College basketball, at least at the highest levels, is on the horizon. Whether Division III will end up getting played, and thus my annual, gradual destruction of my vocal cords will commence, is still very much up in the air. And so, since this is normally the time of year I'd be getting started, I needed my college basketball fix. Thankfully, Geoffrey Clark had me covered.
You may remember him as an occasional contributor as part of the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest, but also as the host of 90's Youth Life, on which I have appeared twice before. I was on earlier this year to simulate a 1990's NBA playoff tournament, and two years prior when I ruined an average Major League shortstop for him forever. But recently, he had reached out about wanting to do a college basketball tournament in March Madness style, and I happily agreed.
We had this whole thing set up, where he had 79 teams that I was going to have to pare down to 64, then get into a good old fashioned March Madness bracket, and I had this whole big idea to make it a D-III style bracket... but unfortunately, my simulator only had 25 teams of the 79 available. So, we adjusted, and we made it work.
And this, dear readers, is the result of our work. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com; box scores are provided below.
Play In Round
(8) '98 Utah 100, (25) '94 Florida 97 (OT)
We get treated to an instant classic in the very first game. Florida led by seven at halftime, but Utah came back and turned it into a back and forth affair, but Florida seemed in control up six with a minute to go. Then the bottom fell out as Utah tied the game twice in the final 11 seconds to force overtime, including at the buzzer. Utah then controlled the extra session, and the final margin was closer than it appeared thanks to a 65 foot Florida heave that fell at the horn. Andre Miller paced the Utes with 25 points and Michael Doleac added 16, while Dametri Hill scored 23 points for the Gators.
(9) '92 Cincinnati 95, (24) '93 Florida St 84
The Seminoles actually controlled much of the first half, but the Bearcats closed the first half on an 18-9 run over the final five and a half minutes. Other than cutting it to a one possession game briefly in the second half, Cincinnati led by no less than six for most of the rest of the game, including going up by as many as 19 late. Anthony Buford scored 25 to pace the Bearcats in the win, Nick Van Exel scored 16 off the bench, and Herb Jones notched a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bob Sura paced the Seminoles with 22 points, Sam Cassell scored 17, and Rodney Dobard chipped in 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.
(10) '96 Syracuse 88, (23) '90 Xavier 79
After a bit of a slow start for both teams, Syracuse took over about five minutes in and didn't look back, building an 11 point halftime lead. An 8-0 Musketeer run got them within three with about 11 minutes to play, and Xavier was able to keep it close for a while, but couldn't get that key stop to cut into the lead, allowing the Orange to advance. Syracuse got 24 points and 10 rebounds for John Wallace, 16 and seven from Otis Hill, and 14 and eight from Todd Burgan. Jaime Gladden paced the Musketeers with 21 points, while Jamal Walker added 18 points and eight assists.
(11) '99 UConn 82, (22) '96 Miss St 71
Mississippi State hit back to back threes early to take control before Rip Hamilton took over the game, using a personal 6-0 run to get the Huskies back into it. He got some help as the half went on, but UConn only went into the break up 37-35. The start of the second half saw some back and forth, but the Huskies finally took control with a 16-3 run midway through the half. The Bulldogs bounced back, and took a 71-70 lead with 5:05 left... then proceeded to go 0-5 with seven turnovers the rest of the way as the Huskies were able to make this game look like more of a blowout than it was. Hamilton led UConn with 29 points (including 18 in the first half), six rebounds, and four steals, while Kevin Freeman chipped in 12 points and 10 boards. Daryl Wilson paced Mississippi State with 19 points, Erick Dampier chipped in 13 points and seven boards, and Marcus Bullard recorded 12 points and eight assists.
(21) '97 Minnesota 102, (12) '92 Indiana 86
Our first upset of the tournament is a runaway one. Indiana led 5-3 just over two minutes into the game, and that was probably their high water mark as the Gophers got hot from the field, taking a double digit lead late in the half before going to the locker room up six. The second half didn't have much drama, as the Hoosiers couldn't get a stop, with Minnesota taking a double digit lead for good about five minutes into the second stanza. Sam Jacobson led five Gophers in double figures with 23, Bobby Jackson added 20, and Eric Harris and John Thomas each scored 15. The Hoosiers got 16 from Damon Bailey to lead the way, plus 13 apiece from Calbert Cheaney and Alan Henderson.
