When the history of Big East Basketball is written....

[Waquoit]

Not excuses Waq they are true....the Ricky excuse I accept less because he wasn't there but Doron on one leg hurt......

That game for me was the low point of the high times. UConn still had the record for most NCAA's without going to the Final Four (now it's BYU), we lost to a crap team without even putting up a fight. Our best player looked disinterested. That game is why Ray doesn't make my all-time UConn Top 3, maybe 5.

 

[babysheep]

I am positive about it. ESPN reported it.
Not sure you can glean any information from being in the 98th percentile since there are so many variables involved, such as all the other picks from all the other games, or not knowing how much weight the 4th most popular pick had (i.e. the #1 pick could be a favorite of 50%, #2 a favorite of 25%, #3 a favorite of 15%, #4 a favorite of 10%, etc.)

I honestly have no idea. All I was saying is that picking UConn to win it all was essentially the only reason I ended up in such a high percentile. Following that, if UConn was the 4th most picked, I wouldn't be so high because I'd be sharing my high score with not only people who picked UConn to win it all, but people who picked UConn to win it all and who had decent overall brackets as well.

But as I said I don't really get how it all works.

 

[Scoe]

That 04 team was gonna win it all no matter who it faced. They could embarass teams and also weren't fazed by coming from behind. I do believe that team paced themselves during the season, im not saying they lost some games on purpose but it seemed to me that they would be content with whatever their record would be going into tournament play and be at their best. When that team lost to Providence early in the season I was like big deal wait till the tournament. We had a ton of talent on that team, but unlike some of the teams in the past loaded with talent (i.e. 2006, 2012) every guy on the 04 team knew their role, they knew they would be there in the end.

 

[OkaForPrez]

That 04 team was gonna win it all no matter who it faced. They could embarass teams and also weren't fazed by coming from behind. I do believe that team paced themselves during the season, im not saying they lost some games on purpose but it seemed to me that they would be content with whatever their record would be going into tournament play and be at their best. When that team lost to Providence early in the season I was like big deal wait till the tournament. We had a ton of talent on that team, but unlike some of the teams in the past loaded with talent (i.e. 2006, 2012) every guy on the 04 team knew their role, they knew they would be there in the end.

Ok's back problems early season caused us some trouble early. We lost to tech in the pre season NIT.

 

[Inyatkin]

That 04 team was gonna win it all no matter who it faced. They could embarass teams and also weren't fazed by coming from behind. I do believe that team paced themselves during the season, im not saying they lost some games on purpose but it seemed to me that they would be content with whatever their record would be going into tournament play and be at their best. When that team lost to Providence early in the season I was like big deal wait till the tournament. We had a ton of talent on that team, but unlike some of the teams in the past loaded with talent (i.e. 2006, 2012) every guy on the 04 team knew their role, they knew they would be there in the end.

I don't know, sure didn't feel this way to me as the season was going on. The talent was there, and we had some injuries, but it also looked pretty dicey at times.

 

[Huskies4ever]

That game for me was the low point of the high times. UConn still had the record for most NCAA's without going to the Final Four (now it's BYU), we lost to a crap team without even putting up a fight. Our best player looked disinterested. That game is why Ray doesn't make my all-time UConn Top 3, maybe 5.

If Ray doesn't make your top three, then you've got issues, man.

 

[Waquoit]

If Ray doesn't make your top three, then you've got issues, man.

Kemba, Emeka and Rip

 

[caw]

Kemba, Emeka and Rip

There are a lot of impressive players to pick and choose from. I can see the argument for Donyell, Gordon and maybe a few more from the Calhoun era alone based on UConn careers. If you include Ray's NBA career though, it wouldn't be close.

 

[upstater]

I honestly have no idea. All I was saying is that picking UConn to win it all was essentially the only reason I ended up in such a high percentile. Following that, if UConn was the 4th most picked, I wouldn't be so high because I'd be sharing my high score with not only people who picked UConn to win it all, but people who picked UConn to win it all and who had decent overall brackets as well.

But as I said I don't really get how it all works.

If 10-15% picked UConn, then it's no surprise you ended up in the 98th %.

 

[Huskies4ever]

Kemba, Emeka and Rip

Kemba, Emeka, Ray

And the order is debatable. Then Rip.

 

[HooperScooper]

Kemba, Emeka, Ray

And the order is debatable. Then Rip.

It's tough to leave Rip out of the top 3. He was a two time first team All American and won a championship. I think people are forgetting how dominant he was. Let's just go top 4 and make it easier.

