Was this the best NCAA Tourney ever?

[swerb]

I think it was, at least in my lifetime. Absolutely compelling from start to finish.

Three noon games on the first Thursday all go down to the buzzer. One of the best title games ever betweeen two schools with legitimate student athletes ... one a college hoops power led by one of the most dominating personalities in the sport. The other school, a mid major, playing 5 miles from its campus, led by a 33 year old fresh faced coaching star in the making.

And then everything in between.

What an event.

At the least, it was the best tournament of my lifetime since the epic run we had from 1989-1992:

1989: Seton Hall knocks off powers UNLV and Duke, only to lose one of the more exciting title games ever to the Glen Rice/Sean Elliot Michigan team in OT. This was also the year Georgetown was upset by Princeton.

1990: Loyola Marymount's amazing run in the wake of the death of Hank Gathers. Tate George's shot to beat Clemson, then Duke's amazing OT win over that same UConn team. The beginning of the UNLV run, as they then beat Duke by like 100 in the title game.

1991: Duke shocks heavily favored UNLV in the Final Four , then goes on to beat Kansas for the title. John Chaney takes #10 seed Temple a missed shot away from the Final Four.

1992: Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky in the Eight, then Duke beats Indiana and Michigan in the Final Four. And think about these Elite Eight matchups: Cincinnati/Memphis, Duke/Kentucky, Ohio State/Michigan, and UCLA/Indiana.

[Ziner]

As fantastic as it was, I can't help but keep thinking how epic it would have been had that last shot gone in. The buzz would be unbelievable right now had that shot go in. Still an entertaining game, but what could have been...

Edit: Either shot actually

[davemanddd]

As fantastic as it was, I can't help but keep thinking how epic it would have been had that last shot gone in. The buzz would be unbelievable right now had that shot go in. Still an entertaining game, but what could have been...

Edit: Either shot actually

i'm with ziner. yes it was a great tournament overall and had butler won, then yes, i would say it would have to be considered the best ever. the fact that butler lost and duke won (did they really win or did they just survive???) though just takes away from the end result in my opinion.

i would liken my reasoning to the boise st. versus oklahoma fiesta bowl game of a few years ago. had boise st. lost that game, it would simply be little more than just an afterthought game now at this point and all those trick plays they ran would have all been for naught. the fact that "little david" boise st. beat a "big bad goliath" oklahoma team and in the way that they won the game with all those entertaining trick plays though is what makes it one of the greatest and most remembered college football games of all time.

duke winning the ncaa tournament is like the yankees winning the world series, tiger woods winning the masters, the steelers winning the super bowl and the celtics or the lakers winning the nba title. big whoop. they are the usual suspects who are pretty much expected to win all the time. no memorable, historical stories there.

now the ones most people do remember are the uspets like the jets beating the colts in super bowl 3, miami (led by bernie kosar) beating nebraska for the college football mythical national championship and when villanova beat georgetown and north carolina state beat houston in the ncaa tourney. do you think those games would have been as memorable had the colts beat the jets, the huskers beat the hurricanes, georgetown beat villanova and phi slamma jamma beat the wolfpack??? not hardly. i just can't imagine not having that lasting memory of jimmy valvano running around the basketball court looking for someone to hug.

that's why i would have much rather seen butler win. like ziner said - "what could have been . . ."

[peeker643]

Yes dave, it's always nice when those tiny schools like NC State and Villanova from the historically crappy conferences like the ACC and Big East happen to have a 6 game stretch where their McDonald's All Americans and top 20 recruiting classes finally figure out how to co-exist, play together and win a few games.

I'll take this year. I watched Villanova and NC State win their titles. It was like seeing Michigan St do it this season. Great final games, no doubt. But top to bottom I'll take this tourney if they can bottle it and give it to us every single season.

Give me the Murray State's and the Butlers and the Northern Iowas. Give me the parity and the close games of the first two rounds.

I don't know if it was the greatest ever. 1992 was amazing for many reasons. I know that the event itself is the greatest in sports IMO. And this was one of the best tournies I've watched.

[mswerb]

I think it was, at least in my lifetime. Absolutely compelling from start to finish.

