In Women's Final Four news

UConn has it's perfect undefeated season ended once again in the Semi-finals. Last year, they lost to MState in overtime in the Final Four on a last second shot. Last night, Notre Dame beat them on a last second shot in overtime to move on to the finals. Two undefeated years ending in a loss in the semifinals in a very similar fashion.

The final will be MState and Notre Dame. MState got here last year and lost to South Carolina. There could be a similar fate awaiting for them again. Notre Dame looked really good last night. Both Semi final games were overtime games, which was pretty exciting.

Poor ole Geno....

I tuned in the 4th qtr and it was exciting stuff. ND built two 5-point leads in the 4th and at the end of OT, and both times UCONN rallied to tie it, in mere seconds.

Watching the game drove home the point in the difference of talent of the elites and where we are presently. We have a player or two who could make their roster, but wouldn't be starters, and they have a bench of talent just as good and better. But Loyola-Chicago plays today in the Men's FF. So, never say never.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Poor ole Geno....

I tuned in the 4th qtr and it was exciting stuff. ND built two 5-point leads in the 4th and at the end of OT, and both times UCONN rallied to tie it, in mere seconds.

Watching the game drove home the point in the difference of talent of the elites and where we are presently. We have a player or two who could make their roster, but wouldn't be starters, and they have a bench of talent just as good and better. But Loyola-Chicago plays today in the Men's FF. So, never say never.

---

Totally agree..... I think Notre Dame just had more raw emotion of wanting it and that was the difference. Geno has the talent - that is VERY clear, but that team is not used to close games and Notre Dame is definitely a "gut it out" type team. I am cheering on Loyola Chicago today!!!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champion110

Totally agree..... but that team is not used to close games and Notre Dame is definitely a "gut it out" type team.

---

Que the talking heads remarks; "UCONN plays in a weak conference... bla bla..". I think it's a positive that UCONN can't get into the ACC or Big East. I think it helps to weaken the power 5 .

Just glad UConn is OUT!

You don't leave the inbounder open.

Rats, State.

Would have been nice to add Starkville to the swath of Lubbock, College Station, Waco, Ruston, Knoxville, Columbia, and Norfolk.

State got tackled at the end, no-call gives ND the ball.

That final four was incredible. Between the semifinals and finals I watched more women basketball than I have in the past 5 years combined.

It was however a bad no call that would of sent MSU to the free throw line. Even if MSU takes the lead Ogunbowale still gets the last shot and who is betting against her.

*Watching Ogunbowale reminded me of watching Betty Lennox in the TAC.

Great close games in the FF this year! Made it exciting, at least!

ND was amazing. Not just this weekend....look at who they beat to win it all....UCONN and MSU were a combined 73-1...but all year, they lost 4 players, some starters, to injuries and were down to just 7 scholarship players. Didn't make excuses or get down on themselves, instead they used the adversity as a rallying point.

Moo State still has ZERO national championships in a team sport, men's or women's, any sport, in their entire history. Until recently, South Carolina was in the same boat. And there are many other schools, a bunch of P5ers, without a NC. We have.....six, I think it is.

Congrats to ND. Great comebacks too. Trailed Moo State by 15 early in the 2nd half, and trailed UCONN by double digits as well. The Irish simply wouldn't quit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

ND was amazing. Not just this weekend....look at who they beat to win it all....UCONN and MSU were a combined 73-1...but all year, they lost 4 players, some starters, to injuries and were down to just 7 scholarship players. Didn't make excuses or get down on themselves, instead they used the adversity as a rallying point.

Moo State still has ZERO national championships in a team sport, men's or women's, any sport, in their entire history. Until recently, South Carolina was in the same boat. And there are many other schools, a bunch of P5ers, without a NC. We have.....six, I think it is.

Congrats to ND. Great comebacks too. Trailed Moo State by 15 early in the 2nd half, and trailed UCONN by double digits as well. The Irish simply wouldn't quit.

---

Yeah, there was no doubt in my mind that they deserved it after fighting back like they did in the last 2 games. They were amazing and had a hunger that wouldn't let them quit. Those last second shots in both those last games were amazing!!!!!

I didn't realize MState had never won a National Championship in anything.... I would love to see a ranking of all D1 schools with the number of National Championships for each across all sports. It might show that there are some G5 schools just as powerful as P5. Of course, UConn is now a G5, as well.

Our 2nd half comeback against Auburn in '88 was similar to what ND did last night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LT

Our 2nd half comeback against Auburn in '88 was similar to what ND did last night.

