The Villanova loss still bothers me

[DuchesneEast]

3 NBA 1st round pics and we lost. We had that game. I still cant let it go, it was our once in a generation chance. I dont ever think about the loss to Florida w/ JOB.

[Puerto Rico Eagle]

This loss also haunts me...Up by 16 in the first half...I thought we had it...It took me a full week to recover...I didn't watch another game in that tourny...After the miraculous win against Pacific in Round 1 I thought it was destiny....

[Shredder]

I too was thinking about that team. Mostly in comparison to this year's. The 05-06 squad was a great bunch because it was talented and the players fit together well. That starting lineup featured Craig, Dudley, Marshall, Hinnant and Oates and Williams and Rice came off the bench. The past few seasons haven't been even close to talent. The most talented player now is Sanders and he's about the same as Marshall. Jackson is a lot like young Rice. Paris and Southern wouldn't even be at the end of that team's bench. We've been wondering all along why this year's team wasn't good: character, chemistry, leadership, coaching. But I think the answer is just that it isn't that talented. Coen and Cooley have built good programs and NU and Fairfield and BC last had a legitimately good team when their players were still at the Heights (or could have still been playing had they not ended their college careers early).

Still, what haunts me about the Villanova loss was what I thought was the biggest what-if of that season: had Williams not been suspended for the first half of the year. Had he been with the team the whole time, he would have started all season and our frontcourt would have been the best in the country. That is what still bothers me.

[branchinator]

3 NBA 1st round pics and we lost. We had that game. I still cant let it go, it was our once in a generation chance. I dont ever think about the loss to Florida w/ JOB.

Well, technically Craig Smith was an early 2nd round pick but I hear you. That BC team was easily the most talented and most balanced squad we'll ever have. Williams was the beast shotblocker in the middle, Smith was the low post scoring dynamo, Dudley did it all, Marshall had his moments, Hinnant was the perfect pg for that squad, and Rice was a perfect 6th man gunner.

What people forget now is that we were absolutely SMOKING them until the refs called a bullshit 3rd foul on Williams after he had raced back and swatted the shit out of someone off of a BC turnover. Once Williams went out, everything fell apart. The refs then proceeded to rape BC at every turn the remainder of the game.

On the flip side, we would have almost certainly lost to Florida again in the Elite Eight because Smith broke his hand in the Nova game and probably wouldn't have played against Florida. But you never know.

[joemack13]

Not as heartbreaking but just as sucky - the georgetown loss the following year. Only up 4 at the half but then got dominated in the 2nd. That also happened on my best st patties day ever. I didn't get to see the entire second half because i passed out in my corned beef and got kicked out of the bar.

[DuchesneEast]

I dont ever think about the loss to Florida w/ JOB.

after i'm done skull-fucking andrew declerque corpse, you're next for this suggestion

I forgot him. Wasnt he South African. Donnelly's hair hasnt moved since that game. But back to the point.

We were smoking them. Rice was our friggen 6th man. WTF. I havent been able to stomach the tourney since then. (Thankfully I was on a plane to Vegas so I missed the Pacific game but maybe if I saw that I would be more reasonable.)

[bignick33]

3 NBA 1st round pics and we lost. We had that game. I still cant let it go, it was our once in a generation chance. I dont ever think about the loss to Florida w/ JOB.

I don't want to talk about it.

[BCEagles25]

That team had a certain swagger about it. Sean Marshall in particular.

[pick6pedro]

Why didn't someone just kick me in the groin? That would have been faster. Plus kick in the groin has kick in the groin.

[Puerto Rico Eagle]

That team had a certain swagger about it. Sean Marshall in particular.

So that is what Conte looks like full? I really wish I had been at BC for those years....but no...since Ive been here the team has been 51-44 and 19-29 in the ACC and 1 one and done...That really good

[branchinator]

I forgot about Haynes and McLain, two players who transferred/got kicked out but who had considerable talent. What a deep team.

[BCEagle74]

I have mentioned this 20 X in my zings of ALSLEEP.

Duchie, you made my BP go up to 54,785/44,254 --I forget whaich is the real bad number, but Duchie is fucked.

[DuchesneEast]

Sorry to bring it up but I was really depressed and needed a support group to make sure I was not being unreasonable. I think of that loss way too much, basically whenever I hear then names Craig Smith or Villanova I get sad.

