by Chris Maynard ([email protected])
| | This version of “Thursday Treasures” dissects the anatomy of an upset, specifically Stanford’s second-round victory against Wake Forest in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. For a school known for its innovation, |
especially with technology, Stanford employed a rather basic yet extremely effective game plan to limit Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan, the nation’s best player in 1996/1997.
For Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery and his rotation of Cardinal big men, it was all about being physical with Duncan, who would be worn out in the second half after having to do everything for the Demon Deacons in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Combine that physicality with Stanford’s three-guard starting lineup of Brevin Knight, Arthur Lee and Chris Weems totally outplaying Wake’s junior backcourt of Tony Rutland and Jerry Braswell, and Duncan’s collegiate career would be over.
Game Nuggets: Here are five facts to establish the setting of the game.
1. This game took place at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, home of the Arizona Wildcats. The game was the last contest of the second round, following a Utah blowout of UNC-Charlotte, which I will be reviewing on Friday.
2. On the call was CBS’s A-team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, who actually did not work together in the first round. Nantz was doing studio work for the first round, and Packer called the opening Stanford and Wake Forest games with play-by-play man Bob Carpenter.
3. With Utah waiting for the winner in the Sweet Sixteen, Wake Forest had to be feeling good if it could get past the Cardinal. Wake Forest traveled to Utah earlier in the 1996-1997 season and won 70-59.
4. Of course, a potential Wake Forest – Utah matchup in the Sweet Sixteen would have pitted the eventual top two picks of the upcoming 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan and Keith Van Horn. However, that was not to be as…
5. Stanford rode a home-court advantage in this game. While the enemy during Pac-10 games at conference foe Arizona, including a 76-75 loss to the Wildcats on the road in January, 1997, Stanford enjoyed the extra benefit of its rowdy fans, who traveled heavily to this game and made their voices heard throughout the afternoon.
Wake Forest Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Demon Deacons.
1. For the sole purpose of reaching the Final Four, Duncan returned to Wake Forest for his senior season after falling one game short during the 1996 NCAA Tournament, an Elite Eight loss to eventual national champion Kentucky. Could you have imagined if Duncan had left after his junior year? The 1996 NBA Draft would have possibly been the greatest of all time, with Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Duncan. While I am of the opinion that the 1984 NBA Draft was the best ever with the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Hakeem Olajuwon, the case for the 1996 NBA Draft would have been bolstered with Duncan’s inclusion.
2. Duncan was voted the National Player of the Year, which was not all that surprising. What was surprising was that Duncan was the first player ever from the ACC to lead the nation in rebounding, which he did in 1996/1997 with 14.7 boards to go with his 20.8 points per game.
3. Wake Forest began the year 18-1, before finish 5-5 in its last 10 games, foreshadowing an early tournament exit.
4. Entering this second-round game, Wake Forest was 24-6, having defeated Mt. St. Mary’s 68-46 in the first-round. Duncan went for 22 and 22 that game, with Rutland the only other Demon Deacon in double figures, with 15 points (all scored in the second half, some more foreshadowing).
5. At the time of this game, Duncan was the all-time NCAA Tournament blocks leader.
6. Here's a bonus fun fact. Arizona fans in attendance watched Wake Forest freshman seven-footer Loren Woods, who would later transfer to the Wildcats and start for the team on its 2000-2001 national runner up to Duke.
Stanford Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Cardinal.
1. Just as Wake Forest had its senior star, Stanford was led by 5'10'' guard Brevin Knight, who led the Cardinal in scoring (16.3 points) and assists (7.8). In fact, Knight was second in the nation in assists during the 1996-1997 season.
2. Averaging 2.8 steals per game, Knight would end his Stanford career behind former Oregon State star Gary Payton for career steals in Pac-10 history.
3. Also interesting about Knight was that his father was an assistant for Bill Raftery at Seton Hall. Knight was a ball boy for the Pirates as a child. He also was a roommate and teammate of Duncan's on the 1996 USA Select Team that scrimmaged against Dream Team II in preparation for that Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
4. Sophomore seven footer Tim Young was next in scoring with 13.7 points per game and first on the team and in the Pac-10 conference with 8.7 rebounds per game.
