<![CDATA[THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOSTALGIC

<![CDATA[THE COLLEGE BASKETBALL NOSTALGIC - THURSDAY TREASURES]]>Wed, 20 May 2026 23:17:34 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[1997 NCAA Tournament Final Four: #1 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats]]>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/1997-ncaa-tournament-final-four-1-minnesota-golden-gophers-vs-1-kentucky-wildcats

by Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

The latest edition of "Thursday Treasures" moves into the second National Semifinal of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, the reigning national champion Kentucky Wildcats versus the

surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers.

After frigid shooting performances during Arizona's 66-58 victory against North Carolina, would things heat up between the Wildcats and Golden Gophers?

Game Nuggets: Here are some interesting numbers heading into this game.

Talk about a contrast in terms of program histories in the NCAA Tournament.

While Minnesota was appearing in its first Final Four, Kentucky was appearing in its 12th Final Four (third all-time) in addition to boasting this tournament resume:

74 tournament wins (1st all-time).
38 tournament appearances (1st).
107 games (1st).
6 national championships (2nd).

This disparity in Final Four experience would be apparent early in the Minnesota-Kentucky game.

Kentucky Game Nuggets: Here are some key things to know about the Wildcats.

In reaching the Final Four, Kentucky (the No. 1 seed in the West) faced the highest seed in all of its tournament games: No. 16 Montana, No. 8 Iowa, No. 4 St. Joseph's and No. 2 Utah.
Kentucky's toughest tournament test came in the second round, a 75-69 victory against the Hawkeyes.
Prior to the Elite Eight game against Utah, reserve guard Cameron Mills was leading the team in tournament scoring, after scoring just 6 points during Kentucky's 1995-1996 national championship team.
Seeking back-to-back titles, this Kentucky team was much different than the Dazzlin' Dozen from a year before. Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, Mark Pope and Walter McCarthy were all gone from the 1996 title team, Jeff Sheppard was redshirting and Derek Anderson was out with injury, though Anderson would hit two technical free throws @48:21 during the Minnesota game.
While Ron Mercer was an All-American in 1996/1997, the only returning starter from the 1996 title team was senior guard Anthony Epps. Mercer came off the bench as a freshman on the 1996 title team, as did starting point guard Wayne Turner.
Kentucky was appearing in its 3rd Final Four in 5 years.

Minnesota Game Nuggets: Here is what you need to know about the Golden Gophers.

Prior to the Minnesota-Kentucky game, Packer noted how Indiana head coach Bobby Knight had called Minnesota "the best Big Ten team to reach the Final Four in quite a long time."
Minnesota's road to the Final Four was not as easy as Kentucky's. The Golden Gophers survived a double-overtime scare against Clemson in the Sweet Sixteen. Ironically, Clemson knocked off Kentucky at the RCA Dome in the first game of the 1996/1997 season.
Minnesota only lost three times in the 1996/1997 regular season. One of those losses occurred at Alabama, another common opponent of Kentucky. The Wildcats beat Alabama by 14 on the road in February, 1997.
Minnesota overcame a 10-point second-half deficit against UCLA in a great Elite game, with bench players Quincy Lewis, Charles Thomas and Miles Tarver having great performances. Tarver would have 9 rebounds in the Final Four while Lewis and Thomas would struggle big time.
Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins was a Kentucky native who played in college at Western Kentucky. In 1967, he was the third overall pick of the Chicago Bulls. The next time the Bulls would have the third pick, Chicago would select North Carolina's Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft.

A Bargain Find: Here's a quick summary of the game.

Minnesota started off quite shaky, turning the ball over 4 times in its first four possessions. Kentucky led by as much as 10 points in the first half, but Minnesota was able to hang around despite a terrible half, trailing by only five at the break. Minnesota came out with a surge in the second, and had a chance to tie the game at 45 when Courtney James was called for a questionable charge @47:47. Haskins went ballistic, throwing off his coat and earning a technical foul, with the foul shots shot by injured Kentucky star Derek Anderson. Kentucky would jump out to an eight-point lead following the technical before Minnesota went on a 11-3 run (including a 4:30 scoring drought for Kentucky), including a 52-51 lead as Bobby Jackson proved huge. Kentucky would rally behind 5 big points from Nazr Mohammed and pull away for a 78-69 victory as Minnesota's dream season came to an end.

Medal Winners: Awarding the top performers for both teams.

Kentucky Gold: Ron Mercer. While only shooting 7-for-21 from the field, Mercer finished with a team-high 19 points, including big buckets in the second half that helped stave off the rallying Golden Gophers.

Minnesota Gold: Bobby Jackson. Scoring a team-high 23 points, Jackson was the one player who didn't seem intimidated by the big stage.

Kentucky Silver: Anthony Epps. While also struggling from the field, Epps was a "winner," as Packer pointed out, having a strong overall game with 13 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.

Minnesota Silver: John Thomas. The senior center had 10 points and 8 boards, and helped rally the Gophers out of halftime in his final college game.

Kentucky Bronze: Nazr Mohammed. Coming off the bench, Mohammed had all 5 of his points during a key stretch in the second half that allowed Kentucky to hang on and advance to the title game.

Minnesota Bronze: Courtney James: The sophomore forward played a tough game with an efficient 8 points and 6 boards.

Kentucky Offensive Charms: Here are some nice plays by the Wildcats.

@2:43 to @2:53, and @5:46 to @5:56, Kentucky's Anthony Epps shows his beautiful three point shooting stroke.
@2:59 to @3:09, Ron Mercer scores on a beautiful spin move and floater on a 2-on-1 UK break. The replay of this gorgeous finish can be seen @3:23 to @3:40.
@7:11 to @7:21, Kentucky senior Jared Prickett, fresh off the bench, uses a beautiful spin move to the baseline to make a layup.
@8:47 to @8:57, Cameron Mills continues his hot shooting in the tournament by hitting a gorgeous three on his first attempt in the game.
@13:09 to @13:19, Prickett scores off a nice offensive rebound and stick back.
@17:12 to @17:22, and @19:32 to @19:42, Kentucky's Scott Padgett shows his beautiful stroke with two three pointers.
@21:25 to @21:35, Mercer cans a corner jumper as Kentucky hits its sixth-straight bucket.
@39:36 to @39:46, Mercer dunks the ball following a terrible turnover from Jacobson.
@43:26 to @43:36, Mercer hits a big three for Kentucky as the Wildcats stave off the rallying Golden Gophers.
@47:31 to @47:41, and @50:04 to @50:14, Mercer scores off a curl and then hits a tough fade.
@1:01:09 to @1:01:19, Nazr Mohammed hits a nice hook to give Kentucky a 60-54 lead.
@1:06:33 to @1:06:43, Padgett hits a big three to give Kentucky a 65-56 lead.
@1:10:00 to @1:10:10, Mills cans a three-pointer for a 68-57 UK lead.
@1:15:33 to @1:15:43, Mohammad scores a huge and-one.

Minnesota Offensive Charms: Here are some strong plays by the Golden Gophers.

@6:10 to @6:20, Bobby Jackson uses a nice pump fake from the three-point line to get into the lane and make a much-needed layup for the Golden Gophers.
@10:23 to @10:33, Jackson masterfully steps into a three-point shot, which hits nothing but net.
@15:11 to @15:21, Sam Jacobson hits an incredible one-handed, high-arching floater over the outstretched hands of two Kentucky players, drawing an and-one.
@21:07 to @21:17, and @21:36 to @21:46, Minnesota scores off the Kentucky press, with a nice layup from Jackson and a dunk from Courtney James, respectively.
@30:31 to @30:41, Jackson draws a foul following an explosive drive to the basket.
@31:49 to @31:59, and @34:21 to @34:31, Jacobson shows off his unbelievable scoring abilities, hitting a nice pull-up and beautiful fade, respectively.
@37:44 to @37:54, Minnesota opens up the second half with a long, drawn-out possession that results in a Harris three.
@38:12 to @38:22, John Thomas provides a spark early in the second half, with an offensive board and put back.
@44:07 to @44:17, James tips in a miss to cut the Kentucky lead to 45-43.
@51:52 to @52:01, Jacobson hits a shot that only Jacobson can hit, a high-arching jumper that temporarily quells the Kentucky run.
@54:07 to @54:17, Jackson hits a "dipsy-do" reverse layup that is definitely the play of the game.
@1:10:52 to @1:11:02, Charles Thomas hits a tough fadeaway on the block.
@1:16:04 to @1:16:14, James notches a beautiful tip in.

Defensive Diamonds: Here are some stellar defensive plays, often from the Kentucky press.

@7:23 to @7:33, Kentucky's vaunted press forces a Quincy Lewis double dribble.
@17:20 to @17:30, the Kentucky press leads to a Ron Mercer floater.
@33:11 to @33:21, an opportune Kentucky trap forces a steal from Bobby Jackson.
@39:11 to @39:21, Kentucky's Jamaal Magloire swats a Jackson layup into the stands.
@1:00:25 to @1:00:35, Epps steals the ball off the press and feeds Prickett for a gorgeous layup.

Passing Pearls: Here are some nice dimes dropped throughout this game.

