Where does Duke 1/21/06 rank now?

[bostonhoya05]

Was looking through YouTube videos last night and came across the Duke win from last January. Seems so long ago. And a little inconsequential right now.

So I got to thinking: with all the big W's in the past few weeks, where does that one rank in terms of JTIII era games? In some ways, it was the W that signified that we were back and probably paved the way for a lot of what we've seen over the past couple months, but here's my ranking:

1. Gtown 94, UNC 86
2. Gtown 66, Vandy 65
3. Gtown over Pitt in BET Final
4. The Duke Game
5. Gtown over ND in BET Semi
6. Gtown over Pitt @ home to basically lock up BET Reg Season
7. Gtown over Nova in Philly this year
8. Gtown over OSU - 2006 2nd Round

[hchoya]

I have to agree that the UNC game has to be number 1 because it means so much more. The Duke win did put us back on the map, but now the UNC win makes a statement that we are here to stay.

[voltahoya]

I think the win over BC in Winston Salem comes in at #6 because we came from behind by so much and because it was so personal to beat BC--Benedict Arnold U.

I added a number 10 that sticks in my mind from Roy and jeff's freshman year.

1. Gtown 94, UNC 86
2. Gtown 66, Vandy 65
3. Gtown over Pitt in BET Final
4. The Duke Game
5. Gtown over ND in BET Semi
6. Gtown over BC in Second Round of 2007 NCAAs
7. Gtown over Pitt @ home to basically lock up BET Reg Season
8. Gtown over Nova in Philly this year
9. Gtown over OSU - 2006 2nd Round
10. Last Second Win over ND in 2005 regular season when Roy dunked as time expired. Gave Roy confidence to become clutch player he is today.

[vcjack]

I would add the Marquette game in there somewhere because of the 100 years aniversery and the fact that it was a close and well fought game (flu nonwithstanding) and that Marquette was on an 8 game winning streak and was hyped at the time

[CO_Hoya]

In terms of excitement and aesthetics, the Duke game is ahead of BET Pitt and probably Vandy for me.

It's been quite a while now since the Duke win, but that was about as important a win as you could have ever asked for, considering how far G'town had fallen

• Duke came in undefeated, with talk about a perfect season
  
• National TV, with CBS' #1 team (Packer/Lundquist), and Packer was clearly rooting for the Hoyas after the big opening
  
• Everyone was rooting for G'town ('Cuse fans, Terp fans, everyone). That never happens.
  
• you can imagine Austin Freeman watching the game, thinking "You know, I can see myself playing in this offense."
  

FWIW, I posted an updated highlight package of the Duke game on HoyaProspectus a while ago. Watch it again, or for the first time.

[JPM32]

I'd put the Ohio State win last year in the Tournament a lot higher than you guys seem to be. We were a #7 seed, who hadn't been to the Sweet Sixteen in 5 years, playing against a #2 seeded Buckeyes team IN OHIO and we destroyed them. That was a huge win. I'd rank them:

1. Regional Final vs. UNC
2. Regional Semi vs. Vandy
3. BET Final vs. Pitt
4. 2nd Round vs. Ohio State in 2006
5. 2nd Round vs. Boston College in 2007
6. Duke Game
7. BET Semi vs. Notre Dame
8. 1st Round vs. Northern Iowa (7-10 games are not gimmes like 2-15 games)
9. GTown over Pitt at Verizon
10. BET Quarter vs. Marquette in 2006*

* Call me crazy if you want to, but whose to say we would've made the 06 NCAAs without this win. We had finished 5th in the Big East that year and this win got us through to the BE semis. Syracuse finished 5th in the BE this year and they were unable to beat Notre Dame in the quarters and look where they ended up...

