NCAA Tournament Classics

[Charbroil]

Watched a handful of NCAA tournament classics the last week or so with no March Madness this year and being stuck at home.

Wanted to see if there were any NCAA tournament games that were particularly memorable to the board? (Not including Cuse games on this list because we already know those)

A few I’ve watched that always stuck out to me as memorable include:

1. Arizona vs Illinois, 2005: Great Illinois team with an incredible 15 point comeback in the final 4 minutes.

2. Kentucky vs Wichita State, 2014: The last 10 minutes were incredible, with both teams trading big time buckets.

3. Gonzaga vs Arizona, 2003: This was an underrated, double OT classic.

4. Northern Iowa vs Kansas, 2010: Great upset. Ali Farokmanesh with one of my all-time favorite shots to take down the top overall seed.

5. Xavier vs Kansas State, 2010: Double OT classic with so many big shots. Didn’t watch the first half because I was pissed about Cuse losing to Butler but glad I ended up turning it on.

 

[sufandu]

Just watched the Phi Slamma Jamma 30 for 30 on espn. I wish I was old enough to have appreciated seeing the '83 Houston vs Louisville game and '84 Houston vs Georgetown. Not that I ever want Georgetown to win, but seeing Ewing play against Olajuwon as juniors in college was a rare high level matchup that we'll never see again.

 

[Eric15]

1. Arizona vs Illinois, 2005: Great Illinois team with an incredible 15 point comeback in the final 4 minutes.

If you’re an Arizona fan I don’t know how you emotionally come back from that game. Just a surreal collapse.

 

[Charbroil]

Just watched the Phi Slamma Jamma 30 for 30 on espn. I wish I was old enough to have appreciated seeing the '83 Houston vs Louisville game and '84 Houston vs Georgetown. Not that I ever want Georgetown to win, but seeing Ewing play against Olajuwon as juniors in college was a rare high level matchup that we'll never see again.

Me too, only old enough to remember back to about 98 or so. CBS is replaying some of the classics from the 80s and 90s this afternoon. That’s what made me think to post this thread.

 

[Charbroil]

If you’re an Arizona fan I don’t know how you emotionally come back from that game. Just a surreal collapse.

Yep. Crazy that Arizona hasn’t made a final four in nearly two decades with how much talent they’ve had.

 

[Eric15]

Go to the 1:15:10 mark of this clip and you can watch the final minute of SU/Iona 1998 when Marius drilled a three from the top of the key to win it.

 

[sufandu]

Me too, only old enough to remember back to about 98 or so. CBS is replaying some of the classics from the 80s and 90s this afternoon. That’s what made me think to post this thread.

My first solid memory of watching and caring about sports is Derrick Coleman inbounding the ball after Keith Smart hit the shot that shall never be forgiven. I don't know why I don't remember any other part of the game. That was the beginning of following SU sports for me.

 

[JOC44]

Just watched the Phi Slamma Jamma 30 for 30 on espn. I wish I was old enough to have appreciated seeing the '83 Houston vs Louisville game and '84 Houston vs Georgetown. Not that I ever want Georgetown to win, but seeing Ewing play against Olajuwon as juniors in college was a rare high level matchup that we'll never see again.

That Houston-Louisville game in 1983 was crazy. You were exhausted just watching it. A Syracuse game similar to it was the game against Texas in he 2003 Final Four, where both teams were running up and down and seemingly scoring on every possession.

 

[Charbroil]

My first solid memory of watching and caring about sports is the Derrick Coleman inbounding the ball after Keith Smart hit the shot that shall never be forgiven. I don't know why I don't remember any other part of the game. That was the beginning of following SU sports for me.

Only good thing about that being your first memory is it being such a low point as a fan, it could only go up from there!

 

[JLine]

The 1982 Championship game is on CBS. And Georgetown still sucks.

 

[sufandu]

I was too young to have cared about this 1982 NC game when it was played Two things seem true so far. MJ wasn't MJ yet. Ewing always had that crazy high release turn around baseline jumper from the post that he lived off of for his pro career. Best player on the floor at this point.

 

[sufandu]

Only good thing about that being your first memory is it being such a low point as a fan, it could only go up from there!

I don't know. As a kid, I had all of these expectations that we'd get back with one of those stacked teams and never did. Then we had the first round of sanctions after Owens left that killed the program's momentum.

We were poised to have a chance to become what Duke became without those sanctions, losing players like Jamal Mashburn and Jalen Rose.