@12:51 to @13:01, Minnesota point guard Eric Harris breaks the Kentucky press, feeding Trevor Winter for a two-hand slam.
@24:01 to @24:11, Lewis comes off a curl and hits John Thomas for a dunk, Minnesota's fifth dunk of the first half.

Coaching Charms: Here are some great coaching adjustments throughout the game.

Early in the first half, with his Golden Gophers struggling to find footing, Clem Haskins throws the kitchen sink at Kentucky, going with 2-1-2 and 1-3-1 half-court defenses and then going to a full-court press himself.
See the "Defensive Diamonds," specifically the Kentucky turnovers forced off the press, for an idea of how much havoc Pitino's pressure caused during this era of college basketball.

Awesome Announcing: Here are some great insights from Billy Packer and Jim Nantz.

@5:15 to @5:35, Packer notes how this game is taking on the feel of the beginning of the Arizona-North Carolina game, especially with the up-and-down flow.
@9:28 to @9:38, Packer notes how Kentucky is forcing the tempo of this game, just like victorious Arizona did in the first Final Four game.
@23:07 to @23:40, Nantz and Packer call out the "woeful shooting" that is taking place thus far at the Final Four.
@37:10 to @37:20, Nantz makes a great point with Minnesota trailing 36-31 at the half, saying that the Golden Gophers couldn't play any worse.

Cream of the Crop: While not having his best game, Mercer was the most explosive player on the floor, seemingly appearing to be a sure-thing at the next level, though Jackson would have a much better pro career.

Defensive Diamonds: Here are some stellar defensive plays, often from the Kentucky press.

@7:23 to @7:33, Kentucky's vaunted press forces a Quincy Lewis double dribble.
@17:20 to @17:30, the Kentucky press leads to a Ron Mercer floater.
@33:11 to @33:21, an opportune Kentucky trap forces a steal from Bobby Jackson.
@39:11 to @39:21, Kentucky's Jamaal Magloire swats a Jackson layup into the stands.
@1:00:25 to @1:00:35, Epps steals the ball off the press and feeds Prickett for a gorgeous layup.

Passing Pearls: Here are some nice dimes dropped throughout this game.

@12:51 to @13:01, Minnesota point guard Eric Harris breaks the Kentucky press, feeding Trevor Winter for a two-hand slam.
@24:01 to @24:11, Lewis comes off a curl and hits John Thomas for a dunk, Minnesota's fifth dunk of the first half.

Coaching Charms: Here are some great coaching adjustments throughout the game.

Early in the first half, with his Golden Gophers struggling to find footing, Clem Haskins throws the kitchen sink at Kentucky, going with 2-1-2 and 1-3-1 half-court defenses and then going to a full-court press himself.
See the "Defensive Diamonds," specifically the Kentucky turnovers forced off the press, for an idea of how much havoc Pitino's pressure caused during this era of college basketball.

Awesome Announcing: Here are some great insights from Billy Packer and Jim Nantz.

@5:15 to @5:35, Packer notes how this game is taking on the feel of the beginning of the Arizona-North Carolina game, especially with the up-and-down flow.
@9:28 to @9:38, Packer notes how Kentucky is forcing the tempo of this game, just like victorious Arizona did in the first Final Four game.
@23:07 to @23:40, Nantz and Packer call out the "woeful shooting" that is taking place thus far at the Final Four.
@37:10 to @37:20, Nantz makes a great point with Minnesota trailing 36-31 at the half, saying that the Golden Gophers couldn't play any worse.

]]><![CDATA[1997 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, Southwest Region: #10 Providence Friars vs. #4 Arizona Wildcats]]>Thu, 15 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/1997-ncaa-tournament-elite-eight-southwest-region-10-providence-friars-vs-4-arizona-wildcats

by Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

Weary from a business trip to Texas, the middle-aged man trudged up the stairs of his Chicago home with his wife by his side.

As the key turned and opened the door, the man's downtrodden look was apparent but quickly gone.

SURPRISE!

Family and friends greeted the man with love, celebrating his 40th birthday.

A smile, from ear to ear, filled the man's face.

Forty years to the day of my father's surprise 40th birthday party, college basketball fans were treated to an NCAA championship game that figured to be a classic yet still proved to be a surprise.

The 1957 final between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks, featuring Wilt Chamberlain, would go three overtimes, with UNC emerging victorious and national champions.

No other title game has gone three overtimes.

On the 40th anniversary of the UNC-Kansas classic, and the birth of my father, two surprise teams battled in Birmingham, Alabama, for the last trip to the 1997 Final Four.

During my father's party, Arizona and Providence engaged in a classic game itself, with plenty of surprising twists and turns, including a near Arizona collapse at the end of regulation.

While my attention to this game would be in and out at the time as I celebrated my Dad with family and friends, I recently gave this Elite Eight contest my full attention, as seen in the latest "Thursday Treasures."

Talk about a roller-coaster ride. Enjoy.

Game Nuggets: Here is some cool information contextualizing this game.

Providence and Arizona was the last Elite Eight game of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. The other three Elite Eight games had been won by No. 1 seeds Minnesota, Kentucky and North Carolina.
It's no wonder that CBS announcer Jim Nantz called the Southwest Region the "Cinderella" region, with No. 4 Arizona and No. 10 Providence left standing.
Of course, No. 1 Kansas was expected to take this region, with just one loss on the season. However, Arizona had different plans in the Sweet Sixteen, holding Kansas seniors Scot Pollard scoreless, Jacque Vaughn to just 8 points, and Jerod Haase to a mere 2 points.
In the second round, Providence knocked off No. 2 seed Duke, and then met up with Cinderella No. 14 UT-Chattanooga, which upset No. 3 seed Georgia and defeated No. 6 seed Illinois in the opening weekend.
The Friars would survive UT-Chattanooga, 71-65, in the Sweet Sixteen, setting up this improbable regional final.

Arizona Game Nuggets

Entering the Elite Eight, the Wildcats had shot 50 more free throws than its opponents in the 1997 NCAA Tournament. There would be plenty of free throws in this game, especially in a foul-ridden second half. Arizona would shoot 13 more three throws than Providence, holding a 38-25 advantage.
At the time, Arizona head coach Lute Olson was 3-0 in Elite Eights. He would win this Elite Eight game but lose 3 of his next 4 appearances, including a 1998 drubbing at the hands of Utah.
The 1996-1997 Arizona Wildcats are known for players like Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry while big men Bennett Davison and A.J. Bramlett don't get enough recognition. Entering the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Bramlett had just one double double. In the first three rounds of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Bramlett had three double doubles. As for Davison, he was huge this game.
While Bibby was the Pac-10 freshman of the year in 1997, and Simon would be the M.O.P. of the 1997 NCAA Final Four, Dickerson was the only first-team All Pac-10 selection on the conference's 11-man team at the end of the 1996/1997 regular season.

Providence Game Nuggets

Providence was looking to become the first No. 10 seed to reach the Final Four. At the time the lowest seed to make the Final Four was No. 11 LSU in 1986. As a No. 9, Pennsylvania reached the 1979 Final Four, losing to Magic Johnson and Michigan State. In 1985, No. 8 Villanova not only crashed the Final Four but won the national championship during a flawless performance against Georgetown. In 1984, Virginia made the Final Four as a No. 7 seed, the year after Ralph Sampson had graduated.
The Friars were led by senior forward Austin Croshere, who was averaging just less than 27 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. Croshere scored a tournament-high 39 points in the Friars' first-round drubbing of Marquette. He would have just 12 points against Arizona, fouling out with roughly 10 minutes left in the second half.
Providence was seeking its first Final Four birth since the 1987 team led by Billy Donovan and head coach Rick Pitino. Interestingly enough, Providence began its 1987 NCAA Tournament play in Birmingham, Alabama, defeating host Tulane and then Austin Peay, which upset Illinois in the first round. The Friars were 3-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in Birmingham.
While a surprise team in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Providence had lost 5 of its last 7 regular season games before winning a pair in the Big East Tournament.
Apparently, this Providence team did not always get along so well during the regular season, with East Coast players like God Shammgod, Jamel Thomas and Derrick Brown, and California native Croshere having differences of opinion.

A Bargain Find: Here's a quick summary of this game.

The first half started back and forth before Arizona used some hot shooting to take a seven-point lead. However, Providence went to a 2-3 zone that flummoxed the Wildcats and rode point guard God Shammgod to go on a 14-2 run late in the first half. Arizona led 32-31 at the break on a three by Miles Simon, the best player for the Wildcats in the first 20 minutes.

Out of the halftime gate, Arizona build its lead back up as the game got testy and fouls became the norm, including four technicals (three on Providence, 1 on Arizona). Croshere would foul out after the under-12 timeout and Bramlett would be gone soon after. Arizona actually led this game by 10 points with 6 minutes left and by 8 points at the under-4 timeout. That's when the game went crazy.

Behind Shammgod's driving, Providence cut into the lead. The Wildcats kept splitting trips at the free throw line as the Friars were coming. Poor shot selections by Dickerson (@1:28:50) and Simon (@1:31:25) kept Providence in the game, along with the hearts of Shammgod, Jamel Thomas, Corey Wright and Ruben Garces. After Simon's terrible shot was blocked, Providence raced the ball down court, where Thomas hit a three to tie the game at 85. The Friars then stole the ball and Shammgod fired a shot @1:31:46 that would have won it for Providence. While the shot missed, the ball caromed out of bounds to Providence. After an Olson timeout to settle down his Cats, Providence's Wright badly missed a wide-open three from the top of the key, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, Arizona was able to rebound and take an early lead. Shammgod, Garces and Thomas would not let the Friars die, with a Thomas two cutting the Arizona lead to 95-92. After Terry hit one of two free throws, Providence missed a shot and inexplicably did not foul in the overtime's final 10 seconds.

