Totally agree on the 98 regional final. I was numb for about 2 days. Still depressing.
I have taken life lessons from the Uconn '99 game.
One of the toughest regular season losses I remember (probably because I was there) was the Stanford loss in the Pete Newell Classic during the 2000-01 season. Casey Jacobsen buzzer beater, Tiger Woods and yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang in courtside seats jumping around and high fiving like 5 year olds...
http://www.ibabuzz.com/beartalk/2010...newell-classic
You are evil, Duvall. Evil!
I know I attended 22 of those. And maybe 23 or 24 - I might have made it to the '04 ACC or UNC in '90, but I'm afraid I just don't recall; senility seems to be setting in and they've all blurred.
I do know I didn't make it to Little John in '09. (I was there in '95, though, when their tiger mascot tried to serve us a box of doughnuts. Grrr. This board's namesake was roundly booed when she knocked them out of his hands, though - a very small victory. I despise Little John almost as much as Comcast.)
I almost got in a fight with a(n overly aggressive) cameraman at the end of your #1 - which would have been my #1 were I masochistic enough to put together such a list. "Don't point your camera at me... Don't touch my camera..." Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
At least the losses do make the wins all the sweeter.
-jk
I agree with the comments that Arkansas 1994 and Florida 2000 are major omissions from Duvall’s list. I have both of those in my worst 10.
I also found U.Conn 1999 (a little) and UNLV 1990 (much) easier to live with than Duvall.
I share the comments that the 1990 Carolina losses were not as tough (it was my junior year so they bugged me greatly, but in hindsight were much easier to take than the losses on Senior Day for JJ/Shelden in 2006 and Grant in 1994).
A couple of other games that killed me but others haven’t mentioned yet were:
Cal 1993 – Hurley’s last game
LSU 2006 – JJ and Shelden’s last game
North Carolina 1989 ACC Final – a brutal war at the height of Dean/K rivalry
@ North Carolina 1984 – Devastating, though soothed by the game a week later.
Maryland, 2000 – broke 46 game Cameron win streak, on C-Well’s Senior Day.
North Carolina, 1991 ACC Final – I overrate it as it was my senior year.
Here's my full list. I was having so much fun with the "festival of pain" I went to 50+
50 toughest Duke losses under Coach K
(1) 1986 - Louisville, National Championship (72-69)
(2) 1994 - Arkansas, National Championship (76-72)
(3) 1998 - Kentucky, NCAA South Regional (86-84)
(4) 2002 - Indiana, Sweet Sixteen (74-73)
(5) 1993 - California, NCAA 2nd Round (82-77)
(6) 1999 - U.Conn, National Championship (77-74)
(7) 2000 - Florida, Sweet Sixteen (87-78)
(8) 2004 - U.Conn, NCAA Final Four (79-78)
(9) 1989 - Seton Hall, NCAA Final Four (87-75)
(10) 2006 - LSU, NCAA Sweet Sixteen (62-54)
(11) 1989 - North Carolina, ACC Tournament Final (77-74)
(12) 2001 - Maryland (91-80) (“It’s Over”)
(13) 1984 - @ North Carolina (96-83) (2ot)
(14) 1995 - North Carolina (102-100) (2ot)
(15) 1988 - Kansas, NCAA Final Four (66-59)
(16) 2006 - North Carolina (83-76)
(17) 1990 - UNLV, National Championship (103-73)
(18) 2009 - Villanova, NCAA Sweet Sixteen (77-54)
(19) 2007 - VCU, NCAA 1st Round (79-77)