(13) '96 UMass 88, (20) '90 Georgia Tech 85
Georgia Tech got off to a great start in this one, going up double digits midway through the first half and led by a dozen with about two minutes before halftime, but the Minutemen bounced back, closing the half on a 6-0 run and traded baskets with the Yellow Jackers early in the second half to make it an interesting game. Tech seemed to still have things in control though with an answer to every UMass basket, and they led by 10 with seven minutes to go. Then the Minutemen made their run, making it a one possession game a couple of times and missing some free throws before finally retaking the lead with 1:11 to play on a Carmelo Travesio jumper. Donta Bright added some insurance with 21 seconds to go, but UMass couldn't ice it with free throws, giving the Jackets a chance at the horn, but Daryl Barnes missed the game-tying three, and the Minutemen escape with a win. Marcus Camby paced UMass with 22 points and 14 rebounds, Travesio and Dana Dingle each scored 17, and Bright chipped in 15. A 29 point night for Georgia Tech's Brian Oliver was spoiled, as was a 15 point, nine rebound, seven assist effort for Kenny Anderson. Dennis Scott also scored 22 for the Jackets.
(19) '98 Stanford 100, (14) '99 Michigan St 82
The Cardinal got hot early in this one, surviving an early trading of leads to take control and go into the intermission up 14. The Spartans cut it to single digits for all of nine seconds in the second half as this game was all Stanford for the upset. Peter Sauer led a balanced attack with 20 points, Kris Weems added 19, Arthur Lee chipped in 18, and Tim Young and Mark Madsen each scored nine. Morris Peterson led Michigan State with 23 off the bench, Jason Klein scored 15, and Mateen Cleaves finished with 10 points and 13 assists.
(15) '93 Michigan 84, (18) '99 Ohio State 74
Well, at least Michigan can beat Ohio State at something. The Wolverines scored the first six of the game and led by double digits less than seven minutes in, but the Buckeyes fought back, tying the game three times in the final minutes of the half before taking a 36-35 lead into the break. But Michigan opened the second half on an extended 10-2 run to retake control. Ohio State wasn't done though, using an 8-0 run midway through the second half to retake the lead, though Michigan responded with a 16-1 run to pretty much put the game on ice. Chris Webber posted a quadruple-nickel of 18 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals, Jimmy King chipped in 15, eight, six, and four, Jalen Rose scored 13 points, and Juwan Howard added 12. Scoonie Penn paced the Buckeyes with 23 points while Michael Redd added 21 points and eight boards.
(17) '90 UNLV 94, (16) '95 Oklahoma St 88
The Cowboys were able to build an early eight point lead and seemed in control in the opening minutes, but the Rebels refused to give up, fighting back and taking their first lead of the game about three and a half minutes before the break, settling into halftime tied at 44. The Rebels kept that up in the second half, seeming to take control before the Cowboys came back and retook the lead with about ten minutes to go, though UNLV immediately recaptured it. The Rebels held a one point lead with just over three minutes to play, then all but iced the game with six straight over the next minute, and free throws in the final minute sealed the deal. David Butler paced the Rebels with 22 points and seven rebounds, Anderson Hunt added 18 and six, and Larry Johnson finished with 16 and seven to go with four steals. Randy Rutherford went off for a round-high 36 to pace the Cowboys, Big Country Reeves added 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Andre Owens contributed nine points and eight assists.
Sweet 16
(17) '90 UNLV 100, (1) '91 Kansas 81
And just like that... our top overall seed is gone. It was a good game for much of the first half, but an extended 23-4 UNLV run gave them a 17 point lead with three minutes to go in the first half. Kansas was able to trim it to 14 by the break, but the Rebels pretty much put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run early in the second half. Kansas trailed by as many as 30 before making the final margin look more respectable in garbage time. Anderson Hunt led the way with 22 points, Larry Johnson added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Stacey Augmon finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Mark Randall paced the Jayhawks with 21 points.
