Team of the Decade: the 1990s (stroll down memory lane)

[alexrgct]

You may (or not) recall I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago in whch I'm toying around with a formula for comprising "team of the decade" rankings. I used the formula (which tabulates regular season and post-season success based on high tournament seedings, advancing in the NCAA tourney, and championships) as a test against the '00s, and it looked pretty solid.

Just for grins, I thought I'd take a look back at the 1990s, mainly because in doing the work for the '00s, I was reminded of all sorts of fun facts I'd forgotten- figured the 90s would offer the same experience. No surprise who the top few teams were, but I was indeed reminded of all sorts of stuff.

The top 15 rankings (points in parens):

1. Tennessee (655)
2. Stanford (520)
3. UConn (365)
4. Louisiana Tech (325)
5. Virginia (290)
6. Purdue (245)
7. Georgia (240)
8. Texas Tech (225)
9. Vanderbilt (185)
9t. UNC (185)
11. Old Dominion (155)
12. Iowa (130)
13. Penn State (120)
14. Auburn (115)
14t. Colorado (115)

Some memories:

• Tennesee's dominance throughout the decade was pretty spectacular. They were a #1 seed heading into the tourney nine times, and the only time they weren't, they won a national championship. They made five Final Fours, going 9-1 in national semis and finals. Overall, they were not quite as dominant in the 90s as UConn was in the '00s due to one fewer NC and two fewer Final Four appearances (UConn in my scoring system amassed 705 points in the '00s). But these were the absolute peak salad days for LV fans, always fielding very strong teams with such great players as Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings, and Daedra Charles...and to a lesser extent Michelle Marciniak and "the other Meek," Sameka Randall, among others.
• Stanford as a #1 seed lost to #16 seed Harvard in 1998. At Stanford- 71-67. I totally forgot about this.
• That upset actually underscores a broader trend that characterized the decade, namely there was actually more parity then than there is now. Tennessee was the clear queen of WCBB, but there was a lot of chaos behind them (and even they suffered some suprising losses relatively early in the tourney). A #1 losing to a #16 is extreme, but there were more second round upsets of #1s too (the only time it's happened since 2000 was to Duke in 2009). Schools like Louisiana Tech were still strong, ODU fell off but had another strong stretch during Tyler Phommachanh's run, Western Kentucky was relevent, so was Stephen F Austin to a lesser extent, Arkansas made the Final Four as a #9 seed, and a #3 and a #4 seed met up for all the marbles in 1994.
• Could La Tech have continued to be a powerhouse had they promoted and retained Kim Mulkey as head coach rather than letting her go off to Baylor? Interesting question. Certainly, Baylor has some advantages in the contemporary era that perhaps La Tech, for all its tradition, does not.
• Boy, did Virginia fall off a cliff as the 1990s drew to a close.
• UConn definitely experienced growing pains during the 1990s. As Geno learned to be a front-runner, lure top recruits to Storrs, and generally get his program to where it is now, there were some upsets UConn endured that just don't happen anymore. Some of those upsets were due to injuries, but that doesn't tell the whole story. My only conclusion: Geno is simply on top of his game now, so much so that people forget that there used to be a decent amount of parity in the sport, that UConn used to be beatable (and not just by other top teams). Will be very interesting to see how the decade progresses, to say the least.

 

[AllAmerRedHeads]

Some really nice reading. Thanks for taking the time to share

 

[cardfan]

You may (or not) recall I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago in whch I'm toying around with a formula for comprising "team of the decade" rankings. I used the formula (which tabulates regular season and post-season success based on high tournament seedings, advancing in the NCAA tourney, and championships) as a test against the '00s, and it looked pretty solid.

Just for grins, I thought I'd take a look back at the 1990s, mainly because in doing the work for the '00s, I was reminded of all sorts of fun facts I'd forgotten- figured the 90s would offer the same experience. No surprise who the top few teams were, but I was indeed reminded of all sorts of stuff.

The top 15 rankings (points in parens):

1. Tennessee (655)
2. Stanford (520)
3. UConn (365)
4. Louisiana Tech (325)
5. Virginia (290)
6. Purdue (245)
7. Georgia (240)
8. Texas Tech (225)
9. Vanderbilt (185)
9t. UNC (185)
11. Old Dominion (155)
12. Iowa (130)
13. Penn State (120)
14. Auburn (115)
14t. Colorado (115)

Some memories:

