NCAA Tournament Classics

[OrangeDW]

I don't remember this game at all.

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

Im almost positive it was an afternoon game. I was in Florida at my grandparents house, and remember seeing the highlights, but they weren’t showing that game down there.

I do remember watching the New Mexico win down there, so at least that one was televised.

 

[jncuse]

Watching the 1998 NCAA tournament video and noted a number of decent seeds from conferences that do not get those anymtore.

One of the things that was discussed when one and done came to NCAA basketball, was that there would be more parity amongst the power conferences and mid-major or smaller conferences.

That has not occurred in fact the power conferences dominate the at large seeds more than ever.

In 1998 the following teams received at larges:

Charlotte
University Illinois-Chicago
Rhode Island
Detroit
Western Michigan
UMass
George Washington
St Louis

The Atlantic-10 was still a very highly reputable conference back then.
Things have definetely changed in 22 years.

 

[Brian Orange]

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.

I also think there is a difference between great games and great endings. There can just be okay games that have great endings but that doesn't make it a great game.

 

[jncuse]

The other interesting thing from looking at that field is 4 teams from the WAC.
Conference USA and WAC have probably been hit harder by conference re-alignment than anybody.

WAC in 1998

WAC in 2020

 

[jncuse]

I loved the Duke-Kentucky game in 1992.

Back in 1992, I was a very passionate NCAA fan who would take in whatever was given to me (had limited exposure in Canada without Cable but could get the US local affiliates with the antenna)... but NCAA magazines, and regular season game on CBS, NBC, ABC, looking at the top 25 every time it was in the paper, reading whatever was said about the NCAA in my Sporting News subscription.

Back then I didn't have any hate for schools like Duke and Kentucky... my knowledge was not deep enough.

 

[samspann1]

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.

Thanks for this. I'd been trying to find this for years.

I forgot that Janulis hit a huge three on the previous possession. Hart's reaction when the GW left Janulis's hands was classic

 

[samspann1]

Im almost positive it was an afternoon game. I was in Florida at my grandparents house, and remember seeing the highlights, but they weren’t showing that game down there.

I do remember watching the New Mexico win down there, so at least that one was televised.

Yes, it was a Friday afternoon.

 

[samspann1]

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.

I thought that we'd be worthy of a protected seed in '17, so a buddy and I split a suite for the 1st and 2nd round in Buffalo (we split tix and gave them out to clients, bankers, friends, etc.). At the time, you couldn't order beer/liquor at NCAA events - unless you were in a suite. We had to order beer/liquor for each session (2 on Thursday, and 1 on Saturday) days in advance. Of course, we ordered WAAAAAAY too much. Complete and total miss on all counts.

Back on topic, the UNI/Texas A&M game (maybe 3-4 years ago?) was pretty crazy

 

[SWC75]

Watching Kansas-Memphis, 2008. We are the only ones to blow an NC because of lousy free throw shooting, followed by a great shot from the other team.

 

[Col. Bleep]

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

Sean Miller just can't match Will Wade's offers.

 

[Alsacs]

I don't remember this game at all.

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

It was Friday early game(noon window)

 

[Briancuse]

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

That Xavier/OSU game I thought for sure Gus Johnsons head was going to explode.

 

[Alsacs]

Watching the 1998 NCAA tournament video and noted a number of decent seeds from conferences that do not get those anymtore.

One of the things that was discussed when one and done came to NCAA basketball, was that there would be more parity amongst the power conferences and mid-major or smaller conferences.

That has not occurred in fact the power conferences dominate the at large seeds more than ever.

In 1998 the following teams received at larges:

Charlotte
University Illinois-Chicago
Rhode Island
Detroit
Western Michigan
UMass
George Washington
St Louis

The Atlantic-10 was still a very highly reputable conference back then.
Things have definetely changed in 22 years.

A-10 got 5 bids that year.
My home state RI Rams(my mom taught there) should have gone to the Final Four that year but gagged beyond belief in the final minute against Stanford.

A-10 was good in the late 90s. It got multiple bids almost every year and got 5 in 1998.

Temple/St. Joe’s/Xavier/Dayton/Umass/URI were always trading being really solid.

When the ACC raided the BE and the BE raided the CUSA is when all the conference ripples followed.

 

[Briancuse]

It was Friday early game(noon window)

I had a stomach bug that day cough cough.

 

[jncuse]

A-10 got 5 bids that year.
My home state RI Rams(my mom taught there) should have gone to the Final Four that year but gagged beyond belief in the final minute against Stanford.

A-10 was good in the late 90s. It got multiple bids almost every year and got 5 in 1998.

Temple/St. Joe’s/Xavier/Dayton/Umass/URI were always trading being really solid.

When the ACC raided the BE and the BE raided the CUSA is when all the conference ripples followed.

There were conference ripples but even then teams in the MCC like UIC and Detroit, and the MAC like Western Michigan were getting at larges... in a 64 team field. That just does not happen today.

More recently the MwC was getting a fair amount of seeds until about 5 years ago... 10 years before that there was a period with the MVC. Not anymore.

 

[Cuse1055]

Im almost positive it was an afternoon game. I was in Florida at my grandparents house, and remember seeing the highlights, but they weren’t showing that game down there.

I do remember watching the New Mexico win down there, so at least that one was televised.

Yes it was an afternoon game, pretty sure a noonish tip.

 

[SWC75]

They should show the '87 and '03 games back to back.

 

[Alsacs]

There were conference ripples but even then teams in the MCC like UIC and Detroit, and the MAC like Western Michigan were getting at larges... in a 64 team field. That just does not happen today.

More recently the MwC was getting a fair amount of seeds until about 5 years ago... 10 years before that there was a period with the MVC. Not anymore.

The power conferences didn’t really start to exert more influence more till in the Super conferences formed.

The Big East only got 4 bids in 2003.
The ACC only got 3 in 1999 while CUSA got 4 that year.

 

[Col. Bleep]

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.

You mean like this?
(Can never see this enough...)

 

[Col. Bleep]

And while we're at it...TAKE THIS FACIAL, TOO!

 

[SWC75]

This is the best NCAA tournament ever. They are all great games!

 

[Briancuse]

Watching the 1998 NCAA tournament video and noted a number of decent seeds from conferences that do not get those anymtore.

One of the things that was discussed when one and done came to NCAA basketball, was that there would be more parity amongst the power conferences and mid-major or smaller conferences.

That has not occurred in fact the power conferences dominate the at large seeds more than ever.

In 1998 the following teams received at larges:

Charlotte
University Illinois-Chicago
Rhode Island
Detroit
Western Michigan
UMass
George Washington
St Louis

The Atlantic-10 was still a very highly reputable conference back then.
Things have definetely changed in 22 years.

There was a time when that conference was loaded. You had cal at UMass. Chaney at Temple. Harrick at uri. Jarvis at gw. Marteli at St joes. I'm probably leaving someone out.

 

[syrBossHogg]

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.

2014 we had a great chance at playing in Buffalo and NYC as a protected seed. That would've been incredible.