(2) ' 97 Arizona 106, (15) '93 Michigan 102
Michigan got off to a good early start in this one, going up by seven about ten minutes in, but the Wildcats stormed back, turning it into a back and forth affair before carrying a five point lead into the break. Arizona kept getting answers to Michigan baskets in the second half, keeping a narrow edge before the Wolverines finally retook the lead with about seven minutes to go. But a late 8-0 Arizona run did just enough to propel the Wildcats onto the next round. Michael Dickerson paced Arizona with 21 points, Jason Terry added 20, and Miles Simon scored 16 off the bench. Juwan Howard's 23 point, 12 rebound night was spoiled, as was a 22 point, nine rebound, five assist effort from Chris Webber.
(3) '96 Kentucky 97, (19) '98 Stanford 84
Stanford's Cinderella run comes to an end on a night where they couldn't stop the Wildcats. The Cardinal led by as many as nine late in the first half, but Walter McCarty hit a three at the buzzer to tie the game going into the break. Kentucky then used an 11-0 run early in the second half to pull away. Stanford would get as close as six with just under seven minutes to go, but the Wildcats responded again to pull away and advance. Antoine Walker led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds, McCarty scored 11, and Tony Delk added 13 for Kentucky, while Arthur Lee scored 24 to lead the Cardinal, and Kris Weems chipped in 14.
(13) '96 UMass 103, (4) '93 North Carolina 96
Another blue blood falls in the opening round! UMass survived a pretty good early start by the Tar Heels, going down by five in the opening minutes before coming back, taking control with an 11-2 run, going up by as many as 11 before taking a seven point lead into the break. Carolina fought back early in the second half to pull back within five, then survived a couple more Minutemen onslaughts and fought back to within one with about two and a half minutes to play. But an 8-0 UMass run served as the dagger and gets the Minutemen to the Elite Eight. Marcus Camby went off for 31 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, Edgar Padilla chipped in 17 points, nine assists, and six steals, and Donta Bright added 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. George Lynch paced the Tar Heel attack with 31 points, while Eric Montross had a 20-10 double-double.
(5) '92 Duke 106, (21) '97 Minnesota 81
We have our most lopsided game of the tournament so far. Despite Duke jumping out to an early lead, Minnesota actually kept pace with them and led for a significant chunk of the first half, going up by ten with just over seven minutes left in the half, and pushing it to 13 a minute later. But the Blue Devils used a 7-0 run to get back in the game, pulling within one before going into the break down three. Duke slowly began to assert control in the second half, using another 7-0 run midway through to push their lead to double digits, and Minnesota could not recover. Christian Laettner led the way with 27 points and nine rebounds, Bobby Hurley added 23 points and nine assists, and Brian Davis scored 16 for the Devils. The Gophers were paced by 12 apiece from Bobby Jackson, Courtney James, and Sam Jacobson.
(6) '94 Arkansas 90, (11) '99 UConn 87
The Huskies were in control early in this one, though Arkansas fought back for a brief lead that the Huskies recaptured, though a 6-0 Razorback run to end the half gave Arkansas a five point halftime advantage. Arkansas proceeded to score the first five of the second half as well to push the lead to double digits, though the Huskies fought back, pulling back within one a couple times, though Arkansas had an answer each time. UConn finally tied it with two and a half to play, and even took an 85-84 lead with about two to go. Rip Hamilton extended the lead on the ensuing possession, but Arkansas came up clutch, with Darnell Robinson hitting a go-ahead basket with 17 seconds left, and Corey Beck picked Khalid El-Amin's pocket in the final second to win the game, with the Razorbacks getting a couple free throws at all-zeroes on the clock for the final margin. Robinson only scored eight, but had the biggest two points of the night, while the lion's share of the work came from a 19 point, eight rebound effort from Corliss Williamson and an 18 and seven night from Scotty Thurman. Hamilton's 28 point game was all for naught, as were El-Amin's 17.
