artie_fufkin wrote:

Oregon got friggin' hosed with a 12 seed.

I walked into the bar last night when the game was about 66-62, with around 4 1/2 minutes to play.  I can't say anything about what happened prior, other than I saw a stat that UCLA had gone 13-21 from the foul line at one point, but from that point forward, UCLA stunk.  It was hard for me to tell if that stink was self-inflicted or rather, if perhaps Oregon had already established by that point that they had a defensive answer for everything UCLA could try.  The first UCLA possession I saw, the point gaurd dribbled the ball around the top of the key for 10-15 seconds, until eventually, thinking he could summon the ghost of Micahel Jordan, he made a wild drive to his right and flung the ball skyward from about 10' away from the hoop.  It wasn't even close and he looked like an irritating playground ballhog at a key point in the the Pac 12 championship game.  

I haven't watched anything but those 4 1/2 minutes this whole season, but I remember back in about 1993 (1994?) Illinois had a young mercurial team.  I was watching them play Missouri, and it came down to Freshman shooting gaurd, Kiwane Garris on the line with 3 free throws to make a point and win the game.  Garris was a "can't miss" 90+% free throw shooter, and he clanged all three.  I think the game might have gone into OT and Mizzou won.

Wash. U. was a good place for those games because there were about as many Illinois fans as Mizzou fans.  

I might have it a bit wrong, since I just googled this:

"Last year, in perhaps the series' most thrilling renewal, Missouri outlasted Illinois 108-107 in triple overtime. The Tigers came back from a nine-point deficit with 1:23 remaining in regulation, and Illini point guard Kiwane Garris missed two free throws with no time left in the second overtime."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-12-22/sports/9412220355_1_fighting-illini-illinois-missouri

forsberg_us wrote:

The Bragging Rights games are played in St. Louis, but not at Wash. U. Now they're played at Scottrade Center. Before that, it was the Arena. But you're correct about the crowd. Those games are still about 50-50 between the fan bases. 

How come Kansas always gets to play in a regional within driving distance for the Rock, Chalk, Shitheads? I think I read they're playing in Kansas City this year. The year they knocked off ASU, the game was in Kemper Arena.
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

forsberg_us wrote:

The Bragging Rights games are played in St. Louis, but not at Wash. U. Now they're played at Scottrade Center. Before that, it was the Arena. But you're correct about the crowd. Those games are still about 50-50 between the fan bases. 

How come Kansas always gets to play in a regional within driving distance for the Rock, Chalk, Shitheads? I think I read they're playing in Kansas City this year. The year they knocked off ASU, the game was in Kemper Arena.
 

 Because about half of the NCAA employees are beaker graduates.  They aren't smart enough to get jobs with a real employer.

Anymore basketball = yawn

I can bet into march madness.  I used to like to watch the illini but anymore being a fan of them makes me feel like a cub fan much feel.  

artie_fufkin wrote:

Max, if you want to compare this year's UCLA team to Illinois, the '88 team when Anderson, Gill and maybe Battle were sophomores is probably appropos. Of course, Muhammad is probably going to drop all his classes the minute after UCLA's season ends in a couple of weeks, but back in the era of the 4-year college career, this group of players at UCLA would have been a lock to be a #1 seed in a year or two.

I have dim memories of that year.  My brother graduated U of I and Puke, and did his residency at UCLA, so he follows those teams and I do a bit too.  I was living in LA near him during those years.

Actually my comparison was to how a young team can fall apart in the closing moments of a key game.  In yet another comparison, recall the Fab Five from Michigan, and Chris Webber drawing a technical for calling a time out when he had none left to call with 11 seconds to go in the championship game, virtually guaranteeing the Tar Holes would be champs.