I know people always talked about Duke and Utah in 1998 and I agree those moments were awesome but how bout that Stanford game? Was anybody nervous going into that game?
Stanford 1998
- Thread starter David Rice
- Start date
I attended the game with my dad and we were confident Kentucky would roll. Arthur Lee scared us, because he was very talented and Simon and Bibby had put UK through the grinder the previous season. Stanford was very big upfront and they played very well against Mohammed, Padgett, and Evans. Game was a total heart stopper, and ended on a heave with UK up one in overtime.
I don't remember being nervous before that game but sure as heck remember feeling very sick at halftime of the championship game against Utah.
I was there too. Jeff Sheppard off the curl for three is what I remember, he came up huge in that game!!
He sure had a hell of a tournament.
Magloire came up big in that game defensively if I remember correctly. Enforcer.
Ive got the video that was made to honor the '98 team and in it Jeff Sheppard says that Stanford was the best team they played the whole year.
Not really sure what it's even called, it was just a video produced by UK to honor the team after winning the title that year. I was in 8th grade in 1998 and my parents bought it for both me and my brother.
I remember Tim Young fouling out on a bogus call, which helped. However, Stanford was lucky to even be in that game due to some questionable officiating against Rhode Island the previous week.
Stanford was better than Utah. When you look back to that year, you wonder how Utah got that far. Andre Miller was good and Mottolla and Doleak (sp?) were big contributors but I never would have thought they could beat UNC's team of Jamison, Carter, Haywood and Shammond Williams or the defending champs, Arizona, who returned everybody.
Stanford was better than Utah. When you look back to that year, you wonder how Utah got that far. Andre Miller was good and Mottolla and Doleak (sp?) were big contributors but I never would have thought they could beat UNC's team of Jamison, Carter, Haywood and Shammond Williams or the defending champs, Arizona, who returned everybody.
After the redemption game against Duke, I was in cruise control. Win or lose, I was happy.
Utah kind of cleared a path for us by beating returning champs Arizona and then UNC. Not saying we couldn't have still won NC but..
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It was a Cinderella run for Utah for sure. But they had been knocking on the door for several years. And Majeuris was a good coach and quite the character.
they were the only team that could match up with us inside. they had 3 seven footers and madsen. but we won that battle. they couldn't stop nazr in the second half. he even had a break away steal and slam. and it was that play, i remember my dad lol, where you knew we still had it left and we were not going away.
honestly after the duke game i did not feel the pressure in the ff that we usually get. i remember exclaiming that i was very proud just to get there. and my dad "nah, let's go ahead and win it". i was emotional yeah.
honestly after the duke game i did not feel the pressure in the ff that we usually get. i remember exclaiming that i was very proud just to get there. and my dad "nah, let's go ahead and win it". i was emotional yeah.
Kentucky fans always remember and dwell on the years the Cats probably should have won it all but didn't (2015) but that 1998 run makes up for at least one of those near misses.
Everything went right. Came back from the dead against Duke in almost impossible fashion, beat Stanford in OT in a game that took every possible thing going right (Sheppard hit three tough 3s, where if he missed any of them the game was probably lost, as someone else noted Young got a tough call, and so on...) and the Utah game required a stirring comeback. Not only that, teams like UNC, Arizona and even Kansas which could have won it all were knocked off early.
Great year.
Everything went right. Came back from the dead against Duke in almost impossible fashion, beat Stanford in OT in a game that took every possible thing going right (Sheppard hit three tough 3s, where if he missed any of them the game was probably lost, as someone else noted Young got a tough call, and so on...) and the Utah game required a stirring comeback. Not only that, teams like UNC, Arizona and even Kansas which could have won it all were knocked off early.
Great year.
We were coming off such an emotional win over Duke and Stanford was playing with the house's money after the Rhode Island fiasco. Stanford got up 10 on us early in that game. They didn't have a worry in the world. It took that slap in the face to wake us up.
We had absolutely destroyed UCLA the game before Duke, 94-68. Our players HAD to be thinking "Pac 10? We got this" before the ball was tipped off.
We had absolutely destroyed UCLA the game before Duke, 94-68. Our players HAD to be thinking "Pac 10? We got this" before the ball was tipped off.
The 98 team was good, very good, but not great. So yes I was nervous after the first couple of rounds. As much as I loved that team, they were not the best team that year.
Heh. I was a freshman in high school and my dad bought that video for me. I remembered that line from Sheppard too.
Yeah... it made up for the year before.
As for the Stanford game, I wasn't nervous at the start. Like others have said, I was still riding the high from the comeback vs. dook. Of course, as the game played out, I was on pins and needles.
blame utah i guess for dismantling unc and arizona. we played duke and stanford. kansas was the other team. who am i forgetting?
Which is why you can't just look at the talent level on whatever team and just assume that team will beat the team they are facing, even if one team has better talent. It just doesn't work that way. When you look at that Unc team, you would think they should have won it all on talent alone. We all know Haywood didn't make much of a Nba player, but in college he was just so much bigger than any center he faced and was a decent college player. We all know Carter and Jamison went on to really good Nba careers. Jamison was considered the college star and Carter went on to become the better Nba player. Andre Miller was a really good college player and a better talent at the point guard spot than Shammond Williams. The big white center from stanford went on to play in the Nba for 10+ years it seems and the big white sf was a beast in college. Looking back during that tourney you can see that the talent level involved that year was really good. Too bad too many players want to leave college the first chance they get nowadays and you don't find so many loaded rosters in today's college basketball. Don't get me wrong. I don't blame any player wanting to cash in and be a millionare. It's what we all would do.