Three noon games on the first Thursday all go down to the buzzer. One of the best title games ever betweeen two schools with legitimate student athletes ... one a college hoops power led by one of the most dominating personalities in the sport. The other school, a mid major, playing 5 miles from its campus, led by a 33 year old fresh faced coaching star in the making.

And then everything in between.

What an event.

At the least, it was the best tournament of my lifetime since the epic run we had from 1989-1992:

1989: Seton Hall knocks off powers UNLV and Duke, only to lose one of the more exciting title games ever to the Glen Rice/Sean Elliot Michigan team in OT. This was also the year Georgetown was upset by Princeton.

1990: Loyola Marymount's amazing run in the wake of the death of Hank Gathers. Tate George's shot to beat Clemson, then Duke's amazing OT win over that same UConn team. The beginning of the UNLV run, as they then beat Duke by like 100 in the title game.

1991: Duke shocks heavily favored UNLV in the Final Four , then goes on to beat Kansas for the title. John Chaney takes #10 seed Temple a missed shot away from the Final Four.

1992: Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky in the Eight, then Duke beats Indiana and Michigan in the Final Four. And think about these Elite Eight matchups: Cincinnati/Memphis, Duke/Kentucky, Ohio State/Michigan, and UCLA/Indiana.

Sean Elliott went to Arizona

[swerb]

Sean Higgins ... thats who I was thinking of

[waborat]

Hate to say it, but I don't know?

Been a lot of good ones in my lifetime and Swerb & Peek have already mentioned a few of the years...

Plus it depends on what your definition of "best" is? Entertainment value? Quality of matchups and/or closeness of games? Your favorite team winning?

But for shear unpredictability and upsets then I can't think of another...Just about everyone's brackets across the country were busted at some point...All regional finals were decided by seven points or less...A mid-major made it to the finals and the title game was one of the top 3 or 4 that I've ever witnessed...

The one thing I do know is the Tourney gave me 3 weeks of sports' bliss and proved to me once again, that it is THE greatest annual sporting event in this country

[mattvan1]

This was certainly one of the best, if not THE best start to finish tournaments.

As good as last night was, the best title game for me was Villanova upsetting Georgetown in 85. I think 'Nova is the lowest ranked team ever to win the title. Shot something ridiculous like 75% from the floor.

[Triple-S]

Overall as a tourney? Yeah, I'd venture to say that we got to see some great games

Just wish the ending would have been better, I still felt that Duke was not the best team in the country this year (Kentucky was, and with Hummel, my Boilermakers could have made an argument) and benefited by playing a rather easy path to the title game.

I mean, they got to play the play-in champion as the 3rd best team? and meanwhile Kansas gets stuck with TOSU in the same bracket? Really, other than Butler, the only team that was a top-tier team during the course of the year was a Robbie Hummel-less Boilermaker squad.

Does the title game measure up to the all-time greats? Eh..not quite. I'll use a football comparision to make a point.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/123930/greate ... ar-miracle

In the '95 AFCCG, where a underdog Colts team led by Jim Harbaugh almost shocks the world and lands in the super bowl against a pretty good Steeler teams. If Mario Bailey holds on to the ball and makes the catch, it becomes a part of NFL lore and would rank up there as the most clutch play in NFL history. Even the one real Steeler fan I've met agrees with me on that. But, he doesn't and that why it's not as remembered by many people.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Yeah it was pretty damn good. Watching those Big East teams getting whacked like rats in The Sopranos, was fun... Except it ruined my brackets and cost me money.

[hermanfontenot]

We should start two threads here. One for people who want to actually engage the topic and another for people who just want to whine about the team that won the goddamn thing.

[davemanddd]

We should start two threads here. One for people who want to actually engage the topic and another for people who just want to whine about the team that won the goddamn thing.

not whining, just stating a personal preference. it's kind of like several years ago when golfer greg norman, who had yet to win a major at that point in his career, had a 7-stroke lead going into the final round of the masters and proceeded to lose it. does anyone even remember who actually won the green jacket that year??? it was nick faldo and yet all anyone mostly remembers is the fact that "the shark" choked away such a huge lead, while for faldo it was his 6th major victory. big whoop. norman would go onto win 2 british opens in his career, but i would have certainly liked to have seen him win "the one that got away" for his first instead.

the same thing goes for the new england patriots a couple years ago when they had the opportunity to go an historically perfect 19-0 if they would have won the super bowl that year except the new york giants decided to play their best football of the whole season and upset the pats. again, i would have much rather seen the patriots make history as opposed to yet another new york team winning a title. again, ho-hum.