(20) 1991 - North Carolina, ACC Tournament Final (96-74)
(21) 1992 - @ North Carolina (75-73)
(22) 2005 - Michigan St., NCAA Sweet Sixteen (78-68)
(23) 1995 - Virginia (91-88) (2ot)
(24) 1994 - North Carolina (87-77)
(25) 2008 - West Virginia, NCAA 2nd Round (73-67)
(26) 1989 - North Carolina (91-71)
(27) 1997 - Providence, NCAA 2nd Round (98-87)
(28) 2001 - North Carolina (85-83)
(29) 2000 - Maryland (98-87)
(30) 1996 - @ North Carolina (73-72)
(31) 2004 - Maryland, ACC Tournament Final (95-87) (ot)
(32) 1990 - North Carolina (87-75)
(33) 1994 - Wake Forest (69-68)
(34) 1983 - Virginia, ACC Tournament 1st Round (109-66)
(35) 2009 - @ Clemson (74-47)
(36) 2005 - @ North Carolina (75-73)
(37) 1995 - Wake Forest (62-61)
(38) 1990 - @ North Carolina (79-60)
(39) 2002 - @ Maryland (87-73)
(40) 1993 - Georgia Tech, ACC Tournament 1st Round (69-66)
(41) 1985 - Boston College, NCAA 2nd Round (74-73)
(42) 2010 - @ Georgetown (89-77)
(43) 1996-1997 - Michigan (62-61)
(44) 1986 - @ North Carolina (95-92)
(45) 1999-2000 - Stanford and U.Conn, Pre-Season NIT (80-75 and 71-66)
(46) 1989 - Arizona (@ Meadowlands) (77-75)
(47) 1996 - Eastern Michigan, NCAA 1st Round (75-60)
(48) 1998-1999 - Cincinnati (Great Alaska Shootout) (77-75)
(49) 1988 - N.C. State (77-74)
(50) 2000 - St. John’s (83-82)
(Dis)-honorable mention:
1983 - Wagner (84-77)
1984 - Washington, NCAA 1st Round (80-78)
1987 - @ Notre Dame (70-66)
1987-1988 - @ Arizona (91-85)
1988 - Maryland (72-69)
1990 - Georgia Tech, ACC Tournament Semis (83-72)
1991 - @ Virginia (81-64)
1994 - Virginia, ACC Tournament 1st Round (66-61)
1994-1995 - U. Conn, @ Detroit (90-86)
1995 - Maryland (94-92)
1995 - @ UCLA (100-77)
1995 - Wake Forest, ACC Tournament 2nd Round (87-70)
1997 - N.C. State, ACC Tournament 1st Round (66-60)
2001 - @ Virginia (91-89)
2000-2001 - Stanford (at Oakland) (84-83)
2002 - @ Florida St. (77-76)
2002 - @ Virginia (87-84)
2003 - @ St. John’s (72-71)
2006 - @ Florida St. (79-74)
2007 - Va Tech (69-67)
2007 - Florida St. (68-67)
2010 - @ N. C. State (88-74)
Was that the one where all we had to do was hope they made their second free throw, or rebound it if they didn't? And the worst happens where they miss the 2nd but Marvin Williams got the rebound and putback (turning 2 foul shots into a 3 point play). Because if so, yes, that was painful.
And UConn 2004 needs to be higher.
Here's to hoping this list (or whatever modifications need to be made) never changes!
Along with all the usual suspects (Louisville 1986, UConn 1999 and 2004, Kentucky 1998, etc.), this one has always stuck in my memory for some reason.
Maybe it's because after Louisville in 1986, no one knew if we'd ever make it back to the Final Four -- and yet there we were, just two years later. A chance for redemption, to ease the pain from '86 that still seemed fresh.
And maybe it was because that game came on the heels of the stirring win over #1 Temple in the East Region Final a week earlier. We were flying high, with so much promise.
All I remember is that we came out absolutely flat, unable to hit anything, and went down something like 14-0 in the opening minutes. The whole rest of the game was an inch-by-inch affair, as we slowly clawed our way back. There were no runs in which we made up seven or eight points in one spurt -- the comeback was one agonizing point at a time.
