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1997 NCAA Tournament Recap

9/28/2016

For the 1997 NCAA Tournament, I did five "Wednesday Watch" features.

Here are my quick thoughts.

Most Intense Game: 1997 Elite Eight, UCLA vs. Minnesota

I just loved the feeling of this game from start to finish, thanks in large part to the Minnesota fans at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Most Enjoyable Watch: 1997 First Round, Coppin State vs. South Carolina

I did not see this upset when it happened live, and was a bit apprehensive, figuring that it would be hard to keep my interest up, especially with South Carolina hardly a power. I couldn't have been more wrong. After a sleepy first half, the second half of this game, along with Coppin State head coach Fang Mitchell, were quite entertaining.

Watch That Failed High Expectations: 1997 Final Four, Arizona vs. North Carolina

I knew this game was choppily played at points, but didn't realize how sloppy it truly was. I think I was so happy that Arizona won this game back in the day that I overlooked this reality, though there were some great moments, like Mike Bibby's three-point shooting in the final 8 minutes. Don't get me wrong. I still love this game. I just did not love watching it over as much as I anticipated.

Watch That Exceeded Expectations: 1997 Second Round, Colorado vs. UNC

I remember Carolina winning by double digits but was surprised to see that Colorado was up at halftime. As for the second half, the foul calls got a bit interesting as Dean Smith would break the all-time NCAA record for coaching wins.

Watch That Was Kind of Blah: 1997 Sweet Sixteen, Texas vs. Louisville

I was not all that interested in watching this game, and left without much of an impression. Even with Gus Johnson on the mic, this game lacked much excitement, though the up-and-down play was a bit interesting at points. The venue of the Carrier Dome was a saving grace.

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1997 NCAA Tournament Final Four: #4 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 North Carolina Tar Heels

9/21/2016

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by Chris Maynard ([email protected])

Oftentimes the memory of the moment is greater than the actuality of the moment.

This became clear to me this afternoon,

as I was driving through downtown Chicago traffic to play in my Wednesday night pickup game.

To bide the time, and multitask for today's post, I decided to listen on YouTube to the 1997 Final Four game between Arizona and North Carolina.

While I typically re-watch these games prior to doing my reviews, I made an exception with this game, which I watched over and over again as a freshman in high school.

Feeling like I knew this game like the back of my hand, I was surprised by just how sloppily and poorly played this game was on both sides, looking back at it for the first time in at least five years.

While I remember Arizona's Michael Dickerson and North Carolina's Shammond Williams having really tough shooting nights, I was shocked as I listened to this game to hear how bad the shooting was throughout, even when the Wildcats pulled away in the second half.

There was a lot of bricklaying on this night, as seen in North Carolina shooting a ghastly 31% (23-for-74) from the field.

As for the victorious Wildcats, they were hardly better, shooting just 33% (22-for-66).

While I clearly remember Arizona scoring off the game's opening tip on a Miles Simon layup, only to fall behind 15-4 before taking a 34-31 lead at the break, the Wildcats were not all that great in the second half.

Of course, Mike Bibby did hit five threes in the second half, but they seemed more explosive back in 1997 than they did today.

What I had forgotten was that Bibby started this game 2-for-12 from the field, not scratching until a minute left in the first half.

Even after Bibby hit a bank three early in the second half, I thought I remembered him going crazy from this point forward, when in reality, he would continue to miss for a while.

In fact, both teams would throw up a lot of bricks, and the score would be rather low, 47-42 Arizona, at the under-8 timeout.

Essentially, this game came down to Bibby and Miles Simon hitting some big shots out of this timeout and Carolina continuing to miss.

The Tar Heels would trail by 15 points late, but have the game cut down to six points with 30 seconds to go, heaving three threes that were closer to breaking the backboard than going in.

