ESPN Ranks all 75 NCAA National Championship teams

[superjohn]

The mauling of Utah was fun to watch, you could tell the team was pissed. The other game that I'll never forget was the way we drubbed Oklahoma, they were a good team and we made them look like high schoolers, enough highlights in that game for a full season.

 

[Fishy]

The elite 8 game against Alabama sticks out in my mind during that run. Mr Okafor invited more than half the Crimson Tide to his personal block party.

Anderson and Gordon outscored Alabama 40-29 in the first half - by themselves. Okafor only played three minutes to start the second half and then took the rest of the game off....they just beat Bama to death.

 

[zls44]

Anderson and Gordon outscored Alabama 40-29 in the first half - by themselves. Okafor only played three minutes to start the second half and then took the rest of the game off....they just beat Bama to death.

The amazing thing is that despite that performance, Mark Gottfried is still benefitting professionally from that run.

 

[selles]

I agree with you on Ricky, he was the best defender in the country and he was great in the title game those 13 points in the first half were huge but Rip had to be the MVP, he was easily the best player on the court and every single time we needed a bucket Rip got it.

I think Rip's one of the most underrated players in history. An elite scorer who did everything within the offense. It was good for Ncaa and NBA titles. And sometimes down the stretch in '99, it was hard to tell whether it was Ricky or Rip on D.

 

[selles]

Anderson and Gordon outscored Alabama 40-29 in the first half - by themselves. Okafor only played three minutes to start the second half and then took the rest of the game off....they just beat Bama to death.

Wasn't there some chunky dude for Alabama who was talking all sorts of smack before that game? Not surprisingly, I don't remember his name.

 

[conn man]

Anderson and Gordon outscored Alabama 40-29 in the first half - by themselves. Okafor only played three minutes to start the second half and then took the rest of the game off....they just beat Bama to death.

Really lol ...He was so dominant in the first, I guess it felt like he played both halves.

 

[superjohn]

There was a possession in the first half where Bama looked like they had an easy layup I think Okafor blocked them 4 times in a row at the rim.

 

[dsturdy5]

The 04 team when fully healthy and engaged was a wrecking crew, without Oak getting called for 2 bogus fouls at the start of the Duke game we would have ran them out of the building, we demolished everyone else that tournament, The 99 team lost to Syracuse when Rip and Jake were out, not positive on this but I think Jake was out for the Miami loss too, that team had a very good chance of going undefeated with a full lineup. It was ridiculous that Duke was a 10 point favorite in the title game, I told anyone that would listen that we were going to beat them.

I believe Jake got hurt during the Miami game. I can still see the final play and wonder if Jake were there to take up space and set a better screen if UConn wouldn't have won.


As for 04, there were precious few games where they played well and lost...I recall a game at UNC. That might be it. Just a loaded team that could beat you in about a hundred different ways.

 

[zls44]

There was a possession in the first half where Bama looked like they had an easy layup I think Okafor blocked them 4 times in a row at the rim.

Blocked a guy twice on the same sequence- once with each hand.

 

[conn man]

The look on Mark Gottfried's face during that game was priceless.

 

[dsturdy5]

Blocked a guy twice on the same sequence- once with each hand.

Probably my all time favorite defensive play...especially when he switched hands that he was going to block him with.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Probably my all time favorite defensive play...especially when he switched hands that he was going to block him with.

Yes, that play was amazing.....a thing of beauty.

 

[ctchamps]

The sad thing is if Duke won in 99 that team would have been listed in the top ten by ESPN.

So duck ESPN, duck the NCAA, duck the BE, duck Emmert, duck JH, duck AO, duck the injuries to SN this year and last, duck Pitt and Cuse, duck the C7, duck ND and duck it that I can't have sex with my wife for 8 wks while she heals which is why I'm doing all this ducking stuff on the internet with a bunch of anonymous men.

It's a good thing I'm in a good mood today after hearing her pathology report, otherwise I'd be ducking up a storm!

 

[superjohn]

They looked like an nba team.

 

[Horatio]

I love Ricky Moore also and I know what he did but we cant sit here and act like Taliek had regular , get to the basket, foot speed. He was a blur at times.It's all debatable . The 2004 edge might be there NBA post players . All those guys went pro. You can argue that the 12 ? Point outburst that Ricky Moore got against Duke in 99 might've landed in the consessions stands against the 2004 team.

