Inconsequential loss that annoys you the most

[gam7]

Great game but this one came to mind quickly. I always enjoyed our trips to College Park due to the hostile environment, but this evening I wanted to beat Maryland so bad. I just remember countless photos of Scheyer faces in the crowd and Grevis Vasquez losing his mind and taunting and looking to the crowd after every made shot attempt...but little did the turtles know...Duke would get the last laugh in March!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiIW27uR56s

I know what you mean, but I actually liked this game (as much as one can like a loss I guess). It was the first time that year I thought we actually could win the championship. I remember it being very competitive and Duke playing great defense, despite Maryland's making so many ridiculous shots. I remember laughing about it and thinking there was no way this could possibly happen again if we play that level of defense. And if it did, hats off to whatever team was able to do it.

[moonpie23]

@NCSU 2010…..went to that game and was thoroughly embarrassed…...

[left_hook_lacey]

[QUOTE=hurleyfor3;740518]I got a summer topic for y'all.

What MBB loss, that in the grand scheme of things didn't matter much, still bothers you to this day?

One of mine would be @FSU in 1993. Went to overtime, we had the lead but in the final minute one of FSU's white stiffs took a 3 at the baseline with the shot clock running down. It bounced and rolled around the entire rim before falling in. That gave them the lead, and they won. It made Greg Horvath's shot against DePaul (years later) look good.

I'm trying to preclude losses in the NCAA Tournament and against unc; most of those are by definition consequential. So are games that foreshadowed postseason doom, such as Wake last year, or FSU in 2002 or '03. More curious to see what random games stick out in people's minds.[/QUOTE

Not trying to derail the thread, but why is this(bolded) a necessary descriptor?

[Dukeford]

[QUOTE=left_hook_lacey;740602]

I got a summer topic for y'all.

What MBB loss, that in the grand scheme of things didn't matter much, still bothers you to this day?

One of mine would be @FSU in 1993. Went to overtime, we had the lead but in the final minute one of FSU's white stiffs took a 3 at the baseline with the shot clock running down. It bounced and rolled around the entire rim before falling in. That gave them the lead, and they won. It made Greg Horvath's shot against DePaul (years later) look good.

I'm trying to preclude losses in the NCAA Tournament and against unc; most of those are by definition consequential. So are games that foreshadowed postseason doom, such as Wake last year, or FSU in 2002 or '03. More curious to see what random games stick out in people's minds.[/QUOTE

Not trying to derail the thread, but why is this(bolded) a necessary descriptor?

I was wondering about the same thing....

[wilson]

[QUOTE=Dukeford;740621]

I was wondering about the same thing....

Mainly, I just wondered who "Greg Horvath" is.
I love this thread though.

[hurleyfor3]

Mainly, I just wondered who "Greg Horvath" is.
I love this thread though.

Must have been Nick's brother. Not even Nick would have hit a shot that bad.

[FerryFor50]

[QUOTE=wilson;740622]

Mainly, I just wondered who "Greg Horvath" is.
I love this thread though.

It's actually a secret government experiment where they have taken Greg Koubek, Greg Newton and Nick Horvath and combined their bodies to create GREG HORVATH.

[OldPhiKap]

What is this "inconsequential loss" of which you speak?

[msdukie]

If Duke is playing, then by definition a loss cannot be inconsequential.

[CinANC]

I am with LiDuke: 1998 Great AK Shootout championship game. I was there, thrilled to see that memorable team in action. To my eyes, Trajan was caught by surprise with Cincinnati's inbounds play and let Kendall Martin get past him for the home run pass. My kids went to high school with Trajan, he was in my daughter's class so I attended his graduation - very small selective admissions public school, atypical ceremony with individual talks by each graduate with music intro's of their selection. His mom and dad sat right behind us. So I felt an affection for T then and thereafter, and blamed the coaches more than Trajan for being caught flat-footed. But that game - what a game, and what a season to follow. Wish the gods had not brought the Shootout down from its glory years.

[wilson]

Kendall Martin

Seriously?

[cbarry]

I think I mentally block out these "inconsequential" losses as a protective mechanism, because I can't remember any.

[dukelifer]

Not sure if they were inconsequential but the losses that still annoy me to this day were in 1978. Duke was ranked number 1 after going to the Finals of the NCAA tourney the season before. They had a holiday tourney in NYC. In the first game they played Ohio State and had a 14 pt lead after the first half and looked like they would cruise to victory. In the second half, Ohio State came all the way back to tie and ended up winning in overtime. The next day they played St Johns and again led at the half by 15. In the second half St Johns exploded and outscore Duke by 18. When the semester started again, Duke played UNC at UNC and got loss number 3. Duke ended up losing to UNC in the ACC tourney and followed that up with a loss to St Johns in the big dance that by 2 points. A very disappointing symmetry.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Yes, this one. I got a last minute ticket from a neighbor and was very excited to go see GHill. I remember everyone just expecting Grant to be able to win it on that last quick play simply because he was Grant.