Even with the game in hand, Arizona would fumble away the ball late, with Simon trying to execute a needless fast break and losing the rock out of bounds. This happened a week after Simon and Michael Dickerson took atrocious shots late in the Providence game, allowing the Friars to come back and nearly steal this Final Four bid.

With all that said, this game was not as exciting as I remembered, more of a classic case of winning ugly and one team playing slightly less worse than the other.

Still, that's okay, because back in 1997, this game was exciting for so many reasons, including:

Arizona continuing its improbable run, knocking off its second No. 1 seed.
Bibby still firing shots with no hesitation despite a rough start.
Simon being so cool and unflappable on the court.
My jumping on the Arizona bandwagon, where I would stay for nearly 10 years.
This Final Four taking place on the Saturday before Easter Sunday.
This Final Four also occurring on my first day of spring break as a freshman in high school.

Even if this game was not as charming as I expected, I still love it, for it made me the March Madness fanatic that I am.

Why You Should Watch This Game: You should watch this game because sometimes the memory of watching something when it happened meant so much more than revisiting it many years later. I don't know what it was about this game, but it was so exciting to watch back in the day, from North Carolina's Vince Carter dunking on Arizona in the first four minutes to Miles Simon doing a shoulder shimmy dance after an and-one giving Arizona the lead late in the first half to Bibby hitting big shots to put the game away to the Wildcats and Tar Heels just looking so damn cool with those great uniforms on the glistening RCA Dome floor.

What You Would Have Been Watching for North Carolina in 1997: I have covered the 1996-1997 Tar Heels quite extensively, with all four of their prior tournament games having been reviewed. While Carolina looked like it was rolling into the Final Four after a 23-point win against Louisville in the Elite Eight, looks can be deceiving. The Tar Heels were spectacular in bursts throughout the tournament but rather up and down, surviving a first-round scare against Fairfield, actually trailing by two against Colorado at the half before getting some beneficial whistles in the second half, outlasting California in an underrated Sweet Sixteen game, and nearly blowing a 21-point halftime lead to Louisville. While Carolina had the star power in Carter, Antawn Jamison and Williams, and the legend Dean Smith on the sidelines, this Tar Heels team was primed to be beaten, especially if not clicking, as would be the case after an opening barrage to start the Final Four.

What You Would Have Been Watching for Arizona in 1997: Maybe I came to love Arizona so much back in 1997 because its championship seemed so improbable? Looking back at the Wildcats 20 years later, this championship seems even more improbable, despite the star power of Simon, Bibby, Dickerson and Jason Terry. Don't get me wrong. Arizona was playing well in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, but the Cats were victims of inconsistency as well. Arizona could have very well been bounced in the first and second round by South Alabama and College of Charleston, trailing both games by double digits in the second half before rallying. The Wildcats pulled the tournament's biggest shocker in the Sweet Sixteen, building a 13-point lead against Kansas with less than four minutes to go before nearly letting it slip away. The Jayhawks missed three three-pointers in the game's final seconds, and Arizona moved on. The Wildcats seemed to have beaten Providence in the Elite Eight before a series of poor decisions helped propel a Friars' comeback (and two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation). Lucky for Arizona, those shots missed, and the Cats were able to live another day. This Arizona team truly seemed to have nine lives, straddling that thin line between victory and defeat, emerging as a team of destiny, the only Final Four participant not to be a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats were seeking to become the first No. 4 seed to win the championship, and would do so.

What I Remember Watching: I remember so much of this game, including Simon's layup off the tip, Serge Zwikker hitting a jumper from the top of the key during the ensuing Carolina blitz, Dickerson and Williams struggling mightily, Arizona wearing out a Carolina team that was not very deep, CBS cutting to shots of Bibby's mom Virginia and Simon's sister Charisse, who was married to Darryl Strawberry, Bennett Davison picking up three quick fouls, Dean Smith coaching his last game, etc. The list goes on and on, though it's interesting to see how many little details I had forgotten, like Bibby's rough first half, all of the bricks from both teams in the second half, and the fact that these two teams opened the season against each other, an Arizona victory. Pretty basketball this was not, though the victory felt pretty to me at the time, and teams don't get style points this late in March.

