Top 5 Games of the JT3 Era

[casualhoya]

Before we all get our collective panties in a bunch about this year's season, here's an old fashioned countdown of one of our writer's 5 favorite games of the JT III era.

Feel free to argue with the rankings, add your own, and even throw in some games from before the JT III era when he was still in diapers.

www.casualhoya.com/2009/11/24/1172447/the-top-5-games-of-the-jt-iii-era#storyjump

Casually.

[swhoya]

Good rundown--great memories. Only one I would add, at least as honorable mention, is the game that Wallace tore out Marquette's heart, stomped on it, and downed a diet soda like it was no big deal.

[mapei]

That's certainly a great list. Another of my favorites was Jeff's 33-point demolition of Notre Dame in the Big East semis. He really put us on his back for that one.

[theexorcist]

I still like Hibbert's dunk at the buzzer to beat Notre Dame for #5.. The first-ever Hoya win over ND at the Phone Booth, and the first court rush (wow, the standards have improved since then).

[CTHoya08]

Last night I was actually thinking about this, and I had a lot of the same games in mind.

The game that I would have added was the win over UConn on Senior Day in 2007. That was the first win over the Huskies in what, 11 years? And that's when Big Roy started the tradition of manhandling Thabeet: 18 and 12 (7 offensive!) with 3 blocks to freshman Hasheem's 6 and 4 (2 blocks).

I know this is nitpicking, but Roy did not hit his first three against UConn; he made one against Fordham earlier that year: sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=273650046

[DanMcQ]

For those not satifisfied with a mere link, here is Casual's List:

5. January 12, 2008, 72-69 win over UConn at the Verizon Center

4. March 23, 2007, 66-65 win over Vanderbilt in Sweet 16 at the Meadowlands

3. February 24, 2007, 61-53 win over Pittsburgh at the Verizon Center

2. January 21, 2006, 87-84 win over Duke at the Verizon Center

1. March 25, 2007, 96-84 OT win over UNC in Elite 8 at the Meadowlands

[mapei]

Nov 24, 2009 17:05:32 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

I still like Hibbert's dunk at the buzzer to beat Notre Dame for #5.. The first-ever Hoya win over ND at the Phone Booth, and the first court rush (wow, the standards have improved since then).

IIRC, that was set by an awesome pass from Jessie.

[hoyajoker07]

Nice work, casual...when I saw "Roy for Three" at the five spot, I immediately got up in arms, but seeing the rest of the list, I had to readjust.

I think that's still the best game I've ever attended, but I wasn't at the Duke win (don't hate, the knowledge I missed it is punishment enough).

Nevertheless, the UNC win and the Duke win are the legit biggies and I think the fan reactions support that.

I must admit, I really cocked an eyebrow at the Pitt one about all others, but the explanation pretty much covers how specific that is to you, so makes sense.

I think my list is

5. Tie between all three Big East tournament games in 2007, because they gets (rightfully) overshadowed by our NCAA run. I was lucky enough to go to these games and it's just awesome to spend Spring Break with other people who made the trip to NY. That was an awesome student section. So, take your pick:

March 8, 2007 - Villanova - "The Hole" - After jumping out 26-2 to start the game, we went into halftime with a score of 37-18. We let 'Nova control a lot of the second half, but we'd dug them down so deep from the start that we were able to keep it together. Great example of early game control.

March 9, 2007 - Notre Dame - "The Slugfest" - 2 points down at the half, 2 points up at the buzzer. Lord did we sweat that game. Luckily, Jeff took the rock at the end and laid it in for the win. Also, Jr. got to put on a show in his father's house, showing the Garden an air show as only Patrick Ewing, Jr. could.

March 10, 2007 - Pittsburgh - "The Outclass" - After a hard-fought tourney, the Hoyas rewarded us with a drubbing that I almost...ALMOST...felt bad to watch. By making Aaron Gray look absolutely absurd, Roy showed the rest of college basketball that we'd picked the Big East carcass clean and we were ready for more.

Looking back, they aren't phenomenal games like the next four, but considered together, it was a very dynamic and rewarding run. I'm good with giving it one spot.

4. "It's Raining Threes...Hallelujah" March 13, 2008, 82-63 win over 'Nova at the Garden
I watched this game at a bar outside of my office and, by the end, coworkers had come down to join us after seeing the game feed online. Our offense being what it is, we've run our share of clinics on other teams, but that game...completely ridiculous

3. January 12, 2008, 72-69 win over UConn at the Verizon Center
2. January 21, 2006, 87-84 win over Duke at the Verizon Center
1. March 25, 2007, 96-84 OT win over UNC in Elite 8 at the Meadowlands

[CTHoya08]

Nov 24, 2009 17:11:43 GMT -5 mapei said:

Nov 24, 2009 17:05:32 GMT -5 theexorcist said:

I still like Hibbert's dunk at the buzzer to beat Notre Dame for #5.. The first-ever Hoya win over ND at the Phone Booth, and the first court rush (wow, the standards have improved since then).