Arizona survived 96-92. It's amazing to think how close Arizona was to blowing this game, which would have meant no national championship or crazy fascination with this program that I would develop. All in all, the second half of this game was slowed down by fouls but worth the wait for the drama that would unfold. While losers of this game, this Providence team was a bunch of street fighters.

Medal Winners

Arizona Gold: Shooting guard Miles Simon. Despite his brain cramp late in regulation, Simon was a stud, with his 30-point performance against Providence setting up his big weekend in Indianapolis.

Providence Gold: Point guard God Shammgod. While CBS went with Garces, I am going with Shammgod, who scored 23 points and dished out 5 assists. Shammgod got wherever he wanted all night long and set up many Providence trips to the free throw line. In simple terms he could not be contained.

Arizona Silver: Power forward Bennett Davison. While Arizona had six players in double figures, including Bibby, who had a quiet 17 points, Davison was huge all night, going for 14 points and 12 boards, setting up several baskets with beautiful assists and swatting several memorable shots.

Providence Silver: Center Ruben Garces. While Croshere and Shammgod were the stars of this Providence team, the undersized Garces, along with front-line mates Derrick Brown and Thomas, were the heart of this team. Garces had 16 points and 19 boards, and was a force in the game's final minutes with his activity on the offensive glass.

Arizona Bronze: Center A.J. Bramlett. Limited to just 24 minutes due to foul trouble that resulted in an early disqualification, Bramlett continued his stellar play with 12 points. I just loved the way Bramlett and Davison played on the interior from the start to the finish of this game. They brought a lot of toughness against a physically superior Providence team.

Providence Bronze: Forward Jamel Thomas. The older brother of Sebastian Telfair had a slow first half but left it all on the floor in the second half and overtime, hitting the game-tying three at the end of regulation and finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Honorable Mentions: Arizona's Terry (11 points) hit a big shot with a minute left in overtime while Brown (18 points, 9 rebounds) played valiantly, if not always efficiently, before fouling out in overtime.

Arizona Offensive Charms: Here are some examples of the Arizona offense clicking.

@0:47 to @0:57, Arizona freshman guard Mike Bibby fires a no-look feed to center A.J. Bramlett for a monster two-handed slam.
@1:23 to @1:33, Miles Simon hoists a gorgeous three from the top of the key, netting nothing but net.
@5:14 to @5:24, Bibby controls a rebound and goes the full-length of the court for a scoop layup.
@9:40 to @9:50, Simon scores on a beautiful drive and spin in the lane.
@10:47 to @10:57, Arizona's Michael Dickerson uses a wicked crossover to get to the cup for a basket.
@31:40 to @31:50, Simon hits a big three to give Arizona a 32-31 lead following a 14-2 Providence run.
@48:10 to @48:20, Terry demonstrates great self control, hitting a gorgeous pull-up.
@1:00:38 ot @1:00:48, Simon hits another big three just when Arizona needs it, as is his custom all game long.
@1:05:25 to @1:05:35, Simon gives Arizona a 12-point lead with 9 minutes left after another three.
@1:19:28 to @1:19:38, Davison scores on an offensive put back.
@1:34:30 to @1:34;40, Bibby hits a tough pull up to quiet the Providence storm early in overtime.
@1:34:56 to @1:35:05, Terry scores a graceful layup.
@1:35:45 to @1:35:55, Simon hits a banker as Arizona extends its overtime lead.
@1:41:41 to @1:41:51, Terry hits a big jumper from the free throw line to give Arizona a 94-90 lead with a minute left in overtime.

Providence Offensive Charms: Here are some examples of the Friars running the show. I've created a separate section for Shammgod's highlights, as he was unbelievable.

@9:04 to @9:14, and @10:25 to @10:35,, Providence stars Jamel Thomas and Croshere get on the scoreboard with three pointers of their own.
@15:55 to @16:05, Croshere draws a foul on a gorgeous drive to the basket.
@51:11 to @51:21, Thomas shows his New York City toughness, tumbling down on an acrobatic fast-break finish set up by a Wright steal.
@56:18 to @56:28, Thomas sticks with the ball on the glass, scoring a tough basket on the inside.
@1:00:31 to @1:00:41, Thomas goes to work again on the offensive glass, scoring on a follow.
@1:23:52 to @1:24:02, Garces tips in a missed Shammgod layup as Providence furiously rallies back.
@1:26:34 to @1:26:44, Brown rebounds a missed Shammgod free throw, draws a foul of his own and hits two free throws to cut the Arizona lead to 85-79.
@1:29:05 to @1:29:15, Garces scores on another tip in off a miss, cutting the Arizona lead to 85-82.
@1:31:20 to @1:31:40, After an inexcusable Simon shot, Thomas hits a corner three to tie the game at 75.
@1:34:07 to @1:34:17, Brown starts off overtime with a big board and score.
@1:35:18 to @1:35:28, Garces won't let the Friars die, scoring on another put back of a Providence miss.
@1:43:03 to @1:43:13, Thomas hits what looks to be a three, but is a two, cutting the Arizona lead to 95-92.

Defensive Diamonds

@3:40 to @3:55, Providence big man Ruben Garces gets in the passing lane, making a steal that leads to a Brown layup.
@6:39 to @6:49, Bramlett blocks Austin Croshere on a drive to the basket.
@9:53 to @10:03, Simon gets in the passing lane, making a steal and going in for the slam.
@11:02 to @11:12, Bramlett strips Thomas on a drive to the basket.
@19:21 to @19:31, Davison obliterates a Thomas shot at the rim.
@22:30 to @22:40, Garces adeptly denies a post feed to an Arizona big man.
@30:07 to @30:28, Providence and Arizona send out invitations to a "Block Party," with Friars' big Ndongo N'diaye and Arizona's Davison sending back respective shots.
@48:43 to @48:53, Wright proves to be a defensive nuisance, drawing a charge on Bibby.
@51:37 to @51:47, Simon sets up a Bramlett score with a nice dish.
@1:08:47 to @1:08:57, Davison sends a Shammgod shot out of bounds after the Providence guard penetrates a bit too far, a rarity.
@1:31:30 to @1:31:50, After Thomas improbably ties the game with a three, Providence steals an Arizona pass, leading to a Shammgod shot that would have won the game but misses.

Sensational Shammgod: Here's an entire section dedicated to Providence point guard and New York City legend God Shammgod going to work against the Wildcats.

@0:11 to @0:21, Shammgod blows by the Arizona defense, with a beautiful wrap-around pass to Derrick Brown for the game's first two points.
@1:08 to 1:18, God cannot be contained as another drive leads to a Brown bucket.
@1:27 to @1:37, a theme is clearly emerging as Shammgod hits Brown with an up-court pass for another basket and a 6-5 Providence lead.
@11:25 to @11:35, Shammgod proves unable to be contained, getting to the rack and drawing a foul on the Arizona defense.
@20:39 to @20:49, Shammgod blows by Dickerson, getting to the rim and hitting Garces, who is hammered.
@22:57 to @23:03, Shammgod has the Arizona defense on its heals and thus drains a three instead of taking the ball to the rack.
@23:47 to @23:57, Shammgod is spearheading a first-half Providence comeback, attacking the rim, spinning and drawing a foul, getting the Friars crowd rolling.
@24:57 to @25:07, Shammgod utilizes some more nifty dribbling to get to the rim and hit Garces for a layup and a 10-0 Providence run.
@26:34 to @26:44, Shammgod hits a pull-up on Bibby, increasing the Providence run to 12-0.
@39:18, Shammgod once again has the ball on the string, getting into the lane and hitting a wide open Brown, who misses a three.
@45:18 to @45:28, Shammgod gets to the rim and makes a big layup, cutting Arizona's 45-38 lead to five early in the second half.
@49:16 to @49:26, Shammgod sets up Croshere for a score, off yet another drive.
@51:58 to @52:08, Shammgod spins out of the post to hit Brown, who is fouled.
@1:11:48 to @1:11:58, Shammgod uses the "Shammgod" dribble to set up Brown. Wow!
@1:15:38 to @1:15:48, Shammgod scores off another dribble drive to the hoop to cut the Arizona lead to 64-54 with 6:20 remaining.
@1:16:47 to @1:17:55, Shammgod keeps the Friars alive with his uncanny ability to get anywhere he wants with his dribble and finish at the hoop.
@1:19:37 to @1:20:10, Shammgod knocks down two free throws after putting more pressure on the Arizona defense with his dribbling and drawing a foul.
@1:21:45 to @1:21:50, Shammgod dunks the ball off a steal to cut the Arizona lead to 82-76 with 2:57.