Who Was Watching for You: This game was called by the CBS A-team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer. Prior to Final Fours, Packer used to have his "Packer Pointers," or keys to the game, which I used to love. His first one was quite telling, the match up between the athletic Davison and Jamison. While Jamison was clearly the better player, Packer was quick to point out how Arizona's athleticism, as seen in players like Davison, gave the Tar Heels a lot of problems. Packer was spot on right at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, noting how the Carolina players had their hands on their shorts while Arizona was getting all of the loose balls. Packer was absolutely right; Arizona was relentless and did not tire. As for Nantz, I appreciated his honesty when commenting just how bad the shooting was on both sides. Curse those damn domes.

Where Were They Watching: The 1997 Final Four took place at one of my favorite tournament venues of all time, the RCA Dome. This floor just sparkled, with the players' reflections seen on the court. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of this Final Four, from the logo to the orange lanes to the light blue baselines with small Final Four logos in the corners. Simple. Elegant. Classy. Subtle. Wonderful. This was a great court design for a great Final Four.

If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): Arizona led 4-2 before Carolina blitzed the Cats with a 13-0 run, playing a spectacular at-the-rim game with Carter and benefiting greatly from Jamison's pogo-stick rebounding and put backs. Arizona would stay afloat thanks to the brilliance of Simon and his efficient 15 first half points, and Packer would note how Carolina would get caught up in trying to make the spectacular instead of the solid play. As the shooting was awful for both sides in the first half, Carolina built a 31-26 lead late in the first half. However, Bibby hit his first three, and Simon converted an old-fashioned three-point play. The Wildcats did not play well but were still up three at the break, 34-31.

In the second half, my memory was of Arizona pulling away. But this was not the case. Both teams struggled mightily with their shooting, outdoing each other with brick upon brick. After a great first half, Simon would start off 1-of-9 in the second half. As for UNC, the Tar Heels would go on a scoreless drought that stretched eight minutes, dating back to late in the first half. In some regards, the second half became a comedy of bad shooting, with Arizona holding a 5-point lead that seemed bigger due to Carolina's ineptitude from the field. At one point late in the second half, Arizona was shooting 30% from the field in the final 20 minutes; Carolina just 25%.

Coming out of the under-8 timeout, with Arizona up 47-42, Packer noted how both teams kept throwing up shots, and that the first team to hit some was probably going to win. The Wildcats immediately responded with a Simon three off an inbound play, a Bramlett steal, and a Bibby three. All of a sudden, Arizona was up 11. After Zwikker hit a stick back, Simon knocked in a floater in the lane. Keeping Carolina in the game, Zwikker would hit another jumper before Bibby would bury another three for a 12-point lead and Carolina timeout. Bibby would add two more threes later on, though Carolina would get the game to six with 30 seconds left before missing the aforementioned three threes. As Packer stated, the team that hit some shots would win this game, and Bibby and Simon hit just enough at the right moments to give Arizona the 66-58 win, and the program's first birth in the national title game.

What You Should Watch in 2017: @52:00 to 54:16, Simon and Bibby team up for 11 points, hitting three threes and taking Arizona's 47-42 lead to 58-46 with 5:00 left. For good measure, Bibby would hit another three at @55:37 to bring the Arizona lead to 61-46. In a matter of just minutes, Bibby would score 9 of his 20 points. He would later hit another three @59:03, finishing with 17 points in the second half. Simon would lead Arizona with 24 points on the game, and scratch the Cats back into the game in the first half, while Bibby would be the difference in the second half.

Player You Should Watch in 2017: Simply watch Bibby during the stretch above. This was Bibby on a night he was really struggling with his shot. Shooters keep shooting, and Bibby did not hesitate. His lack of memory, along with a sweet shooting stroke, made all the difference in getting Arizona to the title game.