Your right. 99 has the mental toughness edge. As far as the Langdon play is concerned we as Uconn fans need to be honest - It was a classic stop by Moore but Langdon has zero ball handling skills. Lets be honest people.[/quote]

 

[TheChamps990411]

I love Ricky Moore also and I know what he did but we cant sit here and act like Taliek had regular , get to the basket, foot speed. He was a blur at times.It's all debatable . The 2004 edge might be there NBA post players . All those guys went pro. You can argue that the 12 ? Point outburst that Ricky Moore got against Duke in 99 might've landed in the consessions stands against the 2004 team.

Your right. 99 has the mental toughness edge. As far as the Langdon play is concerned we as Uconn fans need to be honest - It was a classic stop by Moore but Langdon has zero ball handling skills. Lets be honest people.

[/quote]

i believe ricky held iverson to 13 points in a game. no one was quicker than iverson.

 

[TheChamps990411]

the 04` became dominant after ok4 got healthy and rashad got into the starting lineup. im not sure if we even lost a game after that happened. i just remember the team just taking off.

 

[Horatio]

i believe ricky held iverson to 13 points in a game. no one was quicker than iverson.[/quote]

I know. I know. He showed Ricky's defense the respect it deserved also. I'm just saying that Langdon has no handle and when Taliek decided he was going to the basket it was a blur. Lets not honor Ricky and totally dismiss Talieks quickness people.

 

[Gurleyman]

Oak suffered a stinger against Alabama. At that point, we were crossing our fingers he could make it to the finish line in one piece. The 2004 team also lost two games right after Ben broke his nose and was not himself (UNC and PC in the Gomes game) - and the finale against Cuse when Oak's back flared up again (causing him to miss the first two rounds of the BET).

I've given the 1999 team the edge over the years in the hypothetical matchup for one reason. Ben was really the guy that 2004 went to when they needed a bucket. The 1999 team had Ricky. Rip was the guy 1999 went to. The 2004 team didn't have a guy who could stay with him. Neither Rashad nor Denham could have chased him around.

 

[traitor71]

They lost most of those games, though, when Okafor was gimpy. I saw one game at MSG against Georgia Tech. When Okafor wasn't in there, they didn't look the same. Tech beat them. Just like Okafor in the F4 against Duke had maybe a +15.

Who was the guy that used to post about Okafor's back throughout that season? It was just all gloom and doom from that guy as I remember.

 

[Horatio]

Oak suffered a stinger against Alabama. At that point, we were crossing our fingers he could make it to the finish line in one piece. The 2004 team also lost two games right after Ben broke his nose and was not himself (UNC and PC in the Gomes game) - and the finale against Cuse when Oak's back flared up again (causing him to miss the first two rounds of the BET).

I've given the 1999 team the edge over the years in the hypothetical matchup for one reason. Ben was really the guy that 2004 went to when they needed a bucket. The 1999 team had Ricky. Rip was the guy 1999 went to. The 2004 team didn't have a guy who could stay with him. Neither Rashad nor Denham could have chased him around.

Yes Rip would've had about 30 pts. but we can't forget about Oak , Boone , Hilton and CV vs Jake , Wane , Edmond and Kevin. That's pro post players vs. good college guys.

 

[Jerry1714]

I was at the Georgia Tech game too, think it was the first game of the season, we all drove back to CT. pissed but we all still felt confident we would win it all.

It was the 4th game of the year

 

[Dogdeacon]

Put me down for 1999. Great and talented as 2004 was no one has mentioned that they effectively built upon and were buoyed by the success of the 1999 team and national championship. The 1999 team got it dobe with the pressure of never having won it. Unknown if 04 would have been able to get that first one, but 99 did = toughness edge to 1999.

Incidentally, granted many 04ers are still playing but no coincidence that we see an awful lot of 1999 on the sidelines these days.

 

[uconnfan68]

I think the fact that the final against butler was such an ugly game for everybody except UCONN to watch hurt us there.

And they blame us because Butler couldn't shoot. That game would have been #1 if Butler won it.

 

[upstater]

And they blame us because Butler couldn't shoot. That game would have been #1 if Butler won it.

Zona and Kentucky were hot shooting before they played UConn, and then they went 30% on FGs. So UConn's D had a lot to do with Butler's shooting.

As for UConn shooting, the starting lineup had 2 fouls and didn't play with 8 minutes left until the end. In the second half, they shot 50% until the final minute when they took the air out of the ball.