Biggest Comeback Since...

[DFW HOYA]

Some reader help: I'm trying to locate a larger second half comeback (17) than Saturday's game through the years. Any suggestions, please post them below not later than Sunday night. Thanks.

(And no, it's not 1980. The Hoyas trailed Syracuse by 15 in the 1980 Manley finale.)

[MCIGuy]

The Comcast report said this was the Hoyas biggest comeback in 31 years when they were down by 22 to Manhattan. Unfortunately it did not tell whether that 22-point defecit took place during the first half of that game.

[daytonahoya31]

Our comeback in 1987 with the Reggie and the Miracles team in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Jay Burson, Dennis Hopson and company was a very good one.

I think we were down 20 in the first half of that one.

[HoyaChris]

Jan 9, 2010 21:12:17 GMT -5 MCIGuy said:

The Comcast report said this was the Hoyas biggest comeback in 31 years when they were down by 22 to Manhattan. Unfortunately it did not tell whether that 22-point defecit took place during the first half of that game.

We were down 22 to Manhattan in MSG with about 10 minutes left in the game, with no shot clock and no three point shot. The 1978 team was very good - they made the NIT semifinals after their best player missed the NCAA play in game and the post season because of an ulcer - and this might have been their most impressive performance.

[Locker]

I had guessed the three overtime game in the NIT against Virginia, but looks like we were only down 15 in the second half:

www.hoyasaxa.com/sports/archives/archive0300.htm#42

[hoya73]

Definitely Manhattan in 1978. Down 22 with 12 minutes to go and won 81-80. Later that week, came Esherick's shot to take GW into overtime where GU beat them. This was the week in which Post sportswriter Donald Huff coined the phrase "heart attack Hoyas." The Manhattan comeback was led by John Duren, who was all over the court.
Austin's half is worthy
of the compliment Duren-like intensity, the highest praise any Hoya can earn.

[hoya73]

The other biggest comeback, not in terms of double digit deficit, but in terms of time and score, came in 1980 at BC, where GU trailed by 8 with 58 seconds to go. Also pre-three point shot. Mike Frazier tied the game with a traditional three point play at the buzzer (all BC had to do was let him score without fouling him), and the Hoyas dominated the OT for the win.

[HoyaChris]

Additional big comebacks that come to mind:

-Down 14 at half time to Syracuse and come back to close Manley Fieldhouse
-Coming back from down 21 against Ohio State in the 1987 (?) NCAA

[aggypryd]

I'm quite sure our largest deficit against Ohio State in '87 was 17. I had that game on tape and watched it quite often.

[Nevada Hoya]

Jan 9, 2010 23:05:59 GMT -5 hoya73 said:

The other biggest comeback, not in terms of double digit deficit, but in terms of time and score, came in 1980 at BC, where GU trailed by 8 with 58 seconds to go. Also pre-three point shot. Mike Frazier tied the game with a traditional three point play at the buzzer (all BC had to do was let him score without fouling him), and the Hoyas dominated the OT for the win.

We were also down by 9 with about a minute to go at MSG in 1965 or 66 and won. Forgot who the team was. Lyddy and Michel led the comeback.

[lichoya68]

oh my god nevada jimmy lyddy my fellow fairfield prepster GREAT GUY hope hes doing well ahhhhh the memories go hoyas THIS IS FUN KEEP IT UP COMEBACKS FOREVER SECOND HALF EXPLOSIVE TEAM FOREVER go second half heart attack hoyas..

[lichoya68]

and pete michel who DID play in the pros in the aba but whose name is NOT on the wall in mcdonough GO HOYAS WOWOWOWOWOW THE MEMORIES AND GERRY PYLES SHUTING DOWN THE MR. .MCMILLIAN FROM COLUMBIA WHEN THEY WERE RANKED IN MCDONOUGH wowoowwowwoow im having deja vu all over again GO HOAYS BEAT THE HALL

[Giannicolus Jones]

1) The real question is if it is our biggest Big East comeback, since I think that's more impressive than coming back over Manhattan.
2) We were down 19 yesterday at 40-21 in the first half - I'm wondering about comebacks in general, not just 2nd half.

[bigelephant]

This is not the biggest in terms of points but maybe in points/time...
St Josephs of Philly - we were down 11 with 1:55 remainiing and won by 4 at McDonough in the 1950's - no 3pts shots then

[MassHoya]

One of the biggest comebacks, all time, was being down 40-27 at the half to Fentucky in the '84 Final Four semis, holding them scoreless for like 9 minutes to start the second half, and coming back to win. GLORY DAYS.

[ceshoya]

I remember a big comeback at home against Pitt in '87, but I forget how many it points it was. I do remember Jerome Lane talking to the Hoyas going into the locker room as if the game was over, and Reggie went for 31.

[Coast2CoastHoya]

Not the biggest in terms of points, but I know people are probably wondering about it because it was one of the biggest ever in significance (and I couldn't remember the numbers):
Hoyas were down 11 to UNC in the second half in the Elite 8 in 2007.

WHAT A GAME!!! GO HOYAS!!! WAY TO STICK IT TO UCONN AGAIN!!!

[GIGAFAN99]

We were down a dozen to WVU with 2 and 1/2 left when AI went to work and he tied it with two seconds left. Hoyas win in OT. Not sure if we down more than 15 in the second half though.

[JB5]

I remember 2 big comebacks in the 80s. One was against Pitt and mentioned above. The other (I think) was 20 points and I think it was against DePaul. Sadly, my memory is deteriorating with age and I can't remember the year. Of course, I still remember every minute of the '84 Final Four game with Kentucky.

[hoya73]

Jan 10, 2010 8:57:15 GMT -5 Giannicolus Jones said:

1) The real question is if it is our biggest Big East comeback, since I think that's more impressive than coming back over Manhattan.
2) We were down 19 yesterday at 40-21 in the first half - I'm wondering about comebacks in general, not just 2nd half.

Manhattan was a big-time, and ranked, program at the time. Before the Big East was organized, during the 1970's, several now fallen to midmajor status eastern teams, including also Fordham and Holy Cross were above GU in most people's pecking order.
John Thompson's late 70's teams, with Derrick Jackson, Big Sky, John Duren and others changed that perception just in time for GU to merit invitation to join the Big East, and for the university's administration to decide, in effect, to upgrade the program. I believe Holy Cross turned down an invitation to be a charter Big East member on the grounds they didn't want to overemphasize athletics.
The upset of Manhattan may have helped cement our getting into the Big East, just as the 1980 miracle game against BC may have helped persuade a high school kid from Boston to, later that year, sign with the Hoyas.