5. While Stanford would lose Knight after this season, the Cardinal consisted of a deep team that would make a Final Four run in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Sophomores Kris Weems, Peter Sauer and Arthur Lee, and freshman Mark Madsen, would play key roles in this game. With the addition of McDonald's All-American twin brothers Jason and Jarron Collins, the Cardinal were a team to be reckoned for a handful of seasons. Weems, Young and Madsen, along with Lee, all had big games during Stanford's 80-67 first-round victory against Oklahoma.
6. Here's an additional fun fact. Stanford won the National Championship in 1942, but would not return to the NCAA Tournament until 1989!
For Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery and his rotation of Cardinal big men, it was all about being physical with Duncan, who would be worn out in the second half after having to do everything for the Demon Deacons in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Combine that physicality with Stanford’s three-guard starting lineup of Brevin Knight, Arthur Lee and Chris Weems totally outplaying Wake’s junior backcourt of Tony Rutland and Jerry Braswell, and Duncan’s collegiate career would be over.
Game Nuggets: Here are five facts to establish the setting of the game.
1. This game took place at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, home of the Arizona Wildcats. The game was the last contest of the second round, following a Utah blowout of UNC-Charlotte, which I will be reviewing on Friday.
2. On the call was CBS’s A-team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer, who actually did not work together in the first round. Nantz was doing studio work for the first round, and Packer called the opening Stanford and Wake Forest games with play-by-play man Bob Carpenter.
3. With Utah waiting for the winner in the Sweet Sixteen, Wake Forest had to be feeling good if it could get past the Cardinal. Wake Forest traveled to Utah earlier in the 1996-1997 season and won 70-59.
4. Of course, a potential Wake Forest – Utah matchup in the Sweet Sixteen would have pitted the eventual top two picks of the upcoming 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan and Keith Van Horn. However, that was not to be as…
5. Stanford rode a home-court advantage in this game. While the enemy during Pac-10 games at conference foe Arizona, including a 76-75 loss to the Wildcats on the road in January, 1997, Stanford enjoyed the extra benefit of its rowdy fans, who traveled heavily to this game and made their voices heard throughout the afternoon.
Wake Forest Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Demon Deacons.
1. For the sole purpose of reaching the Final Four, Duncan returned to Wake Forest for his senior season after falling one game short during the 1996 NCAA Tournament, an Elite Eight loss to eventual national champion Kentucky. Could you have imagined if Duncan had left after his junior year? The 1996 NBA Draft would have possibly been the greatest of all time, with Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Duncan. While I am of the opinion that the 1984 NBA Draft was the best ever with the likes of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Hakeem Olajuwon, the case for the 1996 NBA Draft would have been bolstered with Duncan’s inclusion.
2. Duncan was voted the National Player of the Year, which was not all that surprising. What was surprising was that Duncan was the first player ever from the ACC to lead the nation in rebounding, which he did in 1996/1997 with 14.7 boards to go with his 20.8 points per game.
3. Wake Forest began the year 18-1, before finish 5-5 in its last 10 games, foreshadowing an early tournament exit.
4. Entering this second-round game, Wake Forest was 24-6, having defeated Mt. St. Mary’s 68-46 in the first-round. Duncan went for 22 and 22 that game, with Rutland the only other Demon Deacon in double figures, with 15 points (all scored in the second half, some more foreshadowing).
5. At the time of this game, Duncan was the all-time NCAA Tournament blocks leader.
6. Here's a bonus fun fact. Arizona fans in attendance watched Wake Forest freshman seven-footer Loren Woods, who would later transfer to the Wildcats and start for the team on its 2000-2001 national runner up to Duke.
Stanford Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Cardinal.
1. Just as Wake Forest had its senior star, Stanford was led by 5'10'' guard Brevin Knight, who led the Cardinal in scoring (16.3 points) and assists (7.8). In fact, Knight was second in the nation in assists during the 1996-1997 season.
