by Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)
| For a coach who was a long-time assistant to John Wooden at UCLA and had won 612 games on his own, including national championships in 1980 and 1986, Louisville's Denny Crum certainly knew what a good basketball team looked like. |
As for his 1996/1997 Louisville Cardinals, even the legendary Crum could not figure out this team.
As CBS Announcer Gus Johnson said several times during this Sweet Sixteen game against Texas, Crum flat-out acknowledged that this team didn't do anything well and yet somehow won games.
Proving Crum's observation correct, Louisville was able to defeat Texas 78-63 in this Sweet Sixteen game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.
With the exception of a strong run towards the middle of the second half, Louisville had no business winning this game by 15 points.
And yet the Cardinals did, somehow, someway, defeating a Texas team that had only won 16 games in the regular season but still got into the NCAA Tournament (my oh my, how times have changed).
In a first half during which Texas's frenetic full-court press and offensive explosiveness made Louisville look uncomfortable, the Cardinals only trailed by six points at the half.
Essentially, this game was deja vu for the Longhorns, who played Louisville earlier this season, blowing a 15-point lead in the second and losing 83-78 to the Cardinals, which forced overtime on an Eric Johnson three at the end of regulation.
On a night where senior stars Reggie Freeman of Texas and DeJuan Wheat of Louisville struggled mightily, with Wheat severely injuring his ankle early in the second half and not returning, the Cardinals were paced by senior Alvin Sims.
The Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, Sims went on the offensive, scoring a career-high 25-points, including this second-half dunk that bears repeated watches and makes this game worth viewing.
As CBS Announcer Gus Johnson said several times during this Sweet Sixteen game against Texas, Crum flat-out acknowledged that this team didn't do anything well and yet somehow won games.
Proving Crum's observation correct, Louisville was able to defeat Texas 78-63 in this Sweet Sixteen game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.
With the exception of a strong run towards the middle of the second half, Louisville had no business winning this game by 15 points.
And yet the Cardinals did, somehow, someway, defeating a Texas team that had only won 16 games in the regular season but still got into the NCAA Tournament (my oh my, how times have changed).
In a first half during which Texas's frenetic full-court press and offensive explosiveness made Louisville look uncomfortable, the Cardinals only trailed by six points at the half.
Essentially, this game was deja vu for the Longhorns, who played Louisville earlier this season, blowing a 15-point lead in the second and losing 83-78 to the Cardinals, which forced overtime on an Eric Johnson three at the end of regulation.
On a night where senior stars Reggie Freeman of Texas and DeJuan Wheat of Louisville struggled mightily, with Wheat severely injuring his ankle early in the second half and not returning, the Cardinals were paced by senior Alvin Sims.
The Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, Sims went on the offensive, scoring a career-high 25-points, including this second-half dunk that bears repeated watches and makes this game worth viewing.
Why You Should Watch This Game: Besides the Sims' dunk, this game is worth watching because it was an unexpected match up. If things held to form in the East region, the Sweet Sixteen should have pitted No. 2 seed South Carolina versus No. 3 New Mexico. Of course, South Carolina was shocked by No. 15 seed Coppin State in the first round, and New Mexico fell by one point to Louisville in the second round. As for Texas, the Longhorns took care of No. 7 seed Wisconsin in the first round before escaping Cinderalla Coppin State by one point in the second round.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Louisville in 1997: Honestly, this 1996-1997 Louisville team was a strange mixture of parts that didn't seem to fit well. While 25-8 entering this game, Crum was right to say that this team didn't quite do anything good. With that said, the Cardinals were clearly led by senior point guard Wheat, who averaged 17.3 points per game. On this night, he would only score 3 points before leaving with an ankle injury that had him on crutches by game's end.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Texas in 1997: Despite having only 16 regular season wins (for some context of how things have changed, the eventual national champion Arizona Wildcats had 19 regular-season wins), Tom Penders' Texas team had plenty of individual talent. The lanky southpaw Freeman was a scoring machine, averaging 21.8 points per game, and boasting a nasty crossover dribble and quick release. The "Runnin' Horns," as noted on the side of Texas' cool uniforms that scream 1990s, also had sophomore Kris Clack, the first McDonald's All-American to attend the school, and freshman forward Gabe Muoneke, who would score 19 points in this game. As for Freeman, his final college game would be a struggle, finishing with just 6 points on 2-for-14 shooting.