• Tennesee's dominance throughout the decade was pretty spectacular. They were a #1 seed heading into the tourney nine times, and the only time they weren't, they won a national championship. They made five Final Fours, going 9-1 in national semis and finals. Overall, they were not quite as dominant in the 90s as UConn was in the '00s due to one fewer NC and two fewer Final Four appearances (UConn in my scoring system amassed 705 points in the '00s). But these were the absolute peak salad days for LV fans, always fielding very strong teams with such great players as Chamique Holdsclaw, Tamika Catchings, and Daedra Charles...and to a lesser extent Michelle Marciniak and "the other Meek," Sameka Randall, among others.
• Stanford as a #1 seed lost to #16 seed Harvard in 1998. At Stanford- 71-67. I totally forgot about this.
• That upset actually underscores a broader trend that characterized the decade, namely there was actually more parity then than there is now. Tennessee was the clear queen of WCBB, but there was a lot of chaos behind them (and even they suffered some suprising losses relatively early in the tourney). A #1 losing to a #16 is extreme, but there were more second round upsets of #1s too (the only time it's happened since 2000 was to Duke in 2009). Schools like Louisiana Tech were still strong, ODU fell off but had another strong stretch during Tyler Phommachanh's run, Western Kentucky was relevent, so was Stephen F Austin to a lesser extent, Arkansas made the Final Four as a #9 seed, and a #3 and a #4 seed met up for all the marbles in 1994.
• Could La Tech have continued to be a powerhouse had they promoted and retained Kim Mulkey as head coach rather than letting her go off to Baylor? Interesting question. Certainly, Baylor has some advantages in the contemporary era that perhaps La Tech, for all its tradition, does not.
• Boy, did Virginia fall off a cliff as the 1990s drew to a close.
• UConn definitely experienced growing pains during the 1990s. As Geno learned to be a front-runner, lure top recruits to Storrs, and generally get his program to where it is now, there were some upsets UConn endured that just don't happen anymore. Some of those upsets were due to injuries, but that doesn't tell the whole story. My only conclusion: Geno is simply on top of his game now, so much so that people forget that there used to be a decent amount of parity in the sport, that UConn used to be beatable (and not just by other top teams). Will be very interesting to see how the decade progresses, to say the least.

Really? That's all you got for Stanford during the 90's, the H game game? The game people forgot or fail to acknowledge we lost Folkl and Nygaard, our inside and outside game days before the game. Besides the H game, Stanford won 2 NCs (5 years before UConn did), and made 6 F4s, one when Tara was away coaching the US team to gold.

 

[AllAmerRedHeads]

One thing I have realized over the years. I never end up listing everything when I post something and someone is left out or not mentioned enough.

I am always so careful when I write about the All American Red Heads because I may leave someone out or a team or era.

I only took the post as 'some memories'.

As a UConn fan, I certainly tip my hat to Stanford and all it did in that did with Azzi taking the Naismith and FF MVP in 90.

Tara? She is #1 on my list of the coaches I would most like to meet that I havent met. It isnt easy getting into Naismith.

So, while it may not be listed a lot above, this Husky fan and I am sure many others appreciate all Stanford achieved in the 90s (and beyond)

 

[alexrgct]

Really? That's all you got for Stanford during the 90's, the H game game? The game people forgot or fail to acknowledge we lost Folkl and Nygaard, our inside and outside game days before the game. Besides the H game, Stanford won 2 NCs (5 years before UConn did), and made 6 F4s, one when Tara was away coaching the US team to gold.

Haha, do I recall correctly that you played for Stanford? Was it at all during this time?

Yes, Stanford, was far and away the second-best team over the course of the 90s- six #1 seeds, three #2s, seven E8s, six F4s, and two championships, including the one to open the decade that was the culmination of Jennifer Azzi's tremendous run. A missed opportunity or two (especially 1997). Tara actually leaving Stanford to coach the Olympic team may have been detrimental- not a model Coach K, Geno, or other college coaches would be willing to follow since. After the Harvard loss, took Stanford a while to get back. The Cardinal finished the '00s at #6 in my rankings with a strong close in the second half of the decade. Currently sitting at #2 so far in the '10s, and will probably stay there at least after this season no matter what happens in the tourney.

Better?

 

[cardfan]

Haha, do I recall correctly that you played for Stanford? Was it at all during this time?

Yes, Stanford, was far and away the second-best team over the course of the 90s- six #1 seeds, three #2s, seven E8s, six F4s, and two championships, including the one to open the decade that was the culmination of Jennifer Azzi's tremendous run. A missed opportunity or two (especially 1997). Tara actually leaving Stanford to coach the Olympic team may have been detrimental- not a model Coach K, Geno, or other college coaches would be willing to follow since. After the Harvard loss, took Stanford a while to get back. The Cardinal finished the '00s at #6 in my rankings with a strong close in the second half of the decade. Currently sitting at #2 so far in the '10s, and will probably stay there at least after this season no matter what happens in the tourney.