2. Averaging 2.8 steals per game, Knight would end his Stanford career behind former Oregon State star Gary Payton for career steals in Pac-10 history.
3. Also interesting about Knight was that his father was an assistant for Bill Raftery at Seton Hall. Knight was a ball boy for the Pirates as a child. He also was a roommate and teammate of Duncan's on the 1996 USA Select Team that scrimmaged against Dream Team II in preparation for that Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
4. Sophomore seven footer Tim Young was next in scoring with 13.7 points per game and first on the team and in the Pac-10 conference with 8.7 rebounds per game.
5. While Stanford would lose Knight after this season, the Cardinal consisted of a deep team that would make a Final Four run in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Sophomores Kris Weems, Peter Sauer and Arthur Lee, and freshman Mark Madsen, would play key roles in this game. With the addition of McDonald's All-American twin brothers Jason and Jarron Collins, the Cardinal were a team to be reckoned for a handful of seasons. Weems, Young and Madsen, along with Lee, all had big games during Stanford's 80-67 first-round victory against Oklahoma.
6. Here's an additional fun fact. Stanford won the National Championship in 1942, but would not return to the NCAA Tournament until 1989!
A Bargain Find: Here is a quick summary of the game’s events if you choose not to watch the game.
Medal Winners: Awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the most important Stanford and Wake Forest players in the victory.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Gold: Brevin Knight. Knight took over in the second half when it mattered, finishing with 19 points. @38:55 to @39:05, Knight buries a three, as the Stanford offense is a buzz saw, scoring 12 points in the first four minutes of the second half. @45:37, Knight continues to take over, with a beautiful floater, and then scores @47:00 to @47:10 on a beautiful inbound play. He buries a pull-up @48:10 to @48:20.
Wake Forest Gold: Tim Duncan. While tired in the second half, Duncan kept the Demon Deacons alive in the first half. He finished with 18 points and 20 rebounds in his last game at Wake Forest.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Silver: The Cardinal Big Men. Young, Madsen, Sauer, Van Elswyk and Seaton all did an effective job of banging and wearing out Duncan.
Wake Forest Silver: Ricky Perral. In his final collegiate game, Perral scored 12 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. However, some poor fouls cost him most of the game on the bench.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Bronze: Peter Sauer and Arthur Lee. Both sophomores chipped in 14 points, with big plays late in the game.
Wake Forest Bronze: Jerry Braswell and Tony Rutland. After going scoreless in the first half, Braswell and Rutland finished with 16 and 15 points, hitting some big threes to keep Wake Forest alive. However, they were no shows in the first half.
____________________________________________________
Masterpiece Performances: For each team, I want to acknowledge 10 offensive plays that were not previously detailed.
- Stanford leads 25-19 at the break. Both teams struggle to get it going in the game's first four minutes as it is clearly a physical game. However, the Cardinal will start to get going behind Knight, Weems and Lee, and some nice bench play from Madsen and Pete van Elsyk.
- Wake Forest had just 2 field goals in the game's first 13 minutes, including a five-minute scoring drought, and would end up with just 6 field goals (no threes) in the first half.
- Both teams struggled from the field in the first half, with Stanford going 9-for-26 and Wake Forest hitting just 6-20. However, Stanford had 14 bench points to Wake Forest's big goose egg (0). Both teams would pick up the offense in the second half, with both teams scoring 47 points.
- Duncan went for 14 of his team's 19 points, and added 15 rebounds. He played all 20 minutes in the first half, which would be a bad thing come the second half.
- Wake's back court of Rutland and Jerry Braswell did not score in the first half. Braswell will finally scratch @35:50 to @36:00 on a nice reverse, and Rutland will hit the team's first three @37:10 to @37:20 after Wake Forest had missed its first 10 attempts.
- While Braswell and Rutland showed life in the second half, Duncan was worn out, and Stanford was full of energy thanks to Knight, who took over. Stanford found its shot early in the second half and built its lead to double digits.