(7) '95 UCLA 93, (10) '96 Syracuse 88
The Bruins got off to a great start, leading by as many as nine in the first half before the Orange made a push, taking a brief lead on an 8-0 run. UCLA answered, but the Orange didn't give up, taking a two point lead into the break. A 12-2 Bruin run early in the second half gave UCLA a sizable lead. Syracuse managed to keep it a single digit margin for most of the second half, but couldn't get over the hump until they made a late run to pull within two with 30 seconds to go. But the Orange couldn't get another shot off, and the Bruins made three of four free throws in those final seconds to get us to the final margin. Ed O'Bannon put up a monster 29 and nine line to lead the way, Tyus Edney added 21 points, and George Zidek finished with 15. John Wallace paced Syracuse with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Lazarus Sims added nine points and 11 assists.
(8) '92 Utah 93, (9) '98 Cincinnati 70
This was a tight game early with some back and forth, though Utah wasn't able to take advantage of things like a three and a half minute scoring drought midway through the first half, though they were pretty firmly in control. It wasn't until a half-closing 7-0 run that made it 49-35 Utes that the outcome seemed all but set. The Bearcats made it interesting coming out of the locker room though, opening the second on a 12-3 run before Utah was able to stop the bleeding. After a Cincy three to make it a six point game, the Bearcats went silent for almost four minutes as a 12-0 Ute run pretty much sealed the deal. Michael Doleac paced a balanced attack with 18 points, Andre Miller had a near triple-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists plus five steals, and Alex Jensen chipped in 15 points for the Utes. Cincy's Herb Jones led all scorers with 24, while Nick Van Exel added 15.
Elite Eight
(7) '95 UCLA 99, (2) '97 Arizona 80
The Bruins got off to a roaring start in this one, and while Arizona kept pace for most of it, UCLA took a 5-4 lead early in this one and pretty much didn't look back, going up by six at the break. The Wildcats managed to keep it close early in the second half, coming back to within seven, but a 15-3 Bruin run pretty much sealed the deal after that. A late Arizona rally cut it to ten with about four minutes left, but the Bruins pulled away for a wide margin. Ed O'Bannon was excellent again, putting up 26 points and eight rebounds for UCLA, while Tyus Edney added 14 points and seven assists, and Toby Bailey contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. Michael Dickerson and Mike Bibby each scored 17 to pace the Wildcats, while Bennett Davison chipped in 13.
(6) '94 Arkansas 117, (3) '96 Kentucky 114
A barnburner in the Elite Eight. The Razorbacks jumped out to an early lead, but the Wildcats kept pace with them and went on a run, going up eight with just under eight minutes to go in the half. But Arkansas also kept pace, pulling back within one at the half. The Razorbacks then used an 8-0 run early in the second half to retake the lead and turn it into a seesaw battle, but a 14-4 Arkansas run gave them full control of the game with under nine minutes to go. A nine point lead with under five minutes to go evaporated though as the Wildcats tried to push back, but Arkansas hit seven of eight free throws in the final minute to ice the game. Corliss Williamson had a big night with 32 points to lead the way, while Corey Beck added 18, and Scottie Thurman scored 15. Derek Anderson led the way in Kentucky's losing effort with 19 points, seven rebounds, and six steals, while Antoine Walker matched him in points and boards, and Tony Delk and Walter McCarty each scored 17 points.
(5) '92 Duke 103, (13) '96 UMass 82
Another game, another blowout win for the Devils. It was a tight, back-and-forth game early with the Minutemen leading by as many as five in the first half, but a late Duke 7-0 run gave them the lead, and they scored the final four of the half to take a seven point advantage to the locker room. The Blue Devils then opened the second half on an 11-2 run to grab firm control, and UMass never pulled within single digits again. Thomas Hill led five Blue Devils in double figures with 24 points, Christian Laettner added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill each scored 16. Donta Bright paced the Minutemen with 20 points, while Marcus Camby added 15.
(17) '90 UNLV 95, (8) '98 Utah 82
This Cinderella run continues! After giving up a Utah bucket on the opening possession, the Rebels scored eight straight to take control, but it was short lived, as the Utes broke out a 15-0 run to retake control. But even then, UNLV weathered the storm, held Utah without a field goal for about two and a half minutes, and retook the lead, going into the break up three. The first five minutes of the second half were a back and forth affair, until finally the Rebels broke through with the game's decisive 17-2 run, that included a four minute field goal drought for the Utes. Utah would get no closer than within seven the rest of the way. Stacey Augmon led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Larry Johnson added 20 points, and David Butler scored 19 for the Rebels. Michael Doleac put up an 18 and 10 in the Utah defeat, Hanno Mottola added 15 points, and Andre Miller chipped in 14.