[Big Dog]

Its like this people:

1. Gtown 94, UNC 86
2. Gtown 66, Vandy 65
3. Gtown over Pitt in BET Final (basically a celebration the whole game)
4. The Duke Game (1st call to the world that we're on our way back)
5. Gtown over OSU - 2006 2nd Round (2nd call to the world we're on our way back)
6. Gtown over BC in Second Round of 2007 NCAAs (HUGE sigh of relief)
7. Gtown over ND in BET Semi (big sigh of relief, delight at Green's performance and great game)
8. Gtown over Marquette, 100th anniversary (the anniversary and the affirmation that we'd overcome our early season problems--previous games had been against lesser competition)
9. Gtown over Pitt @ home to basically lock up BET Reg Season
10. Gtown over Northern Iowa, 1st round last year

[casualhoya]

While the BET win v. Pitt was indeed a championship and therefore should mean more in theory, I think 'the Duke game' is #2 on my list under the UNC game for the following:

1) I was at both games, and while the Pitt game was thrilling due to the incredible way in which we dismantled them, as a fan in attendance the Duke game was simply magical. not only was the entire crowd behind the team, but it seemed like our offense never looked better, and this coming off an awful close win against South Florida. That win over the #1 and undefeated team in the nation gave the Hoyas the confidence that they could beat anyone, and the run they went on which ended in the sweet 16 can be directly attributed to that day.

2) The Duke game featured an incredible performance by JJ Redick, who went off for 41 points. Every time he touched the ball the crowd gasped. In the Pitt game, while you can certainly attribute it to Roy, Aaron Gray was just awful, thereby taking away from Pitt their only real offensive threat.

3) I had the DVR recording of the Duke game in my DVR until Sunday night. I finally deleted it to make room for the UNC game, which for me will be extremely difficult to top.

Hoya Saxa.

Casually.

[voltahoya]

Maybe the loss to Florida in last year's tourney deserves a spot in the top 10. We gave the national champs last year their only close game--we were 1 DJ 3 from winning that game. I think it was a tremendous performance. Losing like that probably did more to get this team ready for its run this year than any victory from last year.

Indeed, there was an article last week that said anytime the team is getting sloppy or lazy PEJr simply says "Florida" and the team refocuses.

[hoyatmf]

1/21/06 is the most significant game of the JTIII era because it made everything else that has happened possible. If we get blown out in that game or choke after being up big it would have deflated us. 1/21/06 is when things started to come together for us as a team and we knew we could beat anyone. It was also the first time that we beat a #1 team in over two decades. I guess the same can be said for a lot of things that have happened this season, but in terms of our program, 1/21/06 is tops for me. That is the day everyone will remember because that is the day we turned things around. Our recruits have specifcally referenced that game as being influential in their decision to come to Georgetown. Obviously I cannot discount going to the Final Four. I can barely function at work because I am so damn happy about it. Still, take away that Duke game and I don't know if we are here right now. I guess the same can be said for any of our games up to this point, but 1/21/06 seems to have been the catalyst. Go Hoyas!!!!

[ExcitableBoy]

It really depends what metric you use to judge how "big" it is.

From a basketball perspective, no way does the Duke win rank in the top four. We've won some pretty clutch games these past two years.

From a fan's perspective I'm not sure I'd rank anything other than the UNC game above it. Look, I was at the South Florida game--along with a few hundred of my closest student friends and about 5,000 others--that immediately preceeded the Duke game. The atmosphere was, to be brutally honest, much like the last years of Esh, save the chanting. Four days later, the Hoyas beat Duke in front of 20,000 fans (1,500 or so students?) and for the rest of the season people cared again. That win changed more about the program than any other win (save UNC) on these lists.

[vamosalaplaya]

It gets back to the "BET Champs vs NCAA success" discussion that has occurred at times on this board, but I'd rank the Ohio State game a solid three - all year we heard how the Hoyas were a Sweet 16 team last year, that performance put the team on the map for this entire season. UNC, Vandy, Ohio State, Duke, Pitt this year would be the one.