 

[JLine]

What a crazy shot by Woods to take the lead for Kentucky. Then they inexplicably allow Hill to inbound the ball uncontested. Can’t believe Duke won that game. Have they ever had a team that wasn’t full of obnoxious kids...man, I hate them.

 

[OrangeDW]

Watched a handful of NCAA tournament classics the last week or so with no March Madness this year and being stuck at home.

Wanted to see if there were any NCAA tournament games that were particularly memorable to the board? (Not including Cuse games on this list because we already know those)

A few I’ve watched that always stuck out to me as memorable include:

1. Arizona vs Illinois, 2005: Great Illinois team with an incredible 15 point comeback in the final 4 minutes.

2. Kentucky vs Wichita State, 2014: The last 10 minutes were incredible, with both teams trading big time buckets.

3. Gonzaga vs Arizona, 2003: This was an underrated, double OT classic.

4. Northern Iowa vs Kansas, 2010: Great upset. Ali Farokmanesh with one of my all-time favorite shots to take down the top overall seed.

5. Xavier vs Kansas State, 2010: Double OT classic with so many big shots. Didn’t watch the first half because I was pissed about Cuse losing to Butler but glad I ended up turning it on.

I still remember watching that Classic Georgetown - Princeton game(89 I think?) as a little kid, rooting so hard for Princeton obviously. I miss those Princeton teams always being someone you had to watch out for in the tourney.

That game where Florida Gulf Coast basically dunked Georgetown off the court was a fun couple hours.

Really enjoyed backup PG Cameron Dollar stepping up for UCLA as they beat Arkansas for the title. Arkansas should’ve went home in round 2, but whatever. That was a fun title game.

Still remember where I was for Duke-Kentucky ‘92. Everybody was completely outraged that Laettner wasn’t thrown out for that stomp to the chest. I was a huge Mashburn fan and hated Laettner, so I was rooting hard for Kentucky.

 

[Charbroil]

I still remember watching that Classic Georgetown - Princeton game(89 I think?) as a little kid, rooting so hard for Princeton obviously. I miss those Princeton teams always being someone you had to watch out for in the tourney.

That game where Florida Gulf Coast basically dunked Georgetown off the court was a fun couple hours.

Really enjoyed backup PG Cameron Dollar stepping up for UCLA as they beat Arkansas for the title. Arkansas should’ve went home in round 2, but whatever. That was a fun title game.

Still remember where I was for Duke-Kentucky ‘92. Everybody was completely outraged that Laettner wasn’t thrown out for that stomp to the chest. I was a huge Mashburn fan and hated Laettner, so I was rooting hard for Kentucky.

That FGCU game was insane. They had about 4 dunks that would’ve made sportscenter top 10. Never seen anything like that.

 

[721Comstock]

That FGCU game was insane. They had about 4 dunks that would’ve made sportscenter top 10. Never seen anything like that.

We had a Game Thread going for that over on Nunes, and it may have been the most fun thread in the history of the interwebs!!!

It's one thing to have a smart, plucky team like Princeton maybe eke out a win in the last minute.
But NO!
DUNK CITY freaking rained Death From Above on G-Town. ALL. GAME. LONG.

Even towards the end, when they should have been "protecting the lead", they were throwing up - and DOWN - crazy ooops all over the Hoyas.
It was an absolute orgy of schadenfreude.

 

[Brian Orange]

Man on man there are so many great tournament games that just get lost in the shuffle.

Xavier vs Ohio State - 2007
Pitt vs Villanova - 2010
UNC vs Kentucky - 2016 I think
Both National Semifinal games of the 2004 Final Four (Georgia Tech vs Oklahoma State and Uconn vs Duke)
St Joe's vs Oklahoma State - 2004
Duke vs Indiana - 2002
Kentucky vs Michigan St - 2005 I think

 

[OttoMets]

Man on man there are so many great tournament games that just get lost in the shuffle.

Xavier vs Ohio State - 2007
Pitt vs Villanova - 2010
UNC vs Kentucky - 2016 I think
Both National Semifinal games of the 2004 Final Four (Georgia Tech vs Oklahoma State and Uconn vs Duke)
St Joe's vs Oklahoma State - 2004
Duke vs Indiana - 2002
Kentucky vs Michigan St - 2005 I think

Illinois and Arizona in 2005 is one that stands out, too. And I'm kind of a sore loser who tends to shut off college basketball every year when SU is through. But that was a crazy game.