Late in the second half, John Smith had a three-pointer that would have tied it (or maybe it would have cut the lead to one -- I forget), and I swear that ball did a full lap and a half around the rim and was more than halfway down before somehow rimming out. I remember watching it on my TV in my living room as a 15 year-old kid -- I was already coming out of my seat when the ball inexplicably, impossibly spun out of the hoop, at which point I just collapsed to the floor. Kansas got the rebound and scored at the other end, ball game effectively over. What a crusher.
Reminds me of Hurley's late three against Cal which I think would have won the game had it gone down ... instead Kidd came down and scored and was fouled (IIRC) and what would have been a lead was a permanent deficit. After the career that BH had and the comeback on that evening, that ball had no right staying out. And honestly, I liked our chances of winning it all if we had that game under our belt.
I don't get quite as down about that game. Yes, it was a sad way for Hurley's career to end, and the loss seemed to mark the "end of an era" (though Grant Hill did a masterful job of leading a one-season renaissance the next year, before the program went into collapse-and-rebuild mode for several seasons). By that point in the 1992-93 season, though, I didn't really think we had what it would take to win it all. Even after Grant Hill came back from his injury late in the regular season, the pieces just didn't seem to fit together quite right. Also, if I recall correctly, Cherokee Parks was hurt during the game against Cal and would have been questionable (and less than 100%, if he could play at all) in the next game, which would have been against Kansas. Maybe I was just rationalizing, but I figured we probably would have lost in the next round, so I didn't really feel as though we'd been cheated out of a title or a Final Four appearance.
I don't rank the loss to Kansas in the 1988 Final Four higher because I don't think we had much chance of beating Oklahoma in the final.
But, I do agree with Tom that it was a very tough loss. And, I don't agree that we couldn't have won that game.
I'm sure it was Greg Koubek, not Smith, who had the three pointer that, as Tom rightly notes, was in and down and then cruelly spit back out by Satan.
I don't recall exactly what the score was, but I think that shot would have pulled us even, or within 1 point; something like 49-48, with about 5 minutes to go.
And we had clawed and scraped back into that game after giving up a 2 touchdown lead right out of the gate, when Milt Newton in particular torched Billy King.
Duke over Maryland - '82-'83 season, in College Park.
That was the night I knew Coach K might turn the Duke program in the right direction.
A few interesting facts based on Nugget's list:
1. Of the 102 games on the list (two of the entries - nos. 56 and 77, both of which are from early-season tournaments, include two games), about 2/3 (68) are regular season games. Nugget lists 22 NCAA touranment games and 12 ACC tournament games.
2. The 22 NCAA tournament games include 4 National Championships, 7 Final Four games, 9 Regional Finals and 2 second round games. Interestingly, there are no Sweet 16 games on the list.
3. The 12 ACC tournament games include 9 ACC tournament finals and 3 semifinals.
4. Of the 68 regular season games on the list, 7 wins are from in-season tournaments.
5. Not surprisingly, Carolina accounts for more than a quarter of the wins on the list (28), and Maryland is second with 8. The non-conference opponent against which Coach K has his most big wins is Kansas. Just over half of the important wins (52) were against conference foes. Here is a full list of the opponents who make up the list:
6. 1986, 1992 and 2001 each had more big Coach K wins (9) than any other year. 1992 was arguably the greatest year of his career with 3 top 20 wins and all 9 wins from that year appearing on the list falling within the top 70 of his career.Code:School Games