 

[Inyatkin]

It's tough to leave Rip out of the top 3. He was a two time first team All American and won a championship. I think people are forgetting how dominant he was. Let's just go top 4 and make it easier.

And those two free throws continue to haunt Donyell.

 

[aceboon]

Kemba, Emeka, Ray

And the order is debatable. Then Rip.

I'd take Rip over Ray everyday of the week in regards to their UConn careers. I don't have his stats offhand but it seems like Rip brought it every single tourney game, Rip never had a Miss State game.

 

[7774]

It's tough to leave Rip out of the top 3. He was a two time first team All American and won a championship. I think people are forgetting how dominant he was. Let's just go top 4 and make it easier.

Also 2 time Big East Player of the Year, which has happened very few times. I love Ray, but I don't know how anyone could have him above Rip if you're only looking at their college careers.

The championship game shows everything you need to know about Rip. With all the talk about what a juggernaut that Duke team was, Rip was BY FAR the best player on the floor. No one could even come close to stopping him, and that team had some very good college defenders.

 

[Waquoit]

Kemba, Emeka, Ray

And the order is debatable. Then Rip.

UConn had never made it to a Final 4 then Rip scored 20+ all 6 games of the Big Dance. Ray was great, but when it was his turn to lead he spit the bit.

 

[Tenspro2002]

UConn had never made it to a Final 4 then Rip scored 20+ all 6 games of the Big Dance. Ray was great, but when it was his turn to lead he spit the bit.

Hard to disagree with that. Even in the NBA he's always seemed more comfortable in a second- or third-fiddle role.

 

[Buzzyboy]

at the end of the day, no one gives an F. like it or not, syracuse was the face of the conference and now the conference is dead. that's it. move on and write whatever you want about it.

Syracuse was the face of "A Talent Never Realized". They obviously recruited more talent in the history of the Big East than any other school and DID LESS WITH IT than any school in the history of NCAA basketball. With their talent, they should have easily have won 4 or 5 National titles but even more significantly, they would have been a finalist at least as often as Duke and North Carolina and yet they won the title of the "Greatest Disappointment" year after year. What would have Calhoun done with the same talent, WOW! Syracuse has more embarassing tournament finishes than anyone in Big East, that's for sure. That's a face blushing with embarassment after one failed NCAA appearance after another. One fluke title doesn't wipe the stench of their failures!!!!

 

[Buzzyboy]

lets be honest, you guys got ridiculously lucky in 2011. you got 2 legitimate titles and 1 that was gift wrapped. they should put an asterisk next to 2011.

uconn ncaa titles: 1999, 2004, 2011*

*lucked out with an incredibly easy draw, we have to list them as national champs since they beat the teams in front of them, but in reality they were a mediocre team that got hot at the right team and beat a 5 seed, 4 seed, and 8 seed to win the championship. they also got the weakest #2 seed in san diego st, who needed double ot just to get to the sweet 16. in a normal tournament this is a sweet 16 team at best, but sometimes its better to be lucky than good. the national championship game was so god awful and such an embarassing display of basketball between 2 less than stellar teams that we wish we could erase it from the record books completely.

Shades of Syracuse's one title. A fluke Syracuse team that actually performed decently in tournament action for a change while the dropoff level of play of their opponents enabled them to get past "their curse" and gave them their one and only tournament success.

 

[mauconnfan]

UConn had never made it to a Final 4 then Rip scored 20+ all 6 games of the Big Dance. Ray was great, but when it was his turn to lead he spit the bit.

He scored 36 against UCLA (Elite 8) who was the best team in a while in 95, not sure what leading is???? Not winning isn't necessarily "not leading"!!

 

[Gurleyman]

I always hated that excuse. One of the best backcourts in Big East history and we lost because a freshman couldn't play? Please.

A freshman, yes, but one who had the potential to solve some of our problems that day. We couldn't match up with them on defense properly, so their 3-point shooter was always open as Rudy couldn't stay with him on the perimeter. It was one Wilson three after another in the first half, as Rudy was late to challenge trying to chase him around screens. And we couldn't force tempo. Doron was a great player, but wasn't fast and couldn't push the pace by himself (he was great hitting ahead with passes to a faster player like Kevin Ollie or Donny). So we played that entire game in the halfcourt. It's been a while but I think our fast break points for that game were zero. Put Ricky in there, take Rudy out and now we have the ability to match up and change the game. That card was off the table, so we had to try to beat them at their game, and they were better at it.

It doesn't matter how old a guy is. Kemba helped us beat Missouri because he was the right match-up - he was a one man press break. Jeremy Lamb helped us beat San Diego State because they couldn't match up with him.

