alexrgct
RIP, Alex
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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OK, so I had so much fun reminiscing about the '00s and the 90s that I thought I'd try out my formula against the 1980s.
So, for starters, the 1980s were a transitional period in WCBB. In 1980 and 1981, there was no NCAA tourney, just the AIAW. The AIAW ran from 1972 to 1982. The NCAA Daivision 1 women's tourney debuted in 1982, so there was a one year overlap where both tournaments were held (the NCAA got the lion's share of top teams, though a few stragglers, notably Texas, competed in the AIAW).
Random bit of trivia: the last AIAW champion was Rutgers, who defeated Texas 83-77 and was captained by none other than the one, the only Chris Dailey. But as much as I love CD, even she would acknowledge that they probably wouldn’t have defeated La Tech (who won the 1982 NCAA tourney).
To make things less confusing because a) seedings for the AIAW were a bit nebulous and b) let's face it, I'm not trying to solve world hunger here, I'm truncating the team of the decade rankings to mean "team of the NCAA tournament period of the 1980s," otherwise known as 1982-89.
The rankings for the decade were as follows (points in parentheses- points accumulated for tournament seeding, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, national runner-up, and national championship finishes).
1. LA Tech (530)
2. Tennessee (445)
3. USC (350)
4. Texas (345)
5. Long Beach State (310)
6. Old Dominion (245)
7. Georgia (225)
8. Auburn (220)
9. Maryland (160)
10. Ole Miss (140)
11. Cheyney State (135)
12. Ohio State (115)
13. Virginia (90)
14. Rutgers (85)
15. Iowa (85)
Some random, totally non-exhaustive tidbits:
· Pat Summitt’s career may be drawing to a close, be it this season or soon after, and I know of no more fitting measure of her (strictly basketball) accomplishments than this: over the course of three decades, she had the #1 or #2 program. The Lady Vols were the clear #2 program of the 1980s, the clear #1 of the 1990s, and the clear #2 of the ‘00s. That is staggering. How staggering, you ask? Only one other program has even been in the TOP 15 in all three decades: Georgia, checking in at #7, #7, and tied for #14. The LV’s seedings were slightly inconsistent (three #1s, two #2s, two #3s, and one #4), but Pat always had her kids playing their best ball in the NCAA tourneys. This was true in the 00s, it was true in the 90s, and it was true in the 1980s as well. With seven Elite Eights and six Final Fours, the LVs clearly out-performed their seeding. They broke through and won their first championship in 1987 behind Bridgette Gordon and followed that up with a dominating run in 1989 with Gordon and fellow LV legend Daedre Charles (who would go on and help Pat win her third in 1991).
· The most consistent performer of the 1980s? Louisiana Tech (who btw also won an AIAW championship in 1981). Six #1 seeds, two #2 seeds, eight Elite Eights, six Final Fours, four championship game appearances, and two national championships. La Tech was the program you could set your watch to in the 1980s. They also had the longest winning streak in WCBB history (during the AIAW era) until a certain Yankee Johnny-come-lately program broke the record in 2003. Teresa Weatherspoon’s NPOY season in 1988 marked the last time La Tech won it all, but they remained strong into the early ‘00s.
· USC had a brilliant two seasons in 1983 and 1984 with Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, et al. They were otherwise solid, but nowhere near as consistent.
· Texas wins the award for “under-performer relative to seed” among the powerhouse programs. May give a little insight as to why Jody couldn’t keep Texas consistently relevant over three decades like Pat could. Still, Texas’s 1986 season is one of six undefeated campaigns in the NCAA Tourney Era. Interestingly, Geno was completing his first (and only losing) season in 1985-86. His tenth season would be much better. Clarissa Davis won the MOP of the Final Four as a freshman for Texas before winning the Wade in 1989.
· Long Beach State never won it all, but in the 1980s, they were never seeded lower than #3 and made it to two Final Fours. ODU won a national title in 1985 and was a real powerhouse for much of the decade. Cheyney was strong for a period. In short, the 1980s were a time when small schools could be nationally relevant. That trend continued to a point into the 1990s, but power has now been consolidated mostly to teams in power conferences. Especially teams from Storrs, CT.
