Inconsequential loss that annoys you the most

[hurleyfor3]

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.

[DeBlueDevil]

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

[FerryFor50]

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.

[Billy Dat]

December 1996 - Michigan beats Duke when Tractor Traylor busts down the lane and slams in down with about 5 seconds left. I hated Michigan.

March 2003 - Duke coughs up a late lead in hideous fashion at MSG to lose to St. Johns. I attended this one. Damn Marcus Hatten.

Feb 2009 - Blowout road loss to Clemson, it was so demoralizing and depressing.

Jan 2010 - Hoyas blow Duke out during snowstorm with POTUS in attendance. It seemed to be evidence that we were headed for another late season fade. I was happy to be proven wrong.

Maryland sweeping us in 2005 - those Terp teams were just lame, Gilchrest, Caner-Medley, et al.

I'll keep thinking, good topic.

[wilson]

1997 at Clemson: In a typical hard-fought Littlejohn game, the Devils and Tigers were nip and tuck the whole way. In the waning seconds, Wojo found Greg Newton alone under the basket, for an easy two and, it seemed, the win. Instead, Newton fumbled the ball out of bounds and Clemson went on to win in OT.
For a Duke team still fighting for renewed respect after the 1994-96 nadir, it was a needed win (even though we went on to win the ACC regular season). It was (and is) still galling to me to lose in such, well, Newtonian fashion (the heartiest of apologies to Sir Isaac).

[ricks68]

All losses to teams that we are generally expected to win bother me a lot. Seriously. They showcase our vulnerabilities to other teams, in addition to exhibiting a lack of execution due to coaching mistakes, poor player concentration, etc. While one may certainly argue that losses are constructive due to many reasons, the major one being it "lights a fire under our butts", why does that have to be necessary in the first place?

While the thread is not including losses of supposed "significance", the feelings have been the same for me when we were expected to win those games, also. Why weren't we prepared properly?:o

ricks

[Duvall]

All losses to teams that we are generally expected to win bother me a lot. Seriously. They showcase our vulnerabilities to other teams, in addition to exhibiting a lack of execution due to coaching mistakes, poor player concentration, etc. While one may certainly argue that losses are constructive due to many reasons, the major one being it "lights a fire under our butts", why does that have to be necessary in the first place?

While the thread is not including losses of supposed "significance", the feelings have been the same for me when we were expected to win those games, also. Why weren't we prepared properly?:o

ricks

Because it's a game played by teenagers against another set of teenagers that is entirely capable of playing about their normal level.

[Dev11]

Feb 2009 - Blowout road loss to Clemson, it was so demoralizing and depressing

I seem to recall K and some other people saying that that game started the drive to the 2010 title. Guys didn't want to ever get beat like that again. Of course, you referenced the Georgetown loss in 2010, which was also pretty bad.

[A-Tex Devil]

I seem to recall K and some other people saying that that game started the drive to the 2010 title. Guys didn't want to ever get beat like that again. Of course, you referenced the Georgetown loss in 2010, which was also pretty bad.

This. It was part of a run of games, about 1 a year, where it looked like our team just gave up.

The other was Duke-Illinois at Cameron 1995. Broke a lengthy streak and just seemed like a dumb game.

[Li_Duke]

I had been introduced to Duke basketball 2 years prior, but 1998-99 was the year I became a Duke basketball fanatic. It was a good year to make that transition. We had a great team filled with some of my favorite all-time Duke players: Elton, Shane, Trajan, Nate, C-Well. Other than (All Hail) Trajan, the team was young and promising. Brand looked like he was on his way to becoming a Duke all-timer while Avery was going to be the next great Duke PG. Shane would occasionally channel Shaolin monks to reach new levels of awesomeness. C-Well was a jack of all trade - defensive stopper against PGs like Steve Francis and centers like Tim Duncan and the starting forward/back-up PG. Maggette was thrilling to watch, and it was going to be exciting to watch him become Grant Hill 2.0 over the next few years under Coach K. Nate was tougher than nails. Chris Burgess was a free throw shot away from becoming a force. Domzalski, the last guy off the bench, was a McDonald's All-American, likeable, smart, and good enough to get a look in NBA training camp. Considering what that year meant for me in terms of my development as a Duke fan, the two losses from that year has stuck with me for over a decade (UConn obviously more than UCinn).

UCinn 77 - Duke 75, Great Alaskan Shootout. This is Trajan Langdon's moment. Senior year at #1 ranked Duke playing for the title game of a tournament in his hometown. Unfortunately, just about the entire team is sick with the flu. Duke was down a significant margin at halftime. Nevertheless, they fought back and with 3 seconds left, the game is tied. Cinn has the ball, and Duke is trying to prevent them from in-bounding. Kenyon Martin throws the ball over the top to Melvin Levett for the slam and the lead. With one second left, Duke also throws the ball down the court, and Elton's shot goes in. Unfortunately, it came just after the buzzer. Cinn wins, preventing Duke from possibly going undefeated in the regular season.

[mattman91]

All of them.

[hurleyfor3]

With one second left, Duke also throws the ball down the court, and Elton's shot goes in. Unfortunately, it came just after the buzzer.

Will Avery, not Elton.


All of them.

That's my answer to, "Which one was the girl that got away?"

[CameronBornAndBred]

February 2nd, 1995. Duke vs the Heels in Cameron in one of the most memorable games ever played. Capel sent us into overtime with his incredible shot, and the baby blues went on to win in it the 2nd OT. Had we won, we would have then been a whopping 11-9, 1-7 in the ACC, instead we lost and continued on our path to the most forgettable season in recent history.
THAT game is the one that annoys me the most.