[waborat]

the same thing goes for the new england patriots a couple years ago when they had the opportunity to go an historically perfect 19-0 if they would have won the super bowl that yer except the new york giants decided to play their best football of the season and upset the pats. again, i would have much rather seen the patriots make history as opposed to another new york team winning a title. ho-hum.

WTF Dave?!?!?! This is the post where I finally need my duct tape to hold my head together before it explodes...

You've stated over 2 threads in the past 24 hrs that you're tired of seeing the same teams win the crown over & over...

Then you post that you'd rather have seen the Patriots win 3 years ago???

4 parades in 7 seasons wouldn't have been enough???

Another friggin trophy for Beantown???

Puhleaze

Now it's a NY thing? Last time I checked it been a couple decades for the Mets, Knicks, Jets, Giants & Islanders...

Oy Vey

[waborat]

We should start two threads here. One for people who want to actually engage the topic and another for people who just want to whine about the team that won the goddamn thing.

You're right Herm...

I've already posted on the tourney, now it's time to whine about MY team not winning it...

THE Ohio State Buckeyes!!!

If only Oden, Conley, Cook, Koufos & Mullens would have stayed!!!

Oh My God, they wouldn't have lost a stinkin game, do you know that???

They would have smashed Butler this year and then Butler would have been a lower seed and not played the same teams they did...Purdue? lower...

Tourney woulda been theirs and they'd go down as one of the greatest teams ever...If only...

Right now I'd be throwing Killians and mummified dog shit into my tub and bathing in Scarlet & Grey

[davemanddd]

the same thing goes for the new england patriots a couple years ago when they had the opportunity to go an historically perfect 19-0 if they would have won the super bowl that yer except the new york giants decided to play their best football of the season and upset the pats. again, i would have much rather seen the patriots make history as opposed to another new york team winning a title. ho-hum.

WTF Dave?!?!?! This is the post where I finally need my duct tape to hold my head together before it explodes...

You've stated over 2 threads in the past 24 hrs that you're tired of seeing the same teams win the crown over & over...

Then you post that you'd rather have seen the Patriots win 3 years ago???

4 parades in 7 seasons wouldn't have been enough???

Another friggin trophy for Beantown???

Puhleaze

Now it's a NY thing? Last time I checked it been a couple decades for the Mets, Knicks, Jets, Giants & Islanders...

Oy Vey

i thought this might cause some confusion. anyway, the reason why i wanted to see the pats beat the giants in the super bowl that year is because it's about what could have been a uniquely historical event - a team going a perfect 19-0 capped off by a super bowl win. unfortunately, it didn't come to pass and it was because of a team from the most arrogant city in america - new york. imagine that. i guess if it was a team from any other city but new york, it wouldn't have bothered me as much, but since it was a new york team, it just adds even more arrogance to their image. i mean the audacity of the giants to get in the way of history??? what a revolting development that was.

besides, i just absolutely loathe mercury morris and all his jive talking about the dolphins perfect 17-0 season in 1972. every time an nfl team gets off to a 9-0 or 10-0 or better start to a season, sports reporters and talking heads all start flocking to m&m and he starts strutting around like some sort of a crazed peacock in heat, loving all the attention that is heaped upon him and i'm just tired of his entire act. with his penchant for obviously wanting to be an attention-whore, i'm rather surprised he doesn't participate on one of the glut of bad "reality" shows that are on tv these days.

all i'm saying is that it had nothing to do with how many titles that the pats had already won during the decade of the "aughts". it was about breaking a long-standing record and making history. likewise, it would have been a much more historical event for butler to have beaten duke for their first title too than it was for being coach k's 4th ncaa championship in his long, successful career. now i don't begrudge his success at all, but like the rally cry had been for many bracketers throughout this tournament - anyone but duke. i just like to see some other teams have a chance to win and make history, especially for the first time. what's so wrong with that???