All that said, I wouldn't guarantee victory if Ricky played. Perhaps he the bed and we lose by more. But we did miss having that arrow in our quiver - I said that in real time. Five minutes into the game, I didn't like the pace or the match-ups.

 

[Gurleyman]

Ray also kept us in it against Mississippi State for awhile. He had maybe 17 in the first half, but we couldn't find another option (Doron was 3-14, Rash was 1-5, Rudy was 0-4). He was heavily guarded in the second half and certainly didn't shoot well (finished 9-25), but he kept trying to get it going against a team that had stopped worrying about defending anyone else. To say he was disinterested or spit the bit is misplaced.

To say MSU was a crap team after they had just dismantled Kentucky - the best team Pitino ever had in college - is just as misplaced. And after they beat us, they knocked off a legit Cincinnati team (the #2 seed in our bracket) by 10 points too for good measure. They beat the #1, #3 and #7 teams in the country in a 14-day span. If you think they sucked, then how do you feel about our 2011 team?

 

[lavuuk153]

It's a 6 game tourney. And, no, a cakewalk means more than no tough games. You can have a tough game against Albany. That doesn't mean that getting Albany as an opponent ends the cakewalk. Or you could annihilate a #1 seed in the championship game, but the fact you killed a #1 team doesn't make it a cakewalk. A cakewalk is simply not having to face the stiffest competition. UConn faced Duk, true, but no other resistance. Compare that to 2011 when one could easily argue that Arizona, Butler and Kentucky were the best teams in the tourney other than UConn.

In 2004, Stanford, Syracuse and Maryland were eliminated in UConn's bracket, so they took on 8 seed Alabama in the F8.
Meanwhile, Kansas and Kentucky were taken out by Georgia Tech, a 3 seed. Good team, but hardly top caliber.
Duke was legit (and were it not for Emeka playing only 2 minutes in the first half, UConn would have beaten them by at least 10).

If UConn had to face one of Stanford, Cuse or Maryland in the F8, and then Kentucky in the final, that would have been as brutal a path as it took in 1999.

So playing an 8 seed in the F8 = cakewalk but playing one in the Finals isn't? The 04 team faced no other resistance because it was that much better than every team not named Dook. Also, how was 99 a brutal path? They played a 10 seed in the F8 then a 4 seed in the FF. Uconn played a 4 seed in the F8 and FF in 11....that seems harder than 99.

Off topic, but I just looked at the 99 bracket and Auburn was a 1 seed?? I wouldn't have guessed that if you gave me 50 guesses.

 

[Gurleyman]

So playing an 8 seed in the F8 = cakewalk but playing one in the Finals isn't? The 04 team faced no other resistance because it was that much better than every team not named Dook. Also, how was 99 a brutal path? They played a 10 seed in the F8 then a 4 seed in the FF. Uconn played a 4 seed in the F8 and FF in 11....that seems harder than 99.

Off topic, but I just looked at the 99 bracket and Auburn was a 1 seed?? I wouldn't have guessed that if you gave me 50 guesses.

I remember they had a stud forward named Chris Porter, who didn't pan out at the next level. I also remember that they were a 1 seed and nobody picked them to make the Final Four.

 

[upstater]

So playing an 8 seed in the F8 = cakewalk but playing one in the Finals isn't?The 04 team faced no other resistance because it was that much better than every team not named Dook. Also, how was 99 a brutal path? They played a 10 seed in the F8 then a 4 seed in the FF. Uconn played a 4 seed in the F8 and FF in 11....that seems harder than 99.

Off topic, but I just looked at the 99 bracket and Auburn was a 1 seed?? I wouldn't have guessed that if you gave me 50 guesses.

Your post is one big headache. Yes, 2004 was a cakewalk. Alabama was the best team they faced in the first 4 rounds, and Alabama was not very good. Playing an 8 seed in the Finals is a cakewalk too. But why is that relevant? Are you talking about 2011? Butler gave about as much resistance as G'Tech. But prior to that UCon faced 3 of the best teams in the tourney.

Face it, the O4 team played scrubs until Duke. There's just no other way to cut it,

 

[Inyatkin]

Your post is one big headache. Yes, 2004 was a cakewalk. Alabama was the best team they faced in the first 4 rounds, and Alabama was not very good. Playing an 8 seed in the Finals is a cakewalk too. But why is that relevant? Are you talking about 2011? Butler gave about as much resistance as G'Tech. But prior to that UCon faced 3 of the best teams in the tourney.

Face it, the O4 team played scrubs until Duke. There's just no other way to cut it,

Scrubs? We played the mighty DePaul!
Leitao never should have left that job.