Any thoughts and memories you might want to share about WCBB in the 1980s?
So, for starters, the 1980s were a transitional period in WCBB. In 1980 and 1981, there was no NCAA tourney, just the AIAW. The AIAW ran from 1972 to 1982. The NCAA Daivision 1 women's tourney debuted in 1982, so there was a one year overlap where both tournaments were held (the NCAA got the lion's share of top teams, though a few stragglers, notably Texas, competed in the AIAW).
Random bit of trivia: the last AIAW champion was Rutgers, who defeated Texas 83-77 and was captained by none other than the one, the only Chris Dailey. But as much as I love CD, even she would acknowledge that they probably wouldn’t have defeated La Tech (who won the 1982 NCAA tourney).
To make things less confusing because a) seedings for the AIAW were a bit nebulous and b) let's face it, I'm not trying to solve world hunger here, I'm truncating the team of the decade rankings to mean "team of the NCAA tournament period of the 1980s," otherwise known as 1982-89.
The rankings for the decade were as follows (points in parentheses- points accumulated for tournament seeding, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, national runner-up, and national championship finishes).
1. LA Tech (530)
2. Tennessee (445)
3. USC (350)
4. Texas (345)
5. Long Beach State (310)
6. Old Dominion (245)
7. Georgia (225)
8. Auburn (220)
9. Maryland (160)
10. Ole Miss (140)
11. Cheyney State (135)
12. Ohio State (115)
13. Virginia (90)
14. Rutgers (85)
15. Iowa (85)
Some random, totally non-exhaustive tidbits:
· Pat Summitt’s career may be drawing to a close, be it this season or soon after, and I know of no more fitting measure of her (strictly basketball) accomplishments than this: over the course of three decades, she had the #1 or #2 program. The Lady Vols were the clear #2 program of the 1980s, the clear #1 of the 1990s, and the clear #2 of the ‘00s. That is staggering. How staggering, you ask? Only one other program has even been in the TOP 15 in all three decades: Georgia, checking in at #7, #7, and tied for #14. The LV’s seedings were slightly inconsistent (three #1s, two #2s, two #3s, and one #4), but Pat always had her kids playing their best ball in the NCAA tourneys. This was true in the 00s, it was true in the 90s, and it was true in the 1980s as well. With seven Elite Eights and six Final Fours, the LVs clearly out-performed their seeding. They broke through and won their first championship in 1987 behind Bridgette Gordon and followed that up with a dominating run in 1989 with Gordon and fellow LV legend Daedre Charles (who would go on and help Pat win her third in 1991).
· The most consistent performer of the 1980s? Louisiana Tech (who btw also won an AIAW championship in 1981). Six #1 seeds, two #2 seeds, eight Elite Eights, six Final Fours, four championship game appearances, and two national championships. La Tech was the program you could set your watch to in the 1980s. They also had the longest winning streak in WCBB history (during the AIAW era) until a certain Yankee Johnny-come-lately program broke the record in 2003. Teresa Weatherspoon’s NPOY season in 1988 marked the last time La Tech won it all, but they remained strong into the early ‘00s.
· USC had a brilliant two seasons in 1983 and 1984 with Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, et al. They were otherwise solid, but nowhere near as consistent.
· Texas wins the award for “under-performer relative to seed” among the powerhouse programs. May give a little insight as to why Jody couldn’t keep Texas consistently relevant over three decades like Pat could. Still, Texas’s 1986 season is one of six undefeated campaigns in the NCAA Tourney Era. Interestingly, Geno was completing his first (and only losing) season in 1985-86. His tenth season would be much better. Clarissa Davis won the MOP of the Final Four as a freshman for Texas before winning the Wade in 1989.
· Long Beach State never won it all, but in the 1980s, they were never seeded lower than #3 and made it to two Final Fours. ODU won a national title in 1985 and was a real powerhouse for much of the decade. Cheyney was strong for a period. In short, the 1980s were a time when small schools could be nationally relevant. That trend continued to a point into the 1990s, but power has now been consolidated mostly to teams in power conferences. Especially teams from Storrs, CT.
Any thoughts and memories you might want to share about WCBB in the 1980s?
