SAN DIEGO - The pressure was on the UCLA Bruins in this one. Before the Final Four began, their legendary coach, John Wooden, had announced during a press conference that he would be retiring after the season. So now the onus was on the Bruins to send their coach into retirement with another championship, giving him an even 10 in a 12-year span.
But first, their opponent was Kentucky, deemed to be far superior to the Bruins in 1975. Kentucky was big and tall, boasting four players who were 6-foot-9 or taller. Kentucky had already been giant-killers in the tournament, knocking out prohibitive favorite Indiana in the Regional Final. That had been the Wildcats' only close game of the tournament as they eased to the final.
UCLA, meanwhile, had struggled to get to the championship game, needing overtime to beat Michigan in the first round, beating Montana by only three in the second round, and needing yet another overtime against Louisville in the national semifinal. The Bruins were also short and not very deep, and they lacked the star power of the previous Bruins title teams.
What UCLA had, though, was speed, and lots of it. So they pushed the pace against Kentucky, neutralizing the Wildcats' height advantage by scoring as many points in transition as possible. Even when they couldn't push the pace, the Bruins still had some surprising advantages. They outrebounded Kentucky 55-49 in the game.
Perhaps most impressively, the Bruins only used six players the entire game. Starters Dave Meyers, Pete Trgovich, Richard Washington, and Andre McCarter all played the entire 40 minutes, while Ralph Drollinger, the only bench player to see the floor, had 10 points and 13 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action.
Despite playing 10 players and having a height advantage at nearly every position, Kentucky couldn't keep up. UCLA took the lead for good late in the first half, and while Kentucky cut the deficit to one point with six minutes to play, the Bruins pulled away to win 92-85, sending Wooden out a winner. The Bruins had now won 10 of the last 12 championships, and 8 of the last 9. The school with the second-most championships was Kentucky with a mere four.
After the game, when the Bruins were done celebrating, the crowd at the San Diego Arena gave Wooden a four-minute long standing ovation in honor of his incredible coaching career.
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
March 28, 1992: Laettner, part 3
PHILADELPHIA - Anybody who watched will always remember where they were. Just close your eyes, and it comes back to you. The ending is transfixing: Antonio Lang watches the ball fall through the hoop at the buzzer and collapses in a heap in the lane, completely in shock. Thomas Hill walks in shock toward the sideline, hands on his head. When he turns around, you can see the tears.
But here's the amazing thing: Lang and Hill were on the winning team. Their reaction wasn't one of players who just had their souls ripped out, but rather of players so happy, in such a state of celebration, that they went into shock.
It was that kind of game.
Rewind your memory now. Remember the incredible, mind-blowing play between Duke and Kentucky that day in Philadelphia. Remember that, despite all the pressure in the game itself, the teams combined to shoot 61 percent from the floor. Or that, in the second half and overtime, when the game stayed tight and each possession had added importance, they upped that percentage to 63 percent.
Remember the time out late in the game, when Duke point guard Bobby Hurley reminded his players, "if they score, remember to call time out." You could say he was showing a lack of confidence in his teammates. Or you could say that he simply knew how the game was going to turn out. Because when Sean Woods fired that off-balance 13-footer with less than five seconds to play, it should have come as no surprise that it barely cleared the outstretched fingertips of Christian Laettner and somehow found the bottom of the net. Kentucky was up 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left. And Hurley remembered to call time out.
In all reality, that's how it should have been remembered. Woods' shot should have been the biggest shot in the history of Kentucky basketball, the miracle shot that ended the greatest game ever played and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament.
But Duke still had 2.1 seconds. Sure, they had to go the length of the floor, but they still had 2.1 seconds. And they still had Laettner, the greatest clutch player in NCAA tournament history, and one who, if he got his hands on the ball, you knew damn well he was going to make the shot.
And so close your eyes again. Watch Grant Hill throw a 75-foot pass that somehow hit a double-teamed Laettner in the hands as he stood on the free-throw line. Watch as Laettner somehow found the time to fake to the right and dribble once before spinning to his left, falling away, and hitting the most famous shot in college basketball history.
And Lang is forever laying on the floor in shock. And Thomas Hill is forever crying on the sideline. And the rest of the Duke players and coaches are piled on Laettner somewhere near midcourt, celebrating the most improbable ending to the greatest college basketball game ever played.
