Modern Era TRUE Defending Champs

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:47 pm

Many times the school that wins the CBB title loses key players from the team that won it, thus making the term "defending champion" rather hollow. Sometimes, like with UF this year, that isn't the case and we see a TRUE run at a repeat title. Looking back, here's how the teams returning the core of their title winning team have fared the following year:

95 Arkansas- Although they didn't win it all they gave it a damn good run, falling to UCLA in the title game.

97 Kentucky- Again came up just short losing in OT of the title game. With many of the same players back again the Cats won it all in 98, narrowly missing a 3 peat.

02 Dook- You could argue they don't belong on this list since they lost Battier but bringing back Williams, Dunleavy and Boozer was enough for me to keep them here. This squad got upset in the Sweet 16 by IU.

07 Florida- We're about to find out...

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:55 pm

that 97 game was great....i remember watching it at my old place, 1012 14th street in Boulder.

kind of cool pad.

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:10 am

'97 brings back fond memories. Eight of us high school kids on spring break in Daytona, FL crammed in one hotel room at the Beachcomer Inn. And one of the guys was/is a Kentucky fan. The words "And Simon Says Championship" still piss him off to this day.

the_ouskull · Post by **the_ouskull** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:43 am

That 1995 Arkansas didn't have any Scottie Thurman miracle-assed jumpers against a Toby Bailey-led UCLA squad.

Wow, I'm old.

I remember that 1997 game too. I was traveling the country, bartending, and living the hoe life. Miles Simon was the shit. I still can't believe that he banked that fuckin' shot in...

Those Kentucky teams were good too. Hell, that whole 1996 Final Four was one of the most thuggish ever. John Wallace at 'Cuse, half of that Kentucky team... Mr. 36 Summertime Credits, Dante Jones, at Miss St, and Marcus "You can't prove I cheated" Camby. I'm surprised that there weren't more rap albums inspired by that conglomerate.

the_ouskull

Rack Fu · Post by **Rack Fu** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:18 am

All I remember of the '95 tourney was Lawrence Moten calling that timeout when SU had no timeouts ('Sup Chris Webber) and a four point lead on Arkansas with basically no time left. Two free throws + possession + basket = OT. SU loses 96-94 in OT.

I'd love to remember the All-American Lawrence Moten, the all-time Big East scoring leader Lawrence Moten but no... I remember that one fucking play.

Terry in Crapchester · Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:29 am

L45B wrote:'97 brings back fond memories. Eight of us high school kids on spring break in Daytona, FL crammed in one hotel room at the Beachcomer Inn.

Damn, we got some kids on this board.

In '97 I was more than a decade out -- of college.

Fuck, I'm old.

Degenerate · Post by **Degenerate** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:51 pm

I was at KU in '97 and everyone I knew wanted Arizona to beat Kentucky because "it would have made KU's loss look better." The choke of all chokes in the Sweet 16 after a one-loss season and those dipshits they thought it could be lessened somewhat if Arizona completed the run all the way to the title. I wanted them to get fucked in the ass by Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer.

Providence had their asses in the Elite 8 and let it slip away.

It still pisses me off to think they were cheering that shit.

Cicero · Post by **Cicero** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 2:17 pm

There hasnt been a better Championshp game since that Arizona/UK game. Look at the rosters and see how many future NBA players were on those teams. If Pitino would have stayed w/ Kentucky we might be talking about him the way people take about Knight and Coach K.

Mike Bibby
Michael Dickerson
Jason Terry
Ron Mercer
Derek Anderson
Scott Padgett
Nazr Mohammed
Jamal Magloire

Terry in Crapchester · Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:14 pm

I suppose this depends on one's definition of "modern era", and I also suppose that my definition of that phrase is more expansive than is the definition for most in here, given my age, but I would also include the following teams in that analysis:

'85 Georgetown
'91 UNLV
'92 Dook

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:06 pm

For me the modern era can't start until 87 at the earliest as that was the first year with both a shot clock and a 3 point shot in the game. I personally tack on years to that because the influence of early departures wasn't really rampant until the mid to late 90's. So prior to that it was fairly common for teams to bring back the bulk of their team and make a run at another title. Houston and Georgetown in the mid 80's both had shots at multiple titles.

Also, 92 Dook did repeat so I was really looking at the teams that followed them.

Terry in Crapchester · Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:58 pm

Shine wrote:For me the modern era can't start until 87 at the earliest as that was the first year with both a shot clock and a 3 point shot in the game. I personally tack on years to that because the influence of early departures wasn't really rampant until the mid to late 90's.

Ok, fair enough. You probably hit on three of the four biggest developments in the lifetime of most of the posters on this board, the double bonus being the fourth. I'm old enough to have seen the dunk/no dunk rule changed and then changed again, as well as the freshman eligibility debate, but I was a little kid back then. Most of the posters here weren't even born when those changes were discussed.