by the same token, i love absolute magnificence by the likes of lebron james, tiger woods, roger federer, etc. when roger passed pete sampras for the all-time lead in major tennis titles, i applauded the achievement for it's historical significance, but at the same time, i just love it when somebody beats roger, especially rafael nadal. it keeps him human.

the same thing goes for tiger woods. when he ultimately does pass jack nicklaus by winning his 19th major, it will be a glorious day, but when he stumbles along the way and loses a few times here or there, i'm not going to be shedding any tears for him. besides, not only did jack win 18 majors, he also finished 2nd like 17 times as well, which is what kept him humble, made him a gracious loser when he was defeated and endeared him to people so much as "the golden bear".

meanwhile, tiger has gone out of his way to be very surly and condescending towards people and now he finds himself in a public relations nightmare of his own making largely due to his own arrogance and selfishness for thinking the rules of marriage fidelity don't apply to gawd-like superstar atletes like him. too bad, tiger, but it does. it remains to be seen if he will truly be humbled by it all. although, i do certainly hope so.

as for all those new york teams you had listed, they have all won titles (i believe a total of at least 10 if i recall correctly) since any one single team in cleveland has won even one championship, so yes it is city-envy. i can honestly say that as soon as a cleveland team wins a title, i can die a happy man. until then, i'm just a bitter old man with an unfulfilled void in his heart that grows with each titleless year. unless something unfortunate happens along the way though, it looks like the cavs may just make history and win the first pro sports team title in cleveland since 1964. we can only hope.

[Larvell Blanks]

^^ What's the original topic again?




My favorite was the '90 tournament. Watching Running Rebs basketball, the LMU saga, the Georgia Tech team of Lethal Weapon 3 (Oliver, Scott and Anderson) and Duke's team. Laettners last second shot to beat #1 seed UConn to get out of the East. Arkansas run w/ Day, Miller, and Mayberry. Seems odd that 20 years later I remember players from alot of the teams that were in that tourney.

[peeker643]

^^ What's the original topic again?




My favorite was the '90 tournament. Watching Running Rebs basketball, the LMU saga, the Georgia Tech team of Lethal Weapon 3 (Oliver, Scott and Anderson) and Duke's team. Laettners last second shot to beat #1 seed UConn to get out of the East. Arkansas run w/ Day, Miller, and Mayberry. Seems odd that 20 years later I remember players from alot of the teams that were in that tourney.

The topic is Dave gives us his up to the minute rambling thoughts and does so in a manifesto and stream of conscience-style in as many NCAA threads as possible. Regardless of whether it actually relates to the NCAA tourney or his feeling re: Mercury Morris

Apparently he doesn't care if anyone else actually gives a fuck.

The 30 for 30 with Gathers and LMU was on again last night. I've seen it a couple times now and it's a terrific effort.

Funny you have an LMU team known for the running and gunning style and Richardson's Arkansas team of the same era known for its 40 Minutes of Hell. LMU got by Alabama that tourney playing the slow down style Alabama dictated and then LMU got waffle-stomped by UNLV in an, umm..., what can only be called an up tempo game. It was 139-101 or something sick and that was a week after LMU thumped Michigan 149-115.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

We should start two threads here. One for people who want to actually engage the topic and another for people who just want to whine about the team that won the goddamn thing.

You're right Herm...

I've already posted on the tourney, now it's time to whine about MY team not winning it...

THE Ohio State Buckeyes!!!

If only Oden, Conley, Cook, Koufos & Mullens would have stayed!!!

Oh My God, they wouldn't have lost a stinkin game, do you know that???

They would have smashed Butler this year and then Butler would have been a lower seed and not played the same teams they did...Purdue? lower...

Tourney woulda been theirs and they'd go down as one of the greatest teams ever...If only...

Right now I'd be throwing Killians and mummified dog shit into my tub and bathing in Scarlet & Grey

Mummified dog shit?

Egyptians had to practice I guess.

