HORNS lol...there's tines when I hate watching our offense. Even with K. I'm like there's gotta be something better.
Official national championship thread
- Thread starter pisgah101
- Start date
Winning back to back is astoundingly difficult. Duke, Florida and U Conn in the last 40 years.
Per DK sports book, we're favored to win it all next year... Us first then UNC, Kansas and UConn are all the same odds
Do they know what our team will be? Cause I don't.
I hate that it was UConn, but I like everything about their program other than the front of their jerseys. Hurley is a great coach. They play very unselfishly and smart. They play suffocating defense. They have a really advanced offense. They have a claim to being very high on the list of greatest seasons ever. They just had the greatest, most dominant tournament ever, and last year's UConn team is arguably 2nd.
Edey still should have won MOP. I think that would have been the 2nd time that a player from the runner-up won MOP (and I can't remember who the first was... Olajuwon?).
Edey still should have won MOP. I think that would have been the 2nd time that a player from the runner-up won MOP (and I can't remember who the first was... Olajuwon?).
If there’s been a key recipe through UConn’s success it’s that they get future great players that other people somehow overlook. You mean to tell me that East Carolina is the only one that knew how good Tristan Newton could be? Remember when Emeka Okafor was considered a project?
Newton/Spencer, 6’5 and 6’4 talented playmaking guards. A national championship back court that just transferred right into Connecticut. I know some of you don’t like it, but I’m gonna say it again, ignore the portal at your own risk..
Newton/Spencer, 6’5 and 6’4 talented playmaking guards. A national championship back court that just transferred right into Connecticut. I know some of you don’t like it, but I’m gonna say it again, ignore the portal at your own risk..
Uconn was the best team all year...they are built on a foundation of traditional winning team basketball. Each player knew their role and was willing to give others the glory if that is what it took to win. Winning as a team was more important than stats or playing time. When good players put their ego aside and buy into the team concept, exceptional teams are the outcome. I hated Uconn when Calhoun was there, and am not a huge Danny Hurley fan ( has some underlying issues about being a mediocre player) but i admire what he has built and am envious of their success. Congrats to them...and hopefully JS sees it and learns from it
Yet somehow UConn made it look astonishingly easy. I’m getting sick of this
And look what Duke had to survive to achieve their “Back to Back”! they had to defeat unbeaten UNLV at the 1991 Final Four. A red hot Kansas team for the 1991 Championship. And then survive Kentucky with 2.1 secs in the 1992 elite 8. Then a battle with one of the last two great Indiana teams that Bob Knight had at the 1992 Final Four.
So in Duke’s 12 tournament games in 1991 & 1992 they won 8 of the 12 by double figures and 4 games by single digits. Margins of 2, 1, 3, and 7.
But compare the teams that Duke had to beat to who UConn had to play. There’s really no comparison. And this isn’t to lessen what UConn did, I think we all agree that they’ve been awesome. But I think we also all agree that it’s not supposed to be this damn easy to win the National Championship. For those of us who sweated like hell in 1991 and 1992 during Duke’s “Back to Back”, It’s more than just a little bit irritating to see them get to relax in the last 9/10 minutes of every tournament game they’ve played the last two years. Just a totally different era in the sport and the Huskies have taken full advantage.
I don’t put them as a blue blood yet, they rank 23 in total all time wins. It’s got to be more than Championships. Look at the top five most wins all time, they have championships too. I would say UK, Kansas, UNC, Duke and UCLA would be my blue bloods and next tier would include UCONN, Indiana, Villanova and such teams
I would agree with Corey but I think under Hurley UCon is going to get there if it is consistent for 8-10 years. Too many missed tournaments right now for it to be with the top 5.
I think Indiana dropped from BB consideration a number of years ago and Villanova is in danger of doing the same. UCLA was THE blue blood until the 1990's but, I don't know, there has to be a statute of limitations on the Wooden run.
If Few wins a championship or two I could see Gonzaga reaching that second tier.
I think Indiana dropped from BB consideration a number of years ago and Villanova is in danger of doing the same. UCLA was THE blue blood until the 1990's but, I don't know, there has to be a statute of limitations on the Wooden run.
If Few wins a championship or two I could see Gonzaga reaching that second tier.
Yeah I agree UCONN could get there under Hurley. I just don’t put them there yet. But put them next in line after the teams I mentioned. They are moving in that direction with these past 25 years. Blue bloods are all time. If it was recent blue bloods UCONN would be on of the top ones.
Not a post I’m thrilled about typing, but they have six now. 99, 04, two last decade and now these two.
When UConn went to their first Final Four in 1999 Duke was making their 12th Final Four. UConn won the title and since then has turned things on its head quite a bit in the sport. They surely rank amongst the greatest statistically in ratio of Championships to Final Four appearances. You think of some others with high ones, Indiana is 5-9. UCLA would be near the top as well and Kentucky has won 8 in 17. But that’s still 9 trips where the Cats didn’t win it. UCLA is 11 out of 18. (Or 19, one was vacated) Duke is 5 of 17, Unc 6 of 21. Kansas 4 of 16. These are the winningest College Basketball programs of all time but none have UConn’s crazy 6 in 7 trips ratio which has altered a usually slow changing Championship chart.
Overall takeaway? It’s incredibly hard to win a National Championship. All those Final Four trips, Title game appearances, all-time wins and amazing league success over many decades at this point for all those schools speaks for itself. UConn I would say is the newest blue blood program because 6 titles is incredible given the short span of time they were won. We can’t dismiss 6 rings but that still does not put them at the historical level of the other schools who lead in basically everything else.
^Eh. That reminds me of the claim that Jordan was so great because he was 6-0 in the Finals. I'd rather be 6-1 or 6-4 if it meant I got there that many more times.
25 years ago people were arguing about whether Duke belonged in the top tier on the basis of K's 20+ years at the time. Even discounting Bubas and everything before K, 20+ years is a HUGE chunk of "all-time." That it's the most recent chunk doesn't make it any less significant.
UConn has been the top team of the last 25 years. They've won as many titles in that time as Duke and UNC combined and we're tied for second in titles over the same span. I say that makes them a blue blood. I even put them ahead of Indiana at this point.
25 years ago people were arguing about whether Duke belonged in the top tier on the basis of K's 20+ years at the time. Even discounting Bubas and everything before K, 20+ years is a HUGE chunk of "all-time." That it's the most recent chunk doesn't make it any less significant.
UConn has been the top team of the last 25 years. They've won as many titles in that time as Duke and UNC combined and we're tied for second in titles over the same span. I say that makes them a blue blood. I even put them ahead of Indiana at this point.
They are definitely above Indiana. But in the overall history they don’t stack up yet with the likes of UK, KU, UNC, Duke or UCLA. If anything they are closing the gap on UCLA. But I still have UCLA higher due to titles and all time wins. I think those 5 are the true blue bloods as of today. UCONN only ranks #23 in total all time wins. The five listed above are top 5 in all time wins. Huge difference.
I don’t disagree, think of it this way: If everyone subtracted 25 years from their current age, how old would everybody be? There might be some in this thread who would not even be born yet as a result of the subtraction. So 25 years is not a small period of time. Certainly not in College Basketball as that’s a lot of time to achieve a lot of great things.
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