Final Four
(17) '90 UNLV 137, (5) '92 Duke 126 (2OT)
INSTANT CLASSIC! We saw a lot of back and forth in the first half, with each team taking two possession leads at different times before a 10-0 Rebel run gave them a seven point cushion, though Duke cut it to two before UNLV closed the half on an 11-3 run to take a ten point halftime lead. The Rebels got it to a dozen about four minutes into the second half, but then the bottom fell out as they went six minutes without a field goal as the Blue Devils trimmed it to a three point game. UNLV woke up and was able to push the lead back as high as nine, but Duke broke free for a 14-1 run to take the lead by as many as six, and was up by five with two and a half to go, but the Rebels scored five straight to tie it and send us to crunch time. Tied at 103 with under 30 seconds to go, David Butler rebounded a Duke miss, then scored with a second to go. Then, reminiscent of what actually happened in '92, Bobby Hurley buried a jumper just outside the paint at the buzzer to force overtime. The first three minutes of the extra session saw the lead change hands half a dozen times before UNLV seemed poised to take it, up three with 29 seconds left. But Thomas Hill buried a three with 15 seconds left to tie the game, and Chris Jeter was whistled for an illegal screen on UNLV's game-tying try as the buzzer sounded, forcing a second overtime. The Rebels finally made their big push there, opening the second freebie on a 10-3 run and keeping Duke out of the field goal column until halfway through the frame, but that was the only one they'd hit in the extra session as the Rebels advance to the title game. Anderson Hunt paced UNLV with 32 points and nine rebounds, Larry Johnson added 27 and 18, Stacey Augmon scored 23, David Butler had 18 and 12, and Greg Anthony finished with 16 points and 15 assists. Christian Laettner was magnificent in defeat, logging 31 points and nine rebounds, Hurley scored 22, Thomas Hill finished with 20, and Grant Hill's 19 point, 11 rebound, eight assist, five steal night was spoiled.
(7) '95 UCLA 113, (6) '94 Arkansas 96
This was a tight game early until Arkansas went on a 10-2 run midway through the first half to seemingly take control. But the Bruins fought back, taking a three point lead into the break. An 8-1 run early in the second half broke a tie, but the Razorbacks fought back to turn it into a seesaw battle. However, a late 15-2 Bruin run pretty much sealed the deal. Charles O'Bannon was the main force for the Bruins this time, pouring in 28 points, while Ed a double-double of 15 points and 10 boards, and Tyus Edney scored 18 points. Scotty Thurman paced the Razorback attack with 19 points, Corliss Williamson added 17, and Al Dillard chipped in 12 off the bench.
Championship
(17) '90 UNLV 106, (7) '95 UCLA 96
Cinderella is the one still dancing at the end! It was a back and forth affair early, but a four minute scoring drought by the Bruins allowed the Rebels to build a lead, and even when the drought ended, UNLV scored eight straight in about a minute and a half to push their lead to double digits. A UCLA response was answered by three straight three point plays, one conventional and two from beyond the arc by the Rebels, who led by as many as 14 before going into the locker room up 11. The Bruins hung around for much of the second half before making a push midway through, using a 15-2 run to retake the lead with under ten minutes to play. The lead changed hands a few times, with UCLA tying the game again at 94 with 2:36 to go. But that was the Bruins' high water mark, as right after the tie a David Butler dunk gave the Rebels the lead for good and UCLA hit just one of its final seven shots while committing three turnovers, and the Rebels made four of their final six free throws to clinch the title. Anderson Hunt had 24 points to lead the champs, Larry Johnson had 19 points and 11 rebounds while Butler scored 19, and Stacey Augmon chipped in 13 points. Charles O'Bannon scored 21 to lead UCLA, Ed added 20, and J.R. Henderson finished with 15 off the bench.
Most Outstanding Player
Larry Johnson, '90 UNLV
20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 BPG, 2.6 SPG, 63/0/72
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