What team did you really like that was not Gopher basketball?

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I really liked the Illinois team with Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill. I loved the way they played. They made the final four in the late 80's.

I also loved the UNLV running rebels. Augmon, Hunt, Larry Johnson would just run and run and run.

What is a team you really liked and maybe even cheered for that wasn't our gophers?

Since I started this thread, I am eliminating Wisconsin, Duke, Kentucky and Iowa from consideration.
 

I really liked the Illinois team with Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill. I loved the way they played. They made the final four in the late 80's..

Exactly what I was going to say. Fun, fun team.

While I really dislike a lot of things about Duke now, I really loved the team from 85/86. I was fifteen at the time and absolutely loved Johnny Dawkins. He remains one of my favorite non-gophers.

The 2016 Villanova team. Just a really, really SMART team. Loved Kris Jenkins and his old man at the YMCA game.

Syracuse when they had Pearl Washington. He was another of my favorite non-gophers. Loved the alley-oops to Rony Seikaly and the other front court players.
 

1988-89 Michigan Wolverines - National Champion with Glenn Rice and Lot Vaught. The championship game was a thriller and that team ended up having 6 guys go to the NBA.
 

1988-89 Michigan Wolverines - National Champion with Glenn Rice and Lot Vaught. The championship game was a thriller and that team ended up having 6 guys go to the NBA.

Oh yes, Schembechler's quote of a life-time, " I want a Michigan man coaching."......or something similar to that.

Who did Fisher replace? I can't remember his name.
 

Oh yes, Schembechler's quote of a life-time, " I want a Michigan man coaching."......or something similar to that.

Who did Fisher replace? I can't remember his name.

Bill Frieder.
 


College basketball is my favorite sport and I'll watch just about anybody. Outside of the Gophers, my favorite teams are UNC and Gonzaga, and

The teams I like tend to go year to year depending on who I enjoy watching.

Some multi-year teams I enjoyed a lot include

The Wichita State teams with VanVleet and Baker were awesome - Final 4, 1 seed where they lost to Kentucky in an epic second round game, beat Kansas in the second round in 2016, then won two games including an upset over Arizona in 2018 in their four tournament runs. I was genuinely bummed when that core graduated. And Wichita has been decent since, but that was probably the pinnacle.

I loved the West Virginia teams in 2007-2010 with Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones. I've always enjoyed Huggins as a coach and I remember when Butler got hurt in their Final 4 loss to Duke, how he went out and laid on the floor with him - was an eye-opening moment for how people viewed him.

A team that I have no recollection of how they did in the tournaments but would for some reason watch a lot of was Boston College in the early 2000s. They ran that super tight flex offense under Al Skinner. Craig Smith was a hoss. Jared Dudley was a stud. Sean Marshall was another grinder wing they had and they a microwave point guard Tyrece Rice towards the end of that multi-year run that was fun to watch.

I'm fully aware that I have no life. I think Jon Rothstein has a saying (one of many goofy sayings he does) 'some people have hobbies, I watch college basketball'...that sums me up too
 

Bill Frieder.

Oh yes! Wow, that was awesome. I always cheered for the Michigan Wolverines against OSU in football, so I loved the Schembechler rule. I want a Michigan man.
 

College basketball is my favorite sport and I'll watch just about anybody. Outside of the Gophers, my favorite teams are UNC and Gonzaga, and

The teams I like tend to go year to year depending on who I enjoy watching.

Some multi-year teams I enjoyed a lot include

The Wichita State teams with VanVleet and Baker were awesome - Final 4, 1 seed where they lost to Kentucky in an epic second round game, beat Kansas in the second round in 2016, then won two games including an upset over Arizona in 2018 in their four tournament runs. I was genuinely bummed when that core graduated. And Wichita has been decent since, but that was probably the pinnacle.

I loved the West Virginia teams in 2007-2010 with Da'Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones. I've always enjoyed Huggins as a coach and I remember when Butler got hurt in their Final 4 loss to Duke, how he went out and laid on the floor with him - was an eye-opening moment for how people viewed him.

A team that I have no recollection of how they did in the tournaments but would for some reason watch a lot of was Boston College in the early 2000s. They ran that super tight flex offense under Al Skinner. Craig Smith was a hoss. Jared Dudley was a stud. Sean Marshall was another grinder wing they had and they a microwave point guard Tyrece Rice towards the end of that multi-year run that was fun to watch.