Passing Pearls

@4:12 to @4:22, Simon makes a beautiful pass over the top of the zone to Bramlett. The play does not count, but this is a fantastic pass.
@17:17 to @17:27, Arizona big man Bennett Davison spins out of the post into the lane, drawing the defense and hitting Bramlett for a two-hand slam.
@17:47 to @17:57, Terry comes up with a steal and leads a three-on-one fast break, throwing a beautiful behind-the-back bounce pass to Simon, who cruises in for a smooth layup.
@22:10 to @22:20, Garces shows some deft interior passing, hitting Brown for a score.
@26:45 to @26:55, After Shammgod hits a pull-up in his eye, Bibby comes back with a beautiful lob to Davison, who rocks the rim with some authority.
@35:37 to @35:47, Davison opens the second half with a beautiful cross-court pass to Bibby for a three.
@40:35 to 40:45, Simon taps a missed Arizona shot to Davison for an easy score.
@44:17 to @44:27, Simon gets into the lane, drawing the defense and dishing to the struggling Dickerson, who hits just his third three in his last 25 attempts.
@46:16 to @46:26, Davison again draws the defense with a spin to the lane and hits reserve Donnell Harris for a two-hand slam.
@48:32 to @48:42, Providence reserve guard Corey Wright sets up Croshere with a great dish.
@57:15 to @57:25, Dickerson hits Davison on a sweet high low feed.
@59:08 to @59:18, Thomas throws a no-look to Brown.

Coaching Charms

With Arizona controlling the game in the first half, Providence's Pete Gillen went to an active 2-3 zone that flustered the Wildcats, which were not patient with its ball movement or shot selection, allowing the Friars to get back into the game.
After Providence tied the game on a three, missed a jumper but retained control of a ball that went out of bounds in the game's final seconds, Olson called a timeout, allowing Providence, which had no timeouts left, to draw up an inbound play. While Packer didn't like this timeout, I did, as Arizona was falling apart and needed to slow things down and regain its composure, even if it meant letting Providence draw up a last-second shot.

Awesome Announcing: Jim Nantz and Billy Packer called this game, with the insufferable Craig James (yikes!) on the sideline. James looked and sounded like a deer in the headlights during this game. It's no wonder he did not work many NCAA Tournaments afterwards. For a lack of a better word, James is an entitled jerk.

@13:00 to @13:30, CBS comes out of the commercial break with Packer analyzing how Bibby and Shammgod are palming the ball, and how this violation is not being called. Nantz says not to expect a call against God, especially on "Palm Sunday."
@1:31:20 to @1:31:50, Nantz and Packer are shocked when Simon takes an unneeded shot, Thomas hits a game-tying three, and Providence steals the ball. Nantz screams "Providence can win" just before Shammgod misses a game-winner. The ball goes out of bounds to Providence. Olson calls a timeout to get his team composed, and Wright misses a game-winning three, sending the game to overtime. What a crazy, exciting finish to regulation.

Cream of the Crop: While my heart says Simon, I am going with the entire Providence team, which showed tremendous heart despite the loss. This team was fun to watch. While I am glad that Arizona won all of these years later, this Providence team would have been fun to see in the Final Four.

Well, that's it for this fantastic Regional Final.

One more Elite Eight game to go (North Carolina versus Louisville) and it's onto the 1997 Final Four, which might be my favorite Final Four of all time.

]]><![CDATA[1997 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen, Midwest Region: #6 Iowa State Cyclones vs. #2 UCLA Bruins ]]>Thu, 08 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/1997-ncaa-tournament-sweet-sixteen-midwest-region-6-iowa-state-cyclones-vs-2-ucla-bruinsby Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

Following a classic double-overtime game between Minnesota and Clemson, UCLA and Iowa State tipped off its 1997 Sweet Sixteen game in a bit of a sleepy fashion, at least the Bruins did.

What would be a grind-it-out first half

during which the Cyclones controlled the game behind the dynamic duo of Dedric Willoughby and Kenny Pratt turned out to be an overtime classic, as UCLA awakened just in time to put itself in position for its second Final Four appearance in three seasons.

This “Thursday Treasures” examines Cameron Dollar’s photo finish during this Sweet Sixteen contest called by Tim Ryan and Al McGuire from San Antonio’s Alamodome, then-home of the Spurs.

Game Nuggets: Here are some interesting numbers heading into this game.

1. UCLA was appearing in its 33rd NCAA Tournament.

2. UCLA won 11 of those 33 NCAA Tournaments.

3. For comparison’s sake, Iowa State was appearing in its 11 NCAA Tournament OVERALL.

4. Iowa State was appearing in its first Sweet Sixteen since 1986.

5. The next time Iowa State would appear in the Sweet Sixteen would be the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Led by Marcus Fizer, the Cyclones would defeat none other than UCLA before losing a classic Elite Eight game to Michigan State. Some people consider this game the true national championship of what turned out to be a brutal tournament that year.

6. All time, UCLA was 5-0 against Iowa State, including NCAA Tournament victories in 1989 and 1993.

UCLA Game Nuggets

1. Four of UCLA’s starters played in the 1995 NCAA title game two years before, a victory against Arkansas. Those players were senior point guard Cameron Dollar (who would play great that championship night while filling in for the injured Tyus Edney), junior shooting guard Toby Bailey (who would go off in the title game), senior small forward Charles O’Bannon (whose brother, Ed, would be the Most Outstanding Player of the 1995 Final Four) and junior power forward J.R. Henderson (who would play limited bench minutes).

2. Of UCLA’s starting lineup, which included sophomore Jelani McCoy, Dollar was the only starter who did not average double digits, scoring 8.7 points per game.

3. In 1996/1997, the Bruins led the nation in field goal percentage, hitting at a 52% clip. O’Bannon led the Bruins at 17.7 points per game while the juniors Bailey and Henderson each scored 14 points per contest.

4. The Bruins were 23-7 entering this game, having dispatched Jackson State and Xavier in the first two rounds. UCLA did not look like a No. 2 seed early in the 1996-1997 season when Illinois pasted the Bruins at the United Center during a CBS doubleheader that I recorded. Following the Illinois upset, Michigan defeated Arizona in overtime at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Somewhere in my parents’ house lies the VHS cassette of those two games.

5. On the season, UCLA was 1-2 in overtime.

Iowa State Game Nuggets

1. Iowa State was 22-8 entering this game. The Cyclones led the Big 12 in scoring defense, holding teams to 60 points per game.

2. Senior center Kelvin Cato, a future pro in the NBA, was the leading shot blocker in the Big 12. Cato, a South Alabama transfer, apparently never played high school basketball, with his experience limited to AAU ball.

3. Iowa State started three other seniors, Willoughby, Kenny Pratt and Jacy Holloway. Willoughby led the Cyclones with nearly 19 points per game while Pratt was second at just more than 14 points per game. A steady point guard who ran the Cyclones offense, Holloway would have a resilient game against UCLA.

4. After losing 4 of its last 6 games, Iowa State defeated Illinois State in the first round and upset Cincinnati in the second round, a controversial finish covered last week.

5. On the season, Iowa State was 0-1 in overtime.

A Bargain Find: Foreshadowing an eventful overtime ending, the game’s first points would occur on a Cato follow and then a Dollar basket. Iowa State enforced its tempo and will in the first half, leading 37-25 at the break. The undersized Pratt was a force underneath while Willoughby hit four threes. Iowa State shot 52% while the Bruins hit just 37% from the field. The Cyclones were 6-for-10 from three while the Bruins were 2 for 8. Iowa State also held a 16 to 4 advantage in points in the paint. UCLA’s 25-first half points were its lowest on the season.

Iowa State came out like lightning early in the second half, leading by 16 points at one point in the opening minutes. Finally picking up its energy and defense, UCLA uses a 10-point run fueled by Dollar threes and active defense to cut the game to 6 points. While Iowa State would briefly fight back, UCLA would use a 11-3 run to cut the score to 52-51 with 7:33 to go. An O’Bannon jumper off a beautiful curl @51:54 to 52:04 gave UCLA its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 6:41 to go. From here, the game would be nip and tuck. At the under-4 timeout, the score was tied at 58, as Iowa State was in the midst of a 4-minute field goal drought. UCLA appears to have the game in the final minute, taking a three-point lead on back-to-back Dollar buckets, but Willoughby hits a clutch three @1:06:00 to @1:06:10 to tie the game at 64. After Dollar is called for a travel with 1.4 seconds left, Holloway just misses a three @1:06:55 to @1:07:05 following a broken inbound play, leading to overtime.

In overtime, UCLA began the scoring @1:08:49 to @1:08:59 as Henderson made an acrobatic layup over Cato on the break. The Bruins went up 4, but the Cyclones refused to die as the game went back and forth. Trailing 70-66 after a Bailey tip in @1:10:10 to @1:10:20, Cato rocked a nasty cuff dunk @1:12:00 to @1:12:10. Bailey responded with a nice pass to Henderson for a dunk on the break @1:13:01 to @1:13:11 before sophomore Clay Edwards hit a lefty layup to cut the score to 72-70 @1:14: 57 to @1:15:07. With UCLA up two in the game’s final 30 seconds, O’Bannon foolishly fouled Pratt with a silly reach-in @1:16:19 to @1:16:29. After Pratt hit the first free throw but missed the second, O’Bannon and Johnson both secured the rebound, but traveled in the process @1:17:12 to @1:17:22. Iowa State appeared to have stolen this game as the Cyclones hit Bankhead on an inbound alley0oop @1:17:39 to @1:17:49, but Dollar wouldn’t let the "Bruins go play golf" yet as McGuire noted early in the second half. Channeling his inner Tyus Edney, Dollar went full court, possibly getting away with a push off of Holloway, and hit a high-arching bank layup to give UCLA a 74-73 lead with 1.9 seconds to go @1:17:50 to @1:18:00. Iowa State’s Edwards inexplicably got a five-seconds call on the ensuing inbound, and UCLA’s O’Bannon bounced the ball to Dollar, who dribbled out the clock and UCLA win. The final: Bruins 74, Cyclones 73.

