU was better than UConn.

To quote the great Dan Quayle: " I wear their scorn as a badge of honor!"

 

[Waquoit]

One thing I thing that gets lost when they talk about that Final Four, Calhoun game-coached his ass off. Three other coaches of some note and JC played chess while the others were playing checkers. Against UK, Calipari was doing his changing defenses thing but UConn was unfazed. Whatever the Squid called, UConn seamlessly shifted to the proper offensive set to attack it

And boy-genius Brad Stevens was so overmatched I'm sure he still has the scars deep down. On practically the first play, Sheldon Mack has one of his patented long-range jumpers swatted away by Lamb. I bet that hadn't happened to him before. That set a tone, Butler barely cracked 40 points for the game. While both teams couldn't score the first half, only Calhoun made a successful adjustment. The offense started working side-to-side as opposed to top-to-bottom (h/t Steve Kerr) and pulled away. Stevens was so befuddled, he actually had Butler go zone late despite being way down. UConn said OK fine and instantly pulled back and let the clock tick down with no pressure.

As corny as it may sound, that team was a great integration of coaching and execution. Like a great conductor of a fine symphony orchestra.

 

[AdamaNation]

Was it really that improbable though? We were the 3rd most popular pick in brackets world wide to win it all that year, and we were a 3 seed. I feel like as every year passes people remember our seed that season as being one less than the year before.

And the big east tournament was way tougher in both matchup and schedule. DePaul with Cleveland would have beaten bucknell too

 

[champs99and04]

The Lamb soundbite at around the 58 second mark is priceless. To think that five years later they're playing on the same NBA team makes the story even more incredible.

 

[caw]

The Lamb soundbite at around the 58 second mark is priceless. To think that five years later they're playing on the same NBA team makes the story even more incredible.

Probably how they got both on video.

 

[uconNYC]

For me the 2014 NCAA run was more exciting (Brimah & St. Joe's, Killing Villanova, MSG, amazing freethrow shooting, Bazz on fire, no one giving us a shot against ISU, MSU and Florida, defeating UK to take the crown), but will never forget the Maui run or the BET run in 2011 (the awful game against Butler kind of did not make the NCAA run whole for me)

 

[junglehusky]

I had forgotten that Arizona almost had the GW shot at the end of regulation. Amazing to compare how those moments seemed to go against us before '99 (for example Laettener's shot that knocked us out) but when you look at the runs of '11 and '14 in those moments the basketball gods were smiling upon us.

In other words - if you think it affects the mojo, it does.