Wake Forest in Cameron in 1994. With Duke leading 68-66, Randolph Childress (man, that guy had our number) hits a long jump shot with six or seven seconds left, but there's confusion as to whether it's a two-pointer or a three-pointer. Duke inbounds quickly and pushes the ball upcourt, even though the scoreboard hasn't changed and still shows Duke leading by two. Grant Hill misses a runner at the horn, and everyone figures we're headed for overtime -- then Lenny Wirtz runs over to the scorer's table and says something in very animated fashion to the scoreboard operator, and thrusts both of his arms in the air to signal a three-pointer. Then Wirtz and the other two officials bolt for the exit. At that point, a good minute or so after the final horn sounded, the scoreboard finally changes to show Wake up by one, 69-68. Nine thousand Duke fans stand blank-faced and say, "Wait...wha...?" Then it dawns on everyone -- game over, good night, drive home safely.

TV replays showed that it was, in fact, a three-pointer. Childress hit the shot from the wing in front of the Wake bench, and Wirtz -- who was on the far side of the court -- called it (correctly) as a three-pointer. The problem was that the near-side official, who was closest to the play, didn't signal one way or the other. It's possible that he was blocked and couldn't see Childress' feet, but then he should've looked to see if one of the other officials had the call (which Wirtz did), and he should've "echoed" the call. But the near-side official either didn't look to see if anyone else had the call, or if he did look, he didn't echo the signal -- and when Duke inbounded the ball quickly, he took off running upcourt to follow the play. The scoreboard operator -- who'd been focused on the near-side official and didn't see Wirtz make the call across the court -- didn't know whether to score it as a three-pointer or a two-pointer.

It was a confusing and frustrating end to a game that Duke had led most of the way, but never put out of reach, which allowed Wake to be in position to win with Childress' late dagger. It was Wake's second win against Duke in what would become a nine-game win streak, which wouldn't end until Duke upset Wake (with Tim Duncan as a senior) in Joel in February of 1997.

[Tom B.]

Wake Forest in Cameron in 1994.

. . . .

It was Wake's second win against Duke in what would become a nine-game win streak, which wouldn't end until Duke upset Wake (with Tim Duncan as a senior) in Joel in February of 1997.

Sorry for the self-reply, but one more note about that 1994 game -- it was Tim Duncan's first game against Duke (he had 8 points and 7 rebounds). He'd go on to win his next seven games against Duke and almost went undefeated against Duke for his entire college career, until this happened.

The cool thing about that 1997 game (other than spoiling Duncan's perfect record against Duke) was that Wake was ranked #2 at the time, and the #1 team (Kansas) had lost the night before, so Wake was poised to take over #1 with a win against Duke. Oops.

[arnie]

The Wake-Duke 2005 game where multiple players had 4 or more fouls:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154

That game was brutal.

A more brutal loss for me was game in Cameron in December 2005 against VPI. They win the game on a put back with about 2 seconds left and not enough time left for Dockery to regain the lead. I am remembering this correctly?

[FerryFor50]

A more brutal loss for me was game in Cameron in December 2005 against VPI. They win the game on a put back with about 2 seconds left and not enough time left for Dockery to regain the lead. I am remembering this correctly?

Depends on who you ask...

[hurleyfor3]

A more brutal loss for me was game in Cameron in December 2005 against VPI. They win the game on a put back with about 2 seconds left and not enough time left for Dockery to regain the lead. I am remembering this correctly?

Two seconds is never enough time to get a good shot off, we all know that

[DukieInKansas]

[QUOTE=left_hook_lacey;740602]

I got a summer topic for y'all.

What MBB loss, that in the grand scheme of things didn't matter much, still bothers you to this day?

One of mine would be @FSU in 1993. Went to overtime, we had the lead but in the final minute one of FSU's white stiffs took a 3 at the baseline with the shot clock running down. It bounced and rolled around the entire rim before falling in. That gave them the lead, and they won. It made Greg Horvath's shot against DePaul (years later) look good.

I'm trying to preclude losses in the NCAA Tournament and against unc; most of those are by definition consequential. So are games that foreshadowed postseason doom, such as Wake last year, or FSU in 2002 or '03. More curious to see what random games stick out in people's minds.[/QUOTE

Not trying to derail the thread, but why is this(bolded) a necessary descriptor?

Since the game was at FSU - their uniforms were white. Must be what was meant by the description.


[QUOTE=FerryFor50;740626]

It's actually a secret government experiment where they have taken Greg Koubek, Greg Newton and Nick Horvath and combined their bodies to create GREG HORVATH.

Please don't give away all of the Duke research secrets. People will start being on the lookout for Bobby Laettner.

What is this "inconsequential loss" of which you speak?

Couldn't spork you - but wanted to do so. There are no inconsequential losses.

If Duke is playing, then by definition a loss cannot be inconsequential.

Some people just don't take Duke bball seriously enough, right?

[CinANC]

Seriously?

Sorry, Kenyon Martin. Old man lapse. It will happen to you too someday...