IIRC, that was set by an awesome pass from Jessie.

That game was in my (and more importantly Roy's) freshman year. A Sunday nooner, if I remember correctly. I think it was Ashanti who brought the ball up and hit Roy with the pass. Jessie was still in high school. That was back when we (the students) all sat on the band side, where the visitors shoot in the second half. From where I was standing it looked like Falls was fouled when he hit the late three to put ND ahead and set up Roy's heroics. Not sure whether it was Bowman guarding him.

[SFHoya99]

I don't know if it makes the list, but our first big win versus Pitt at Pitt was pretty significant.

III has mentioned how important he thought the year one Davidson win was as well.

[jerseyhoya34]

The ND BET game may be the best basketball our team has sustained for 20-30 minutes in the JT3 era. Simply an absurd level of play made only better by the degree to which ND attacked/executed as well. I was fortunately bunkered down in a bar and had ample reserves of beer to make it through the first half where we simply could not buy a ND miss.

[Diablo]

owens hitting two free throws to beat nova on the road, on the day they celebrated the 20th anniversary of beating us to win the 1985 ncaa tournament. and oh, the score was 66-64, the same score of the title game, but the good guys were on the winning side this time.

[redskins12820]

Nov 24, 2009 17:59:33 GMT -5 CTHoya08 said:

Nov 24, 2009 17:11:43 GMT -5 mapei said:

IIRC, that was set by an awesome pass from Jessie.

That game was in my (and more importantly Roy's) freshman year. A Sunday nooner, if I remember correctly. I think it was Ashanti who brought the ball up and hit Roy with the pass. Jessie was still in high school. That was back when we (the students) all sat on the band side, where the visitors shoot in the second half. From where I was standing it looked like Falls was fouled when he hit the late three to put ND ahead and set up Roy's heroics. Not sure whether it was Bowman guarding him.

Had to rush the floor, ahem, twice. Initial rush, kicked off while refs reviewed play, followed by less enthusiastic rush.

Duke rush was absurd. I saw people literally getting trampled

[dense]

The pass for Roy's dunk versus ND was from Ashanti Cook not Jessie Sapp

[hoyatables]

Article is wrong about the UConn game. That was not Roy's first career three. I remember him hitting one a week or so earlier against Fordham on New Year's Eve.

[hoyarooter]

I think the demolition of Pitt to win the BET has to be on the list. I would put it 4th, behind UNC, Duke and Vandy. It had been many years since our last BET title; how could that not make the top 5?

[hoyabinx]

From the Blog, re UNC game:
"Anyone that questions whether the Princeton offense can be successful, watch this game."
&
"Roy Williams may have two national titles and a nice Southern accent, but JT III so completely outcoached him that it prompted ESPN's Bill Simmons to note, "The coaching mismatch in yesterday's Gtown-UNC game may have been the most glaring in a big game since Guy Lewis/Valvano.""

That was the best coached basketball game I have seen. The team peaked that year at the right time. Think about this:

"This UNC team had 5 NBA players, including 4 first round picks. Let that sink in. Georgetown's back court consisted of a walk-on and a dude playing professionally in [Scotland]."

What a game.

[theexorcist]

Nov 24, 2009 18:56:08 GMT -5 redskins12820 said:

Nov 24, 2009 17:59:33 GMT -5 CTHoya08 said:

That game was in my (and more importantly Roy's) freshman year. A Sunday nooner, if I remember correctly. I think it was Ashanti who brought the ball up and hit Roy with the pass. Jessie was still in high school. That was back when we (the students) all sat on the band side, where the visitors shoot in the second half. From where I was standing it looked like Falls was fouled when he hit the late three to put ND ahead and set up Roy's heroics. Not sure whether it was Bowman guarding him.

Had to rush the floor, ahem, twice. Initial rush, kicked off while refs reviewed play, followed by less enthusiastic rush.

Duke rush was absurd. I saw people literally getting trampled

"Count it!" "Count it!"

I think I still have a swiped cheer sheet from that that one. It referred to one of their players as the Gremlin "Stripe" and compared another ND player to Shrek.

Good times.

[Giannicolus Jones]

Coach has said the Syracuse game was his favorite win of the 2006 season, not Duke.

The BC game was fun too.

[jerseyhoya34]

My problem with the BC game is that it didn't turn compelling for me until the last 5 minutes of the 2nd half with the PE2 dunk over Dudley, among other things. Play seemed otherwise average when one compares it to the level of play we sustained in the BET. In that sense, it gets lost in the shuffle with the UNC, Vandy, ND, and Pitt games sandwiching it (also Belmont).