 

[Charbroil]

Man on man there are so many great tournament games that just get lost in the shuffle.

Xavier vs Ohio State - 2007
Pitt vs Villanova - 2010
UNC vs Kentucky - 2016 I think
Both National Semifinal games of the 2004 Final Four (Georgia Tech vs Oklahoma State and Uconn vs Duke)
St Joe's vs Oklahoma State - 2004
Duke vs Indiana - 2002
Kentucky vs Michigan St - 2005 I think

Some good games here including a couple I forgot about. Xavier vs Ohio State is underrated.

And the Duke/Indiana game from 2002 was fantastic. Big collapse by a stacked Duke team trying to repeat as National Champs.

 

[OttoMets]

I remember St. John's-Ohio State playing an entertaining regional final in 1999 as well.

 

[cusefan88]

Drew Nicholas running three-point jumper thing to beat UNC-Wilmington. That was wild. I also remember I think Texas and WVU went to double OT. Same for Zona Gonzaga

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Watched a handful of NCAA tournament classics the last week or so with no March Madness this year and being stuck at home.

Wanted to see if there were any NCAA tournament games that were particularly memorable to the board? (Not including Cuse games on this list because we already know those)

A few I’ve watched that always stuck out to me as memorable include:

1. Arizona vs Illinois, 2005: Great Illinois team with an incredible 15 point comeback in the final 4 minutes.

2. Kentucky vs Wichita State, 2014: The last 10 minutes were incredible, with both teams trading big time buckets.

3. Gonzaga vs Arizona, 2003: This was an underrated, double OT classic.

4. Northern Iowa vs Kansas, 2010: Great upset. Ali Farokmanesh with one of my all-time favorite shots to take down the top overall seed.

5. Xavier vs Kansas State, 2010: Double OT classic with so many big shots. Didn’t watch the first half because I was pissed about Cuse losing to Butler but glad I ended up turning it on.

I watched the Zags/Wildcats game in my hotel room in Boston after watching Cuse play at the TD Center (or whatever it was called then). Incredible game. I began the game rooting for Arizona and of course ended the game rooting for Gonzaga.

I watched the Kansas/UNI game in Toronto in a bar that had all the TV's showing a hockey game with Montreal vs Toronto from Montreal. I had to beg the bartender to put one of the TV's on American college basketball. Of course, I had Kansas going to the FF or something but I didn't care they lost. We were playing in Buffalo that weekend and drove up to Toronto and spent the night on Cuse's day off and then drove back down to Buffalo for Sunday's game.

 

[Charbroil]

I watched the Zags/Wildcats game in my hotel room in Boston after watching Cuse play at the TD Center (or whatever it was called then). Incredible game. I began the game rooting for Arizona and of course ended the game rooting for Gonzaga.

I watched the Kansas/UNI game in Toronto in a bar that had all the TV's showing a hockey game with Montreal vs Toronto from Montreal. I had to beg the bartender to put one of the TV's on American college basketball. Of course, I had Kansas going to the FF or something but I didn't care they lost. We were playing in Buffalo that weekend and drove up to Toronto and spent the night on Cuse's day off and then drove back down to Buffalo for Sunday's game.

Yep, that’s the difference between good games and great games. Good games you vaguely remember. Great games you can remember exactly where you were, who you were with, etc.

 

[OrangeDW]

I watched the Zags/Wildcats game in my hotel room in Boston after watching Cuse play at the TD Center (or whatever it was called then). Incredible game. I began the game rooting for Arizona and of course ended the game rooting for Gonzaga.

I watched the Kansas/UNI game in Toronto in a bar that had all the TV's showing a hockey game with Montreal vs Toronto from Montreal. I had to beg the bartender to put one of the TV's on American college basketball. Of course, I had Kansas going to the FF or something but I didn't care they lost. We were playing in Buffalo that weekend and drove up to Toronto and spent the night on Cuse's day off and then drove back down to Buffalo for Sunday's game.

I recall watching that Kansas loss at Duff’s in Buffalo. That was a great weekend. Would love to be a high, protected seed in Buffalo or Albany again. Kinda took it for granted that it was something we’d have a good shot at in most years, back then.

 

[jncuse]

Go to the 1:15:10 mark of this clip and you can watch the final minute of SU/Iona 1998 when Marius drilled a three from the top of the key to win it.

I don't remember this game at all.

Was it an afternoon game? May have been working at the time.