Uconn Elite 8 history | The Boneyard

Uconn Elite 8 history

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Since today woudve been the Elite, time to go back in history.

Most heart breaking- 1990 no question

Biggest Dissapointment- 2006 no more words needed

Most Relaxing- 2004, sitting back drinking and watching Ben and Rashad draining 3s all day it didnt even matter that Emeka came out, I even took a nap during that game.

Most enjoyable- I would say 1999 nothing like the first one, 2011 in a way knowing how scary it was on the end and the path we were on you had a feeling we were wining it all when the buzzer sounded, the end of that game and the Pitt ending was like devine intervention. 2014 was an amazing feeling as well doing it in the Garden against the heavy favorites of the tourney, getting some revenge against MSU and of course making it worth while in the end something MSU didnt do in 2009, and even some revenge for the fans personally MSU fans having to player a lower seed with a home crowd, after the way they acted in 2009 serves them right.

Screwed over-
1995 vs UCLA in LA
,
1998 vs UNC in Charlotte I felt we would have beaten about any other team in that tourney, I knew we would
get back to the FF the year after once Rip stayed

2002 vs Maryland, felt we were the 2nd best team that time of the year, and Caron was the best player in the country, took a step back when Caron left.

Forgotten Elite 8- 1964 vs Duke, I can't say I remember that one it shows people we actually did have history pre Calhoun, upset Bill Bradleys Princeton team that year.
 
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vs #1 seed Texas in, I believe 2002, was really tough and heartbreaking and I think it was the elite 8. 82-78. They were within one with under a minute to go.
 
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1999 was not enjoyable at ALL while it was happening. Afterwards it was bliss.
Agreed. There was NOTHING enjoyable about that game. Never felt comfortable about it until the final buzzer. Most disappointing of all time, to me, was Florida in 94. Donyell coming off 20/20 in the BET needing just 1/2 to win it......BCU looming in the Elite 8 who we were in the midst of beating like 150 times in a row. That was so deflating.
 

Chin Diesel

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Yep its that game.

Really like how White had blossomed while Blaney took over for Calhoun that year. He just had a nose for the rebound.
 
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Since today woudve been the Elite, time to go back in history.

Most heart breaking- 1990 no question

Biggest Dissapointment- 2006 no more words needed

Most Relaxing- 2004, sitting back drinking and watching Ben and Rashad draining 3s all day it didnt even matter that Emeka came out, I even took a nap during that game.

Most enjoyable- I would say 1999 nothing like the first one, 2011 in a way knowing how scary it was on the end and the path we were on you had a feeling we were wining it all when the buzzer sounded, the end of that game and the Pitt ending was like devine intervention. 2014 was an amazing feeling as well doing it in the Garden against the heavy favorites of the tourney, getting some revenge against MSU and of course making it worth while in the end something MSU didnt do in 2009, and even some revenge for the fans personally MSU fans having to player a lower seed with a home crowd, after the way they acted in 2009 serves them right.

Screwed over-
1995 vs UCLA in LA
,
1998 vs UNC in Charlotte I felt we would have beaten about any other team in that tourney, I knew we would
get back to the FF the year after once Rip stayed

2002 vs Maryland, felt we were the 2nd best team that time of the year, and Caron was the best player in the country, took a step back when Caron left.

Forgotten Elite 8- 1964 vs Duke, I can't say I remember that one it shows people we actually did have history pre Calhoun, upset Bill Bradleys Princeton team that year.

I agree...1990 was soul crushing.

2006 was a killer, but it didn't hit me in the same way. I was watching the game and I was just waiting for UConn to put the pedal down. It never happened.

1995 and 2002 were ok. I hated to see them lose, but it was easier to take because they had died with their boots on.

The game that sticks with me is the 1996 loss to Mississippi State. That was brutal. I never expected them to lose that one.
 
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For me, 1995 and 2002 were devastating. In both of those years, if we were playing somebody other than who we played (UCLA 95, MD 02), we would have made the Final Four. I think they were just bad matchups for us. In 2002, we were playing better than anybody in the country riding a 12 game win streak into that Elite 8 game vs Maryland, but they were just too tough for us. That same Maryland team beat us by 12 earlier in the season. If it was anybody else we would have won.

Elite 8 losses are the toughest so swallow in my opinion. I remember Calhoun always said that the Elite 8 game is always the hardest because of the pressure of being only 40 minutes away from the Final Four. I look at it like getting to the Final Four is an accomplishment because at least you get to hang a banner and have something to show for it. There is an enormous difference between reaching the Final Four and losing in the Elite 8, even if your trip to the Final Four ends without winning it all.
 
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There is an enormous difference between reaching the Final Four and losing in the Elite 8, even if your trip to the Final Four ends without winning it all.

So very true. Just ask that pompous cheater Sean Miller down in the Arizona desert... 0-4 in the Elite 8 as a head coach including 2 losses in excruciating fashion (one of those in 2011 to us) and counting.

Makes me realize that sometimes there really is karmic justice in this world :cool:
 
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I cried like a baby after beating Gonzaga in 1999. 2006 was most disappointing for me.
 

Dream Jobbed 2.0

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The 2002 UMD game in the MF Carrier Dome of all places. One of the losses that has endless rewatchability for me. Caron was so damn good. Baby Gordon and Baby Mek. Maryland had Juan Dixon, Lonnie Baxter, Steve Blake, Chris Wilcox. Eventual champion. Epic epic game.
 

August_West

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Yep its that game.


what really killed us that game, and I dont question it much because the guy (JC) was king of the world and still is...... But Texas was operating with a high single digit, low double digit lead for a good portion of that game. TJ Ford was KILLING us off the bounce. He was one of the quickest PG's ive ever seen (and Kyle Lowry was in that era too) ...................... but finally JC went to a 2-3 zone and it was devastatingly effective in containing Ford. And we came all the way back and JC took the zone off 2 possessions too early and Texas made some big buckets down the home stretch because Ford salivated at the M2M again. We traded hoops and then Taliek made a beautiful pass to Marcus White and he neck balled it. Game over.

And that was the only Cuse title year. We had their frickin number (beat them twice that year) . 2 more possessions of zone and it would be 5>0
 
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Forgotten Elite 8- 1964 vs Duke, I can't say I remember that one it shows people we actually did have history pre Calhoun, upset Bill Bradleys Princeton team that year.
It was the biggest disappointment in my life to that point. We got crushed.
 
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It was the biggest disappointment in my life to that point. We got crushed.
I was 8 and I really thought we were going to win. I couldn't believe that there was a team that could beat Duke. I was happy they lost, UCLA was my 2nd team because I liked their uniforms.
 

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