[Larvell Blanks]

The topic is Dave gives us his up to the minute rambling thoughts and does so in a manifesto and stream of conscience-style in as many NCAA threads as possible. Regardless of whether it actually relates to the NCAA tourney or his feeling re: Mercury Morris

I kinda dug the whole GET OFF MY LAWN feel of that short story he wrote.

The 30 for 30 with Gathers and LMU was on again last night. I've seen it a couple times now and it's a terrific effort.

Funny you have an LMU team known for the running and gunning style and Richardson's Arkansas team of the same era known for its 40 Minutes of Hell. LMU got by Alabama that tourney playing the slow down style Alabama dictated and then LMU got waffle-stomped by UNLV in an, umm..., what can only be called an up tempo game. It was 139-101 or something sick and that was a week after LMU thumped Michigan 149-115.

I finally was able to watch this episode last night. I almost forgot how these guys just ran and ran and ran, all game long. Watching the clips of Gathers, hard to believe now how head and shoulders above everyone else he was. I really believe that if Gathers had survived, LMU could have given UNLV a run for their money. Maybe not win, but given the Rebs a good scare. LMU lost at UNLV the first game of the season that year 102-91 w/ LMU shooting only 24% from 3. They actually led at halftime but went cold in the 2nd half only scoring 37 pts. This was a team that averaged 122 pts a game. Won't see that record broken for quite a long time

[davemanddd]

get off my lawn??? i resemble that remark. hee-hee!!! no but seriously though, i did say that i was a bitter old man and yes i did get way off on some tangents, but that's just my a.d.d. kicking in like it usually does.

anyway, the topic was whether or not this was the best ncaa tourney ever and i just wanted to make the point that it could have been had butler won. that's all. yes i did go overboard in talking about all the other similar situations that happened in the past, but that's just me trying to be as thorough as possible and not leaving any stone unturned. i'm just weird like that.

i thought the plain dealer's doug lesmirises said it best in his article on the very same subject - http://www.cleveland.com/marchmadness/i ... th_16.html - when he said:

"i don't know whether butler-duke is the greatest national championship game in college basketball history, but it's obviously in the conversation. the gut answer is probably not, because while the game was palpably intense and dramatic for 40 minutes, the overall level of play wasn't through the roof. but it was 40 minutes without one lax possession, from the players or the fans. if gordon hayward's halfcourt shot goes at the buzzer for butler, there's no question it's no. 1".

'nuff said.

[jb]

Had the buzzer beater went in and Butler won? Yes.

[jack_tors]

Had the buzzer beater went in and Butler won? Yes.

I agree here.. Still it was a great tournament with all the upsets and an underdog like Butler with a chance to win it down to the final shot. Out of the Final Four I think Duke was the most talented but overall, I could see where others would disagree. It was the tournament of the underdog and that gives most people something to root for even if there team has exited.

Gotta wonder what the tourney will be like with more teams and more games. Could we see more Kansas type upsets? I hope so..

[Triple-S]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXorqw6c ... =topvideos

Slighty OT, but dear god, This was probably the worst ever rendition of "One shining moment" ever. Made my ears bleed. F-Jennifer Hudson and F-American Idol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LjU0VTNTb0

I really wish they'd just end the finals like this video did with the '87 Hoosiers, every year.

[OldDawg]

One of my favorite, if not the favorite, ever.

The selection committee actually get an assist in setting up the cinderella story for Butler. I believe Butler was ranked 8th in the country. If that is accurate, they should have been a 2- or 3-seed at worst.

That certainly didn't matter to me. It was the much-used "mid-major" phrase that captured the heart of America.

I just loved the final. I don't know if I have ever seen two teams play as hard for 40 minutes. Every possession was played like it was the last. Bodies all over the place. Incredibly physical play. You could have called a foul about every 10-15 seconds if you wanted to.

Loved the Brad Stevens story. Young guy. Quit his job to volunteer. Cool as a cucumber on the sideline. But I loved listening to the guy talk. Wise way beyond his years. Has his act together - appears to be very genuine. But I also liked listening to every one of his players. Every kid credited Stevens... "he always has us prepared,"... "he believes in us,"... "it starts with him." It was great stuff.

Loved Coach K's response to the "team people love to hate." "We are going to go to class, and we're going to try to win. If someone doesn't like that, it's your problem." Loved it.