UNC 28
MD 8
Kansas 5
NC St. 5
GT 4
U Mich. 4
SJU 4
Arizona 3
Indiana 3
Wake 3
Florida 2
UK 2
LSU 2
OU 2
Purdue 2
Texas 2
UCLA 2
Uconn 2
UVA 2
Ark 1
Baylor 1
BC 1
Butler 1
FSU 1
Gonz 1
G'town 1
Iowa 1
Marq 1
MSU 1
Navy 1
ND 1
Temple 1
UNLV 1
Wash 1
WVU 1
Xavier 1
7. Here is a breakdown of Nugget's wins list by year, which may facilitate analysis.
Code:Year # of Games Games
1981 1 (32) North Carolina, 1981 (61-60)
1982 0
1983 0
1984 2 (11) North Carolina, 1984 ACC Tournament Semis (77-75)
(93) @ Virginia, 1984 (78-72)
1985 2 (28) @ North Carolina, 1985 (93-77)
(78) Washington, 1985 (71-59)
1986 9 (10) Navy, 1986 NCAA East Regional (71-50)
(13) Kansas, 1986 NCAA Final Four (71-67)
(18) North Carolina, 1986 (82-74)
(24) Georgia Tech, 1986 ACC Tournament Final (68-67) (ot)
(56) St. John’s and Kansas, 1985-1986 Pre-season NIT (71-70 and 92-86)
(67) Oklahoma, 1986 (93-84)
(71) Notre Dame, 1986 (75-74)
(100) Maryland, 1986 (80-68)
1987 0
1988 6 (16) Temple, 1988 NCAA East Regional (63-53)
(19) North Carolina, 1988 ACC Tournament Final (65-61)
(40) North Carolina, 1988 (96-81)
(44) @ Kansas, 1988 (74-70)
(53) @ North Carolina, 1988 (70-69)
(73) N.C. St., 1988 ACC Tournament Semis (73-71)
1989 2 (7) Georgetown, 1989 NCAA East Regional (85-77)
(36) @ North Carolina, 1989 (88-86)
1990 6 (9) U.Conn, 1990 NCAA East Regional (79-78) (ot)
(20) Arkansas, 1990 NCAA Final Four (97-83)
(37) Arizona, 1990 (78-76)
(69) Georgia Tech, 1990 (88-86)
(86) N.C. State, 1990 (85-82)
(90) @ Georgia Tech, 1990 (96-91)
1991 8 (1) UNLV, 1991 NCAA Final Four (79-77)
(2) Kansas, 1991 National Championship (72-65)
(31) LSU, 1991 (88-70)
(42) @ North Carolina, 1991 (83-77)
(46) @ Oklahoma, 1990-1991 (90-85)
(47) North Carolina, 1991 (74-61)
(65) St. John’s, 1991 NCAA Midwest Regional (78-61)
(89) Georgia Tech, 1991 (98-57)
1992 9 (3) Kentucky, 1992 NCAA East Regional (104-103) (ot)
(4) Michigan, 1992 National Championship (71-51)
(17) Indiana, 1992 NCAA Final Four (81-78)
(27) @ LSU, 1992 (77-67)
(33) North Carolina, 1992 ACC Tournament Final (94-74)
(38) @ Michigan, 1991-1992 (88-85) (ot)
(45) St. John’s, 1991-1992 @ Greensboro (91-81)
(57) North Carolina, 1992 (89-77)
(68) @ UCLA, 1992 (75-65)
1993 2 (23) Michigan, 1992-1993 (79-68)
(43) North Carolina, 1993 (81-67)
1994 2 (12) Purdue, 1994 NCAA Southeast Regional (69-60)
(49) Florida, 1994 NCAA Final Four (70-65)
1995 0
1996 4 (77) Indiana and Iowa, 1995-1996 Great Alaska Shootout (70-64 and 88-81)
(84) @ N.C. St., 1996 (71-70)
(96) UCLA, 1996 (85-66)
1997 2 (25) North Carolina, 1997 (80-73)
(29) @ Wake Forest, 1997 (73-68)
1998 2 (15) North Carolina, 1998 (77-75)
(41) Arizona, 1997-1998 Maui final (95-87)
1999 5 (62) @ St. John’s, 1999 (92-88) (ot)
(63) N. Carolina, 1999 ACC Tournament Final (96-73)
(81) N. Carolina, 1999 (89-77)
(85) @ North Carolina, 1999 (81-61)
(99) Florida, 1998-1999 (116-86)