Medal Winners: Awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the most important UCLA and Iowa State players in the victory.
___________________________________________________
UCLA Gold: The senior Dollar played 41 of 45 minutes, refusing to let the Bruins lose and ending the game with some legendary UCLA magic.

Iowa State Gold: In his final college game, Willoughby went out fighting, scoring 34 points and nailing 8 threes.
___________________________________________________
UCLA Silver: After a quiet first half, O’Bannon stepped up in the second half, finishing the night with an efficient 16 points in 44 minutes.

Iowa State Silver: Al McGuire noted that the good Cato came to play on this night, finishing with 10 points, 9 boards and a plethora of blocks.
___________________________________________________
UCLA Bronze: While having a rough shooting night, Henderson battled all night long, finishing with 12 points and 12 boards while playing all 45 minutes.

Iowa State Bronze: While a stud in the first half, Pratt was quiet and apparently a little winded in the second half.
___________________________________________________

Masterpiece Performances: For each team, I want to acknowledge at least 5 great offensive plays that were not previously detailed.

UCLA Offensive Gems: Here some good examples of the Bruins clicking on the offensive end.

1. @4:52 to @5:02, UCLA sophomore center Jelani McCoy finishes a massive dunk.

2. @24:42 to @24:52, seldom used UCLA reserve Brandon Lloyd hits a huge three to keep the Bruins in the game at 35-25.

3. Down 16 early in the second half, O’Bannon hits a big three @31:15 to 31:25, keeping the Bruins afloat.

4. @35:29-@35:39, Henderson has a massive dunk, that appears to be wiped out but is counted, though the Bruins forward picks up a charge after the basket.

5. @37:52 to @39:00, Dollar begins chipping away at a 14-point deficit, hitting back-to-back threes.

6. @49:17 to @49:27 and @50:05 to @50:15, O’Bannon and Dollar fuel the UCLA comeback with skillful floaters.

Iowa State Offensive Gems: See the Willoughby three point show below.

1. @2:00 to @2:10, Willoughby drains the first of what will be eight threes on the night.

2. @2:42 to @2:52, Willoughby converts a four-point play.

3. @4:44 to @4:54, Pratt scores on a pretty drive. He does so again @9:06 to @9:16.

4. @10:35 to @11:00, Iowa State gets working on the offensive boards, showing the Cyclones’ tenacity in the first half.

5. @20:43 to @20:53, Willoughby hits a gorgeous three following beautiful off-the-ball movement.

6. @43:58 to @44:08, Willoughby hits a difficult three for his 24th point. More importantly the shot ends a 10-0 run and puts Iowa State up 49-40 with under 12-minutes remaining.

7. Diversifying his game, Willoughby hits a beautiful floater @49:30 to @49:40 to keep Iowa State up three points.

8. With the game seeming to slip away, @1:02:24 to @1:02:34, Willoughby hits his biggest three yet, his seventh overall, to give Iowa State a 61-60 lead with 2:45 to go.

9. Early in overtime, Pratt gets his first field goal of the second half @1:09:52 to @1:10:02, cutting the UCLA lead to 68-66.

Defensive Diamonds: This game had some incredible defense, as seen below.

1. @11:13 to @11:23, UCLA sixth man Kris Johnson (son of Bruins’ legend Marques Johnson) subs in and immediately makes a steal, leading to a layup.

2. @15:39 to @15:49, Pratt strips Henderson of a sure layup underneath the basket.

3. @15:55 to @16:55, Dollar steals the ball from Holloway after a nice trap by the Bruins.

4. @17:25 to @17:35, Cato shows great footwork for a big, sliding and gaining position before McCoy, resulting in an offensive foul on the Bruins big man.

5. @18:00 to @18:20, Cato and teammate Sean Bankhead have successive blocks at the rim.

6. @22:27 to @22:37, Iowa State reserve Clay Edwards has a beautiful strip of Johnson.

7. @30:49 to @30:59, Cato continues his block party, swatting a Bruin shot that leads to a Bankhead layup.

8. @33:53 to @34:03, another Cato block leads to a fast-break score, this time a Willoughby and-one that gets the Iowa State crowd going with a 46-30 lead.

9. @38:04 to @38:14, UCLA’s press forces a turnover following a Dollar three.

10. @39:13 to @39:23, Bailey steals the ball and hits a layup to cap a 10-0 UCLA run and cut the score to 46-40.

11. @41:55 to @42:05, Cato blocks Bailey at the rim as the Bruins are coming back.

12. @48:29 to @48:39, Henderson anticipates a Holloway pass for a nice steal within the UCLA full-court pressure.

13. @1:09:21 to @1:09:31, Willoughby takes a huge charge early in overtime just as UCLA is charging.

Passing Pearls: Here are some nifty dimes from the Bruins and Cyclones.

1. @12:25 to @12:35, Cato shows some deft passing for a big man, drawing the defense in the lane and hitting Pratt for a score.

2. @16:33 to @16:43, Dollar shows show deft handles, with a gorgeous dribble that sets up a nifty pass to O’Bannon, who cans a three.

3. @19:00 to @19:25, beautiful UCLA ball movement leads to a Dollar jumper.

4. @23:41 to @23:51, Holloway makes a beautiful pass to Cato for a rim-rattling dunk.

5. @31:49 to @31:59, Pratt hits Willoughby for a nice score.

6. @31:58 to @32:08, Dollar makes a sweet pass to a cutting Bailey, who makes a beautiful pass to McCoy for a dunk.

7. @44:13 to @44:23, Willoughby makes a gorgeous wrap-around pass to Edwards, who is fouled at the rim on the fast break.

8. @53:19 to @53:29, O’Bannon feeds Henderson with a great pass off the screen and roll game for a basket and 55-54 UCLA lead.

9. @1:04:35 to @1:04:45, Dollar hits a shot following a good pass from Henderson.

Awesome Announcing: Here is Al McGuire being Al McGuire while calling the game with the underrated Tim Ryan.

1. @3:23 to @3:33, McGuire calls Iowa State Ohio State before correcting his mistake.

2. @7:00 to @7:20, McGuire makes fun of Pratt’s generous listing of 6’5’’, saying the following: “If Pratt is 6’5’’, I’ll give you two dollars.”

3. @7:43 to @7:53, McGuire calls Willoughby “Derrick” instead of “Dedrick.”

4. @8:50 to @9:00, McGuire says that Charles O’Bannon turned his season around by “taking the hotdog out of his game.”

5. @11:35 to @11:45, Iowa State point guard Jacy Holloway hits a three right after McGuire says he’s not a scorer. Coach Al makes fun of himself for that comment.

6. After a nice Pratt score underneath the basket, McGuire says that “He’s what you call blacktop” referring to Pratt having a game that causes all sorts of problems for the opposing team on the playground.

7. With UCLA trailing and Iowa State enforcing its grind-out half-court play, McGuire says @23:06 to @23:16 that UCLA needs to start pressing to change the tempo of the game.

8. @30:25 to @31:25, McGuire says that “The Green Hornet would be proud of that move” after Cato scored following a Holloway pass. McGuire then explains that Kato was the limo driver of the Green Hornet. Ryan jokes that most people viewing the game don’t know who Kato is, and adds that there have been more famous Katos in the news since then, referring to O.J. Simpson houseguest Kato Kaelin. All in all, outstanding banter between the two.

9. @37:52 to @38:02, McGuire compares UCLA to Joe Louis, saying that the Bruins are about ready to come at the Cyclones following a Dollar three.

10. @58:06 to @58:16, McGuire notes that Henderson, while on the free throw line with the Bruins down 1 point, is “one of the few big guys who wears his socks high.”

11. @1:04:27 to @1:04:37, McGuire calls Charles O’Bannon “Ed” several times.

Coaching Charms: Here were some nice coaching decisions by UCLA’s Steve Lavin and (cough) Iowa State’s Tim Floyd.

1. After a big O’Bannon three @31:15 to @31:25, UCLA head coach Steve Lavin brings full-court pressure, which will wear down the Cyclones in the second half.

2. @1:01:49 to @1:01:59, Bailey scores an easy layup after a nice UCLA inbound play.

3. @1:17:39 to @1:17:49, Iowa State nearly steals its second-straight game off a quick inbound hitter, with the Cyclones alley ooping to Bankhead for a 73-72 lead.

Cream of the Crop: Cameron Dollar. The senior played like a million bucks, scoring a then-career high 20 points, refusing to let the Bruins lose, and ending a huge night and great career of Willoughby, who had 34 points for the Cyclones. Somewhere Tyus Edney was smiling.