---

That was an amazing game!

I had a different flashback....a NC game ending on a buzzer-beating 3.... :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

I had a different flashback....a NC game ending on a buzzer-beating 3.... :(

---

The illegitimate championship of North Carolina..... I count that as our unrecognized 4th championship. There was less time on the clock than there was for Notre Dame to score on Sunday.;) And, they passed it once before shooting among other problems with that play.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champion110

Yeah, there was no doubt in my mind that they deserved it after fighting back like they did in the last 2 games. They were amazing and had a hunger that wouldn't let them quit. Those last second shots in both those last games were amazing!!!!!

I didn't realize MState had never won a National Championship in anything.... I would love to see a ranking of all D1 schools with the number of National Championships for each across all sports. It might show that there are some G5 schools just as powerful as P5. Of course, UConn is now a G5, as well.

---

The entire State of Mississippi has never won a major college national championship in anything! So we still have 3 more major college national titles than all of Mississippi in all sports combined! :laugh:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dawg06

The entire State of Mississippi has never won a major college national championship in anything! So we still have 3 more major college national titles than all of Mississippi in all sports combined! :laugh:

---

Ole Miss does claim 3 NC's in football:

National championships

Ole Miss has been selected National Champions three times by NCAA-deemed Major Selectors.^[6][7]

1959	Johnny Vaught	Berryman, Dunkel, Sagarin	10–1	Sugar Bowl	LSU	W 21–0	#2	#2
1960	Johnny Vaught	Billingsley, Football Writers, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, NCF, Williamson	10–0–1	Sugar Bowl	Rice	W 14–6	#2	#3
1962	Johnny Vaught	Billingsley, Litkenhous, Sagarin	10–0	Sugar Bowl	Arkansas	W 17–13	#3	#3

*The major wire service polls of the time (Associated Press & United Press), named Syracuse (11-0) the National Champion in 1959, Minnesota (8-2) in 1960, and USC (11-0) in 1962.^[8][9]

**It's interesting that Minnesota was named/voted national champion in 1960 despite losing two of it's last 3 football games, including a 17-7 loss to Washington in front of 97K fans in the Rose Bowl. Minnesota's other loss in 1960 was to Purdue (4-4-1). No way a record like that stands up to a NC these days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Ole Miss does claim 3 NC's in football:

National championships

Ole Miss has been selected National Champions three times by NCAA-deemed Major Selectors.^[6][7]

1959	Johnny Vaught	Berryman, Dunkel, Sagarin	10–1	Sugar Bowl	LSU	W 21–0	#2	#2
1960	Johnny Vaught	Billingsley, Football Writers, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, NCF, Williamson	10–0–1	Sugar Bowl	Rice	W 14–6	#2	#3
1962	Johnny Vaught	Billingsley, Litkenhous, Sagarin	10–0	Sugar Bowl	Arkansas	W 17–13	#3	#3

The major wire service polls of the time (Associated Press & United Press), named Syracuse the National Champion in 1959, Minnesota in 1960, and USC in 1962.^[8][9]

---

I'm going with the AP and UPI. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dawg06

I'm going with the AP and UPI. ;)

---

Yes, because the wire services did such a good job naming Minnesota as national champions in 1960, despite the Gophers having a 8-2 record and losing two of its last three games. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champion110

The illegitimate championship of North Carolina..... I count that as our unrecognized 4th championship. There was less time on the clock than there was for Notre Dame to score on Sunday.;) And, they passed it once before shooting among other problems with that play.

---

Your memory is off on that. The pass in from OB went directly to Smith. There was no extra pass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

**It's interesting that Minnesota was named/voted national champion in 1960 despite losing two of it's last 3 football games, including a 17-7 loss to Washington in front of 97K fans in the Rose Bowl. Minnesota's other loss in 1960 was to Purdue (4-4-1). No way a record like that stands up to a NC these days.

---

The 50s and 60s choices are often weird. Though a big part of that was their doing their last vote before the bowls. From the wire service perspective, Minnesota was 8-1. Of course, even that choice is questionable with undefeated teams available. It's pretty clear the south was not respected at that point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Yes, because the wire services did such a good job naming Minnesota as national champions in 1960, despite the Gophers having a 8-2 record and losing two of its last three games. ;)

---

You would know. I wasn't around in the Stone Age. ;)

In all seriousness though, were all of those retroactive claims to national titles? There's no way Sagarin and Billingsley were around way back then. Maybe all except the Football Writers were retroactive claims?