2000 4 (39) @ North Carolina, 2000 (90-86) (ot)
(50) Maryland, 2000 ACC Tournament Final (81-68)
(55) Kansas, 2000 NCAA 2nd Round (69-64)
(76) N. Carolina, 2000 (90-76)
2001 9 (5) Arizona, 2001 National Championship (82-72)
(8) Maryland, 2001 NCAA Final Four (95-84)
(14) @ North Carolina, 2001 (95-81)
(21) North Carolina, 2001 ACC Tournament Final (79-53)
(26) @ Maryland, 2001 (98-96) (ot)
(34) Maryland, 2001 ACC Tournament Semis (84-82)
(48) @ Wake Forest, 2001 (82-80) (ot)
(74) Virginia, 2001 (103-61)
(95) Michigan, 2000-2001 (104-61)
2002 4 (51) Kentucky, 2001-2002 @ Meadowlands (95-92) (ot)
(80) Maryland, 2002 (99-78)
(82) @ North Carolina, 2002 (87-58)
(92) North Carolina, 2002 (93-68)
2003 1 (64) N.C. St., 2003 ACC Tournament Final (84-77)
2004 3 (60) Xavier, 2004 NCAA South Regional (66-63)
(61) @ North Carolina, 2004 (83-81) (ot)
(72) @ Michigan St, 2003-2004 (72-50)
2005 1 (54) North Carolina, 2005 (71-70)
2006 3 (52) Texas, 2005-2006 @ Meadowlands (97-66)
(59) Boston College, 2006 ACC Tournament Final (78-76)
(87) @ Indiana, 2005-2006 (75-67)
2007 0
2008 3 (35) @ North Carolina, 2008 (89-78)
(79) Marquette, 2007-2008 Maui Final (77-73)
(97) @ N. C. St., 2008 (87-86)
2009 5 (58) Texas, 2009 NCAA 2nd Round (74-69)
(66) Florida St., 2009 ACC Tournament Final (79-69)
(75) @ Purdue, 2008-2009 (76-60)
(88) Maryland, 2009 (85-44)
(94) Wake Forest, 2009 (101-91)
2010 7 (6) Butler 2010 National Championship (61-59)
(22) Baylor, 2010 NCAA South Regional (78-71)
(30) West Virginia, 2010 NCAA Final Four (78-57)
(70) North Carolina, 2010 (82-50)
(83) U.Conn, 2009-2010 Pre-season NIT (68-59)
(91) Maryland, 2010 (77-56)
(98) Gonzaga, @ at MSG 2009-2010 (76-41)
I think I need to enlist your help to convince my wife to pay that much attention to the things I say!
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think it was Kevin Strickland who had that three-pointer that defied the laws of physics and rimmed out late in the game.
In any event, you're right that it wasn't Smith -- I checked the box score and he didn't shoot a three-pointer in that game. In fact, Smith didn't shoot a three-pointer for that entire season -- he didn't become a three-point threat until the next year (his senior season), when he hit 25 of 53 three-point attempts.
Koubek was 2-for-3 on three pointers in the '88 semifinal, while Strickland was 0-for-3.
Very impressive Nugget. And I'm surprised at how much I agree with your rankings. A couple of nits: I think #32 - K's first win over Dean and UNC should go a lot higher. For more recent fans it is hard to realize how "down" Duke was around that time, heading into 10 and 11-win seasons. I think K only won one or two of his first 10 meetings with Dean, as he worked to establish Duke BB -- not something that was at all a foregone conclusion in 1981. And Tinker Bell's game-winning shot, I think on a play drawn up by K, was scintillating.
