UConn vs MSU Elite 8 | The Boneyard

UConn vs MSU Elite 8

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This was seriously one of my three favorite wins ever. I wanted so bad for us to get back on top and prove we are the best basketball program of the past 30 years, and I knew it would take a FF to do it. I'm glad it was a 1 o'clock game because I woke up so nervous and tight. I went to the gym for two and a half hours and was doing sets of 13 (Shabazz's number) pre game.

 
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The game was incredibly exciting but we missed so many shots we normally make, I think we would've beaten that Michigan State team 8 out of 10 times, they just had no chance against our guards quickness.
 
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The game was incredibly exciting but we missed so many shots we normally make, I think we would've beaten that Michigan State team 8 out of 10 times, they just had no chance against our guards quickness.

There is serious high pressure in Elite 8 games because you are so close, and if you lose the season is forgotten but a win is historic. MSU were the B1G Champs and a vegas favorite to win the whole thing. I still remember Charles Barkley on the half time show saying "Michigan State is going to blow them out in the second half." Not sure we would beat them 8 out of 10 but we beat them when it counted (ten toes in style). That 2009 Detroit FF game was bull*hit so I'm even happier we got justice on that.
 

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Best part of the day obviously besides the victory was in the bar stout before the game everybody was pro UConn and there were 2 michigan state fans and all of a sudden an a hole chant breaks out geared towards those 2 it was one of the funniest things I've seen
 
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The game was incredibly exciting but we missed so many shots we normally make, I think we would've beaten that Michigan State team 8 out of 10 times, they just had no chance against our guards quickness.

I think this badly understates KO's coaching performance. They had no chance against our guards' quickness because KO made that the determining factor in the game.

What chance would we have had against their inside power? Izzo might have figured that out by game 3 or 4 of the 10 game series. He might have figured out that when we were saying 'hi Mr. Payne, we're going to quadruple team you in the post but you're welcome to run around freely on the perimeter' there was a reason for that. And he might have figured out that he would be best served by telling Mr. Payne to stay down low and assert himself.

KO, by contrast, had it all figured out in game 1. Just like he had it all figured out that we should encourage Will Yeguete and Dorian Finney-Smith to reach for the stars in the next game.

Such a brilliant, brilliant coaching job by our guy.
 
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I think this badly understates KO's coaching performance. They had no chance against our guards' quickness because KO made that the determining factor in the game.

What chance would we have had against their inside power? Izzo might have figured that out by game 3 or 4 of the 10 game series. He might have figured out that when we were saying 'hi Mr. Payne, we're going to quadruple team you in the post but you're welcome to run around freely on the perimeter' there was a reason for that. And he might have figured out that he would be best served by telling Mr. Payne to stay down low and assert himself.

KO, by contrast, had it all figured out in game 1. Just like he had it all figured out that we should encourage Will Yeguete and Dorian Finney-Smith to reach for the stars in the next game.

Such a brilliant, brilliant coaching job by our guy.
Not sure how you think I'm underselling Ollie's coaching. I think Ollie is a better basketball coach and that's part of the reason I think we would own MSU over a series, Izzo can make all the adjustments he wants and Ollie would obviously counter, the fact remains NCAA tournaments are run by great guard play and our guards are better than MSU's. My point was our guards got pretty much every shot they wanted in that game and a lot of shots we normally hit didn't fall and we still pulled away from them.
 
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honestly it was a great win but the game after that is what sold me. Coming back in the 1st half against florida and then absolutely demolishing them in the 2nd half. we literally took their souls with our defense. i was sitting next to a UK fan who was friends with a bunch of UConn fans at the game that night and he turned to me and said "I've never seen defense like that before." i was convinced that UK or Wisconsin after that- no problem. I think I was the only fan in North Texas that literally had zero worry that Sunday and Monday before the game. I knew it was in the bag. It was unreal.
 

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This was seriously one of my three favorite wins ever. I wanted so bad for us to get back on top and prove we are the best basketball program of the past 30 years, and I knew it would take a FF to do it. I'm glad it was a 1 o'clock game because I woke up so nervous and tight. I went to the gym for two and a half hours and was doing sets of 13 (Shabazz's number) pre game.


"This is a great trophy but I want another one. We got a new building and we got a lot damn room."

Classic.
 
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honestly it was a great win but the game after that is what sold me. Coming back in the 1st half against florida and then absolutely demolishing them in the 2nd half. we literally took their souls with our defense. i was sitting next to a UK fan who was friends with a bunch of UConn fans at the game that night and he turned to me and said "I've never seen defense like that before." i was convinced that UK or Wisconsin after that- no problem. I think I was the only fan in North Texas that literally had zero worry that Sunday and Monday before the game. I knew it was in the bag. It was unreal.

This, the UF game was "the game" for me. It ranks up there as an all time, top 5 game for me.
 
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The energy at MSG for the MSU game was unreal. I had goosebumps and chills the entire time. The chants of "Final Four" and "Kevin Oll-eee" at the end of the game were so sick, and almost all of the UConn fans stayed for the cutting down of the nets and trophy presentation. All of the U-C-O-N-N chants before, during, and after the game were awesome. It was 100% worth the day round trip from Boston to NYC. Maybe not the prettiest game, but a grind it out, we will not lose, affair. Love it.
 
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I was there as well and don't forget Jim Delany was in the house too. I predict if/when Uconn gets invited to the Big Ten he will mention the atmosphere at the Garden as one of the aspects that sold him.
 
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