[branchinator]

Sorry to bring it up but I was really depressed and needed a support group to make sure I was not being unreasonable. I think of that loss way too much, basically whenever I hear then names Craig Smith or Villanova I get sad.

try having the other half of your family hang a VU sheepskin on their wall. each and every basketball season it tough. i feel your pain (and it's why i focus on that ass-face declerque and his gator losers)

Well, at least you aren't a Celtic fan who had to stomach Rick Pitino coaching ass-face DeClerq. Every time that talent-less turd was in the game, it brought back memories of that Elite 8 game. Who was Florida's beefy PF? Dmitri something or other. He owned us.

[Eagledom]

3 NBA 1st round pics and we lost. We had that game. I still cant let it go, it was our once in a generation chance. I dont ever think about the loss to Florida w/ JOB.

And yet, that's as far as Al goes when he actually HAS talent.

[branchinator]

If it weren't for 2 clutch Smith FT's, the most talented team in BC history loses in the first round to Pacific.

[DuchesneEast]

If it weren't for 2 clutch Smith FT's, the most talented team in BC history loses in the first round to Pacific.

Which is a big mark against Al. The more we talk about it the better and deeper our team sounds. Put Smith, Rice, Dudley, Williams, and Marshall on the court as your starting 5 in the NCAA and how far do they go?

[branchinator]

If it weren't for 2 clutch Smith FT's, the most talented team in BC history loses in the first round to Pacific.

Which is a big mark against Al. The more we talk about it the better and deeper our team sounds. Put Smith, Rice, Dudley, Williams, and Marshall on the court as your starting 5 in the NCAA and how far do they go?

Yup, it's a HUGE black mark against Skinner. But as talented as that team was, they had a habit of playing down to their competition. A team with a Williams/Smith/Dudley/Marshall/Hinnant starting lineup and a bench of Rice/Haynes/McLain/Oates should have been in the Elite 8 or Final Four.

[bignick33]

If it weren't for 2 clutch Smith FT's, the most talented team in BC history loses in the first round to Pacific.

Which is a big mark against Al. The more we talk about it the better and deeper our team sounds. Put Smith, Rice, Dudley, Williams, and Marshall on the court as your starting 5 in the NCAA and how far do they go?

Yup, it's a HUGE black mark against Skinner. But as talented as that team was, they had a habit of playing down to their competition. A team with a Williams/Smith/Dudley/Marshall/Hinnant starting lineup and a bench of Rice/Haynes/McLain/Oates should have been in the Elite 8 or Final Four.

To me the black marks aren't the losses against loaded teams like G-Town and Nova(Nova had even more future NBAers than BC that year), they were when we were upset against teams like USC and especially Milwaukee.

[branchinator]

Well, I think they're all black marks. But you don't think blowing a 17 point lead in a Sweet 16 game is a black mark? I don't consider the 2007 Georgetown game to be a black mark because we were seriously undermanned. Of course, why can't an under-manned BC team ever beat a higher-ranked team in the tournament? The mid-majors do it all the time. Hasn't happened under Skinner. That 2007 team still had Dudley, Rice, and Marshall so it's not like they didn't have any talent.

[Eagledom]

Well, I think they're all black marks. But you don't think blowing a 17 point lead in a Sweet 16 game is a black mark? I don't consider the 2007 Georgetown game to be a black mark because we were seriously undermanned. Of course, why can't an under-manned BC team ever beat a higher-ranked team in the tournament? The mid-majors do it all the time. Hasn't happened under Skinner. That 2007 team still had Dudley, Rice, and Marshall so it's not like they didn't have any talent.

I believe it was a 20 point lead. I think the score was 35-15 at one point.

[bcsoxfan12]

I knew reading this post would bring back horrible memories, but at least I’m not the only. The 05-06 team had to be one of the, if not the best teams we have had not only because of the run into the NCAA Tourney, but just a great group of BC Guy type players. The 05-06 compared to 09-10 is the perfect example of why I say this is Dr. Jekyll and MR. Hyde, obviously the biggest fact is the coaching staff and the lack of recruiting with Coen gone. What a difference on AlSleeps resume, the 05-06 squad and the 09-10

[Hunta518]

god that hinnant dunk was nasty

[mod6A]

we will have bc teams like that again. i need to believe that.

[DuchesneEast]

we will have bc teams like that again. i need to believe that.

Until we see it, this loss wont go away.