That team may have been better than 1982, that was a loaded team that got upset in the sweet 16 against Indiana.
Yup- just looked it up--December 10, 1983--you were ranked number 1 and you beat us by 20+. Pearl was a freshman then, Seikaly was a redshirt freshman and didn't play. _
Nice going UConn. Amazing they could rebound from getting waxed by 30+ vs. Louisville, rebound, and end up a team deserving of their title. They knocked off a #2 seed in Nova, knocked off a #3-seeded Iowa State team who beat (an admittedly overrated) UNC team, but who also did so without their best player and leading scorer, and then followed that up beating #4 seed Michigan State who had taken out that region's #1 seed. As correctly pointed out in a number of preceeding posts, the seeding committee really dropped the ball on several occassions. Obviously Kentucky being seeded #8 while e.g. a North Carolina being seeeded higher than them at #6 was a major joke in and of itself. Louisville as a #4 seed was a poor decision as well. On the other hand, given Kentucky's foray through to the Finals while beating Louisville, Michigan and Wisconsin along the way, it should be noted that prior to last night, their closest score (78-76) was to Witchita State, meaning that maybe some of the hate that was directed at Witchita State's #1 seeding was a tad over-the-top. I would agree that Wichita State's #1 seed was maybe too high, but as it turned out, it wasn't the seeding committee's biggest gaff by a long shot. Put simply: since the pre-season #1 Kentucky Wildcats ended up playing like a #1 seed, Witchita State held up its end of the bargain given the talent levels of both squads and it's not like WSU were exposed as frauds altogether and got blown out by KU.
One of my favorite games--my Uncle-in-law was a UNC alum, played football there--and we were all over each other heading into that game and there was a GREAT photo of Seikaly and Reid battling it out--that I cut out and sent to him. I was crushed with that loss to Indiana--that was one of my favorite teams, really didn't get over it until 2003. _
That was one of the first Heels teams I really remembered, that was a disappointing ending. They had gone through the ACC reg season undefeated and I thought they had a real chance to win it all but SU beat them. I wanted SU to win, I couldn't understand how they allowed all that time to tick off the clock after the Smart jumper. They could have gotten at least a decent look. To open up the next season Carolina was a big underdog against SU at the tip off classic in Springfield. JR Reid and I think Steve Bucknall were suspended and the Heels pulled off the upset. I wonder what the ACC sched looks like next year? will SU go to Chapel Hill? will they play twice?
The Memphis/Kansas game was certainly a choke job. I don't think last night Kentucky choked just that they simply blew it. But I do blame Calipari. Free throws are all practice and technique, which comes from coaching. sure, there are players who simply cannot shoot, like Shaq, but most players can shoot but succumb to lazy technique or nerves, which can be coached.
Carolina was awful this year at the line, in most years they have been very good. I wouldn't say that was coaching, I don't know enough about Cal's teams to say whether it was coaching or not.
When that ball came through the hoop, it just fell into Seikaly's hands and he froze and there was no urgency to do anything--there was 3-4 seconds left and had we inbounded the ball quickly we could have gotten a shot off. Everytime I see the replays now I scream at the TV to call a time-out (can't rememebr if they had any left) or to DO somethng with the ball. If Coleman (a freshman at the time) had just hit the front end of his 1 and 1 that shot doesn't lose the game for us. Coleman was a monster that game, just couldn't hit his free throws. _
If I remember correctly Boeheim's teams used to struggle at the line in most years. Coleman was a great college player, should have been a great pro too.
We've been an awful FT team as long as I've known the program. Yeah, Coleman should have been an all-time great. Not happy with how he turned out. _
Brandon Walsh was deadly from outside and AC Slater could do anything on an athletic field/court/mat. Those won't be easy games.
Obekpa, who was granted his release to transfer about two weeks ago, changed his mind and is staying at SJU. This is a huge break for them.
it's now pretty much official though it's been a done deal for a while now http://college-basketball.si.com/2014/04/14/syracuse-orange-jerami-grant-nba-draft/
Jabari parker expected to announce his intentions tomorrow. Either he will be named team captain and stay or leave and become a top 3 pick.
So junc, had dinner with Doherty--gotta say a GREAT guy. Very funny, extremely gracious, total ball-buster, literally before drinks came felt like I had known him for years. Was just 4 of us total and we talked about everything--he and I had a few a good-natured SU-UNC jabs and he gave as good as he got. He really wants to get back into coaching but even he admitted several times he's going to have a tough go of it having been a guy fired a few times. He loved Dean but I think he felt he undercut him a bit when he was fired--doesn't resent it, just wishes it were different. Solid dude. _
I would expect him to be a little bitter, it was a strange time around the program when he was fired. Prior that 2002 season Carolina had so many sacred streaks that broke under him and then the players started griping and the administration took the side of the players and Dean convinced Roy. I hate that it happened to him and he has a right to be annoyed w/ the way it ended.
Honestly, his biggest issue was that when he was hired he was told it would be HIS program. He thought he was going to be able to bring his own staff from ND and run the program his way but that wasn't the case. Dean still had a ton of influence. Especially with the alumni which he had to have had expected. Interesting choice he had to make deciding on where to go to college--UNC, Duke, ND and Virginia. That's not a bad grouping _
