OT - Watching 1990 Elite 8 vs. Duke

[FfldCntyFan]

I doubt we would have been beaten anywhere near as badly as Duke was, but UNLV still wins comfortably.

What everyone else is ignoring (and I have to be the one to point it out) is that we would have needed to beat a tough Arkansas (MayDay version) team in the final four. Going into the elite eight I saw them as our worst matchup and was hoping Texas would beat them (Tommy Lenders almost pulled it off). I overestimated our ability to matchup with Duke (primarily because I never like have believed Abdelnaby was capable of a 25-15 (or whatever he ended up with, he was basically Moses Malone that game).

Oh well.

 

[ASweet3781]

What I can't believe is Duke was sent to the Meadowlands for the 4th time in 5 years that year. They made the Final 4 out of Meadowlands in 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990.

Who gets sent to the same site that often in such a short period of time?

 

[alexd]

That press is what made us in 1989/90....that team was actually last in the BE in FG%, yet won the conference at 12-4 because we took so many more shots than our opponents (+11 per game). Henefeld had almost twice as many steals as any other player in the league and Burrell, Smith and George were also in the top 10 in the conference in steals.

 

[David 76]

Abdelnaby was amazing in that game and struck me as one of the only likeable kids on that team where they all looked like they were from "Dead Poet Society"

I don't think we ever have equalled that defense

 

[BugsyCT]

This thread got me watching another game this morning from the Dream Season - BE tourney semis vs. GTown. This I believe was our first ever game on CBS. That press defense was a joy to watch. Sellers got hurt early and UConn struggled for a good while - until Toraino Walker came in off the bench to replace Cyrulik, as well as Gwynn and Murray Williams. Changed the game. Great memories.

 

[TheChamps990411]

That truly was the Team and group of guys who started it all...Chris Smith is a STUD and gets little credit now.

The whole State was electric during that first run.. Great times and great memories..

Thats how i got became a fan. I was in 7th grade and all my friends were buzzing about the big Uconn game and i asked wth was a yukon? lol! I believe it was the Gtown game that i tuned in for because i had to see what all the hoopla was about and ive been hooked ever since. I remember during the tournament the teachers actually brought in a couple of tvs and grouped a few classrooms together and we got to watch one or two of the tournament games. Great times and memories.

Chris Smith is a legend and very respected by all Uconn fans that got to see him play.

 

[David 76]

I think Murray Williams is the forgotten guy on that team. I believe he started. With Smitty, Tate, Lyman and all the new faces (Dove, Scotty, Toraino) I thnk Murray drops off the radar.