[noworries]

Miami at Cameron in 2012. 6 free throws missed in OT in a game that we had no business losing.

[hudlow]

1997 at Clemson: In a typical hard-fought Littlejohn game, the Devils and Tigers were nip and tuck the whole way. In the waning seconds, Wojo found Greg Newton alone under the basket, for an easy two and, it seemed, the win. Instead, Newton fumbled the ball out of bounds and Clemson went on to win in OT.
For a Duke team still fighting for renewed respect after the 1994-96 nadir, it was a needed win (even though we went on to win the ACC regular season). It was (and is) still galling to me to lose in such, well, Newtonian fashion (the heartiest of apologies to Sir Isaac).

This one, merely for the fact, I was sitting right behind the aforementioned basket and witnessed the whole "near" exchange.....

[flyingdutchdevil]

February 2nd, 1995. Duke vs the Heels in Cameron in one of the most memorable games ever played. Capel sent us into overtime with his incredible shot, and the baby blues went on to win in it the 2nd OT. Had we won, we would have then been a whopping 11-9, 1-7 in the ACC, instead we lost and continued on our path to the most forgettable season in recent history.
THAT game is the one that annoys me the most.

Have to disagree. No Duke-Heels game is considered inconsequential. It's Duke-Carolina! ;)

The game that stands out for me was a 2007 loss to FSU at Cameron. It hurt because I was there watching my favorite Duke player (Redick) get his jersey retired. Not a fun way to end the night...

[CameronBornAndBred]

Have to disagree. No Duke-Heels game is considered inconsequential. It's Duke-Carolina! ;).
I knew someone would say that..lol. I will say that it is easier to call a loss to the Heels more inconsequential than a victory, but when you are halfway through the ACC and haven't pulled out a victory yet, I don't think that one win will send us to the NCAA's. ;) But it would have added some warm fuzzies, so it is why it is my #1. (That, and until the 82-50 beatdown, it was the last unc game I saw in person.)

[royalblue]

I can't leave uncch off the list for me either.
#4
The 95 game above

#3
The 74 come back Duke fans understood this comeback like Maryland fans understand the gone in 59 sec deal

#2
01 loss at home Duke would have won 3 times over the heels and won NCAA tourney in the same year I think that is 1 of only 2 games that Chris D lost to them

#1
The 92 loss away Duke would have won 3 times over the heels and won NCAA tourney in the same year plus I was at that game and wanted that one so bad. On top of that Hurley broke his foot during that game but things got better:)

[Gewebe14]

Mine will be the game "if" our non-conference streak is broken. I'll be so upset in 30-40 year's time!

[Tom B.]

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.

[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=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?

I was wondering about the same thing.......

[wilson]

[QUOTE=left_hook_lacey;740602]

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=Dukeford;740621]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 MartinSeriously?

[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 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uru3mq2S0nQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=4432).

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... :p

[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=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?

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



[QUOTE=wilson;740622]

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? :D

[CinANC]

Seriously?

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

[fidel]

I'm going with Duke/Ohio State 2011. I got tickets to the game and the anticipation of seeing Duke live again (while not winning a championship - was in Indianapolis) was palpable for me.

The letdown of a 22 point loss, especially following the great tournament in Maui and beating Michigan and Kansas, was not what I was expecting. I had seen a lot of Duke games in Cameron, watched a lot on TV, but this was the first time I had seen the team get blown out at the other team's arena. Ugh.

So, I think fondly of doing Cameron cheers from the cheap(ish) seats behind the students in Indianapolis. Those around me thought I was insane. Whoever the Dukie was sitting next to me, thanks for being stupidly ecstatic along with me.

[Tom B.]

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

Also, it wasn't Kenyon Martin who hit the winning shot -- it was Melvin Levett. Martin was involved in the play, though -- he caught the long inbounds pass and fed the ball to Levett as he streaked to the basket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm_1vbpbUzQ

[Mike Corey]

I'm going with Duke/Ohio State 2011. I got tickets to the game and the anticipation of seeing Duke live again (while not winning a championship - was in Indianapolis) was palpable for me.

The letdown of a 22 point loss, especially following the great tournament in Maui and beating Michigan and Kansas, was not what I was expecting. I had seen a lot of Duke games in Cameron, watched a lot on TV, but this was the first time I had seen the team get blown out at the other team's arena. Ugh.

So, I think fondly of doing Cameron cheers from the cheap(ish) seats behind the students in Indianapolis. Those around me thought I was insane. Whoever the Dukie was sitting next to me, thanks for being stupidly ecstatic along with me.

Beat me to the punch.

I remember speaking with someone prior to the game who tried to quell my anticipation for a big Duke win by warning, "This is going to be a tough game. We're exhausted." And then OSU dismantled us.

[DukieInKansas]

I'm going with Duke/Ohio State 2011. I got tickets to the game and the anticipation of seeing Duke live again (while not winning a championship - was in Indianapolis) was palpable for me.

The letdown of a 22 point loss, especially following the great tournament in Maui and beating Michigan and Kansas, was not what I was expecting. I had seen a lot of Duke games in Cameron, watched a lot on TV, but this was the first time I had seen the team get blown out at the other team's arena. Ugh.