But here's the amazing thing: Lang and Hill were on the winning team. Their reaction wasn't one of players who just had their souls ripped out, but rather of players so happy, in such a state of celebration, that they went into shock.
It was that kind of game.
Rewind your memory now. Remember the incredible, mind-blowing play between Duke and Kentucky that day in Philadelphia. Remember that, despite all the pressure in the game itself, the teams combined to shoot 61 percent from the floor. Or that, in the second half and overtime, when the game stayed tight and each possession had added importance, they upped that percentage to 63 percent.
Remember the time out late in the game, when Duke point guard Bobby Hurley reminded his players, "if they score, remember to call time out." You could say he was showing a lack of confidence in his teammates. Or you could say that he simply knew how the game was going to turn out. Because when Sean Woods fired that off-balance 13-footer with less than five seconds to play, it should have come as no surprise that it barely cleared the outstretched fingertips of Christian Laettner and somehow found the bottom of the net. Kentucky was up 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left. And Hurley remembered to call time out.
In all reality, that's how it should have been remembered. Woods' shot should have been the biggest shot in the history of Kentucky basketball, the miracle shot that ended the greatest game ever played and knocked the defending champions out of the tournament.
But Duke still had 2.1 seconds. Sure, they had to go the length of the floor, but they still had 2.1 seconds. And they still had Laettner, the greatest clutch player in NCAA tournament history, and one who, if he got his hands on the ball, you knew damn well he was going to make the shot.
And so close your eyes again. Watch Grant Hill throw a 75-foot pass that somehow hit a double-teamed Laettner in the hands as he stood on the free-throw line. Watch as Laettner somehow found the time to fake to the right and dribble once before spinning to his left, falling away, and hitting the most famous shot in college basketball history.
And Lang is forever laying on the floor in shock. And Thomas Hill is forever crying on the sideline. And the rest of the Duke players and coaches are piled on Laettner somewhere near midcourt, celebrating the most improbable ending to the greatest college basketball game ever played.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
March 22, 1975: Hoosiers go down
DAYTON, Ohio - Despite entering the Mideast Regional final undefeated at 30-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, Indiana wasn't flying as high as it should have been on March 22, 1975. Scott May, their leading scorer, had broken his arm in a late-season victory over archrival Purdue, leaving the Hoosiers shorthanded entering the tournament.
Still, the Hoosiers had talent, with six future NBA draft picks on the roster, and they won their first two tournament games fairly easily, leading to a highly anticipated matchup with No. 2 Kentucky in the regional final. Kentucky wasn't as talented, but would still have four players drafted into the NBA that summer.
The game was a matchup between contrasting styles, as Kentucky's big and brawny players went up against Indiana's quick team. Indiana coach Bob Knight hoped to add even more speed to his lineup and took a risk by starting May, despite May having a cast on his arm. Despite the surprise start, May had little impact, playing only seven minutes.
In a bit of a surprise, Kentucky's size and strength carried the day. Using their obvious height advantage, the Wildcats pushed around the Hoosiers, causing the Hoosiers to lose their composure and make uncharacteristic mistakes. Indiana center Ken Benson did what he could, scoring 33 points and grabbing 22 rebounds, but Indiana still trailed 89-81 with five minutes to play.
The Hoosiers tried to come back, even cutting the deficit to two points with 1:45 left, but they couldn't get over the hump, and Kentucky advanced to the Final Four with a 92-90 victory. The Wildcats won one more game in the tournament before losing the final to UCLA.
For Indiana, meanwhile, the loss was significant. After losing a Big Ten playoff game the previous March, the Hoosiers hadn't lost a game since. After losing to Kentucky, the Hoosiers wouldn't lose again until December of 1976, winning the national championship in 1976 with college basketball's last undefeated team. That meant that the Hoosiers' loss to Kentucky was their only defeat in a span of 34 months.
Still, the Hoosiers had talent, with six future NBA draft picks on the roster, and they won their first two tournament games fairly easily, leading to a highly anticipated matchup with No. 2 Kentucky in the regional final. Kentucky wasn't as talented, but would still have four players drafted into the NBA that summer.
The game was a matchup between contrasting styles, as Kentucky's big and brawny players went up against Indiana's quick team. Indiana coach Bob Knight hoped to add even more speed to his lineup and took a risk by starting May, despite May having a cast on his arm. Despite the surprise start, May had little impact, playing only seven minutes.