[swerb]

With you 100% on every word OD.

I was thinking about it ... behind OSU and CSU ... Duke, Butler, Michigan State ... prolly my three next favorite college basketball teams.

[Indyan]

For me it was the best. Close games, big shots, and unexpected wins are all things I want to see. I enjoy the small schools pulling the upset, but no matter the team size, I enjoy the struggle of wills to avoid being sent home. Witness the end of the MSU - Maryland game. In the last 30 seconds, 3 potential game-winning shots were hit with nary a foul or timeout between them.

My favorite was the '90 tournament. Watching Running Rebs basketball, the LMU saga, the Georgia Tech team of Lethal Weapon 3 (Oliver, Scott and Anderson) and Duke's team. Laettners last second shot to beat #1 seed UConn to get out of the East. Arkansas run w/ Day, Miller, and Mayberry. Seems odd that 20 years later I remember players from alot of the teams that were in that tourney.

I also remember some teams from my youth. Some because of outstanding performances, but it seemed like players stayed through their Junior year so you'd get a little more familiarity with them. I remember Chris Webber left after his sophomore year, which seemed like a rarity then. Meanwhile, it seemed like guys like Laettner, Parks, and Hill were around for 5+ years.

[swerb]

That MSU/Maryland game is a good example of just how good this tournament was. No one's even talking about that game when discussing how excellent this year's tourney was. And that was an awesome basketball game. Would have been the best game in a lot of recent tournaments. This year? Like 6th most memorable.

[FUDU]

I've stated I'm not the biggest fan of CB anymore, but still enjoy the tourney in spurts, I think this one can be rated way up there for the most part. 92 was pretty damn good though.

Rich me thinks that maybe you like this one best a little too much based on the success of some of your teams, no?

[peeker643]

I've stated I'm not the biggest fan of CB anymore, but still enjoy the tourney in spurts, I think this one can be rated way up there for the most part. 92 was pretty damn good though.

Rich me thinks that maybe you like this one best a little too much based on the success of some of your teams, no?

That can't hurt but this tourney was a testament to the fact there are fewer haves and have-nots.



There is also definitely a Maginot Line in terms of talented teams together for a year and more experienced and less athletic teams that have been together longer.

It all comes out in the wash to make for more entertaining games and, say what you will, but the seeding committee did a decent job giving it to us.

[FUDU]

I've stated I'm not the biggest fan of CB anymore, but still enjoy the tourney in spurts, I think this one can be rated way up there for the most part. 92 was pretty damn good though.

Rich me thinks that maybe you like this one best a little too much based on the success of some of your teams, no?

That can't hurt but this tourney was a testament to the fact there are fewer haves and have-nots.



There is also definitely a Maginot Line in terms of talented teams together for a year and more experienced and less athletic teams that have been together longer.

It all comes out in the wash to make for more entertaining games and, say what you will, but the seeding committee did a decent job giving it to us.

I watched way more of the madness than I anticipated I would, but by no means do I consider myself up to speed on all the surrounding details like seeding etc..

So I ask, Peeker (anyone) didn't Butler win 3 straight games (16-8-4) in which their opponents were missing their best or second best player? I ask b/c if true, just what I thought I heard, then didn't Butler really just catch some nice timing on their breaks, and in the end if they were so good (I don't know didn't watch CB all season) then shouldn't they have been a 2 or 3 seed instead of a 5, giving them a bit more difficult path to the end?

[jb]

I've stated I'm not the biggest fan of CB anymore, but still enjoy the tourney in spurts, I think this one can be rated way up there for the most part. 92 was pretty damn good though.

Rich me thinks that maybe you like this one best a little too much based on the success of some of your teams, no?

That can't hurt but this tourney was a testament to the fact there are fewer haves and have-nots.



There is also definitely a Maginot Line in terms of talented teams together for a year and more experienced and less athletic teams that have been together longer.

It all comes out in the wash to make for more entertaining games and, say what you will, but the seeding committee did a decent job giving it to us.

was the maginot Line talented?