- Wake Forest would rally late behind Braswell (16 points), Rutland (13 points) and Perral (12 points), but big jumpers by Sauer (@1:05:10 to @1:05:20, and @1:06:30 to @1:o6:40) and a put back by Lee (@1:08:10 to @1:08:20) put this game away. Stanford wins 72-66.
- Duncan finished with just 4 points and 5 rebounds in the second half.
Medal Winners: Awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the most important Stanford and Wake Forest players in the victory.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Gold: Brevin Knight. Knight took over in the second half when it mattered, finishing with 19 points. @38:55 to @39:05, Knight buries a three, as the Stanford offense is a buzz saw, scoring 12 points in the first four minutes of the second half. @45:37, Knight continues to take over, with a beautiful floater, and then scores @47:00 to @47:10 on a beautiful inbound play. He buries a pull-up @48:10 to @48:20.
Wake Forest Gold: Tim Duncan. While tired in the second half, Duncan kept the Demon Deacons alive in the first half. He finished with 18 points and 20 rebounds in his last game at Wake Forest.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Silver: The Cardinal Big Men. Young, Madsen, Sauer, Van Elswyk and Seaton all did an effective job of banging and wearing out Duncan.
Wake Forest Silver: Ricky Perral. In his final collegiate game, Perral scored 12 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. However, some poor fouls cost him most of the game on the bench.
____________________________________________________
Stanford Bronze: Peter Sauer and Arthur Lee. Both sophomores chipped in 14 points, with big plays late in the game.
Wake Forest Bronze: Jerry Braswell and Tony Rutland. After going scoreless in the first half, Braswell and Rutland finished with 16 and 15 points, hitting some big threes to keep Wake Forest alive. However, they were no shows in the first half.
____________________________________________________
Masterpiece Performances: For each team, I want to acknowledge 10 offensive plays that were not previously detailed.
Stanford Offensive Gems:
- @13:05 to @13:15, Stanford's Mark Madsen (coming off the bench) makes a nice save, which ignites a Stanford break and Knight layup for a 10-3 Cardinal lead.
- @9:18 to @9:28, Sauer scores on a well-designed and executed Stanford inbound.
- @16:22 to @16:32, Weems hits a beautiful jumper following great off-the-ball movement.
- @19:40 to @19:50, Lee cans a corner three as Stanford rides its momentum to a 19-7 lead at the under-8.
- @20:35 to @20:45, the diminutive Knight scores on a tough drive.
- @29:30 to @29:40, Weems hits a banker after doing a nice job of curling off screens.
- @33:10 to @33:20, Young comes out of the gates in the second half with a half-hook over Duncan.
- @34:25 to @34:35, Weems buries a three as Stanford begins the second half on a 5-0 run and extends its lead to 30-19.
- @35:25 to @35:30, Lee scores on a basket, bringing Stanford's lead to 13 points and the back court scoring to 19-0 in favor of the Cardinal. @53:55 to @54:05, Lee puts the Stanford lead back to thirteen with a gorgeous floater.
- @50:05 to @50:20, Weems scores on a beautiful spin move in the lane for a 50-37 Stanford lead. He continues to cook @42:55 to @43:05 with a nice baseline jumper.
Wake Forest (Tim Duncan) Offensive Gems: As Duncan was the Wake Forest offense in the first half, here are some of his best moments of the game.
- @2:37 to 2:45, Duncan scores the first points of the game with a bank shot that he would make famous with the San Antonio Spurs.
- @ 3:10 to 3:20, Duncan levels Knight with a clean screen.
- @ 13:34 to @13:44, Duncan puts on a clinic for establishing low-post positioning.
- @ 14:00 to @14:10, Duncan goes bank again.
- @10:00 to @10:10, Duncan shows off some of his handles.
- @18:20 to @18:35, Duncan shows off his hustle and basketball IQ after securing an offensive board.
