Remembering The Final 4 Team

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

I was doing some surfing today and saw a highlight reel of the 2018-19 squad. That team really was something else.

They weren’t always the best team on the floor, but they played for each other. I think the thing that sums of that season the most, to me, is Anfernee McLemore stepping to the free throw line with 12 seconds left in the Virginia game for 2 FT to put us up by 4. The junior who had just come off one of the most horrific injuries in college basketball didn’t look nervous; he didn’t look anxious; he didn’t look scared. He calmly looked at the basket, then his teammates, then down at his shoes, all while mouthing the words “For Chuma.” The son of a gun hit both free throws to put us up by two scores. I know the game didn’t go our way after that, but that moment was really special.

That team is an SEC Champion, a Midwest Regional Champion, and they’re a dern National Champion in my book. Double dribble, inconsistent foul call, then inconsistent no foul call. Screw the stripes.

Long live Jared Harper.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by tigerbrotha12

[Rednilla 5,389]

Man, that team deserved to win it all. I STILL can't believe the double dribble wasn't called.

[aubearcat 2,137]

I love(ed) that team. Harper, Brown, and Dunbar were my favorite guys. 

[Indy 166]

Thx for posting this.

 

As I've stated a few times previously in other threads, I'm an Indiana grad, and was born-and-raised a Hoosier.  I've seen my share of some fantastic Indiana basketball squads, and being born in '72 have vivid memories of the '81 and '87 title teams.  My favorite of all of those squads was the 1987 team that had an absolute brawl of a 2nd round game with Auburn on its way to the title.

 

Anyway, my point in posting was to say that given all of those Knight teams that were so damn good, I would put the 2018-19 Auburn squad right up there with any of them.  And that Final Four loss to UVA, the way it all went down...I will never get over that.  It was a hard of a loss for me to take as any I've ever experienced as a fan. And that includes watching IU lose some gut-wrenchers in the 80s and 90s on their way to possible titles as well.

 

That team was one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams to watch that I've ever had the opportunity to see, and again, that's comparing them directly to the squads that Knight continuously put together in Bloomington. 

 

The intangible that that team had that I really never saw in Bloomington was this:  

--You felt like that Auburn team was playing as much for Bruce as for each other and would run through a wall for him

--Some of those Indiana teams we KNEW that they were playing together for each-other rather than for Coach Knight (hard to explain if you're not as familiar with his coaching strategy and tactics)

 

Such great memories from that season.  As long as Bruce stays on The Plains there will be many more to follow.

[gravejd 3,270]

The way we lost that Virginia game has made it really hard for me to go back and appreciate what that team accomplished. Talk about getting your heart ripped out and it such a BS way. Was really hard to swallow. But that team really was something else. The sum of the parts were so much better than the individual pieces and i think that is part of what made them so fun to watch. The chemistry that Harper had with Brown, chuma, and Mac was impressive to watch. I still have the Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky games saved on DVR. SO much fun to relive that run they went on. 

[BJCrawford 1,568]

That game bothered me as bad as 2013 national championship game, maybe more bc of the unfair way it went down. After I was somewhat over being mad, I still marvel at the class shown by Bruce Pearl. A lot of coaches would have handled it differently and would likely have not received too much criticism for calling out the refs.  He stayed classy, which had to be difficult.

[gr82be 14,423]

2 hours ago, BJCrawford said:

That game bothered me as bad as 2013 national championship game, maybe more bc of the unfair way it went down. After I was somewhat over being mad, I still marvel at the class shown by Bruce Pearl. A lot of coaches would have handled it differently and would likely have not received too much criticism for calling out the refs.  He stayed classy, which had to be difficult.

I haven't watched the game again nor the post game interviews but from what I remember Bruce was classy and gracious in defeat. He could have cried about how unfair it was that the referees allowed the double dribble and then lobbied the NCAA for a rule change. 

Nah, no way a respectable coach would ever do that on any sport...

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

I think we would've felt alot better if that era was allowed one more shot to try to exact some revenge on the NCAA in the postseason, but COVID...Idk, unlike football, I do think Bruce is someone who's going to be able to use the motivation of what could've been very efficiently, even years after. Everyone who comes here is going to want to be that squad that finishes the race for auburn

[jared52 4,354]

Are people already starting to forget that team? Granted, I cannot shake that sinking heart feeling of how incredible this team was for coming back and taking the lead. If Harper had just hit that second FT, or if the refs were somewhat competent, or if Doughty had been 1" further away... 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

My mom won this at an Auburn event today.  WDE