Not belonging on any top ten list, let me bring up a random game that I will always remember: the Davidson game from JT IIIs first year. The Hoyas had gotten drilled by Temple to open the season, beat someone crummy, and were playing a Davidson team that had given Duke a good game, and playing them on the road. I think that Davidson team went 16-0 in their conference, it was clear they were a solid team and it was a game that would determine whether they could run the Princeton offense at all.

Wallace hit a ton of threes - I think the team set or tied a team record - and they just buried Davidson. I always thought of that as the game that set the team on the journey.

[CO_Hoya]

hoyatmf said:

It was also the first time that we beat a #1 team in over two decades.

FWIW, OSU is ranked #1 in both polls.

[SFHoya99]

I think there is a game missing from the lists above:

JTIII's first BE regular season game at Pitt. We beat a ranked team and it was the first real inkling of what was to come. We had had a very mediocre non-conference season, losing to teams like Oral Roberts and Temple, beating teams like Davidson. We all knew the team was learning and improving, but there was no sign the team would ever be really good.

Until Pitt. Beating a ranked Pitt at their place -- where they had lost two home games ever -- was enormous. Totally resold me on the program and solidified my faith in III.

[miamihoya]

Let's hope all these games get bumped down a notch (or TWO!) this weekend. Personally, for me its UNC #1, and then Duke #2. Those games will never be forgotten by the Georgetown faithful. Afterwards its probably Vandy, ND BE tourney (yes ahead of Pitt, simply because it was an amazing basketball game), and then Pitt BE tourney. No one has mentioned this game yet, but I think last year's Syracuse game on Senior Day was pretty special too.

[Fan Of The Game]

Such a toughie.

I think the Duke game and the 2007 BET Championship are both above Vandy. Obviously that was a necessary win for UNC and this weekend to happen. And obviously it was an exciting win. But two things lower it in my mind: 1. it was against a team we were supposed to beat (some would say without much trouble) 2. Sweet 16 wins always tend to fade with time...with such a quick turnaround until you play again it never really had a chance to sink in with me.

Barring anything from this upcoming weekend, years from now I'll look at the win over UNC, the Duke game, and the win over Pitt in the BET as the three games I was most happy to have attended from the JTIIIBNCAAC Era.

[swflahoya]

I'd have to rank the Pitt game higher than most people. I think since we've had this great 2 week run we've kinda forgotten what that night felt like. It wasn't just winning the Big East tourney for the first time since 89, it was the way we did it. We absolutely humiliated them on national television, not to mention what Roy did to poor Aaron Gray, all culminated with the photo of "Drunk Pitt Fan" and JT3's surprising rendition of "WE ARE" while cutting down the nets. That night felt as good as any at the time.

That being said, I haven't seen any signifigant portions of last years Duke game since that day. So, CO_Hoya, I'd like to personally thank you for posting that highlight package. I had honestly forgotten how good that day was. Even if it isn't the biggest win of the new era, it may be the most special, at least for now.

GO HOYAS!!!!!

[HfieldHoya08]

I would say the UNC game #1, and then in #2 its gotta be the Duke game. Casual said it was magical and for me there is no better way to describe it. #3 has to be beating Pitt in the BET this year - that was just an amazing experience, but the Duke game was more "magical" in the sense that based on seedings/rankings we weren't supposed to win it, and while we all hoped we would and though we could beat Duke, no one really expected to win it. Whereas with the Pitt game - we had already beaten them, knew we could, and as the #1 seed were sort of expected to win the BET - this doesn't take away from the awesomeness that was that game, its just why I think that it comes in third to the Duke game, which really was what put us back on the map.

I also would include on my rankings list the ND game from the 04-05 season where Roy's buzzer beater, upon review, led to the students rushing the court. Pics from that game were the background on my laptop for a year - until we beat Duke

[FromTheBeginning]

Duke has a singular significance because it served notice that the Hoyas once again belonged on the national stage.

[Elvado]

From an old timer's perspective, Duke '06 is much like Missouri '82. Huge coming out party before a national audience.

This win was infinitely bigger.