]]><![CDATA[1997 NCAA Tournament Second Round, West Region: #3 Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. #6 Stanford Cardinal ]]>Fri, 02 Sep 2016 01:38:00 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/1997-ncaa-tournament-second-round-west-region-3-wake-forest-demon-deacons-vs-6-stanford-cardinalby Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

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!

A Bargain Find: Here is a quick summary of the game’s events if you choose not to watch the game.

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.

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.

]]><![CDATA[1997 NCAA Tournament First Round, East Region: No. 16 Fairfield Stags vs. No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels]]>Thu, 25 Aug 2016 17:27:24 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/1997-ncaa-tournament-first-round-east-region-no-16-fairfield-stags-vs-no-1-north-carolina-tar-heelsby Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

On Thursday, March 13, 1997, the North Carolina Tar Heels prepared to face the Fairfield Stags in what was expected to be an easy first-round game and a historic night for legendary head coach Dean Smith, who was one victory shy of tying Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp for the

most coaching wins in Division-I basketball.

What seemed like a coronation nearly became an aberration as a game Fairfield team coached by Paul Cormier unexpectedly challenged North Carolina for 39 minutes before becoming just another No. 16 seed to lose to a No. 1 seed.

This version of “Thursday Treasures” reexamines Fairfield’s incredible performance and Smith’s incredible accomplishment during this wonderful game from the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

Game Nuggets: Here are five facts to establish the setting of the game.

1. This game took place at Wake Forest University’s beautiful Lawrence E. Joel Coliseum in Winston Salem, North Carolina. With its big Demon Deacon head and gorgeous parquet court, the Lawrence E. Joel Coliseum was one of my favorite first- and second-round sites of the NCAA Tournament, especially in 2000, when Illinois beat Penn, Florida survived Butler on a Mike Miller buzzer beater, and De Paul and Kansas played an exciting overtime game.

2. In addition to hosting a NCAA Tournament game in 1997, Wake Forest was a participant in the field, with the Demon Deacons earning a No. 3 seed in the West Region. That Wake Forest team was led by senior Tim Duncan and hoping to crack the Final Four after losing in the Elite Eight in 1996. That would not be the case as Wake Forest would be ousted in the second round by Stanford.

3. North Carolina was playing its second game of the season at the Lawrence E. Joel Coliseum. The Tar Heels began 1996-1997 ACC play at Wake Forest, getting crushed 81-57.

4. Despite this early-season loss at Lawrence E. Joel, the Tar Heels had to be feeling good after having to travel only 55 miles from Chapel Hill. Of all the teams in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, North Carolina had the shortest travel route in the first and second rounds.

5. Called by the incredible announcing duo of Sean McDonough and Bill Raftery, this game aired during the first portion of the evening block of games. In other words, this game would have started around 7:15 eastern time.

North Carolina Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Tar Heels.

1. Entering this game, Dean Smith was seeking his 876th career coaching victory, which then would have tied Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp for the most in NCAA Division-I. Interestingly enough, Smith and Rupp faced each other seven times, with Smith’s Tar Heels holding a 5-2 advantage against Rupp’s Wildcats.

2. Even though North Carolina was a No. 1 seed, this Tar Heels team had its struggles at different points in the season, despite its 24-6 record at the time (the Tar Heels would finish 28-7 on the year). After losing to Wake Forest, North Carolina blew 20-plus point leads in its next two ACC games, respective home and road losses against Maryland and Virginia, to begin 0-3 in the ACC.

3. The Tar Heels nearly fell to 0-4 in the ACC, but ultimately rallied late to defeat North Carolina State in its fourth ACC game. The Tar Heels would finish 11-5 in the ACC (second to Duke) and win the ACC Tournament with a victory against N.C. State.

4. While not his deepest team, Smith had plenty of talent on the 1996-1997 Tar Heels, which were led by sophomores Antawn Jamison (19.1 points per game; first-team All American) and Vince Carter (13.0 points per game), junior Shammond Williams (14.1 points per game) and 7-3 senior center Serge Zwikker (11.5 points per game ). Sophomore Ademola Okulajia (8.0 points) rounded out the starting lineup while freshman point guard Ed Cota (8.0 points) played significant minutes, often in crunch time.

5. While Jamison, Williams and Carter were stars on this team, Zwikker and Cota were significant contributors. Seemingly a stylistic outlier on this Carolina team, the awkward Zwikker finished third-team all-ACC. As for Cota, he became the first freshman since Georgia Tech’s Kenny Anderson to lead the ACC in assists, and the first Tar Heel to do so since senior Jimmy Black in 1982, a season during which North Carolina defeated Georgetown for Smith’s first national championship.

Fairfield Game Nuggets: Here are 5 quick facts about the 1996/1997 Stags.

1. Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, and members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Fairfield was coached by Paul Cormier, who played in high school for former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino. Cormier became an assistant coach for Massimino at Villanova, and had a heavy hand in recruiting many of the players from the 1985 Wildcats team that shocked Georgetown to win the NCAA championship.

2. Of all the teams in the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Fairfield had the worst record at 11-19, including a 2-12 conference record. At the time, the Stags’ .379 winning percentage was the fourth lowest in NCAA Tournament history. In 1997, Fairfield was seeking to become the first team with a losing record to win an NCAA Tournament game since Bradley in 1955. That Bradley team was 7-19 and won two tournament games.

3. Despite what the record may seem to say, Fairfield was a talented team that was predicted to win the MAAC in 1996-1997 after going 20-10 and making the NIT in 1996. Unfortunately, the Stags were riddled by injuries, especially to forward Shannon Bowman, who would play much of the season, including this game, with bone chips in his feet.

4. To reach the NCAA Tournament, the Stags upset regular-season champion Iona in the first round of the 1997 MAAC tournament and then beat St. Peter’s and Canisius.

5. The Stags were led by a gritty group of players, including senior guard Greg Harris (14.3 points per game), the only Fairfield player to average in double-digits during the season. The senior Bowman (9.8 points per game), who played power forward at an undersized 6’4’’, and freshman John Tice (9.0 points per game) were also major contributors during this season and in the Carolina game. Sophomore point guard Kyle Commodore (5.4 points per game) would also step up on this night.

A Bargain Find: Here is a quick summary of the game’s events if you choose not to watch the game.

Showing no fear of the Tar Heels, Fairfield took the lead early in the first four minutes, thanks to a three-point shooting barrage from Tice (@1:38 to 1:43), Commodore (@2:04 to 2:09) and Harris (@3:52 to 3:57). The Stags extended the lead in the next four minutes as Francis continued to stroke it from three (@8:47 to 8:52) and Tice mixed his early three-point shooting with some fearless drives to the rack (@9:40 to 9:45) and a smart cutting game (@10:48 to 10:53). With Carolina struggling from the field, Fairfield got rolling in the next four minutes, with Harris on fire after a step-back three (@13:55 to 14:00) and Bowman hitting a jumper (@15:43 to @15:48), causing Smith to call a timeout. Down 9 at the time, Carolina came out with more intensity, but Fairfield did not back down the rest of the half, thanks again to Harris (big-time three off ball fake @30:23 to 30:28) and another surprising drive by Tice (@32:44 to 32:49). Fairfield led 35-28 at the break after a Cota shot that probably should not have counted due to a missed offensive foul. Carolina had just two leads in the first half while shooting in the mid 30s. As for the Stags, they shot a scorching 56% from the field.

Coming out of halftime, Smith made some great coaching adjustments, having the Tar Heels put pressure on the inbounds at halftime (@33:55 to 34:00), forcing a Fairfield timeout, and then having his Carolina team go inside early and often, as seen in a Carter layup (@36:04 to 36:09), a lob off an inbounds to Zwikker (@37:06 to 37:11), and relentless Jamison energy on the offensive boards (@39:02). Within just three minutes, the game was tied at 37. However, Fairfield did not fold as the overall game play picked up from both sides in the next five minutes (@39:40 to 44:40) as the score was tied at 45. With Zwikker picking up his play after a tough first half, and freshman Ed Cota dissecting the Fairfield zone, Carolina clung to a 59-56 lead at the under-8 timeout. Fairfield would valiantly fight, as seen in a Tice three (@59:10 to 59:15), but the Tar Heels would have too much Cota (@59:32 to 59:37), Carter (@1:08:55 to 1:09:00) and Zwikker (1:10:10: 1:10:15) in the final minutes as Carolina survived 82-74, outscoring the Stags 54-39 in the second half.

Medal Winners: Awarding gold, silver and bronze medals to the most important Carolina and Fairfield players in the victory.
___________________________________________________
Carolina Gold: Serge Zwikker. After scoring just 3 points in the first half, and leaving many easy baskets unfinished, Zwikker picked it up big time in the second half, scoring 16 of his 19 points. Zwikker was just too big for the Stags to handle in the second half, especially when his soft shooting touch got going, and added 13 rebounds.

Fairfield Gold: Greg Francis. In his final college game, Francis scored a game-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. All 8 of Francis’ made fields came from behind the three-point line.
___________________________________________________
Carolina Silver: Ed Cota. The freshman point guard scored just two points but sliced up the Fairfield zone in the second half, ending up with 10 assists and running great offense in the crucial minutes of the second half.

Fairfield Silver: John Tice. The freshman played a fearless game, with 14 points.
___________________________________________________
Carolina Bronze: Vince Carter: Finishing with a team-high 22 points, Carter was too athletic for the Stags to handle.