[hermanfontenot]

Let's break 1989 down, round by round

1st Round

- Not one but two #1 seeds squeak thru by one point. People remember Georgetown-Princeton, but Keith "Mister" Jennings and East Tennessee State also led Oklahoma by 17 in the first half before falling 72-71

- #14 Siena- which had its last 9 regular-season games played before empty gyms b/c of a measles epidemic and quarantine on its campus- beats #3 Stanford in the last seconds

- #13 Middle Tennessee scores the final 21 points to scalp the FSU Seminoles, 97-83. Some bench guard named Mike Buck goes 7-of-7 from the field, 6-of-6 from downtown and 6-of-6 from the line- 26 points on 7 shots- for MTSU

- #11 South Alabama, led by the "Peanut Butter & Jelly" backcourt of Junie Lewis and Jeff Hodge, overcomes a 16-pt halfime deficit to beat David Benoit, Robert Horry & Alabama in the last seconds

- #11 Evansville overcomes 31 Gary Payton points to beat #6 Oregon State in OT

2nd Round

- Jim Valvano's NC State Wolfpack get a 40-point game from Rodney Monroe to beat Iowa 102-96 in double-OT

- Glen Rice blows up for the first time in a come-from-behind win over South Alabama

Sweet 16

- No 1 Arizona is leading UNLV 67-65 with five seconds left when Kenny Lofton tries to flop a charge on Anderson Hunt, doesn't get the call, and watches Hunt bury a three-pointer for the win

- Michigan beats Carolina in a 92-87 thriller. Glen Rice goes 8-of-12 from downtown. Carolina had beaten Michigan in the previous two Tourneys, so this one was spiced with extra flavor. Physical game- there was one near-fight broken up (I think involving Scott Williams.)

- Derrick Coleman & Syracuse top Anthony Peeler & Missouri, 83-80

Elite 8

- Laettner pwns Mourning in a battle of superstar freshmen as Duke tops Georgetown, 85-77 (closer than the score)

- Illinois comes from behind to beat Syracuse, 89-86

Final 4

- Sean Higgins dumps in a putback with 1 second left as Michigan beats Illinois 83-81. Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Glen Rice, Rumeal Robinson, Kenny Battle, Terry Mills- the Big Ten was stacked this year. Strange but true- neither of these teams won the Big Ten title. Indiana did.

- Seton Hall spots Duke a 26-8 lead and wins, 95-78. 87 points in the last 31 minutes for the Hall.

Championship

- Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79, OT. Rumeal Robinson sinks the winning free throws with 3 seconds left. Yeah, good game. BS touch foul that sent him to the line though. One unfortunate side affect- John Morton was so good for the Hall (32 points) Wayne Embry drafted him ahead of Vlade Divac.

Misc

- Glen Rice was ridiculous. Other than John Wallace of Syracuse in 1996 this is the finest individual performance, thru a Tournament, I have ever seen.

- Fast paced play. IIRC nine 100-point-plus performances by teams in this Tournament. Nolan Richardson's "40 Minutes of Hell" Arkansas met Paul Westhead's Loyola Marymount in a runner's dream of a 5-12 first-round matchup (the Hogs won 120-101)

- Andrew Gaze, Seton Hall's sweet-shooting 24-year old Australian forward. Gaze looked like the actor in the '80s slasher/teen sex movie that is obviously way too old to be playing a high-school student.

[peeker643]

I've stated I'm not the biggest fan of CB anymore, but still enjoy the tourney in spurts, I think this one can be rated way up there for the most part. 92 was pretty damn good though.

Rich me thinks that maybe you like this one best a little too much based on the success of some of your teams, no?

That can't hurt but this tourney was a testament to the fact there are fewer haves and have-nots.



There is also definitely a Maginot Line in terms of talented teams together for a year and more experienced and less athletic teams that have been together longer.

It all comes out in the wash to make for more entertaining games and, say what you will, but the seeding committee did a decent job giving it to us.

was the maginot Line talented?

You're confusing it with the Magineaux line that the Canadiens used to run out there in the mid 70's. And no, they weren't talented but they were the french canadian cross between the Hansen Brothers and the Marx Brothers.

Wildly entertaining. Think they were billed as "Slapstick" instead of "Slapshot".