Where Does This Title Rank in The 8

[intlzncster]

Alana Beard: DT::Jimmer Fredette (or Ben Hansbrough):Kemba.

Beard and Jimmer are relegated to trivia questions; Diana and Kemba have the hardware that matters.

I liked your post because it's true, but it made me angry, as the whole Jimmer over Kemba thing still puts a sour taste in my mouth.

Jimmer wasn't half the player Kemba was. Kemba, at the college level, was complete in every aspect of the game from the guard position. Jimmer was much more one dimentional.

I'll say it, because I believe it: Jimmer won because he is a white guy, and all those white middle age man voters were having Jimmy Chitwood fantasies, blinding them to the reality of the two players.

And Kemba proved it: undefeated in tournament play on the season.

/rant

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Alana Beard was excellent, but anyone who said, "We have Alana Beard and you don't" with a straight face has far more self-discipline than I can fathom.

You kill me alex, but you are right. Alana was a great kid, but she had a style of play that did not do much to enhance her team mates games, and in the end that was her and Duke's undoing.

 

[DobbsRover2]

All true for Beard, but still it is WCBB ball not some later WNBA play we're talking about, and as much as I kicked the TV every time Alana knocked down 2 FTs after a dive job, all you had to do was read the glowing reviews and envious remarks that Geno and other coaches made about Duke's star. She "got it" better than any other WCBB player of the time, even more than DT who was pounded to a pulp for trying to play WCBB ball the way it should be. The only problem for Beard and Duke was that eventually you run into a set of refs that are not so whistle-happy and a team like Lindsay Whalen's UMinn squad that were both hotter and even smarter, and down went the Devils. But there was a reason her top-ranked dynasty-bound team was so highly regarded, and it was because GG taught them what they needed to do to get to the top of the rankings. That tourney stuff was always just a little bit more of a chore.

 

[intlzncster]

All true for Beard, but still it is WCBB ball not some later WNBA play we're talking about, and as much as I kicked the TV every time Alana knocked down 2 FTs after a dive job, all you had to do was read the glowing reviews and envious remarks that Geno and other coaches made about Duke's star. She "got it" better than any other WCBB player of the time, even more than DT who was pounded to a pulp for trying to play WCBB ball the way it should be. The only problem for Beard and Duke was that eventually you run into a set of refs that are not so whistle-happy and a team like Lindsay Whalen's UMinn squad that were both hotter and even smarter, and down went the Devils. But there was a reason her top-ranked dynasty-bound team was so highly regarded, and it was because GG taught them what they needed to do to get to the top of the rankings. That tourney stuff was always just a little bit more of a chore.

Really ticks me off that Dukie flopping made it into the women's game. And was rewarded no less!

Wonder if they brought K in to run a clinic on the art of the flop.

 

[jplotinus]

Most satisfying:

1--2004. DT's 4th year. Unprecedented double title. 3peat.
2--2002. Total domination.
3--1995. The first. WCBB comes of age.
4--2009. Another total domination year. Those are fun.
5--2013. Worth the struggle
6--2010. Repeat and sets stage for longest win streak.
7--2000. Proves 95 not a fluke.
8--2003. Sandwiched in the middle of a 3peat. Easy to overlook.

 

[EricLA]

I think in terms of historic, this one and the first one in 1995 rank near the top. If we win it all next year, that will be #1 in my book. Any time you achieve something unprecedented, it elevates the NC over others IMHO. Also would be 2004 - DT's 4th year and end of the 3-peat. But seriously, it's like trying to decide which is your favorite child. Each one is so special in its' own way...