Better?

No, I didn't play at Stanford, but a Div 1 school the decade before.

Stanford missed an opportunity to three-peat 90, 91, 92 due to injuries to Stevens and Zeilstra. And 1997 was the best team, by far. The TN (10 loss team) was lucky we didn't get past ODU in semis. The infamous Sally Bell game, who fouled out Folkl, but didn't call foul on TN on Wideman's last shot attempt. We beat team at TN by 18 without Folkl in Dec. '96, the last time we won at TN, and imho, would have easily would have beaten them by 20.

Yes, better. Thanks.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Good job!

 

[DaddyChoc]

No, I didn't play at Stanford, but a Div 1 school the decade before.

Stanford missed an opportunity to three-peat 90, 91, 92 due to injuries to Stevens and Zeilstra. And 1997 was the best team, by far. The TN (10 loss team) was lucky we didn't get past ODU in semis. The infamous Sally Bell game, who fouled out Folkl, but didn't call foul on TN on Wideman's last shot attempt. We beat team at TN by 18 without Folkl in Dec. '96, the last time we won at TN, and imho, would have easily would have beaten them by 20.

Yes, better. Thanks.

sort of like when UConn lost Mel & KG to injury and went on to lose to Stanford.

lucky?

those damn refs... same crap for the past 20yrs

 

[ThisJustIn]

Random thoughts to sooth my insomnia -

• When was Debbie diagnosed with pancreatic cancer? I'm guessing it impacted the Cavs. (just looked - 2000)

• No, Geno and coaches not only wouldn't follow the Tara model, they couldn't -- the WNBA now exists. That's what is so amazing about Carol Callan and USA Basketball - how they've remade themselves as the world changes around them. (Consider the impact summer classes and % of courses required to be completed before your Junior (?) year on summer USA Bball for the youngsters...) Tara was put in an extraordinary position, under ridiculous pressure, and any UConn fan who still feels the need to hold a grudge because Lobo didn't start in the game at Storrs 1) doesn't understand USA Basketball/pressure and 2) should read Tara's Shooting From the Outside. She is as hard on herself as she was the team....

• Jody tells a great story about her early years at Texas and Sue Gunter, who was kickin' at SFA:
  
  Texas employed various marketing strategies, like picking specific games to ‘sell.’ “Games where the competition would be good and the play would be at a high level,” she explained. “Fortunately, at that time we had a rivalry with Stephen F. Austin. They were not ‘like’ institutions, but at that point in time, the teenie-weenies were better than the state schools,” admitted Conradt with a smile. Good friend Sue Gunter was the opposing coach and their collaboration drew crowds numbering in the high thousands.

• Don't underestimate the impact of scholarships. If Annie Meyers was the first to snag one at UCLA (1976), and Val Ackerman was "splitting" the one scholly at Virginia ('77), and we know that a majority of universities are still not in compliance with Title IX, then one can attribute the growth of the sport at a particular school on who controlled the money and who decided how many scholarships were funded. Personality was key (Sonia Hogg). AIAW recruiting rules were also very ... unsupportive of some of the recruiting processes... but money won out in the end -- hence the disappearance of small schools like Delta State (now DII) and SFA from the top tiers.

 

[uconnfan68]

Really? That's all you got for Stanford during the 90's, the H game game? The game people forgot or fail to acknowledge we lost Folkl and Nygaard, our inside and outside game days before the game. Besides the H game, Stanford won 2 NCs (5 years before UConn did), and made 6 F4s, one when Tara was away coaching the US team to gold.

And losing those players should have dropped you from being a #1, and thereby preventing a lose to a #16.

 

[ThisJustIn]

And losing those players should have dropped you from being a #1, and thereby preventing a lose to a #16.

I thought the injury (ies) were after the seedings....

 

[cardfan]

I thought the injury (ies) were after the seedings....

Nygaard was hurt at Oregon St. the night before Selection Sunday, ACL was not confirmed until Monday. Folkl hurt her knee in practice the Tues. following Selection Sunday. H had Feaster, the leading scorer in the country. Stanford lost about 27 pts and 18 boards per game, same like losing both O sisters. Nygaard led the team in 3pt shooting (going by memory, she made about 80 threes that yr). And Folkl was the Nneka then, who had great hops. She was the only non starter named to AA team. It was the perfect storm.

 

[cardfan]

sort of like when UConn lost Mel & KG to injury and went on to lose to Stanford.

lucky?

those damn refs... same crap for the past 20yrs

Probably. I could give you about 5 years when injuries affected our chances to F4 and NC too, probably including this year. Injuries suck worse than the refs.