Looking at the NCAA website, it looks like they only recognize the 1960 FWAA claim while the other 3 recognized selectors (AP, UPI, NFF) picked Minnesota that year.

But my point still stands since all of those football title claims are mythical. No school in Mississippi has won an NCAA DI national championship. And I'm glad it stayed that way. :laugh:

Okay....I'll bite. Why all the hate for Mississippi? And why in the hell would you want Notre Dame to win over a Mississippi State team from the deep south? I find your hatred a curiosity. There's not a single person at Notre Dame that even knows where Ruston is. At least Miss St plays us occasionally in sports.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Okay....I'll bite. Why all the hate for Mississippi? And why in the hell would you want Notre Dame to win over a Mississippi team from the deep south? I find your hatred a curiosity.

---

I have no hatred for Mississippi. I just think it's funny Tech has 3 more legit major college national titles than their entire state (0).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Okay....I'll bite. Why all the hate for Mississippi? And why in the hell would you want Notre Dame to win over a Mississippi State team from the deep south? I find your hatred a curiosity. There's not a single person at Notre Dame that even knows where Ruston is. At least Miss St plays us occasionally in sports.

---

Just curious....would you root for LSU over Notre Dame? The whole "deep south" thing, I mean.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Just curious....would you root for LSU over Notre Dame? The whole "deep south" thing, I mean.

---

Not just no but $%@& NO!! Go Irish. And my masters is from lsu.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Russdawg

Not just no but $%@& NO!! Go Irish. And my masters is from lsu.

---

Graduate education doesn't count for loyalties ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Just curious....would you root for LSU over Notre Dame? The whole "deep south" thing, I mean.

---

There you go AGAIN with the "LSU thing". Nobody even mentioned LSU. You obviously have issues with LSU. You can't seem to get them off your mind.

https://media.giphy.com/media/26FPOz...miuA/giphy.gif

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Blue Dawg

Graduate education doesn't count for loyalties ;)

---

Glad you see it that way too.:) How long until you're Dr. Blue Dawg?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Russdawg

Glad you see it that way too.:) How long until you're Dr. Blue Dawg?

---

Couple more years. Just not the kind that helps people ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champion110

The illegitimate championship of North Carolina..... I count that as our unrecognized 4th championship. There was less time on the clock than there was for Notre Dame to score on Sunday.;) And, they passed it once before shooting among other problems with that play.

---

24 years has dulled your memory of that play. The shot came directly off an inbounds pass, there was no pass after the ball was touched inbounds. Time was also no issue as with 0.8 on the clock, the shot was released in a fraction under 0.8 after being first touched even though the clock started a tenth or two late. Current review rules would have upheld the good basket call.

Even not getting a travel call on the inbounds pass doesn't bother me now since I have heard officials explain that on a spot inbounds pass, the player has a box of about three feet and a travel shouldn't be called if the player stays within that box.

1994 just confirmed that Tech could not win a national championship without all three of Leon Barmore, Kim Mulkey, and Jennifer White being part of the program.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FriscoDawg

24 years has dulled your memory of that play. The shot came directly off an inbounds pass, there was no pass after the ball was touched inbounds. Time was also no issue as with 0.8 on the clock, the shot was released in a fraction under 0.8 after being first touched even though the clock started a tenth or two late. Current review rules would have upheld the good basket call.

Even not getting a travel call on the inbounds pass doesn't bother me now since I have heard officials explain that on a spot inbounds pass, the player has a box of about three feet and a travel shouldn't be called if the player stays within that box.

1994 just confirmed that Tech could not win a national championship without all three of Leon Barmore, Kim Mulkey, and Jennifer White being part of the program.

---

You are correct that it was on an in bounds pass. I re-watched it. There was .7 seconds left when they threw the ball in. I won't ever call it legit, but that is just because it seemed off to me (as a Tech fan). :laugh:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by champion110

You are correct that it was on an in bounds pass. I re-watched it. There was .7 seconds left when they threw the ball in. I won't ever call it legit, but that is just because it seemed off to me (as a Tech fan). :laugh:

---

If I remember right she reached high to catch the pass, brought it down, then went back up and released the ball at the top of her jump (or whatever). Unlikely that from the time the ball touched her hand, she did all that in .7 seconds.