So, I think fondly of doing Cameron cheers from the cheap(ish) seats behind the students in Indianapolis. Those around me thought I was insane. Whoever the Dukie was sitting next to me, thanks for being stupidly ecstatic along with me.

Any loss to Ohio State is not inconsequential - at least in this family. My father was a Michigan man and Ohio State was a bad word in our house.

[Monmouth77]

December 1996 - Michigan beats Duke when Tractor Traylor busts down the lane and slams in down with about 5 seconds left. I hated Michigan.

This is it for me. Camped out for this one. A rare non-conference home loss in a game we were winning throughout and should have won. And this was not exactly a vintage Michigan team. Traylor could barely get above the rim, and his game-winning dunk was a heavy clunking thud that sent a stone right down to the pit of my stomach. What a bummer.

[BlueSheed]

Florida State beating Duke in Cameron on that last second jumper in January 2012 was rough. We hadn't lost at home in a long time until then. We ended up losing to Miami at home too a few weeks later.

[msdukie]

This is it for me. Camped out for this one. A rare non-conference home loss in a game we were winning throughout and should have won. And this was not exactly a vintage Michigan team. Traylor could barely get above the rim, and his game-winning dunk was a heavy clunking thud that sent a stone right down to the pit of my stomach. What a bummer.

According to the NCAA, Michigan did not win this game.

[Newton_14]

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?
See you just had to go there and ruin it and make me fess up. That was one of only two times I gave up and cut the TV off too soon. I rarely get mad at a loss unless we just stink up the joint and lose to a team who has no business beating us. Like that night. So i hit the kill switch and go to bed stewing over the "loss". Driving into work the next day I am still stewing and refuse to listen to my normal sports talk radio show to avoid hearing the gloating...

Finally I give in and turn it on. Very weird. No one is talking about the big Duke upset. Then they go to break and right before that, the guy says "More on Duke's incredible buzzer beating winning shot last night in Cameron on the other side of the break"

I'm like what? You can't be serious. Longest commercial break ever. Thankfully I did not cut the recorder off when I cut the TV off so I could go back but it felt like cheating so I only ever saw Dockery's shot on TV replays.

That sucks. Like really bad.... UpidStae.

[dukelifer]

According to the NCAA, Michigan did not win this game.

But I think Duke still lost it.

[sagegrouse]

As we starting sliding downhill in 1995, losing our first three conference games, we played a Virginia squad in Cameron. My daughter was a senior, and this was my first year with season tickets. The Gaudet-skippered Blue Devils led 40-19 at the half. Surely, this run of lousy games was gonna come to an end. Nope! Virginia tied it in the second half and won the game in the second overtime. Blowing a 21-point lead at home!

OF or Jim Sumner might remember better, but Duke may have led by as many as 25 points in the first half.

[wsb3]

Last year of the Iron Duke Classic. Davidson beat Duke on a shot at the buzzer. I was there.

[Tripping William]

As we starting sliding downhill in 1995, losing our first three conference games, we played a Virginia squad in Cameron. My daughter was a senior, and this was my first year with season tickets. The Gaudet-skippered Blue Devils led 40-19 at the half. Surely, this run of lousy games was gonna come to an end. Nope! Virginia tied it in the second half and won the game in the second overtime. Blowing a 21-point lead at home!

OF or Jim Sumner might remember better, but Duke may have led by as many as 25 points in the first half.

Joe Smith tipped it in at the buzzer in the "Battle of Assistant Coaches Taking Over For The Ill Head Guy." (Billy Hahn coached the game for Maryland, because Gary had pneumonia.) I was there, as a grad student. It was awful. So many close losses that year . . .

[Billy Dat]

As we starting sliding downhill in 1995, losing our first three conference games, we played a Virginia squad in Cameron. My daughter was a senior, and this was my first year with season tickets. The Gaudet-skippered Blue Devils led 40-19 at the half. Surely, this run of lousy games was gonna come to an end. Nope! Virginia tied it in the second half and won the game in the second overtime. Blowing a 21-point lead at home!

OF or Jim Sumner might remember better, but Duke may have led by as many as 25 points in the first half.

Great call. That season had many such games. If many recall, despite the teams terrible record, we were in position to win many of those games in the final 5 minutes. The Joe Smith buzzer beat later that year also comes to mind.

[Tom B.]

Joe Smith tipped it in at the buzzer in the "Battle of Assistant Coaches Taking Over For The Ill Head Guy." (Billy Hahn coached the game for Maryland, because Gary had pneumonia.) I was there, as a grad student. It was awful. So many close losses that year . . .




If you're into self-flagellation, here's the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ2jkp9CHOk) of that play. Watching it again all these years later, two things about it struck me:

(1) Smith's tip-in never should've happened. It was a busted play for Maryland -- Duane Simpkins tried to go baseline and Cherokee Parks slid down to cut him off. Simpkins got caught in the air with nowhere to go, and tried to force....something. It's unclear on the replay whether it was a contested shot attempt that Parks blocked or just a bad pass, but either way, the ball hit Greg Newton in the hands. At that point, we should've had a turnover and the game should've gone to overtime. But Newton fumbled it, and the loose ball bounced right back to Simpkins, who put up a shot. Simpkins' shot missed, but Smith was there for the tip-in, and Newton had the best seat in the house to watch it fall through the hoop.

(2) Just to add insult to injury, Smith's tip-in bounced around on the rim before dropping. The final horn actually went off while the ball was bouncing on the rim -- the ball hung there for a second while the horn sounded, as if to pause and give the finger to the crowd before falling through. That's how bad it was for us that season -- even the ball was conspiring against us.

