Inyatkin
Stairway to Seven
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2012
- Messages
- 2,429
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The story is mostly about Florida, but buried in there is this:
"For a better parallel to UConn, I'll take Arizona's 1997 national champs, with their hydra-headed backcourt of Mike Bibby, Miles Simon and Jason Terry. The Huskies' Shabazz Napier is a more dominant presence than any of those three, but Ryan Boatright and swingman DeAndre Daniels give this UConn team two more points of attack than the school's last champions, the 2011 team that featured Kemba Walker and little else.
"I remember stalking the RCA Dome before that 1997 final, hunting for someone -- anyone -- willing to say on the record that Lute Olson's Wildcats would beat Kentucky coach Rick Pitino's, which were only one year removed from their intimidating run to the 1996 title. I found two: UCLA coach Steve Lavin, who knew Arizona painfully well from Pac-10 play; and Dick Jerardi of thePhiladelphia Daily News, who works in a city that knows both good guard play and how it can put a stamp on a tournament game.
"That night Arizona defeated Kentucky, 84-79, and did so from the free-throw line, where the Tucsonites' backcourt threesome sank 22 of 25 shots. Over the past two weeks I've had Zona flashbacks while watching UConn in the clutch: With fewer than five minutes to play and in overtime -- which is to say, when they put the ball in the hands of Napier, Boatright and Daniels -- the Huskies are shooting 92% from the line."
A little unfair to our 2011 team, but I like the comparison. Especially the outcome.
"For a better parallel to UConn, I'll take Arizona's 1997 national champs, with their hydra-headed backcourt of Mike Bibby, Miles Simon and Jason Terry. The Huskies' Shabazz Napier is a more dominant presence than any of those three, but Ryan Boatright and swingman DeAndre Daniels give this UConn team two more points of attack than the school's last champions, the 2011 team that featured Kemba Walker and little else.
"I remember stalking the RCA Dome before that 1997 final, hunting for someone -- anyone -- willing to say on the record that Lute Olson's Wildcats would beat Kentucky coach Rick Pitino's, which were only one year removed from their intimidating run to the 1996 title. I found two: UCLA coach Steve Lavin, who knew Arizona painfully well from Pac-10 play; and Dick Jerardi of thePhiladelphia Daily News, who works in a city that knows both good guard play and how it can put a stamp on a tournament game.
"That night Arizona defeated Kentucky, 84-79, and did so from the free-throw line, where the Tucsonites' backcourt threesome sank 22 of 25 shots. Over the past two weeks I've had Zona flashbacks while watching UConn in the clutch: With fewer than five minutes to play and in overtime -- which is to say, when they put the ball in the hands of Napier, Boatright and Daniels -- the Huskies are shooting 92% from the line."
A little unfair to our 2011 team, but I like the comparison. Especially the outcome.