Here it is from a North Carolina throwback celebration eyes...
https://youtu.be/s1zz5ku1KvU

The second video shows their season and the shot at about the 1:56 mark.
https://youtu.be/qJ_J4bQ37DM

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FriscoDawg

24 years has dulled your memory of that play. The shot came directly off an inbounds pass, there was no pass after the ball was touched inbounds. Time was also no issue as with 0.8 on the clock, the shot was released in a fraction under 0.8 after being first touched even though the clock started a tenth or two late. Current review rules would have upheld the good basket call.

Even not getting a travel call on the inbounds pass doesn't bother me now since I have heard officials explain that on a spot inbounds pass, the player has a box of about three feet and a travel shouldn't be called if the player stays within that box.

---

That's correct. I'm not clear how but I think she got the shot off on time. She did, however, have her toes on the 3-pt line. Still, the problem with that game was that we gave it away in the last two minutes. Yet another example of our trying to slow a game down at the end and it costing us.

I remember reading somewhere that Smith tried to recreate the shot at some kind of celebration. They tried it 20 times and she didn't make it once. It was a heck of a lucky shot.

Why is that a "heck of a lucky shot?" It was a straight-forward set shot right at the arc. As easy as a 3-pointer gets....sans the time to do it. Smith was already in her shooting stance, caught the pass (which started the clock), and shot.

Bigger issue is why was she so wide opened? No defender near her, nothing to make her hesitate or change her shot.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Why is that a "heck of a lucky shot?" It was a straight-forward set shot right at the arc. As easy as a 3-pointer gets....sans the time to do it. Smith was already in her shooting stance, caught the pass (which started the clock), and shot.

Bigger issue is why was she so wide opened? No defender near her, nothing to make her hesitate or change her shot.

---

If you can only do it once in 21 tries, that’s almost the definition of lucky. The time pressure would be big for most people. Agree our defense left a bit to be desired. IIRC, Brown had fouled out. Maybe another starter too

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TechDawgMc

If you can only do it once in 21 tries, that’s almost the definition of lucky. The time pressure would be big for most people. Agree our defense left a bit to be desired. IIRC, Brown had fouled out. Maybe another starter too

---

Who was assigned to cover Smith?

My biggest issue with that shot was the inbounder. She was supposed to stay in place, but she actually "traveled" before throwing the ball to Smith.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Who was assigned to cover Smith?

---

THAT'S the zillion dollar question no one wants to answer. :laugh:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Who was assigned to cover Smith?

---

Apparently no one was assigned to Smith.

Seriously, it is possible it was a screw-up and two Techsters double-teamed a player, leaving Smith open. A missed assignment. And yes, if you're thinking R U KIDDIN' ME!? with the frickin' National Championship on the line, our coaches/players couldn't get that right!? Well, in the hectic moment of that final time out huddle...we had some starters who had fouled out...the back-ups could have gotten confused on who they were supposed to be guarding.

I know this....no one was guarding Smith.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

Who was assigned to cover Smith?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HogDawg

THAT'S the zillion dollar question no one wants to answer. :laugh:

---

Maquisha Walker. There was a screen. Vickie Johnson stayed with her man, but Walker switched to double the girl Johnson was guarding, leaving Smith wide open.

Another interesting thing about that play...

Initially, Tech was guarding the inbounder and forced UNC to take a timeout because they couldn't get it in.

After the timeout, Tech decided not to guard the inbounder and had Kendra Neal with her back to the inbounder facing the girls on the court apparently trying to cut off any short passes at the basket.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Apparently no one was assigned to Smith.

Seriously, it is possible it was a screw-up and two Techsters double-teamed a player, leaving Smith open. A missed assignment. And yes, if you're thinking R U KIDDIN' ME!? with the frickin' National Championship on the line, our coaches/players couldn't get that right!? Well, in the hectic moment of that final time out huddle...we had some starters who had fouled out...the back-ups could have gotten confused on who they were supposed to be guarding.

I know this....no one was guarding Smith.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dawg06

Maquisha Walker. There was a screen. Vickie Johnson stayed with her man, but Walker switched to double the girl Johnson was guarding, leaving Smith wide open.

---

Like I surmised.

You guys are torturing yourselves.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TYLERTECHSAS

You guys are torturing yourselves.

---

Not at all.

Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Not at all.

Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.

---

Then let’s ignore it... and get back to the national championship game ;-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TYLERTECHSAS

You guys are torturing yourselves.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dawg80

Not at all.

Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.

---

Very true. But I didn't play nor coach in that game so I won't repeat anything nor be condemned for it. ;)