[Tom B.]

As we starting sliding downhill in 1995, losing our first three conference games, we played a Virginia squad in Cameron. My daughter was a senior, and this was my first year with season tickets. The Gaudet-skippered Blue Devils led 40-19 at the half. Surely, this run of lousy games was gonna come to an end. Nope! Virginia tied it in the second half and won the game in the second overtime. Blowing a 21-point lead at home!

OF or Jim Sumner might remember better, but Duke may have led by as many as 25 points in the first half.

I was at that game. I was in my first year of law school at UVa at the time, but a friend in Durham scored me a ticket, so I drove down for the game. Had to drive back to Charlottesville after the game, go to class the next day, and absorb a ridiculous amount of grief from my Wahoo friends and classmates. Yeah, that sucked.

I don't recall if our first-half lead ever reached 25, but I do recall that we led by 23 early in the second half. I think we may have scored the first bucket of the second half -- then it was all downhill.

The two teams went on very different trajectories after that game. That ended up being UVa's best year in the Jeff Jones era. They finished in a four-way tie for first in the ACC and made it to the Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament, upsetting Kansas in the Sweet 16 before losing to Arkansas in the next round.

[Tripping William]

If you're into self-flagellation, here's the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ2jkp9CHOk) of that play. Watching it again all these years later, two things about it struck me:

(1) Smith's tip-in never should've happened. It was a busted play for Maryland -- Duane Simpkins tried to go baseline and Cherokee Parks slid down to cut him off. Simpkins got caught in the air with nowhere to go, and tried to force....something. It's unclear on the replay whether it was a contested shot attempt that Parks blocked or just a bad pass, but either way, the ball hit Greg Newton in the hands. At that point, we should've had a turnover and the game should've gone to overtime. But Newton fumbled it, and the loose ball bounced right back to Simpkins, who put up a shot. Simpkins' shot missed, but Smith was there for the tip-in, and Newton had the best seat in the house to watch it fall through the hoop.

(2) Just to add insult to injury, Smith's tip-in bounced around on the rim before dropping. The final horn actually went off while the ball was bouncing on the rim -- the ball hung there for a second while the horn sounded, as if to pause and give the finger to the crowd before falling through. That's how bad it was for us that season -- even the ball was conspiring against us.

(1) Greg Newton? Bad hands? I'm stunned. :rolleyes:

(2) It took 19 years, but I firmly believe that Charles Mitchell's last-second baby hook in Cameron last season only stayed *out* as karmic payback for Joe Smith's 1995 tip going *in.* Sometimes that's the way the ball bounces . . . literally.

[NashvilleDevil]

Does the St. John's loss in '10-'11 count as inconsequential or the fact that they were coached by the hater Steve Lavin make it a loss of consequence?

[Bostondevil]

I don't think he hit the winning shot, and maybe even his stats don't stand out as something special, but I'll always remember it as the Muggsy Bogues game - January 17, 1985.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I don't think he hit the winning shot, and maybe even his stats don't stand out as something special, but I'll always remember it as the Muggsy Bogues game - January 17, 1985.
Did he dunk in that game? I saw him dunk in Cameron once. He took about 5 steps before leaping, and wasn't called, but I didn't particularly care. It was still cool to see a midget dunk the ball, even if he was on the wrong team. (By the way, nobody was near him, he was on a break away.)

[Philadukie]

Fun thread, in a, as someone else noted, self-flagellating kind of way.

One of the more recent losses that sticks out in my mind is the 2011 loss to St. John's at MSG. I remember feeling angry and frustrated that we were by far the better team but were getting just outplayed by a younger, arguably more athletic and (at least that day) hungrier team in front of their home town. At one point, it seemed that every one of their possessions was an open break that would end with a made pull up or nasty dunk. It was painful to watch and made me brood even more about not having Kyrie.

But what made this game nearly unbearable was the fact that it was Steve Lavin's first year back as a coach after a stint at ESPN. I seem to remember him always saying negative things about us in terms of athleticism, post play, taking charges, etc., and this game felt like some kind of self-congratulatory confirmation of all his previous negative comments. It made me sick!

For icing on the cake, in retrospect, I think this game was a foreshadowing of the loss to Arizona in the tournament. Young, athletic teams, led by a lottery talent, that played out of their minds in front of a home crowd. Cue violin!

[throatybeard]

Duke led by 23 in the home loss to Virginia in 1995. I was there. This is why I think the "17 point lead" meme is so dumb. Well, that and we blew an 18 point lead against Seton Hall in the 1989 Final Four.

Great topic. I can answer the OP's query in two syllables.

Wagner.

(The liberal arts college in Staten Island, not the great composer from Leipzig).

[Dukehky]

2002 loss at FSU. I thought we had a chance to run the table that whole year, and it went out the window against a team we had no business losing to.

2009 at Wake Forest. G hit a shot that should have been the game winner and then on the other side, we just broke down on defense and gave up a fairly easy basket to lose the game. They were a good team and we played so well and deserved to win the game until the last second there. Rough.

2009 UNC at home, up by 8 at halftime and Lawson just got loose in the second half. IT was my first live Duke Carolina game, and it just broke me.

[Duvall]

Duke led by 23 in the home loss to Virginia in 1995. I was there. This is why I think the "17 point lead" meme is so dumb. Well, that and we blew an 18 point lead against Seton Hall in the 1989 Final Four.