What Stood Out During This Watch:

Carter was amazing, scoring 21 points and being the only Carolina player who shot more than 50% from the field in this game. Carter had a ton of dunks, foreshadowing what he would eventually do in the NBA.
Arizona got great games from big men reserves Donnell Harris, who had 4 points and 2 blocks, and Eugene Edgerson, who cleared 9 boards.
Arizona left the door open with missed free throws; this team just didn't like finishing games easily.
Jamison had a quiet 18 points. Arizona's athletic front line was somewhat able to neutralize him. The Wildcats already had 7 blocks early in the second half.
Dean's Smith last game (and loss) was just the second time in 36 years that he would lose twice in the same season to a non-ACC team. In addition to Arizona in 1996-1997, Smith lost twice to Villanova in 1995-1996.
A.J. Bramlett was huge in this tournament for Arizona, scoring just 2 points but being active inside with 10 boards against Carolina.
Davison would play just 10 minutes due to foul trouble.
North Carolina saw its 16-game win streak, longest in the nation at the time, come to an end.
In his two prior Final Fours at Arizona, Olson watched his Wildcats, including Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, Damon Stoudamire and Khalid Rheeves make just 4 threes. While the Wildcats would not have a good shooting night overall against Carolina, Olson got better three-point shooting, thanks to Bibby (6 threes), Simon (3), Dickerson (1) and Terry (1), in this National Semifinal, just enough to make the title game.

Related Watch: Here is Arizona and North Carolina tipping off the 1996-1997 season.

Miles Simon did not play in this game as we was under academic probation for the first 11 games.

Dickerson would be huge, and Bibby would start his college career on a promising note during the Arizona victory.

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1997 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, Midwest Regional: #2 UCLA Bruins vs. #1 Minnesota Golden Gophers

9/14/2016

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by Chris Maynard ([email protected])

With trips to the Final Four at stakes, Elite Eight contests are so more intense than Sweet Sixteen games, with this never more so apparent than the 1997 NCAA Tournament classic between the

No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers and the No. 2 UCLA Bruins.

Why You Should Watch This Game: The intensity. Quite honestly, this game was tense from the opening tip, with the large contingent of Minnesota fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, really bringing the noise. While outnumbered in fan support, UCLA played great during this awesome game with the Golden Gophers, which certainly looked like the less experienced tournament program for a good amount of time. Last but not least, this game was called by the steady Tim Ryan and one-and-only Al McGuire, both of whom were on top of their games.

What You Would Have Been Watching for Minnesota in 1997: Minnesota was making its first Elite Eight appearance since 1990, which happened to be its first and only in school history at the time. The Golden Gophers were a major surprise in 1997, going from tournament snubs in 1996 to not ranked the following preseason and a No. 1 seed in 1997. The Gophers were led by senior star Bobby Jackson and junior forward Sam Jacobson, who scored 36 and 29 points, respectively, in Minnesota’s double-overtime Sweet Sixteen survival against Clemson. During that game, Minnesota starting point guard Eric Harris injured his right soldier; thus, his ability to play was in the spotlight, though the Golden Gophers were deep.

What You Would Have Been Watching for UCLA in 1997: UCLA was trying to get back to the Final Four for the second time in three years, this time with a new head coach in Steve Lavin. After winning the 1995 NCAA Tournament under Jim Harrick, the Bruins were shocked in the 1996 first round by Princeton. Lavin’s first UCLA team included four starters who played in the 1995 national title game, with the likes of Cameron Dollar, Toby Bailey, J.R. Henderson and Charles O’Bannon. Dollar willed the Bruins to victory during a Sweet Sixteen overtime clash against Iowa State. With Harris banged up, Dollar was the man to watch for UCLA.