What I Remember Watching: I did not watch this game at the time as the Arizona and Kansas game was being shown on CBS-2 in Chicago.
Who Was Watching for You: A young Gus Johnson and veteran Quinn Buckner were on the call. Johnson was not yet Johnson, yet still fun to listen to, while Buckner was solid but hardly spectacular, though I enjoyed his call of the Sims dunk.
Where They Were Watching: This game took place at Syracuse's Carrier Dome, one of my favorite NCAA Tournament sites, home of classic tournament games between Duke and Florida in 2001 and North Carolina and Villanova in 2005. There is something about the shininess of the Carrier Dome court, perhaps coming in from the bubble roof, that I have always loved.
If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): Basically, Texas appeared to be winning at a much bigger margin in the first half, shooting 58% to Louisville's 36%. And yet, despite controlling the tempo and getting up and down, Texas left something to be desired, failing to establish itself as a team that would be hard to rally against, often in part due to poor decision making. In other words, Texas came off as one of those teams that had all of the athleticism in the world but not necessarily the court awareness necessary to close out games. In fact, Louisville came out of the halftime gates with greater defensive intensity, especially freshman Nate Johnson, and the game was relatively close. While Texas would go on a 11-2 run at one point in the second half, Louisville would badly outscore the Horns after Wheat's injury early in the second half. Somehow, the Cardinals were able to survive with the shaky ball handling of backup point guard B.J. Flynn and severely outscore Texas in the game's final 10 minutes. To make matters worse, Texas would have just one field goal in the last 7 minutes.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Louisville in 1997: Honestly, this 1996-1997 Louisville team was a strange mixture of parts that didn't seem to fit well. While 25-8 entering this game, Crum was right to say that this team didn't quite do anything good. With that said, the Cardinals were clearly led by senior point guard Wheat, who averaged 17.3 points per game. On this night, he would only score 3 points before leaving with an ankle injury that had him on crutches by game's end.
What You Would Have Been Watching for Texas in 1997: Despite having only 16 regular season wins (for some context of how things have changed, the eventual national champion Arizona Wildcats had 19 regular-season wins), Tom Penders' Texas team had plenty of individual talent. The lanky southpaw Freeman was a scoring machine, averaging 21.8 points per game, and boasting a nasty crossover dribble and quick release. The "Runnin' Horns," as noted on the side of Texas' cool uniforms that scream 1990s, also had sophomore Kris Clack, the first McDonald's All-American to attend the school, and freshman forward Gabe Muoneke, who would score 19 points in this game. As for Freeman, his final college game would be a struggle, finishing with just 6 points on 2-for-14 shooting.
What I Remember Watching: I did not watch this game at the time as the Arizona and Kansas game was being shown on CBS-2 in Chicago.
Who Was Watching for You: A young Gus Johnson and veteran Quinn Buckner were on the call. Johnson was not yet Johnson, yet still fun to listen to, while Buckner was solid but hardly spectacular, though I enjoyed his call of the Sims dunk.
Where They Were Watching: This game took place at Syracuse's Carrier Dome, one of my favorite NCAA Tournament sites, home of classic tournament games between Duke and Florida in 2001 and North Carolina and Villanova in 2005. There is something about the shininess of the Carrier Dome court, perhaps coming in from the bubble roof, that I have always loved.