Great topic. I can answer the OP's query in two syllables.

Wagner.

(The liberal arts college in Staten Island, not the great composer from Leipzig).

See, now this raises a question - are the losses that are essential to the Duke basketball narrative still inconsequential? The Wagner loss, the 1989 loss to Arizona in the Meadowlands, the 1983 loss to UVa in the ACC Tournament (I guess that cost Duke a chance at a championship, but come on) - these are losses in games that had objectively low stakes, but ended up playing outsized roles in the Duke story.

[throatybeard]

See, now this raises a question - are the losses that are essential to the Duke basketball narrative still inconsequential? The Wagner loss, the 1989 loss to Arizona in the Meadowlands, the 1983 loss to UVa in the ACC Tournament (I guess that cost Duke a chance at a championship, but come on) - these are losses in games that had objectively low stakes, but ended up playing outsized roles in the Duke story.

Good point. The Wagner loss has assumed a mythical status as Krzyzewski' stock-buying opportunity.

I'd offer a Saint John's game or two, but the stupid "Bootsy" meme (now meaning any time anyone scores more than 17 points against us) probably is too big a part of the story.

How about the loss at Wake Forest in 1992? That was irritating, and inconsequential.

[hurleyfor3]

I'd offer a Saint John's game or two, but the stupid "Bootsy" meme (now meaning any time anyone scores more than 17 points against us) probably is too big a part of the story.

We won the Bootsy game (@ 34th and 8th, 1999). Which may be your point.


How about the loss at Wake Forest in 1992? That was irritating, and inconsequential.

But the narrative there is Grant needed a practice 80-foot pass before throwing a perfect one against Kentucky.

[Bob Green]

I'd offer a Saint John's game or two, but the stupid "Bootsy" meme (now meaning any time anyone scores more than 17 points against us) probably is too big a part of the story.



A fact that gets lost in regard to the "Bootsy" game is that Duke beat St. John's 92-88. Yeah, Bootsy torched us for 40 points but the good guys still won the game.

[Des Esseintes]

Uh, Maryland to the Big 10?

[Henderson]

Uh, Maryland to the Big 10?

Bing bing bing, we have a winnah!

[hurleyfor3]

Read the thread title again. Y'all are annoyed by their leaving?

[throatybeard]

But the narrative there is Grant needed a practice 80-foot pass before throwing a perfect one against Kentucky.

Dang, you're right.

Okay. I give up. Mercer.

I'm going to spray my Cortez 72s now.

[throatybeard]

A fact that gets lost in regard to the "Bootsy" game is that Duke beat St. John's 92-88. Yeah, Bootsy torched us for 40 points but the good guys still won the game.

I know, but we did have a couple appalling losses to them. I think there was one in about 2003 where we were up eleven or so points at the last TV timeout and managed to lose.

[Des Esseintes]

I know, but we did have a couple appalling losses to them. I think there was one in about 2003 where we were up eleven or so points at the last TV timeout and managed to lose.

Yeah, my own candidate might be the St. John's game in Fall '99. It was the one where Billy Packer big-timed a female volunteer gate attendant who committed the unforgivable sin of not recognizing him and asking for identification. Packer threw a fit, asking why they had girls even employed at a basketball arena. THEN he announced to anyone within earshot that Duke had no chance winning that game. THEN Duke went out and proved Billy Packer right by losing. To add insult to injury and insult, Erick Barkley, who was under an NCAA investigation for improper benefits, who had been publicly defended by K to the point that *our* student section chanted "END THE WITCH HUNT" in support of an opposing player--again, Erick Barkely, who was *very* nicely treated on his trip to Cameron, played a large role in winning the game for St. John's THEN ran around the court afterward with a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd. I've hated that guy ever since, and the failure of his professional career has been a solace to me whenever I've thought about it.

So... I guess I haven't yet fully resolved my feelings surrounding that game.

[Newton_14]

Yeah, my own candidate might be the St. John's game in Fall '99. It was the one where Billy Packer big-timed a female volunteer gate attendant who committed the unforgivable sin of not recognizing him and asking for identification. Packer threw a fit, asking why they had girls even employed at a basketball arena. THEN he announced to anyone within earshot that Duke had no chance winning that game. THEN Duke went out and proved Billy Packer right by losing. To add insult to injury and insult, Erick Barkley, who was under an NCAA investigation for improper benefits, who had been publicly defended by K to the point that *our* student section chanted "END THE WITCH HUNT" in support of an opposing player--again, Erick Barkely, who was *very* nicely treated on his trip to Cameron, played a large role in winning the game for St. John's THEN ran around the court afterward with a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd. I've hated that guy ever since, and the failure of his professional career has been a solace to me whenever I've thought about it.

So... I guess I haven't yet fully resolved my feelings surrounding that game.

Gee Des, tell us how you really feel buddy... :)

I get that our students give opposing players hell game in and game out, but I too hate it when after a monumental upset, the opposing players choose to taunt rather than just celebrate with their teams and fans. (Yes I hated it when Quinn did it to the hole fans after the Rivers shot too). Be bigger than that. I remember K admonishing either FSU or Vatech players for doing that after one upset in a nice sort of way. He wasn't scowling or anything. Just the normal hand to chest, and something like "You don't need to do that. Be better than that"... He got blasted for it of course, but if I remember correctly the player responded well and spoke well of K afterwards as well..

[Tom B.]