What I Remember Watching: I remember watching this entire game, the first Elite Eight contest of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, up-close and by myself in front of the television in my parents’ living room. I remember not having a rooting interest coming into the game. I quickly turned towards UCLA as the Bruins came out the looser team, playing some brilliant basketball. As the game started to shift in favor of Minnesota during the second half, I remember being a bit upset. Also, I wanted UCLA to win because Illinois beat the Bruins earlier this season; the Illini also beat Minnesota in Champaign.

Who Was Watching for You: As mentioned above, Ryan and McGuire were on the call. Ryan was a very underrated announcer in my opinion, including his broadcasts of NFL games in the eighties. McGuire was really focused this game, predicting what was going to happen before it did. All in all, this was a tremendously solid broadcast.

Where Were They Watching: This game took place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Alamodome was the then-home of the San Antonio Spurs. The court featured orange on its baselines and its center-circle, with this color seeming out of place with the Spurs grey, white and black colors. According to Ryan, 5,000 Minnesota fans were in attendance, and it was apparent from the opening tip that there were far more Minnesota fans than UCLA fans. In some regards, this game reminded me of the 2005 Elite Eight game between Illinois and Arizona, when the All State Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, was all Illinois fans. While getting to Elite Eights was old hat for the Bruins, this was something new for the Golden Gophers, thus it is no surprise that so many Minnesota fans showed up.

If You Don’t Want to Watch (Game Summary): After a lackadaisical Sweet Sixteen game against Iowa State, UCLA came out to play. The Bruins led 34-29 at the break, with the lead feeling bigger at times. With the Golden Gophers shooting just 30% (3-for-10) in the game’s first 8 minutes, UCLA would have been up bigger than a 12-10 score if the Bruins stroked the ball better, shooting 40% (6-of-15). Remember that UCLA led the nation in field goal percentage this season, at 52% per game. UCLA led 26-25 at the under-4 break, but finished the half on a 7-3 spurt to take a five-point lead. The Bruins were led by senior Charles O’Bannon, who was fantastic in the first half, with 13 points. As for the Golden Gophers, stars Bobby Jackson and Sam Jacobson were quiet, though sophomore big Courtney James stepped up.

In the second half, the Bruins came out rolling, hitting its first five field goals and leading by 10 points at one point in the first four minutes. After Jacobson was benched with his third foul shortly after the under-16 timeout, the game shifted when Minnesota’s Quincy Lewis came in the game. Lewis, along with senior lefty sharpshooter Charles Thomas and sophomore big Miles Tarver, swung the game in favor of the Golden Gophers. Lewis scored eight quick points in the second half, which became a back-and-forth affair. Even though Minnesota clearly had seized the momentum, and held a 5-point lead at the under-4 timeout, the Bruins did not quit. A gorgeous O’Bannon floater with 1:57 left in the game cut the Minnesota lead to just two points, 66-64. However, the Bruins would get no closer as Minnesota, particularly Jackson and Lewis, would salt away the game at the free throw line. Minnesota won 80-72, reaching its first Final Four in school history. Of course, this Final Four appearance would be vacated due to an academic cheating scandal, thought that’s a story for another post.

Ultimately, this game came down to depth, with Minnesota getting huge bench contributions from Lewis (17 points), Charles Thomas (14) and Tarver (10 solid minutes), and strong overall games from starters James (12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) and John Thomas (7 points, 7 boards) on a night when Jackson (16 points) and Jacobson (14 points) were held in check (in comparison to the Sweet Sixteen) and Harris (0 points in 23 minutes) was playing with basically one shoulder. UCLA played most of the second half with just five guys, as starting center Jelani McCoy (13 total minutes) missed most of the last 20 minutes with a bruised sternum. In their last college games, O’Bannon and Dollar had contrasting performances. O’Bannon (22 points) was spectacular while Dollar (7 points, only 2 assists) struggled after being so clutch in the Sweet Sixteen. Nonetheless, the feeling of disappointment was the same for the two, who missed their final chance at another Final Four.

