Was that the biggest shot in UConn history | Page 7 | The Boneyard

Was that the biggest shot in UConn history

Biggest UConn shot ever?

  • Mullins for the Final 4- 2026

    Votes: 297 74.1%

  • Tate George - 1990 vs. Clemson

    Votes: 58 14.5%

  • Rip- 98 vs. Washington

    Votes: 13 3.2%

  • Kemba- 2011 BET vs. Pitt

    Votes: 32 8.0%

  • Jalen Adams- 70 footer vs. Cinci

    Votes: 1 0.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    401
RuffRuff said:
Situation is only part of it - the overall dramatics, stage and aesthetics have a lot to do with it. Yesterday's game checked a ton of boxes. I don't find the Jenkins three to have nearly the oomph given a fairly standard three and a tie score. There was also no comeback.

Your Boatright example in front of a dead AAC crowd...... I do think how clean Mullin's shot ripped through he net has aesthetic effect.

It was - I think it's just your overfocus on those two teams nonstop that starts becoming a little much.
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Kemba’s shot is a part of the discussion. Mike brought the Boatright shot up. What are you talking about?
 
ninety-nine said:
I'm not big on overreactions, but because of the stakes and the opponent, the difficulty of the comeback, plus the legacy battle between UConn and Duke, I have to give this one the nod over "It's late, it's Tate, it's great." Our guys caused a difficult turnover, hit a prayer from the March Madness logo, and stole a Final Four appearance from Duke, much like they did to us back in 1990. That's HUGE. And given UConn's issues with conference affiliation right now, anything that maintains or amplifies the greatness of UConn basketball, especially in direct competition with other blue blood programs, is extremely valuable. This shot will have legs in terms of becoming a modern highlight staple and will help keep UConn top of mind.

But Burrell's full-length-of-the-court pass and George's shot to save UConn from a devastating, heartbreaking collapse with only 1.0 on the clock were probably a better play in a vacuum given the degree of difficulty executing that play. The '90 shot and the '90 season put UConn on the national map, and if we'd lost that game after being up 19 in the second half, UConn would have been known for the worst NCAA tournament collapse ever (at the time). I'm also editing this to agree with other posters that the impact of the Clemson-Duke two-game sequence on UConn player recruiting changed the footprint of the program from regional to national because it drew so many eyeballs, though I don't know that Calhoun wouldn't have still gotten the program there on the strength of UConn's other building-block achievements in '88 and then '90 and '91, when they creatively brought in guys like Henefeld and Gilad Katz (and later, Doron Sheffer) along with the Connecticut top players.

It's tough to say. I do feel like people have kind of forgotten about Tate's shot over the years, at least outside of UConn circles, maybe because it was only a Sweet Sixteen game and UConn wound up getting knocked out by another buzzer-beater two days later. That won't happen with this shot because reaching the Final Four is considered a major goal unto itself.
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This is the answer.
 
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Aluminny69 said:
For those too young to remember

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The Shot was probably the greatest execution of a buzzer beating play in history with one second on the clock and required a big league arm to make that pass.
The one yesterday required Duke incompetence as they had the lead and possession rand was completely improbable.
The improbability of that play makes it pretty unique .
Except Karaban not panicking and throwing up a pray , what most people would do , than hitting a wide open guy squared and moving in the right direction.
Kemba shot was pure Kemba being Kemba
 
NCHusky91 said:
Tate had another huge shot, much less noticed. In ‘88 he hit a runner late to tie the first round NIT game against West Virginia, which led to an OT win and eventually the title. Maybe Calhoun was too great of a coach not to build something special, but things became much more, in his words, “doable” after winning the NIT.



P.S. Nice screen from Jeff King!
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Crazy to imagine - in 1988 UConn was so low on the national radar that they didn't even merit a first round home game in the NIT.
 
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DRBackup said:
Crazy to imagine - in 1988 UConn was so low on the national radar that they didn't even merit a first round home game in the NIT.
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They did have 2nd & 3rd round home games at the Civic Center and then the Field House which were well attended. Then the semis and finals at MSG may have been the beginnings of Storrs South.
 
Dave Portnoy, of all people, might have said it best. This is the type of shot that leads every NCAA media package for 2 decades. The only comparable shots in that sense are Laettner and Jenkins.

Tate George's shot may have been more impactful on the program's success, and a similarly unlikely make, but fending off a 19 point comeback against Clemson to go to the Elite Eight doesn't compare to completing a 19 point comeback against Duke to go to the Final Four.