It's a good thing Utah did beat them because there was no way we were beating either one of those teams in the championship game to be honest. We had already lost big to Arizona on a neutral court in Maui that year and that UNC team beat Duke 2 out of 3 times that season by an average of 19.5 ppg. Their only loss to Duke was a 2-point loss to them at Cameron. We had to come back from 18 down just to beat Duke so my guess is that UNC would've likely rolled us.
Arizona was the team I wanted to avoid at the time, but I wasn't nearly as scared by UNC. Although others in the this thread have brought up Brendan Haywood, he was not the starter for that team. Mahktar N'Diaye was, and he and Jamison were both non-factors against Utah's size. Cota had no answers for Miller. UNC from that year reminds me a little bit of some of Cal's team, in that, they could roll anybody if the game was played at a fast pace, but they struggled with half court, possession by possession type games where they couldn't turn the other team over. The oddest thing about the Utah-UNC game, was how flat UNC was and it seemed like they would break out at any second. Never happened. At the under 8 minute time out in the second half, all the UNC players were grabbing their shorts and just looked spent, and Utah looked ready to go another 12 rounds. UNC really only played 6 guys that season, and I think they showed up to the final weekend gassed.
Regarding the early game (UNC vs Utah), as I recall (or perhaps MISremember)...
Carolina was #1 in the country and Jamison was the favorite for Player of the Year.
I was shocked that Utah jumped out to a big lead early in the game and kept the pedal to the metal. It was never very close.
Carolina was #1 in the country and Jamison was the favorite for Player of the Year.
I was shocked that Utah jumped out to a big lead early in the game and kept the pedal to the metal. It was never very close.
Helluva game. I had scalped 3 tickets and by the time we got to our seats, UK was already down 8-0. So I was both pissed and nervous about the outcome after spending that much money for tickets.
Was a little nervous before the Utah game, maybe more anxious than nervous. Was in Indy the year before and missed out on witnessing UK win it then. Was on cloud 9, like the rest of you, to be there when UK beat Utah to win it all. My folks had tickets for the '78 FF but only got a chance to watch the SF against Arkansas, Dad had to be back at work on Monday and they missed the Finals. So it was neat to see my Mother make up for that and see UK win it in person.
Was a little nervous before the Utah game, maybe more anxious than nervous. Was in Indy the year before and missed out on witnessing UK win it then. Was on cloud 9, like the rest of you, to be there when UK beat Utah to win it all. My folks had tickets for the '78 FF but only got a chance to watch the SF against Arkansas, Dad had to be back at work on Monday and they missed the Finals. So it was neat to see my Mother make up for that and see UK win it in person.
Look at the box score again of that Utah and UNC game. When you look at it, it doesn't look as bad overall and seems the game was decided in the first half.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
Jamison had 14 and Carter had 21 but the Heels went 3 of 23 from behind the arc.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1998-03-28-north-carolina.html
Jamison had 14 and Carter had 21 but the Heels went 3 of 23 from behind the arc.
williams went cold at the wrong time. err the right time. the year before another williams did the same thing for unc. and dean was on cbs hosting panel that year. and they were CHEATING. and we won the title. :joy:
Don't be so quick to dismiss that Utah team. That team was superb, experienced, very well coached and had Doleac, Mattola and Miller who were all great college players that played very well together.
Hate to say it, but they were very 2015 Wisconsin-like.
They were clicking at the right time and belonged in that NC game as much as any team.
Arizona is the bullet we dodged that year - we had no answer for two years for Bibby and Simon.
Hate to say it, but they were very 2015 Wisconsin-like.
They were clicking at the right time and belonged in that NC game as much as any team.
Arizona is the bullet we dodged that year - we had no answer for two years for Bibby and Simon.
Yep. And people forget/younger fans don't know about the unfair distraction they were dealing with before the championship game-- when one of the UNCheat players accused a Utah kid of calling him the n-word several times. It turned out to be a total lie, but Utah had to endure a media circus because of it.
IIRC Rick Majerus made a statement about his player, something like: He told me he didn't do it. I stand behind him. If it turns out I'm wrong and he did say it, I'll resign immediately.
I always liked Majerus. That statement moved him up to the next level.
BBN only knows - and only allows for - two emotional states. One: total and complete nervousness. Pacing, chewing on a pillow, talking too loudly, animated, often a bit cranky during the game. Two: total and complete confidence. We got this in the bag, and anyone who says otherwise is a puss or a troll.
Would have beat them in 97 with Anderson/If there wasn't such a huge discrepancy at the foul line. 98 though, yeah, I don't like our chances.
When the Ref missed the gold tend...I almost had to clean my pants. However, if he makes the right call...no overtime and Stanford moves on. What a game!
"Madsen's hand went through the rim and deflected it," Padgett said. "I thought it should've been a goaltending. . . . When they gave it to us out of bounds, I was happy, but I was confused."
Soon he was only happy: Sheppard followed that immediately with a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave Kentucky a four-point lead.
"Madsen's hand went through the rim and deflected it," Padgett said. "I thought it should've been a goaltending. . . . When they gave it to us out of bounds, I was happy, but I was confused."
Soon he was only happy: Sheppard followed that immediately with a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave Kentucky a four-point lead.
Forgot that , not sure why this game isn't memorable but it isn't for me .this is the only thing I remember about Stanford:
it isn't for me, either - but I do remember he was one of the golden boys that year - was always on the screen.
I liked him. Dude could bang with the best of emthis is the only thing I remember about Stanford:
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