Fairfield Bronze: Shannon Bowman. While physically limited, Bowman added 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting.
___________________________________________________
Masterpiece Performances: For each team, I want to acknowledge 10 offensive plays that were not previously detailed.

Carolina Offensive Gems:

1. Carter with a beautiful pass and dive to the basket (@6:24 to 6:29)
2. Jamison with a beautiful cut within the Fairfield zone for a lay-up (@11:13 to 11:18)

3. Carter with a great job running the secondary break en route to a dunk (@19:09 to 19:14)
4. Carolina with a great job attacking the baseline at the back of Fairfield zone with a Jamison backdoor alley oop (@25:02 to 25:07) and beautiful use of baseline (@25:44 to 25:49)
5. Cota with a beautiful no-look pass to Jamison (@29:04 to 29:09)
6. Jamison using his butt to get great post position (@44:47 to 44:52)
7. Zwikker with a nice move on the baseline (@47:16) and beautiful half hook (@49:49 to 49:54)
8. Williams with a beautiful jump stop in the lane for a layup (@51:00 to 51:05)
9. Carter follows his own missed three (57:45 to 57:50)
10. Zwikker taking over in the second half (@47:11 to 47:16, @52:42: to 52:47, @1:04:22 to 1:04:27)

Fairfield Offensive Gems:

1. Tice continuing to attack the basket (@21:33 to 21:38, @1:02:22 to 1:02:27)
2. Bowman showing great patience within the middle of the zone (@22:47 to 22:52)

3. Fairfield with more great patience against the Carolina zone (@27:27 to 27:37)
4. Darren Phillip with a nice finish on a feed from Bowman (@35:14 to 35:19)
5. Commodore with a big three to silence the Carolina crowd after the game was tied (@39:10 to 39:15)
6. Francis with a big three to keep Fairfield in the game (@43:10 to 43:24)
7. Francis with another stone-cold three (@47:28 to 47:33)
8. A beautiful post feed to Bowman for a layup (@54:08) and a nifty finish by Bowman by using his body (@1:10:30 to 1:10:35)
9. Just beautiful Fairfield offense (@57:18 to 57:23)
10. Francis refusing to let his team with some more threes (@1:03:58-1:04:03, 1:13:45 to 1:13:50)

Defensive Diamonds: Here are five great defensive plays from this game.

1. Francis gets back after rushing a three to break up a Carolina alley oop (@10:00 to 10:15)
2. Bowman with a surprise block (@15:10 to 15:15)

3. After a big three, Okulajia gets in the passing lanes, leading to a dunk (@41:48 to 42:14)
4. Okulajia with a big block (@43:59 to 44:04)
5. Zwikker has a block party (@59:49 to 1:00:10)

Passing Pearls: Here are two great dimes, one from each team.

1. Williams with an unbelievable baseline pass for a layup (@20:50 to 20:55)
2. Commodore with a behind-the-back pass that gets the crowd going (@39:30 to 40:18)

Awesome Announcing: Here are a few standout calls or observations.

1. McDonough predicts a Harris three (@43:18 to 43:24) and uses subtlety, mentioning in the second half (and for the first time all game) that a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed (@46:25 to 46:30) rather than beating this in the audience’s head right away.

2. Raftery makes a great comparison of Bowman to the Meat Hook, Florida’s Demetrius Hill (@13:18 to 13:23).

Coaching Charms: Here are some quick observations about the coaching performance on both sides.

1. Fairfield’s Cormier did a great job of designing a game plan in which the Stags ran a Princeton-style offense, using clock to get good shots. Overall, Fairfield ran nice offense to get open threes all night.

2. It’s no wonder Smith ended up with 879 career wins. He never panicked but did not rest on his laurels, bringing pressure at the start of the second half, using Zwikker’s size to his team’s advantage, including two over-the-top layups off inbounds plays, and exploiting the back side of the zone.

Cream of the Crop: Smith would get his record-setting 877th career win two days later against Colorado (to be covered soon on The College Basketball Nostalgic) and the Tar Heels would reach the 1997 NCAA Final Four, his 11th. Smith would retire at the end of this season. His 877 career coaching wins would eventually be broken by Bob Knight, Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski.

Darling Discovery: I found another copy of the Fairfield-North Carolina game, with commercials, live look-ins and bonus coverage of College of Charleston's win against Maryland.

]]><![CDATA[Proudly Introducing "Within the Field: Thursday Treasures" ]]>Thu, 18 Aug 2016 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/proudly-introducing-within-the-field-thursday-treasuresby Chris Maynard (collegebasketballnostalgic@gmail.com)

The College Basketball Nostalgic is proud to introduce "Thursday Treasures" as part of its Wednesday, Thursday and Friday "Within the Field" series that will review classic, memorable and/or unheralded NCAA Tournament games.

"Thursday Treasures" will especially focus on NCAA Tournament games that I absolutely love and feel are must sees for any college basketball fan.

"Thursday Treasures" will cover tournament games from the first and second rounds to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Final Four and championship games will be covered in my "Final Fridays" and "Monday Magic" sections, respectively.

For each game, I will follow a similar format that provides at least 10 gems, or individual plays/or coaching strategies, that stand out from this specific "Thursday Treasure." In other words, I want "Thursday Treasures" to recognize the outstanding individual, team and coaching moments that made these games so enjoyable to watch.

Utilizing YouTube, I will include the time codes of these moments so that you can see them for yourselves.

Additionally, in alignment with the "Treasures" theme and the current Rio Olympics, I will award each team with three medals (gold, silver and bronze) to recognize the three players who had the most outstanding impacts for each squad.

Of course, I will introduce each game and provide a brief back story of each team before diving into the respective game.

My first "Thursday Treasures" is scheduled for Thursday, August 25th, as I will review the classic 1997 first round tournament game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Fairfield Stags.

While building some content, I previously wrote a "Thursday Treasures" on the 1999 first round game between Gonzaga and Minnesota. Please see that post for an idea of what "Thursday Treasures" will look like.

With that said, I look forward to striking it rich in the future within this bountiful treasure chest of unbelievable tournament games like the following.

]]><![CDATA[(Thursday Treasures) 1997 NCAA Tournament, East First Round: #16 Fairfield Stags vs. #1 North Carolina Tar Heels ]]>Thu, 28 Jul 2016 21:59:21 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/thursday-treasures-1997-ncaa-tournament-east-first-round-16-fairfield-stags-vs-1-north-carolina-tar-heelsby Chris Maynard

Game observations coming tonight!

]]><![CDATA[(Thursday Treasures) 1999 NCAA Tournament, First Round: #10 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. #7 Minnesota Golden Gophers]]>Fri, 08 Jul 2016 06:13:13 GMThttps://www.collegebasketballnostalgic.com/thursday-treasures/-thursday-treasures-1999-ncaa-tournament-first-round-10-gonzaga-bulldogs-vs-7-minnesota-golden-gophers

Gonzaga forward Casey Calvary blocks Minnesota guard's Kevin Nathaniel's layup attempt during the Bulldogs first-round victory against the Golden Gophers in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. (Image: Washington Post)

For respective fans of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the first installment of “Thursday Treasures” should evoke vastly different emotions.

For unbiased fans with no dog in the fight, this game should be recognized as not only a fantastic first-round 7-10 game but a historically important marker for the birth of arguably the most consistent mid-major of all time.

Here are the back stories on both programs prior to my breakdown of the game.

Gonzaga Back Story: Before more recent Gonzaga stars Domatas Sabonis, Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos, there were then-unknown Bulldogs named Richie Frahm, Matt Santangelo and Casey Calvary, players who would forever change the course of the program’s history in 1999. And before these players, there was John Stockton, the most famous Gonzaga basketball alum.

Stockton pretty much sums up Gonzaga basketball outside of Spokane before the 1999 NCAA Tournament. The Jesuit school of roughly 5,000 students was known as the alma mater of the Hall of Fame point guard Stockton, still playing at the time for the Utah Jazz.

Now when people think of Gonzaga in 2016, Stockton is hardly alone on that list, with the names of Head Coach Mark Few, NBA bust Adam Morrison, and future pro Dan Dickau just a few to come to mind.

With the passage of time, and transition of Gonzaga from Cinderella mid-major to a media darling power program that has occasionally bordered on unlikeable, the names Frahm, Santangelo and Calvary, and even then-head coach Dan Monson, should be recognized and appreciated by fans young and old.

These were damn good players on a damn fun team to watch for two NCAA Tournaments.

Just to be further clear, historically speaking, Gonzaga in 1999 was not Gonzaga in 2016.

Prior to the 1999 NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga had never won a tourney game. The Bulldogs would win three games that tournament, and two more each in 2000 and 2001.
That’s right. Little Gonzaga would make the Sweet Sixteen three years in a row, with it all beginning with this victory against Minnesota.
The 1999 Bulldogs would run all the way to the Elite Eight and lose in a tight game against eventual national champion UCONN.
While having higher seeds in future tournaments, Gonzaga has reached the Elite Eight only one other time, in 2015. Gonzaga even received a #1 seed in 2013 but lost in the second round to Final Four-bound Wichita State.
Since 1999, the Bulldogs have not missed an NCAA Tournament.