Either way, these two shots are easily 1 and 2 on our Mt Rushmore. Give me Kemba 3 and Rip 4. If you made me pick a 5th I'd go with Brimah's and-1 due to the unlikelihood and importance of what it set up after and the precarious situation UConn athletics found itself in at the time
 
I'd argue that shot by Mullins is the single greatest shot in NCAA basketball history. I am not someone who subscribes to recency bias either. I have seen every big shot in NCAA basketball since Indiana State - Michigan State 1979 and I cannot think of a bigger shot than what Mullins hit on Sunday. Down 19 in the first half, down 15 at Halftime, UConn just clawed back and out fought Duke. UConn out toughed them. Then Mullins who hadn't hit a three all game drills a 35 foot shot that hits NOTHING but nylon. I cannot think of a greater shot in the history of NCAA basketball or NBA basketball for that sake. I used to argue that nothing could top Burrell to George but this play is just better. Especially considering who it was against and what the stakes were. I don't know how that could be topped.
 
Methalius said:
I'd argue that shot by Mullins is the single greatest shot in NCAA basketball history. I am not someone who subscribes to recency bias either. I have seen every big shot in NCAA basketball since Indiana State - Michigan State 1979 and I cannot think of a bigger shot than what Mullins hit on Sunday. Down 19 in the first half, down 15 at Halftime, UConn just clawed back and out fought Duke. UConn out toughed them. Then Mullins who hadn't hit a three all game drills a 35 foot shot that hits NOTHING but nylon. I cannot think of a greater shot in the history of NCAA basketball or NBA basketball for that sake. I used to argue that nothing could top Burrell to George but this play is just better. Especially considering who it was against and what the stakes were. I don't know how that could be topped.
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Tate George's was more impactful on the program, but Mullins's is objectively more improbable, iconic, and significant in the college basketball landscape.

That shot will be on YouTube compilations of March Madness moments for a hundred years.
 
Mike Honcho said:
Do y'all think the pure swish was meaningful at all? Like, if he had rattled in a three a la Boatright's AAC winner, does that alter how this shot is viewed?
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Someone over on the Duke message board , who was at the game , said " it was the loudest squish I've ever heard and I can't get the sound out of my head".
That is the most satisfying quote for a UConn fan , ever.
 
geordi said:
Discuss!!! Well, first of all, Ray-Ray's BE Conference winning shot against Iverson should be acknowledged, HOWEVER, it's not the MOST important by any means or even the most spectacular

I voted for Rip's shot against Washington. It put us into the Final Four for the first time and, of course, we won. Winning that game in Tampa gave us instant credibility as a place for recruits to consider. It grounded UConn as a viable suitor for major basketball talent. That talent, coming to UConn, then resulted in 5 more Natties over the years and other great players wearing our unis. Caron, though he didn't play in a Final Four, comes to mind.

Braylon 's shot this afternoon might have been the most spectacular - especially because the outcome means we not only won the game, and advanced to the Final Four, but reinforced we should because we are clearly a team to be considered as a title contender. Think about this too; we only LEAD IN THAT GAME FOR .03 SECONDS. Unbelievable.
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No we led two-nothing at the beginning also
 
nelsonmuntz said:
We are going to need to have a UConn basketball history thread this week. The short version is, everything that has ever happened in UConn history can be measured in pre and post Calhoun. Pre Calhoun, UConn was bad. The Dream Season changed that.

The most important thing the Dream Season changed was recruiting. The 1991 class of Donyell, Fair, Ollie, Rudy, and Donny was UConn’s first Top 10 class ever. Prior to that, a great class for UConn was getting Mr. Basketball Connecticut (Smith 1988, Burrell 1989).

We don’t get that 1991 class without coming a second away from the Final Four in 1990, and the rest of UConn history never happens.

If Mullins missed last night, UConn is still one of the best programs in basketball.

The Tate shot was more important, and it isn’t that close.
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The question was not "which shot was most important to the program?"
But that is the question you answered.
 
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Marat said:
I just realized its missing Bazz shot vs Florida, and Boat vs Cincy.
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And Jalen Adams vs Cinci. And AJ Price in Maui.

It’s pretty much missing all the shots post 2001 outside of Kemba and Mullins.
 
superjohn said:
I can't think of any basketball shot anywhere that has received this much coverage nationally. It's all anyone in the sports landscape has talked about since it happened and it's being talked about by people who don't even follow basketball/sports.
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It's in the zeitgeist baby !
 
People I know who aren't into college basketball have all seen the shot, whether on local/national news, or social media feeds. They wouldn't be able to tell you Braylon's name, but they all know how UConn won.
 
I've also been thinking, was there any play in any of the college football games that has been talked about this much? I know this shot means one thing for UConn fans but like people have said, every sports host has been talking about it. Bill Raftery was in complete shock!!!

It was a long-range bomb with hang time. It had the fantastic swish which could be heard loud and clear despite the large packed arena. It capped off an improbable comeback. It was against our old nemesis and it sent them home. It was absolutely GLORIOUS. The most amazing shot I have ever seen. note: Demary grabbed the ball after it bounded and dropped it before going to celebrate.
 
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