- @23:20 to @23:30, Duncan hits a jumper on a beautiful fadeaway.
- @30:40 to @30:50, Duncan swallows up a teammate's miss with an offensive board and throw down.
- @42:35 to @42:45, Duncan makes an incredibly difficult bank shot, falling to the floor and scoring just his first and only field goal of the second half.
Defensive Diamonds: Stanford's defense reigned supreme in this game. Here are 10 defensive diamonds from the Cardinal.
Passing Pearls: There were not too many in this game.
Awesome Announcing: Here are some examples of nice insight from Packer and Nantz.
Coaching Charms: Here were some coaching decisions that stood out.
Cream of the Crop: Brevin Knight. This game clearly showed why Duncan would become a transcendent NBA player, but confirmed how good of a player Knight was in college. While his NBA career would be short, Knight was a stud in this game, the engine that drove Stanford, and definitely the most consistently impacting player on this afternoon.
- From @1:22 to @1:34, Stanford's Young forces Duncan into a bad shot on the game's first possession.
- @4:50 to @5:05, Knight shows active hands, stripping the ball and then leading a fast break during which he is fouled on a pull up.
- @7:44 to @7:51, Stanford's Young draws an offensive foul on Duncan.
- @15:00 to @15:15, active Stanford hands lead to an Arthur Lee basket and 14-5 Stanford lead.
- @15:20 to @15:30, Stanford's David Mosley blocks a shot after coming off the bench.
- @16:52, Madsen picks up a foul but continues to establish Stanford's physicality against Duncan. @18:49 Duncan shows some of his frustration.
- @25:30 to @25:45, Knight steals the ball, eventually leading to a Sauer layup.
- @38:25 to @38:35, Stanford swarms Duncan in the paint.
- @54:40 to @54:50, Madsen's defense works over Duncan.
- @1:12:50 to @1:13:00, Stanford contests a rushed Rutland three, with Sauer grabbing the board and securing the win.
Passing Pearls: There were not too many in this game.
- @48:45 to @48:55, Knight drops a beautiful pass to Mosley on a missed three.
- @41:05 to @41:15, Duncan drops a beautiful pass to freshman center Loren Woods, who can't handle the ball as it goes out of bounds. Duncan shows more frustration.
Awesome Announcing: Here are some examples of nice insight from Packer and Nantz.
- @7:54 to @8:14, Packer bemoans the physicality of this game, foreshadowing what will be a tough game.
- @15:14 to @15:30, Nantz announces that 25 years ago today, Adolph Rupp won his last college game (No. 876). Of course, just the day before, Dean Smith earned his record-breaking coaching victory, No. 877, against Colorado.
- @28:40 to @28:55, the referees make another questionable call, prompting Packer to say that they need halftime as much as the teams.
- @1:00:40 to @1:00:55, Nantz details how Packer helped lead Wake Forest to the Final Four in 1962.
- @1:05:50 to @1:06:00, Packers sums up the physicality of this game quite aptly, saying "This was a war of a game."
Coaching Charms: Here were some coaching decisions that stood out.
- Mike Montgomery deserves a gold star for his defensive game plan (see the defensive diamonds) and use of his deep rotation.
- Wake Forest's Dave Odom had a rough game, failing to find any ignition for this struggling offense and mishandling senior Ricky Perral. After Perral picked up his third foul of the first half @29:50, Odom was unable to get the senior forward out of the game quick enough. The result seemed inevitable, Perral picked up his fourth foul just before the end of the first half @31:35. Perral would have to spend the first 12 minutes of the second half on the bench. With Wake Forest having to foul late in the game, Odom had Perral on the court (instead of sitting and then inserting during the free throws) @ 1:11:40 to @1:11:50.
Cream of the Crop: Brevin Knight. This game clearly showed why Duncan would become a transcendent NBA player, but confirmed how good of a player Knight was in college. While his NBA career would be short, Knight was a stud in this game, the engine that drove Stanford, and definitely the most consistently impacting player on this afternoon.
RSS Feed