Despite these amazing accomplishments, prior to this 1999 first round game, casual fans were hardly concerned about Gonzaga and more focused on a scandal surrounding the Minnesota basketball program.

Minnesota Back Story: I remember the day of this game like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school, and all the buzz amongst my friends and even my chemistry teacher was what had just been uncovered about the University of Minnesota men’s basketball program.

On the Wednesday before the Thursday game against Gonzaga, a St. Paul Pioneer Press story indicated that four Minnnesota basketball players – starters Miles Tarver and Kevin Clark and reserves Antoine Broxsie and Jason Stanford – were involved in an academic cheating scandal. Apparently, a woman connected to the program had acknowledged that she had written papers for Minnesota players for years under the regime of Head Coach Clem Haskins. The gory details of the scandal can be found here.

With this news rocking the college basketball world, Minnesota ended up enforcing self-imposed suspensions of the four players heading into the tournament game.

The timing could not have been worse for the Golden Gophers, which had lost in the first round of the 1999 Big Ten Tournament to Illinois, the last-place team in the conference, and had finished with a sub-.500 record (along with Purdue) in the final two months of the 1998-1999 season. And yet the Golden Gophers were one of a then-record seven Big Ten teams, including Purdue, to reach the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

While missing the rebounding big Tarver and the point guard Clark, Minnesota still had two future NBA players on this team: Quincy Lewis, who would be a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in the 1999 NBA Draft after leading the Big Ten with a 23 points-per-game scoring average, and freshman center Joel Przybilla, who would be a top-10 pick in the woeful 2000 NBA Draft. In contrast, Gonzaga was hardly built around pro prospects, though Richie Frahm would eventually fight his way into the league years after going undrafted in 2000.

Despite being future pros, Lewis and Przybilla had difficult games against Gonzaga. With the team’s depth decimated by the suspensions, Lewis and Przybilla could not afford to have rough games, especially for a team that had been struggling.

And yet, before the scandal, recent years had been a high period for the Minnesota baksetball program. Behind stars Bobby Jackson and Sam Jacobson, role players like Eric Harris, Courtney James and Jon Thomas, and reserves like Lewis and Tarver, Haskins took Minnesota to the 1997 Final Four. As a number-one seed, Minnesota knocked off Clemson in a double-overtime classic in the Sweet Sixteen and then defeated in the Elite Eight a UCLA team that had some key players like Charles O’Bannon and Toby Bailey from its 1995 title team. In the Final Four, the Golden Gophers would hang tough with Kentucky before losing late in the second half.

With Jackson gone to the NBA and James suspended, Minnesota would miss the NCAA Tournament in 1998 but win the NIT against Penn State. At the beginning of 1999, the Golden Gophers were a pleasant surprise, with Lewis having a remarkable season but not winning the Big Ten Player-of-the-Year Award (Ohio State’s Scoonie Penn and Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves would win the awards from the media and coaches, respectively).

Despite getting to the 1999 NCAA Tournament, Minnesota did not get to enjoy the experience like other teams as the scandal sucked out any good vibes.

Heading into the Gonzaga game, Minnesota seemed like a dead team walking, which was the case in the first half, as seen in my breakdown.

Game Location at Key Arena in Seattle, Washington: Home of the Seattle SuperSonics, Key Arena was one of the loudest buildings in the NBA, as I learned when watching the Bulls beat the Sonics in the 1996 NBA Finals. Here is something cool about Key Arena. The color of its court under each three-point line was slightly different than the color from outside the three-point lines. It was something hard to notice, but a friend once pointed it out to me. It kind of looked weird and was distracting once noticed.

Anyways, for this tournament, the court for Key Arena was changed, with a funky, hippy-like sun sitting at the center court, which seems so Pacific Northwest looking back now.

Here’s one more important thing about the game’s location. Seattle is roughly 300 miles away from Spokane, the home of Gonzaga University. If it couldn’t get worse for Minnesota, Gonzaga had a distinct home-court advantage.

Announcing Team of Kevin Harlan and Jon Sundvold: Listening to Kevin Harlan call a basketball game, whether it’s 1999 or 2016, is a quite enjoyable experience. Sundvold, a former Missouri star who once played for the Supersonics, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, brought the broadcast a Southern twang, which I kind of liked. He did mess up a couple of times on Santangelo’s name, calling him Sant-angelo instead of San-tangelo, but no worries. Harlan was a bit reserved, maybe in light of the academic scandal, but got excited during the thrilling second half, releasing a trademark “Kaboom” when Frahm hit a big three late.

A Tale of Two Halves: Gonzaga hit the Golden Gophers, down a fifth player when reserve big man Kyle Sanden severely sprained his ankle during Wednesday’s practice, with haymakers throughout the first half. Led by Frahm, who was 4-of-6 from three and scored 16 first half points, the Bulldogs went 8-of-12 from three and shot 55% from the floor en route to a 19-point lead at the half. Reduced to playing reserves and yes, walk-ons, Minnesota was not helped by Lewis’ cold shooting or Przybilla’s foul trouble.

In the second half, Gonzaga quickly extended the lead to 21 points before playing some undisciplined basketball. With Minnesota picking up the intensity, defensive pressure and overall urgency, Gonzaga played into the Golden Gophers hands, hoisting up quick shots. To be honest, Gonzaga looked like a mid-major that was not ready for the moment at points in the second half. As for Minnesota…

Gophers Get Heroic Effort from Freshman Walk-On Dusty Rychart: Limited in experience and athleticism, Rychart sparked Minnesota in the second half, adeptly using his body to make up for his lack of jumping ability to score 23 points and grab 17 points. A traditional three-point play by Rychart amazingly cut the Gonzaga lead to just two points with 1:43 to play before Frahm made the key play of the game. Other Gophers who seized the day and balled out with their balls on the line were limited point guard Mitch Ohnstod and LSU-transfer Terrance Simmons (he had two crazy dunks in the second half).

While Minnesota would be down in years to come, due to penalties from the cheating scandal, Rychart would be a hard-working and very respectable overachiever throughout the rest of his career, as this Illinois fan could attest to.

Key Play of the Game: After Rychart’s free throw cut the game to 65-63 with less than 2 minutes to go, Frahm responded with a three (his first of the second half) on the next possession. Following a Simmons’ turnover, Gonzaga would break the press and hit Calvary for a layup, plus the foul, and the Bulldogs would salt away the game at the line for a 12-point victory. Here is the box score.

The Gonzaga Aftermath: While surviving Minnesota in the second half, Gonzaga was the better team and would have probably won if the Golden Gophers did not have four players suspended. Yet the Bulldogs would need to better in the second round against Stanford, which had made the Final Four in 1998. The Bulldogs would be better, shocking Stanford, nipping Florida on a Calvary tip in late in the Sweet Sixteen, and valiantly battling UCONN in the Elite Eight.

The Minnesota Aftermath: Haskins would not survive the cheating scandal. He was not officially fired but actually bought out by the school months after the 1999 season's conclusion. He would never coach in Division-I again, despite taking Minnesota to 6 tournaments in his 13 seasons. Before Haskins, Minnesota had been to 2 NCAA Tournaments. Since Haskins left, Minnesota has been to 4 tournaments.

The Weird Irony of This Game: Strange as it is, Gonzaga’s Monson would replace Haskins at Minnesota. His assistant, Mark Few, would take over the Gonzaga program. Unlike Monson, Few never left, and the rest has been history for the Zags.

Monson would eventually get Minnesota to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 before being replaced by Tubby Smith after the 2006 season. Monson did reach 4 NITs with Minnesota.

Also worth noting, in his first season at Minnesota, Monson kicked Przybilla off the team for skipping classes. Przybilla would never play for the Gophers again and would enter the 2000 Draft.

Since being fired at Minnesota, Monson has been the head coach at Long Beach State, where he reached the NCAA Tournament in 2012.

Quick Observations

● Frahm was deadly from three and did a great job of getting the crowd going during tense moments in the second half.

● Santangelo was solid at the point in the first half, but a little shaky in the second half. When on, Santangelo could really run an offense, being just physical enough to create some space in the lane and then dish a nasty dime.

● Calvary had a quiet game until his three-point play in the final minute. His moment would come in the Sweet Sixteen.

● Minnesota left it all on the floor in the second half, and had nothing to be ashamed of, with Rychart keeping the Golden Gophers in the game.

● Whatever is thought of Haskins, as a coach, he had to be proud of how hard his team fought in the second half.

● Gonzaga nearly blew this game. Would Gonzaga be Gonzaga if it had squandered this game to Minnesota?

Conclusion: Well, that was a strange NCAA tournament game for many reasons and a great start for the “Thursday Treasures” series.

Enjoy the YouTube version of the game below.

Here are some key plays worth watching.

● At 57:30, 5’8’’ Gonzaga guard Quentin Hall makes a beautiful finger roll to quell, albeit temporarily, the Minnesota momentum.

● From 1:00:00 to 1:02:00, Frahm and Simmons go back and forth with terrific finishes.

● From 1:07:40 to 1:08:15, Simmons has another spectacular dunk but Lewis squanders the momentum with a missed layup.

● At 1:20:00, Frahm secures the game with a dagger of a three after Rychart had cut the Bulldogs lead to two.

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