Yeah, my own candidate might be the St. John's game in Fall '99. It was the one where Billy Packer big-timed a female volunteer gate attendant who committed the unforgivable sin of not recognizing him and asking for identification. Packer threw a fit, asking why they had girls even employed at a basketball arena. THEN he announced to anyone within earshot that Duke had no chance winning that game. THEN Duke went out and proved Billy Packer right by losing. To add insult to injury and insult, Erick Barkley, who was under an NCAA investigation for improper benefits, who had been publicly defended by K to the point that *our* student section chanted "END THE WITCH HUNT" in support of an opposing player--again, Erick Barkely, who was *very* nicely treated on his trip to Cameron, played a large role in winning the game for St. John's THEN ran around the court afterward with a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd. I've hated that guy ever since, and the failure of his professional career has been a solace to me whenever I've thought about it.

So... I guess I haven't yet fully resolved my feelings surrounding that game.

That game against St. John's was actually in February of 2000. Yeah, I'd definitely put that in the annoying-but-ultimately-inconsequential category. Same with the one we lost against them in MSG (which someone else mentioned above) in early March of 2003.

We had a few annoying-but-ultimately-inconsequential losses in 2005, too. Maryland swept the season series against us, but the annoyance of those losses was tempered somewhat by the fact that Maryland failed to make the NCAA Tournament, despite beating us twice. That was a reasonably talented Maryland team that had legendarily bad chemistry. They played out of their minds against us, but had trouble getting up for anyone else. Even so, after beating us in College Park in mid-February, the Terps were in good position to secure a bid -- but they played themselves out of the Tournament by losing four of their next five, only one of which was to a decent team (UNC). The other three losses were against mediocre squads from N.C. State (at Comcast), Clemson (on the road) and Virginia Tech (at Comcast) -- the kind of teams that a Tournament-caliber squad should beat most of the time. Their only win in that stretch was against a truly bad Virginia team, and they needed double overtime to pull that off.

We also had an annoying loss at Virginia Tech in 2005, but I'd hesitate to call it inconsequential. The Virginia Tech loss came on the heels of our loss to Maryland in College Park, and the back-to-back losses motivated K to pull out his secret weapon for our next game, a home date against Wake Forest. And the legend of Patrick Davidson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTjKCV6pK7I) was born.

[Billy Dat]

Yeah, my own candidate might be the St. John's game in Fall '99. It was the one where Billy Packer big-timed a female volunteer gate attendant who committed the unforgivable sin of not recognizing him and asking for identification. Packer threw a fit, asking why they had girls even employed at a basketball arena. THEN he announced to anyone within earshot that Duke had no chance winning that game. THEN Duke went out and proved Billy Packer right by losing. To add insult to injury and insult, Erick Barkley, who was under an NCAA investigation for improper benefits, who had been publicly defended by K to the point that *our* student section chanted "END THE WITCH HUNT" in support of an opposing player--again, Erick Barkely, who was *very* nicely treated on his trip to Cameron, played a large role in winning the game for St. John's THEN ran around the court afterward with a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd. I've hated that guy ever since, and the failure of his professional career has been a solace to me whenever I've thought about it.

So... I guess I haven't yet fully resolved my feelings surrounding that game.

For what its worth, Erick Barkley coached a team in my son's 2nd/3rd grade hoops league. Last year, he got in a brawl with a parent after a game and the story made The Big Lead. Somehow, the blog never figured out that it was Erick Barkley, but you'll see that he is mentioned in the comments posted after the piece (which includes video of the punch)
http://thebiglead.com/2014/02/25/3rd-grade-aau-coach-attacks-parent-after-game/

Apparently, this guy was killing him all game with comments including some racist taunts. I can attest that (A) Barkley's team was very good and (B) when they broke out to a big lead against my sons team, he was the epitome of class and did everything he could short of asking the game to be stopped to avoid embarrassing our kids. So, maybe he learned some humility in the intervening years.

[Henderson]

Yeah, my own candidate might be the St. John's game in Fall '99. It was the one where Billy Packer big-timed a female volunteer gate attendant who committed the unforgivable sin of not recognizing him and asking for identification. Packer threw a fit, asking why they had girls even employed at a basketball arena. THEN he announced to anyone within earshot that Duke had no chance winning that game. THEN Duke went out and proved Billy Packer right by losing. To add insult to injury and insult, Erick Barkley, who was under an NCAA investigation for improper benefits, who had been publicly defended by K to the point that *our* student section chanted "END THE WITCH HUNT" in support of an opposing player--again, Erick Barkely, who was *very* nicely treated on his trip to Cameron, played a large role in winning the game for St. John's THEN ran around the court afterward with a finger to his lips, shushing the crowd. I've hated that guy ever since, and the failure of his professional career has been a solace to me whenever I've thought about it.

So... I guess I haven't yet fully resolved my feelings surrounding that game.

In this story, Billy Packer seems a lot more annoying than Erick Barkley. As much as I hate opponents taunting or celebrating after a win against Duke, my more rational self tells me it's just kids who played a tough game and are high on adrenalin getting excited. Part of the game. I hate it for a few hours, then I calm down.

Billy Packer has no excuse. When I showed up in Durham in the late 70s knowing nothing of ACC basketball, I watched my first televised ACC game when Packer was teaming with Jim Thacker on local broadcasts (this was before Packer went national). I thought, "Who is this idiot, and why is he on TV?"

[Bluegrassdevil1]

2002 loss at FSU. I thought we had a chance to run the table that whole year, and it went out the window against a team we had no business losing to.

