UConn GOAT Bracket

[RMoore1999]

Upsets can and do happen.

Everyone will have their own "rules". Mine only include their UConn careers. Ollie played 10+ years in the NBA, but he's a 12 seed up against 5 seed Rashad Anderson who played 5 overseas, so I don't count what happens after UConn, and I don't think those who did the seeding did either.

The real question with this one is whether KO has the requisite drive, focus and ambition to orchestrate the 12/5 upset of Rashad? Based on his late season fade / bad form, might be too much to ask of KO...

 

[outlaw]

Drummond as a 6 seed just shows you how incredible this program is

 

[BlueMAB]

Drummond as a 6 seed just shows you how incredible this program is

Underwhelming career at UConn when you look at his pro career

 

[JimHurley]

I don't know. Bazz was a great player for us and is a 2 time national champion. Tough to pick over him.

I think people seriously overlook Shabazz. Kemba, Rip, Ray, Emeka, and Ben were all better basketball players but Shabazz has as storied a college career as any.
- 2 National Championships
- Led us through the postseason ban (this is underrated)
- 1st team All-American
- NCAA Tournament most outstanding player
- More clutch shots than you can count

His career at UConn is comparable to Kemba’s in every way. How some people leave Shabazz out of the UConn Mount Rushmore is beyond me.

 

[CL82]

Underwhelming career at UConn when you look at his pro career

You can make the argument that he is way overrated as a 6 seed.

 

[RichZ]

Whoever is responsible for not making Mek a #1 must be a closet 'cuse fan.

 

[Scoe]

I think people seriously overlook Shabazz. Kemba, Rip, Ray, Emeka, and Ben were all better basketball players but Shabazz has as storied a college career as any.
- 2 National Championships
- Led us through the postseason ban (this is underrated)
- 1st team All-American
- NCAA Tournament most outstanding player
- More clutch shots than you can count

His career at UConn is comparable to Kemba’s in every way. How some people leave Shabazz out of the UConn Mount Rushmore is beyond me.

2 coaches as well.

 

[Scoe]

Whoever is responsible for not making Mek a #1 must be a closet 'cuse fan.

I would flip Ray and Mek it’s splitting hairs either way. Someone has to be underseeded.

 

[Guapo]

1’s should be Ray, Kemba, Okafor, Rip

love Shabazz, but it is what it is.

Okafor as a 2 seed is flat out insanity. Blasphemy, even.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Thoughts:
- Ray with a cakewalk to the Final Four
- Bazz/Okafor in the Elite 8 is championship-game worthy
- Marcus Williams criminally under-seeded as a 10. He was the best player, arguably, on a #2 seed and #1 seed in the Tournament
- A couple of great 8/9 matchups in Knight/Villanueva and Adrien/Donny Marshall

 

[UCLJ0211]

What would be really interesting is if these players could play 1 on 1 for their matchups! Would definitely be some upsets then, with a lot of mismatches.

 

[JimHurley]

1’s should be Ray, Kemba, Okafor, Rip

love Shabazz, but it is what it is.

Okafor as a 2 seed is flat out insanity. Blasphemy, even.

Curious to hear from someone who has Okafor over Shabazz...how do you justify it? Not looking for an argument here just genuinely curious as to what your reasoning is. I think Okafor is a better overall basketball player than Shabazz and also had a better pro career but strictly as far as their time at UConn, I gotta go with Shabazz. Their final seasons were comparable as far as accolades but Shabazz won a ring his freshman year and also carried the program through the postseason ban. If Bazz + Boat leave in 2012, UConn basketball is a long forgotten laughing stock by now.

 

[T-Squared]

The Gampel bracket is stacked.

 

[T-Squared]

Curious to hear from someone who has Okafor over Shabazz...how do you justify it? Not looking for an argument here just genuinely curious as to what your reasoning is. I think Okafor is a better overall basketball player than Shabazz and also had a better pro career but strictly as far as their time at UConn, I gotta go with Shabazz. Their final seasons were comparable as far as accolades but Shabazz won a ring his freshman year and also carried the program through the postseason ban. If Bazz + Boat leave in 2012, UConn basketball is a long forgotten laughing stock by now.

Emeka was was NACB national player of the year his junior year and two-time national defensive player of the year. He was Big East Player of the Year, Big East Freshman of the Year, two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time All Big East. He won a ton more awards too. Bottom line - he was a stud. Big time. Sorry Shabazz, but that’s the truth.

 

[T-Squared]

I question the seeding. How is Kemba not # 1 in MSG? I mean Bazz is a worthy one seed but Kemba owns the Garden.

Ben Gordon enters the chat...

 

[nashusky109]

It should be Mek over Ray.. not shabazz. Ray Allen has been the best NBA player out of uconn but if you’re looking at college career mek was the NPOY on a championship winning team. This isn’t to discount what Ray did for uconn but shabazz has a better uconn career than ray does. The fact that we have this many players that deserve a 1 seed is so telling. I know if Ray was left off most of us would argue that Ray deserves a 1 but it’s a good problem to have.

Side note- met Big Mek at the uconn/Syracuse game back at the big tire pros classic In 2016 and he was nothing but nice. Saw him walking through the concourse and stopped and asked for an autograph (not a pic cause I was rockin a solid old school iPhone 4 at the time) and he obliged and even spoke to me for a couple minutes. 2004 was the year I became a die hard fan. I was only 14 and emeka was a god to me. Meant the world that the took some time out of his day to speak to a fan. Regardless of seeding he’s always gone be #1 to me.

 

[Jluc]

You can make an argument that Emeka should be the number one overall seed..

Should be a 1 seed over Ray but it’s awesome we get to even have that debate.

 

[JimHurley]

Emeka was was NACB national player of the year his junior year and two-time national defensive player of the year. He was Big East Player of the Year, Big East Freshman of the Year, two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and three-time All Big East. He won a ton more awards too. Bottom line - he was a stud. Big time. Sorry Shabazz, but that’s the truth.

I’m not arguing Shabazz was the better basketball player. I’m arguing that he has a better legacy at UConn.

 

[Scoe]

4 one seeds should be Kemba, Rip, Emeka and Shabazz.

 

[Dove]

Absolute quality matchups. We are a blessed fan base.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

this is way too hard. not a chance of looking at it for more than a few minutes without going loopy. prolly easier to cure cancer.

 

[Scoe]

this is way too hard. not a chance of looking at it for more than a few minutes without going loopy. prolly easier to cure cancer.

I agree I'm sitting this one out, and being a spectator.

 

[selles]

This seeding is pretty rough on the 1999 squad. Free a 10, Ricky a 13 and Jake a 14???

 

[Kitaman]

I blame Johnie Selvie for Emeka being a #2.

 

[M.S.G.]

Disappointed that Caron is in Kemba's bracket.