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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 3732049, member: 289"] 1st round results: 2012 beat 2011 8 votes to none. (8-0) Similar rosters but Fab Melo and Dion Waiters were totally better in the latter year, offsetting senior Rick Jackson being replaced by freshman Rakeem Christmas. 34-3 trumps 27-8. 2003 beast 1990 6-2 Why was this not unanimous? Because 1990 was one of our most talented teams with Coleman, Owens and Thompson. They just needed a point guard. If Earl Duncan had hung around, 1990 might have been a national champion, too. But 2003 did win it and they are getting out the first round over a team that didn't. 2010 beat 1991 7-1 Everybody's favorite team to watch over the team that had our most disastrous post season. they were sole Big Eats regular season champs but our only 0-2 post season team. Billy Owens loses to the Noah's Ark, (two of everything) team. 1987 and 1986 were tied 4-4. I'll be the tie-breaker. I think that when fully healthy, 1986 was actually the better team. They win in overtime after Coleman misses a free throw and Pearl takes it the distance for the victory. 1989 beat 2000 8-0 '89 is by acclamation our greatest team with Coleman, Owens, Thompson and Douglas. See the "Syracuse dunk tape". But they did get beat 8 times. The 2000 team is underrated but they won't make it 9. 1980 beat 2013 7-1 D-E--E-N-S-E...D-E--E-N-S-E...D-E--E-N-S-E! These were actually similar teams with Rosie Bouie patrolling the middle on one side and Rak Christmas and Baye Keita shutting 'em down on the other. Those 25 foot drives to the basket by MCW and Brandon Triche might not have worked so well with Rosey in there. The '80 team didn't have quite enough outside shooting and had trouble feeding the post, (Leo Rautins was sitting our after transferring from Minnesota: he would have solved both problems). Eddie Moss wasn't a scorer and Marty Headd wouldn't have gotten a shot off against Triche. But the 80 team had Louie Orr slipping through any cracks in the defense. They also had Eric Santifer with Red Bruin coming off the bench and Danny Schayes backing up Rosie. of course 2013 had James Southerland and Jerami Grant. In the end, the team that rose to #2 in the country gets the nod over the Final Four team. it would have been quite a battle. 1996 beat 1977 7-1 One of our favorite teams vs. JB's first team and first great team, the beginning of the Louie and Bouie show. Otis Hill vs. a freshman Rosie would have been interesting. Louie Orr was great but he wasn't John Wallace. Marty Byrnes and Dale Shackelford >> a freshman Todd Burgan and Jason Cipolla. the great weakness of the '77 team was exposed vs. UNC Charlotte. They had a starting backcourt that went 6-4 and 6-5. Bug Williams was 5-9 and Larry Kelly was 5-11. They couldn't pass or shoot over the Charlotte guards and our superior frontcourt never got into the game. The '96 zone wins the day. 1979 beat 2014 8-0. The '79 team was basically the same as the '80 team except they still had Shackelford, a big-time recruit in his time who had a solid but unspectacular career here, but didn't yet have Santifer and Bruin. The 2014 was a solid team on defense and fundamentals but not a great offensive team that went into an offensive slump at the end of the season as a 25-0 start because a 28-6 finish. they were 0 for 11 from three in their last game. But Ennis and Cooney made a strong backcourt - better than Moss and the Cohenheadds. Fair and Grant were a good pair of forwards, Keita and Christmas were back in the paint form the 2013 team and Michael Gbinije came off the bench. At their best they were a tough out for the Louie and Bouie show. The second round match-ups: 2012 vs. 1979 Fab Melo (backed up by Keita/Christmas) vs. Rosie Bouie (backed up by Danny Schayes). Kris Joseph, CJ Fair and James Southerland vs. Louie Orr and Dale Schackelford. The Jardine/Triche/Waiters troika vs. Moss and the Cohenheadds. That last one does it for me: 2012. 2003 vs. 1996 Carmelo Anthony and Hakim Warrick vs. John Wallace and Todd Burgan. Forth and McNeill vs. Hill and Reafsnyder. Sims vs. McNamara. Cipolla and Janulis vs. Duany, Pace and Edelin. No, Carmelo didn't win it alone: 2003. 2010 vs. 1980 Bouie and Schayes trying to hold off the two bulls, Onuaku and Jackson. Johnson vs. Orr. Santifer and bruin vs. Joseph and Rautins. But Moss and Headd vs. Jardine and Triche? That's what was missing in those Louie and Bouie teams: the back-courts were smaller and less talented: 2010. 1986 vs. 1989 I've always championed the 1986 team but that 1989 lineup will be tough to beat: Pearl Washington vs. Sherman Douglas. Greg Monroe vs. Matt Roe. Raf Addison vs. Stevie Thompson. Wendell Alexis vs. Billy Owens. Rony Seikaly vs. Derrick Coleman. Howie Triche, Michael Brown, (if he's still around), Brower/Walker vs. Dave Johnson, Herm Harried and Manning/Siock coming off the bench. It would have bene quite a battle but the '89 team played at a faster pace, (see the dunk tape). 1989 in a close one. Note your predictions below and use them to set up the Final Four tomorrow. [/QUOTE]

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