The '02 FSU game epitomized what was to come for the '02 team, and, personally, the most annoying Duke loss for me. J.Williams missed several crucial free throws in the FSU game, which happened again in the tournament when he missed that HUGE free throw against IU. As an IU undergraduate, born in Kentucky, sitting in Rupp Arena, watching Williams end his career with a huge miss, not only symbolized his junior year struggles at the stripe, but killed me to look up at UK's banners and down at the victorious IU team.

As any Duke fan, J.Williams of course had more great moments than bad, but when I saw that picture Williams took with Justin Bieber earlier this year, my only thought was, "had Duke won, the team would have played Kent State, and now he's hanging out with the human version of Kent State, Adolph Rupp, IU fans all in one person."

[throatybeard]

I think Kent is more of a commonwealth than a state.

[BlueSheed]

2002 loss at FSU. I thought we had a chance to run the table that whole year, and it went out the window against a team we had no business losing to.


The '02 FSU game epitomized what was to come for the '02 team, and, personally, the most annoying Duke loss for me. J.Williams missed several crucial free throws in the FSU game, which happened again in the tournament when he missed that HUGE free throw against IU. As an IU undergraduate, born in Kentucky, sitting in Rupp Arena, watching Williams end his career with a huge miss, not only symbolized his junior year struggles at the stripe, but killed me to look up at UK's banners and down at the victorious IU team.

As any Duke fan, J.Williams of course had more great moments than bad, but when I saw that picture Williams took with Justin Bieber earlier this year, my only thought was, "had Duke won, the team would have played Kent State, and now he's hanging out with the human version of Kent State, Adolph Rupp, IU fans all in one person."

I think J Williams is doing pretty well for himself..

[Des Esseintes]

In this story, Billy Packer seems a lot more annoying than Erick Barkley. As much as I hate opponents taunting or celebrating after a win against Duke, my more rational self tells me it's just kids who played a tough game and are high on adrenalin getting excited. Part of the game. I hate it for a few hours, then I calm down.

Billy Packer has no excuse. When I showed up in Durham in the late 70s knowing nothing of ACC basketball, I watched my first televised ACC game when Packer was teaming with Jim Thacker on local broadcasts (this was before Packer went national). I thought, "Who is this idiot, and why is he on TV?"

100% agreement. Hatred of Packer goes without saying.

[throatybeard]

One Art:

http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/one-art

[Tom B.]

The '02 FSU game epitomized what was to come for the '02 team, and, personally, the most annoying Duke loss for me. J.Williams missed several crucial free throws in the FSU game, which happened again in the tournament when he missed that HUGE free throw against IU.

Basically the same thing happened at Virginia in late February of 2002. Duke had a double-digit lead in the second half, but frittered it away and Virginia took the lead with a little over a minute to go. With 12 seconds left, Virginia was up by three and J-Will hit a two-point bucket and was fouled -- but he missed the free throw that could've tied the game, and Virginia ended up winning 87-84.

Despite the win over Duke, that was perhaps Pete Gillen's most disappointing Virginia team. They were ranked as high as #4 in the first week of January 2002, but came apart during the conference season, losing seven out of nine games in one stretch. But for the late-season win against Duke, they'd have finished the season on a five-game losing streak, with nine losses in their last eleven games. The win over Duke wasn't enough to salvage an NCAA Tournament bid for Virginia, and they bowed out unceremoniously to South Carolina in the first round of the NIT.

For all the frustration among Duke fans over the way the 2001-02 season ended, Duke did accomplish a rare triple-triple that year -- that is, three wins against each of the other Big Four schools. Duke swept the regular season series with the other three Big Four schools, then beat them all again in the ACC Tournament -- UNC in the quarterfinals (that was Doherty's dreadful 8-20 team), Wake Forest in the semifinals, and N.C. State (which had upset #1 seed Maryland in the other semifinal) in the title game.

[Des Esseintes]

Basically the same thing happened at Virginia in late February of 2002. Duke had a double-digit lead in the second half, but frittered it away and Virginia took the lead with a little over a minute to go. With 12 seconds left, Virginia was up by three and J-Will hit a two-point bucket and was fouled -- but he missed the free throw that could've tied the game, and Virginia ended up winning 87-84.

Despite the win over Duke, that was perhaps Pete Gillen's most disappointing Virginia team. They were ranked as high as #4 in the first week of January 2002, but came apart during the conference season, losing seven out of nine games in one stretch. But for the late-season win against Duke, they'd have finished the season on a five-game losing streak, with nine losses in their last eleven games. The win over Duke wasn't enough to salvage an NCAA Tournament bid for Virginia, and they bowed out unceremoniously to South Carolina in the first round of the NIT.

For all the frustration among Duke fans over the way the 2001-02 season ended, Duke did accomplish a rare triple-triple that year -- that is, three wins against each of the other Big Four schools. Duke swept the regular season series with the other three Big Four schools, then beat them all again in the ACC Tournament -- UNC in the quarterfinals (that was Doherty's dreadful 8-20 team), Wake Forest in the semifinals, and N.C. State (which had upset #1 seed Maryland in the other semifinal) in the title game.

Let's not forget the 42-point annihilation Duke put on them in Cameron. Donald Hand is still crying in a shower stall somewhere over that game.

[Tom B.]

Let's not forget the 42-point annihilation Duke put on them in Cameron. Donald Hand is still crying in a shower stall somewhere over that game.