So prior to that it was fairly common for teams to bring back the bulk of their team and make a run at another title. Houston and Georgetown in the mid 80's both had shots at multiple titles.

Coupla points on this . . .

Houston made 3 consecutive Final Four appearances, but never won a championship. That would disqualify them from the premise of your thread in the first place. Georgetown made 3 Final Four appearances in four years, but only one championship, although they literally returned the entire team the following year.

Also, Louisville made 3 Final Four appearances in a four-year span, and 4 in a seven-year span, right around the same time. They did win two championships, but graduated an influential senior following each of those championships (Darrell Griffith in '80, Billy Thompson in '86).

Terry in Crapchester · Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:29 pm

Since Shine brought up this topic, I saw in my local fishwrap that Florida, if they win the championship this season, will be the first team ever to win back-to-back national championships while returning their entire starting five.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:10 pm

and friggin Derek Anderson started out at tOSU...now he is with the Charlotte Bobcats...good player and a good kid all the way around...enjoyed his two year stint at tOSU...

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:32 pm

buckeye_in_sc wrote:and friggin Derek Anderson started out at tOSU...now he is with the Charlotte Bobcats...good player and a good kid all the way around...enjoyed his two year stint at tOSU...

You're on drugs.

If you want to get technical, he's still kinda sorta on the Trailblazers....salary-cap chart out front told me(Blazers paying that tard $9.7 million this year). He's our third-highest paid player this season.

Yup, the Blazers had to pay most of his salary to get anyone else to take that fucking loser.

Fuckin asshole got paid, then set about on a lifelong journey of mailing it in. Faked injuries, whiney meltdowns, unexcused absences on a near-daily basis...until he just quit showing up altogether.

So which Derek Anderson are you talking about?

Horrrrible character, Derek Anderson. He won't show his face in this town again...he's universally hated...and deservedly so. He definitely earned the right to be called a "major bitch."

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:36 pm

well I was speaking more from when he was at tOSU...but hey whichever way you want to roll...

when he was at tOSU he was a good kid...just sayin

you got to get all doomsday on me...come on dins...

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:41 pm

buckeye_in_sc wrote: you got to get all doomsday on me...come on dins...

Want more?

Bring up the name Darius Miles.

There's a few panic buttons you can push with Blazerfan...and either of those complete fucking losers' names will do it.

There's players who just don't work out for a variety of reasons. But when those reasons are a complete lack of desire, complete refusal to be part of a team, and complete apathy to anything but a paycheck(nevermind fucking over the fans who make those paychecks possible), then those players fit the definition of "lacking character" and being "losers" to a "T."

If I see Derek Anderson, I WILL fight him. Fucking loser. And when I hit him, he'll probably burst into tears, and wont be able to play for another 2 years, the reason for which I'm sure he'll cite as "a broken fingernail."

Fucking sissyassed bitch.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:11 pm

^^^^^^^^

again I can only speak to when he was at tOSU and I attended at the same time...

bring up Darius Miles to Cav Fan as well...

Bucmonkey · Post by **Bucmonkey** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:06 am

Shine wrote:Many times the school that wins the CBB title loses key players from the team that won it, thus making the term "defending champion" rather hollow. Sometimes, like with UF this year, that isn't the case and we see a TRUE run at a repeat title. Looking back, here's how the teams returning the core of their title winning team have fared the following year:

95 Arkansas- Although they didn't win it all they gave it a damn good run, falling to UCLA in the title game.

97 Kentucky- Again came up just short losing in OT of the title game. With many of the same players back again the Cats won it all in 98, narrowly missing a 3 peat.

02 Dook- You could argue they don't belong on this list since they lost Battier but bringing back Williams, Dunleavy and Boozer was enough for me to keep them here. This squad got upset in the Sweet 16 by IU.

07 Florida- We're about to find out...

Bingo.....

Moorese · Post by **Moorese** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:27 pm

Kentucky would have three-peated had Derek Anderson been healthy. Arizona got a fucking gift when UK lost Anderson's 19 per game for the tournament.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:31 pm

Moorese wrote:Kentucky would have three-peated had Derek Anderson been healthy. Arizona got a fucking gift when UK lost Anderson's 19 per game for the tournament.

DA (stands for "Dumb Ass" in Portland) probably almost broke a nail, so he had to sit out.

I wonder if he even stayed in town for the rest of the tourney?

Combining a "verticle player" with the most extreme case of pussiness in sports history is not a good combination.

T1B

Modern Era TRUE Defending Champs

Modern Era TRUE Defending Champs

Re: Modern Era TRUE Defending Champs