What You Should Watch in 2017: Honestly, this whole game is a great watch. With that said, the second half marked a switch in intensity for the Bruins, who came out ready to seize a trip to the Final Four, and elevated panic for the Golden Gophers, which came out a bit flat and on its heels. As a viewer, I could feel the nervousness of the Minnesota crowd early in the second half as the Bruins took it to the Golden Gophers, very similar to what Arizona did to Illinois in the second half of the 2005 Elite Eight. Basically, the best thing that happened for Minnesota occurred @46:40 to @46:55 when a struggling Jacobson picked up his third foul and some time in the bench. Lewis came in the game and gave the Golden Gophers a huge spark, setting in motion a thrilling conclusion to this game.

Player You Should Watch in 2017: Minnesota’s Quincy Lewis was fantastic, scoring off drives, offensive rebounds and from the free throw line in the second half, while having a big impact on the defensive end. Lewis truly lived up to his reputation as “Instant Offense” during this game and saved the Gophers’ season. Fast forward to @46:55, when Jacobson picked up that third foul, and you'll quickly see Lewis' impact on not only both ends of the floor but emotionally for the Golden Gophers.

What Stood Out During This Watch:

● The pro-Minnesota crowd made this feel like a road game for the Bruins, who thrived as the underdog.

● While Jackson and Jacobson are the names first remembered from this Minnesota team, the Golden Gophers don’t reach the Final Four without its bench play from Lewis, Thomas and Tarver. Lewis and Thomas were fearless in the second half, taking and making big shots, while Tarver showed some deft passing while being the trailing option on the fast break.

● Jackson was really kept in check for most of the game, not scoring his first basket of the second-half until @1:07:24. Also surprising about this game and the Sweet Sixteen contest against Iowa State was how good a rebounder Jackson was for his generous 6’0 listing.

● While frustrated this game, Jacobson was still capable of quick scoring bursts, as seen @1:04:42 and @1:05:57. Jacobson never lacked confidence when it came to his scoring ability, as this game showed.

● Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins pushed all the right buttons in the second half, going with the hot play of Lewis, Thomas and even Tarver to get the Gophers back in the game. For a man seeking his first Final Four, Haskins was smooth and composed all night long. He really built a nice squad in 1996/1997.

● The same goes for Lavin, who developed a reputation as an underachieving coach whose talented teams never reached their full capabilities. In his first season with the Bruins, Lavin did a great job navigating a team with little depth. Just like Haskins, he had a great pulse for his team, and was even keel with his emotions.

● O’Bannon left it all on the line in his final college game. He was brilliant, the best player on the court in my opinion.

● Dollar’s quite second half really hurt the Bruins, especially with McCoy out. While Toby Bailey (21 points) had a nice overall game, his scoring was too up and down for my liking.

● How cool was the Gophers’ celebration, when Ryan noted how Tarver had come to the CBS broadcasting booth to pull out McGuire, who was famous for dancing with the team who won the regional. Just ask Syracuse back in 1996.

All in all, this was a really fun game to watch in 1997, and that again proved to be the case for me in 2016.

Related Watch: Here are videos from Minnesota's 1990 Elite Eight appearance and UCLA's 1995 Final Four appearance.

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1997 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, East Region: #10 Texas Longhorns vs. #6 Louisville Cardinals

9/7/2016

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by Chris Maynard ([email protected])

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.

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 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:

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.

Related Watches: From the Louisville side, here are Crum's two national championships, in 1980 against Larry Brown's UCLA and in 1986 against Coach K's Duke Blue Devils.

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.

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1997 NCAA Tournament Recap

1997 NCAA Tournament Final Four: #4 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 North Carolina Tar Heels

1997 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, Midwest Regional: #2 UCLA Bruins vs. #1 Minnesota Golden Gophers

1997 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, East Region: #10 Texas Longhorns vs. #6 Louisville Cardinals

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