In a bit of a surprise, Kentucky's size and strength carried the day. Using their obvious height advantage, the Wildcats pushed around the Hoosiers, causing the Hoosiers to lose their composure and make uncharacteristic mistakes. Indiana center Ken Benson did what he could, scoring 33 points and grabbing 22 rebounds, but Indiana still trailed 89-81 with five minutes to play.
The Hoosiers tried to come back, even cutting the deficit to two points with 1:45 left, but they couldn't get over the hump, and Kentucky advanced to the Final Four with a 92-90 victory. The Wildcats won one more game in the tournament before losing the final to UCLA.
For Indiana, meanwhile, the loss was significant. After losing a Big Ten playoff game the previous March, the Hoosiers hadn't lost a game since. After losing to Kentucky, the Hoosiers wouldn't lose again until December of 1976, winning the national championship in 1976 with college basketball's last undefeated team. That meant that the Hoosiers' loss to Kentucky was their only defeat in a span of 34 months.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
March 19, 1966: Black and White
COLLEGE PARK, Maryland - Their names were Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, and Willie Worsley. If not for the color of their skin, they would be but a footnote in the annals of college basketball history, remembered only on the campus of Texas Western University (now Texas-El Paso). But, because they were black, they are remembered forever. For those are the five starters Texas Western put on the floor in the 1966 NCAA Championship Game, the five starters that sped up integration in NCAA basketball.
Coach Don Haskins wasn't trying to make history by starting five black players in the national championship game. All he thought he was doing was putting his five best players on the court to start the game. But in picking those five players, Haskins became the first coach to have an all-black starting lineup in an NCAA championship game. That he was doing so against Kentucky, coached by the pro-segregation Adolph Rupp, made the game even more monumental.
The game is also sometimes viewed as a sort of David vs. Goliath affair, as tiny, unknown Texas Western was going up against national powerhouse Kentucky. In reality, though, the Miners entered the game with a 27-1 record, the same as Kentucky's, and the Miners had a decided height advantage over the Wildcats in the game. Plus, a flu bug had gone through the Kentucky starting lineup before the game, leaving the Wildcats wounded and sick in the final.
Still, though, it was quite a surprise that Texas Western won, and fairly easily at that. The Miners took the lead halfway through the first half and never relinquished it. Though Kentucky got within two in the second half, the Miners pulled away for a 72-65 victory, winning the national championship.
Though proud of the victory, Haskins later admitted that for a long time, he thought winning the national championship was the worst thing to happen to him. He didn't like all the attention his team and players were given after the victory. As he wrote, he "didn't expect to become a racial pioneer or to change the world." But by beating the all-white Wildcats, that's exactly what he did. By using an all-black starting lineup, he showed the basketball powers from the traditionally racist SEC and other southern schools that they should ignore black players at their peril.
Don Haskins and his Texas Western Miners didn't set out to change the world. They just wanted to win the national championship. By winning that game, though, they became immortal.
Coach Don Haskins wasn't trying to make history by starting five black players in the national championship game. All he thought he was doing was putting his five best players on the court to start the game. But in picking those five players, Haskins became the first coach to have an all-black starting lineup in an NCAA championship game. That he was doing so against Kentucky, coached by the pro-segregation Adolph Rupp, made the game even more monumental.
The game is also sometimes viewed as a sort of David vs. Goliath affair, as tiny, unknown Texas Western was going up against national powerhouse Kentucky. In reality, though, the Miners entered the game with a 27-1 record, the same as Kentucky's, and the Miners had a decided height advantage over the Wildcats in the game. Plus, a flu bug had gone through the Kentucky starting lineup before the game, leaving the Wildcats wounded and sick in the final.
Still, though, it was quite a surprise that Texas Western won, and fairly easily at that. The Miners took the lead halfway through the first half and never relinquished it. Though Kentucky got within two in the second half, the Miners pulled away for a 72-65 victory, winning the national championship.
Though proud of the victory, Haskins later admitted that for a long time, he thought winning the national championship was the worst thing to happen to him. He didn't like all the attention his team and players were given after the victory. As he wrote, he "didn't expect to become a racial pioneer or to change the world." But by beating the all-white Wildcats, that's exactly what he did. By using an all-black starting lineup, he showed the basketball powers from the traditionally racist SEC and other southern schools that they should ignore black players at their peril.
Don Haskins and his Texas Western Miners didn't set out to change the world. They just wanted to win the national championship. By winning that game, though, they became immortal.
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