If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): Basically, Texas appeared to be winning at a much bigger margin in the first half, shooting 58% to Louisville's 36%. And yet, despite controlling the tempo and getting up and down, Texas left something to be desired, failing to establish itself as a team that would be hard to rally against, often in part due to poor decision making. In other words, Texas came off as one of those teams that had all of the athleticism in the world but not necessarily the court awareness necessary to close out games. In fact, Louisville came out of the halftime gates with greater defensive intensity, especially freshman Nate Johnson, and the game was relatively close. While Texas would go on a 11-2 run at one point in the second half, Louisville would badly outscore the Horns after Wheat's injury early in the second half. Somehow, the Cardinals were able to survive with the shaky ball handling of backup point guard B.J. Flynn and severely outscore Texas in the game's final 10 minutes. To make matters worse, Texas would have just one field goal in the last 7 minutes.
What You Should Watch in 2017: Basically, this was a very close game until the last 10 minutes. Even after the massive Sims dunk @1:11:55, Texas held onto a four-point lead. Down five points, 54-49, Louisville took over the game around the @1:24:00 mark, with Sims getting his 23rd point, Flynn making an unlikely layup and the rest of the Cardinals like Johnson, Damion Dantzler and Alex Sanders contributing. By the @1:40:00 mark, Louisville had gone on a 16-5 run to take a 67-59 lead, and essentially put this game away. Key plays during this stretch included:
All in all, the Cardinals would shoot 60% in the second half, making a game that was actually a struggle into an unlikely blowout.
· Player You Should Watch in 2017: Besides his dunk @1:11:55, Sims should be commended for his play in the first half, scoring 13 quick points and keeping the Cardinals in the game with plays @12:54, @13:24, @13:59 and @15:04 that should be reviewed.
What Stood Out During This Watch: Texas' uniforms, from the lettering on the front of the jersey to the side of the shorts, were outstanding, a symbol of a decade that left a lot to be desired in terms of fashion.
- Dantzler scoring on a beautiful put back @1:32:27.
- Sanders scoring a layup after a steal @1:32:39.
- Dantzler burying a three @1:36:19.
- A Louisville steal leading to a ferocious dunk @1:36:37.
- Johnson get an awkward and-one @1:38:51.
All in all, the Cardinals would shoot 60% in the second half, making a game that was actually a struggle into an unlikely blowout.
· Player You Should Watch in 2017: Besides his dunk @1:11:55, Sims should be commended for his play in the first half, scoring 13 quick points and keeping the Cardinals in the game with plays @12:54, @13:24, @13:59 and @15:04 that should be reviewed.
What Stood Out During This Watch: Texas' uniforms, from the lettering on the front of the jersey to the side of the shorts, were outstanding, a symbol of a decade that left a lot to be desired in terms of fashion.
- This was hardly the most talented Louisville team, but it was gritty.
- Texas was super talented but frustrating to watch, a roller coaster of excitement and disaster all mixed into one.
- It was clear that Texas basketball was yet to be Texas basketball, as it would reach during the underachieving yet recruiting-laden era under Rick Barnes and what it would appear to promise with Shaka Smart now head coach.
- I did like the story of Texas senior guard Al Coleman, who entered the season with 47 career points and averaged 8.1 points per game as a senior, including 14 points in this game. Coleman had some game, especially when going one-on-one.
- Texas three-point specialist Brandy Perryman was a blast from the past, a reminder of DePaul playing Texas several times during this era of college basketball. Of course, DePaul and Louisville were Conference USA foes at the time so I was quite familiar with Wheat and Sims.
- As weird as the puzzle pieces were for Louisville in 1996-1997, the Cardinals did start the same starting five all season long. The last time Louisville did that was the 1985-1986 season, during which the Cardinals won the national championship.
- Louisville may have won this game by 15 points, but it would be no match for what was in store in the Elite Eight, a North Carolina team that had yet to play a full game in the tournament.
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As for Texas, here is a much happier moment from the Sweet Sixteen, a 2006 game against West Virginia that still haunts me to this day.