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Russ watches UConn Husky Games, Game 9: The mecca of college basketball

June 14, 2015

Game 9: April 3, 2004
National Semifinal
UConn 79 Duke 78

I’ve watched this game more times than any other in my life. It’s still amazing that UConn won it. There’s so much to remember, from Rashad Anderson’s clutch three to J.J. Reddick’s unclutch misses. But the biggest hat tip goes to Emeka Okafor. The big man was a non-factor for the first 24 minutes and ended up unstoppable down the stretch. He was tournament MOP for a reason. I love watching Duke lose.

UConn Starting Lineup:

G. Taliek Brown
G. Ben Gordon
F. Rashad Anderson
F. Josh Boone
C. Emeka Okafor

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Three game observations:

This game is well known for its horrific officiating, so here’s a taste of it. It’s the second foul on Okafor, which came less than four minutes into the game:
You probably all remember this, but with about 15 minutes to go in the game, Shavlik Randolph and Sheldon Williams each had four fouls. Credit Jim Calhoun for having Okafor on the bench at that point with three and for sitting him most of the first half. He out-coached Coach K that night.
Here’s something we haven’t seen in a while: constant SMART movement without the ball offensively. It was refreshing to see four guys without the ball running through screens at a dizzying speed, ultimately setting up a good look. Of course there was also a time when it just became “give it to Okafor,” and that’s also fun.

Three other observations:

This game happened in 2004, one of two years that the UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams both won the na
I forgot about this part of the game: the news had already broken that Jim Calhoun would not be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, but since it was not yet official, CBS acted like it was still possible. And they wouldn’t shut up about it.
Another fun nugget I forgot about: UConn took over 43,000 free throws in practice that year, according to the broadcast, and made about 80 percent of them. The Huskies shot 62 percent from the line in game action, good for third-worst in the country.

Russ’s descent to insanity status:

I might actually have been marathoning The Simpsons today. I’m not sure.

Random artifact from Russ’s room:

Kenny Albert’s scorecard from the game that I broadcasted with him