I been converting my old UK games on VHS Tape to DVD. I had forgot how Great the `96 team really was and man they were fun to watch play. The most interesting game I have converted so far is of course the Semi Final game vs UMass. Seeing Cal so Young and Ellen in the Crowd with one of their daughters who was asleep. They even mention Ellen was pregnant at the time of that game. The quality of the conversion not that great but it really brings back memories of taping all the games and watching them over and over even with the bad quality.
'96 Team
- Thread starter _ukcat
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I could watch that @LSU beatdown a thousand times. Grown men playing against middle schoolers.
I still have my 1996 title game on VHS. won’t let go of it.
Best team in the history of college basketball. And Jeff Sagarin agreed.
Best team in the history of college basketball. And Jeff Sagarin agreed.
I had thought the 2012 Team or 2015 would give them a game, not really sure after watching them again
There is no forgetting how great that team was for me. Best college team I’ve ever seen play and likely ever will see.
86 points in the first half. Honestly that’s unfathomable and I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it happen.
That team had everything; elite shooting, elite defense, rebounding, depth, experience, chemistry, they could beat you in the half court, they’d OBLITERATE you in transition.
And yes, they even had a top 5 freshman.
And yes, they even had a top 5 freshman.
No chance. 2012 might hang for a while. 2015 no way.
Ultimately, they would have exhausted 2012.
Yea not deep enough to hang. 2015 deep but not talented enough to hang. McCarty on WCS:joy:
Yep. 2 of the most memorable non tournament games of the Pitino era happened in that arena to those poor bastards.
I miss that aggressive full court press
The other thing they had was a killer instinct. They put their foot on the other teams throat and wouldn’t let them breathe.
It reminds me of the '93 game against Wake Forrest when the announcer described UK's game as a "a withering display of basketball talent at both ends."
Yeah the struggle with beating '96 team was their versatility and depth.
There were 8 guys in that rotation that could bury the 3 and about as many that could go dunk on your head.
Eight guys shot over 30% from 3, shot nearly 40% as a team. No one over 27mpg...crazy how ahead of their time they were in retrospect.
They were what the NBA is now and it was 23 years ago!
I don't think so. IMO the 96 team may have been the GOAT. Just a tremendous amount of talent, and they played together.
Yes, they could put you away in a hurry & really embarrassed some good teams. They are the best college team I’ve seen. Truly dominant. They beat every team they played & won all but a handful of games by 10+ points. Most were 20+.
I saw that season coming. The 95 team was similar & basically returned everyone for the 96 season & added Ron Mercer & DA. 2012 or 2015 might keep it close for a while but eventually 96 would pull away & handle either team pretty comfortably, IMO. That team had the same level of talent as Cal’s teams except they were JRs & SRs who had played together 3-4 years. They went a legit 9-10 deep, too.
That was Pitino's system. His system could absolutely incinerate a team with significantly less talent and athleticism.
If you think about it...
If you are a lesser athlete even if you are a good basketball player you are going to have a hell of a time beating a press for 40 minutes and still having the legs to make shots.
That is why Pitino's teams would generally destroy a weaker opponent because they could never stay in a game. But, if a team had similar athletic ability and quality of players they stayed in game due to breakdowns in press and open shots.
Yeah, Mercer and Anderson were legit.
To see what they turned into as the main guys in '96-'97 was ridiculous.
That team before Anderson's injury was getting crazy fun to watch....the two of them together, sheesh.
That and 12 were such special years. The early losses and SEC Title Game losses also got them focused. 96 was like Noah’s Ark (think Rafferty said), they had 2 of everything.
That LSU game was just unbelievable. They literally could not get the ball past half court against that press. If UK had kept up that pace, the score would have been a record imo.
Antoine at the point of the press was a great move. Anderson was unreal in the press as well. Pure domination and Pitino's team at it's peak.
Antoine at the point of the press was a great move. Anderson was unreal in the press as well. Pure domination and Pitino's team at it's peak.
I used to get the VCR tape of the prior season as a Christmas present. IIRC, Pitino had the 92 team in the pool treading water while holding gallon jugs in each hand. THAT will get you in shape.
Think about that run in the 90s.
90 - the rebuilding begins
91 - SEC champs (season), but not post season glory allowed. Biggest frustration game.....UNCheat….FT disparity was unreal
92 - darn close
93 - Final Four and should have won
94 - well, Marquette! we'd be frustrated by those guys again later on down the road
95 - Elite 8 with a collapse against UNCheat
96 - Total domination and a Title
97 - Make one more FT and it's another title
Thunder and Lightning! Man oh man, those two were sure fun to watch in 1997. The best wing duo at UK during my fandom and it's not that close. Those two just had unbelievable chemistry together. Was a travesty that DA got injured and had to sit for the duration of that season. They would've set some records and won the title without a doubt had DA not went down. Out of all the injuries here, that one probably stings the worst.
Surely you're not talking about the 1996 UK team that, according to some on this board, would've had their hands full with the 2018-19 duke blue devils. I still cannot believe I actually read that on here, MORE than one or twice. Just a terrible take. Good Lord.
Edit: That 96 team was the best I ever watched play. They would've curb stomped that 2018-19 duke team. Beatdown!
I know this isn’t popular, but it is what it is. It’s why I say K isn’t the goat of the modern era. I understand he ruined himself, but just speaking in terms of his ability, Pitino was probably the best coach of the era. Nobody revolutionized the game the way he did. And K copy / pasted him too, with the utilization of the full court press and 3 point line.
The fact is coach K just didn’t leave Duke, had Pitino never left UK, K wouldn’t be what he is. All in all I think Pitino was the best coach in the modern era.
The guy just made really dumb moves. Not just going to the Celtics, but coming back and going to Louisville. They’re just not prominent enough in the national scene. His mistakes cost him goat status in the general sense.
Spot on, every single word. I've said for years that the best thing that ever happened to K was Pitino leaving UK. Just think about how far duke had fallen in the national scene from 95 up until 97. Those duke teams were very mediocre.
Then, in 98 K signed several guys that Pitino most likely would've signed had he not flirted with and eventually left for the NBA. That was the year that duke got right back into the mix. I don't think that occurs if Pitino stays at UK. JMO.
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That team was confident without being cocky. I remember someone brought up something about how umass had handled them the first meeting before the final 4. I believe it was Delk just said “they know we’re coming “. Just knew no one was beating them after that.
Great team that would give 40 minutes of hell every night.
Cal did a superb job with that Umass team - opened the season by beating our '96 team.
Was fortunate enough to see that '96 team play in person a few times. They made normal college teams look silly.
Was fortunate enough to see that '96 team play in person a few times. They made normal college teams look silly.
Much like the 2012 team, these guys beat every team they played that year.
Agree. Believe the style of play and the depth would ultimately wear them down.
Anthony Davis would still be the single best talent on the floor, but foul trouble would be an issue given the 96 team's sheer number of bodies to throw at him.
And it’s not like he would have had it easy. Antoine would have given him some fits.