The 103-61 beatdown was the year before, on January 13, 2001. That was actually a pretty good Virginia team -- they beat us 91-89 in the rematch later that year in Charlottesville (ending Duke's 24-game winning streak in ACC road games) and eventually made the NCAA Tournament. It was Pete Gillen's only trip to the NCAA Tournament in his tenure at Virginia, and they lost in the first round to Gonzaga in a 5/12 upset special.

Duke did beat Virginia in Cameron in 2002 as well, but only by 13 -- the final score was 94-81, on January 27, 2002.

[throatybeard]

The 103-61 beatdown was the year before, on January 13, 2001. That was actually a pretty good Virginia team -- they beat us 91-89 in the rematch later that year in Charlottesville (ending Duke's 24-game winning streak in ACC road games) and eventually made the NCAA Tournament. It was Pete Gillen's only trip to the NCAA Tournament in his tenure at Virginia, and they lost in the first round to Gonzaga in a 5/12 upset special.

I don't remember that game very well, largely because I was sweating loosely-attached body parts off in a gorilla suit.

[ricks68]

The 103-61 beatdown was the year before, on January 13, 2001. That was actually a pretty good Virginia team -- they beat us 91-89 in the rematch later that year in Charlottesville (ending Duke's 24-game winning streak in ACC road games) and eventually made the NCAA Tournament. It was Pete Gillen's only trip to the NCAA Tournament in his tenure at Virginia, and they lost in the first round to Gonzaga in a 5/12 upset special.

Duke did beat Virginia in Cameron in 2002 as well, but only by 13 -- the final score was 94-81, on January 27, 2002.

I clearly remember being at a particular men's Virginia game where the score was the most lopsided in Duke history, I believe. It was on February 11, 1965. 136-72

But then, I think we pulled a lot of players once we hit the century mark at 9:58 remaining, if I remember correctly.

(I guess this doesn't count, as Vacendak, Lewis, Verga and Marin never existed because it was before Coach K arrived, and we didn't have any great players or coaches before that.):rolleyes:

ricks

[throatybeard]

(I guess this doesn't count, as Vacendak, Lewis, Verga and Marin never existed because it was before Coach K arrived, and we didn't have any great players or coaches before that.):rolleyes:

ricks

I love this burn on the current Duke culture, but I've noticed a similar, more restrictive attitude among much of the fanbase. The new dawn of history is the Battier-Boozer teams. It's like 1986 and 1992 are ancient history.

BTW, thanks for the sausages you gave me about twelve years ago, man.

[wsb3]

I clearly remember being at a particular men's Virginia game where the score was the most lopsided in Duke history, I believe. It was on February 11, 1965. 136-72

But then, I think we pulled a lot of players once we hit the century mark at 9:58 remaining, if I remember correctly.

(I guess this doesn't count, as Vacendak, Lewis, Verga and Marin never existed because it was before Coach K arrived, and we didn't have any great players or coaches before that.):rolleyes:

ricks

I was not at the game, being 8 years old at the time, but I do remember this game. Pretty sure I listened on the radio, which was how I kept up with most games then.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=19650211

[Henderson]

(I guess this doesn't count, as Vacendak, Lewis, Verga and Marin never existed because it was before Coach K arrived, and we didn't have any great players or coaches before that.):rolleyes:


I love this burn on the current Duke culture, but I've noticed a similar, more restrictive attitude among much of the fanbase. The new dawn of history is the Battier-Boozer teams. It's like 1986 and 1992 are ancient history.


Not to mention the 1978 team. Stone age. Despite the fact that it involved a Natty runner-up team that produced 3 quality NBA players, two of whom went on to long-lasting broadcast careers after the NBA. And, yes, people camped out for days before anyone thought of Krzyzewskiville and imagined themselves the inventors of something special.

[Duvall]

I clearly remember being at a particular men's Virginia game where the score was the most lopsided in Duke history, I believe. It was on February 11, 1965. 136-72

But then, I think we pulled a lot of players once we hit the century mark at 9:58 remaining, if I remember correctly.

(I guess this doesn't count, as Vacendak, Lewis, Verga and Marin never existed because it was before Coach K arrived, and we didn't have any great players or coaches before that.):rolleyes:

ricks

Wasn't that in the days when Virginia still felt that fielding competitive sports teams was beneath the dignity of The University? Not sure that should count.

[Henderson]

Wasn't that in the days when Virginia still felt that fielding competitive sports teams was beneath the dignity of The University? Not sure that should count.

Were there such days? Really?

[throatybeard]

And, yes, people...imagined themselves the inventors of something special.

^ Edited for universal accuracy.

[Duvall]

Were there such days? Really?

They were pretty bad during their time in the ACC until they hired Holland in basketball and Welch in football.

[throatybeard]

They were pretty bad during their time in the ACC until they hired Holland in basketball and Welch in football.

And then some more after Holland decamped for Greenville, NC.

[ricks68]

I love this burn on the current Duke culture, but I've noticed a similar, more restrictive attitude among much of the fanbase. The new dawn of history is the Battier-Boozer teams. It's like 1986 and 1992 are ancient history.

BTW, thanks for the sausages you gave me about twelve years ago, man.

It HAS been 12 years, hasn't it. That means I have owed James his sausage now for the same amount of time. That is not good on my part.:o

(It also means that I have been hanging around DBR for well over 15 years, now------closing in on 20 not too far down the road.) Wow.

ricks