A quibble, but I'd move the #6 game - the NC over Butler - up a couple notches vs the NC's over AZ and Mich. (and potentiually the KA win for a NC - though K's first NC is hard to downplay), because those wins weren't as close and those teams were maybe more talented, and K really made an imprint on the Butler final, decisive plays. I put #3 (Laettner vs KY) ahead of #2 (KA N.C.) as K again played a main role in the game's final/deciding play... in the huddle beforehand, "We're going to win. ...and here's how we're going to do it..." or words to that effect -- it was just what the team needed to hear and it made him legendary.
Looking at the list, I have to agree that this truly is an embarrassment of riches! Wow! :o
BTW, as to top worst-defeats list, I'd argue for the 1999 NC game vs UCONN as #1 b/c (1) It was for the NC, (2) It was an incredibly talented Duke team that was expected to win, (3) It was against despised UCONN, (4) Close game lost at the buzzer, and (5) The Duke WBB team had just lost the NC the day before, IIRC. I was there, and it was just devastating. :mad: The 1986 NC close loss to Never Nervous Pervous and Louisville is my #2, given the fairy-tale ending it denied Duke and K. And the 1998 KY game was devastating on several levels too -- the KY revenge factor, the losing-a-big-lead factor, the ppoor play down the stretch, and the potential for that team to do much more. The Ark NC loss, though close, wasn't as devastating to me since I really hadn't expected us to be there, and K did a great job in that one in my mind -- maybe top-6 still in defeats.
Great work Nugget! Thanks!
I'd forgotten about that, but you're right. That was after the women's team had upset #1 Tennessee with Chamique Holdsclaw (which had won the last three national championships) in the regional finals, so it seemed like we were destined for a double title. Then, poof -- the women lost in the title game to Purdue and the men lost to UConn. Those back-to-back losses really stung.
Still not as depressing a time for Duke athletics, though, as late March/early April of 2006. During that two week stretch: (1) the #1 men's team was upset by LSU in the South Region final, (2) the women's team blew a second-half double-digit lead in the national championship game and lost in OT to Maryland, and (3) the lacrosse scandal/hoax story broke.
Tom, thanks for the correction on it being Strickland who had the 3 rim out against Kansas in 88.
As far as the "top wins" go, I think the commentors are right that 2010 Butler ought to be moved ahead of 2001 Arizona and 1992 Michigan. I had reflexively put those higher only because of the greater NBA talent on those teams than Butler's. But, each of those games was a bit of an anti-climax given our margins of victory and the more dramatic wins earlier in those NCAA tournaments.
As far as UNC 1981, I had it ranked lower down because I don't quite think of that team as really being a "Coach K" team, since he hadn't recruited any of the players.
On the toughest losses list, I know it goes against the grain a little (and I was there too), but 1999 U.Conn to me wasn't nearly as tough to take as 1986 Louisville or 1994 Arkansas. People forget now how good U.Conn was that year -- they had been ranked #1 longer than we were, had only 2 losses of which at least 1 was a major fluke. Duke never should had been as big a favorite as we were in that game.
And, knowing how poorly we played that game (as well as the fact that it is the game where, based on my admittedly ignorant position as a fan, I remember having the most gripes about Coach K's decisions -- e.g., never adjusting how we defended the high screens that got El-Amin mismatches, plus asking Trajan to exceed his own skill-set by trying to beat national defensive player of the year Ricky Moore off the dribble on the key possession down 1 on the 2nd to last trip down the floor, the trip before he lost it off his foot), I don't know that we really earned a win in that game.
I remember when I was a teenager I offered the opinion that Easter was a more important holiday than Christmas. An adult present thoughtfully asked, "How do you compare two miracles?"
When Jack Nicklaus surprisingly won the Masters in 1986 at the advanced age of 46, Hord Hardin, the longtime Chairman, asked, "Jack, is this the best major win of all?" Jack replied, "Hord, they are all good."
I vote for a five-way tie for first, giving equal weight to the UNLV win in 1991 as to the championship games in 1991, 1992, 2001, and 2010. (I like typing these out.) As I frequently say, lets not make this problem too hard.
sagegrouse