I'm fully aware that I have no life. I think Jon Rothstein has a saying (one of many goofy sayings he does) 'some people have hobbies, I watch college basketball'...that sums me up too

How are you holding up with no college tournament?

I was pissed as hell at first, but after you go awhile without something, you just kind of adapt.

You listed some interesting teams, there.
 

Oh yes! Wow, that was awesome. I always cheered for the Michigan Wolverines against OSU in football, so I loved the Schembechler rule. I want a Michigan man.

Ha! Yes, same for me in football. I did get frustrated with the Wolverine team though because Rice is another player the Gophs went hard after and lost to the home state team. He's from the same high school as Trent Tucker aanddd...damn, a guard who went to MSU over us. Lost the name.
 



Ha! Yes, same for me in football. I did get frustrated with the Wolverine team though because Rice is another player the Gophs went hard after and lost to the home state team. He's from the same high school as Trent Tucker aanddd...damn, a guard who went to MSU over us. Lost the name.
Flint Northwestern HS. Morris Peterson is the other player you were thinking of.
 

I really liked the Illinois team with Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill. I loved the way they played. They made the final four in the late 80's.

I also loved the UNLV running rebels. Augmon, Hunt, Larry Johnson would just run and run and run.

What is a team you really liked and maybe even cheered for that wasn't our gophers?

Since I started this thread, I am eliminating Wisconsin, Duke, Kentucky and Iowa from consideration.
The 87,88 or do era Temple teams. Mark Macon, Tim Perry, Vreeswick. Went 32-2 or so. Tough as nails, just like their coach. Always liked Chaney.
 

I liked the Maryland team with Joe Smith, Keith Booth, Duane Simpkins, Johnny Rhodes. Gary Williams 1st big year. Maryland took a step back the year after, but in 1996-1997 Williams started his string of 20-win seasons that put him on the map.

Coach K Basketball was released in 1995, and I was a junior in HS. Our basketball team spent a lot of time playing tournaments against each other. Joe Smith was a stud, and Simpkins was so quick. Apparently, Joe Smith is now broke?
 

Acindor teams of 67-69. Indiana in 74-76, Marquette in 77, Nova since Wright, Last 2 years of being 67-5 with Hunter. Never saw a smarter player than Ty Jerome.
 



1974 North Carolina State. David Thompson, Monte Towe among others, certainly helped me fall in love with the game of basketball. A few years later I had season tickets as a student for the great Gopher team of 76-77
 

1974 North Carolina State. David Thompson, Monte Towe among others, certainly helped me fall in love with the game of basketball. A few years later I had season tickets as a student for the great Gopher team of 76-77
Great call.
 

I liked those OSU teams with David Lighty, Jon Diebler, Aaron Craft a lot

UNC most years, was a big fan of Marcus Paige, Kendall Marshall

Also loved watching the Kemba Walker teams at UConn

I liked the Michigan teams with Trey Burke

Villanova and UVA play a beautiful brand of basketball and are always fun to watch
 


Not a specific team, but I really like watching WCC games specifically between Gonzaga and either St. Mary’s or BYU when the latter two are good. It’s very different than watching major conference basketball, but in a good way. High quality basketball, mostly small gyms, and the crowd is always so intense.
 

2015-2016 Virginia with perrantes, brogdon, and gill under the basket. Was such a fun team to watch until they blew the big lead to Syracuse in the tourney
 

The first non-Gopher team I liked was that Illinois team. Then the Rebels. Then Nolan Richardson's Hogs in the mid 90s.
 

Really enjoyed watching that guard heavy lineup that Bill Self recruited at Illinois. Bruce Weber walk into a stud team with Luther Head, Dee Brown and Deron Williams, they did some damage!
 

2015-2016 Virginia with perrantes, brogdon, and gill under the basket. Was such a fun team to watch until they blew the big lead to Syracuse in the tourney
You have a really good eye. That team was 8th in offense and 7th in defense. That is national title contender. Boeheim was brilliant by going press in what he admitted was desperation because UVA destroys the press but he sped them up into 4 bad possessions and got em. That team was nearly as great as this one but this one had Jerome always in control of space and pace.
 

Really enjoyed watching that guard heavy lineup that Bill Self recruited at Illinois. Bruce Weber walk into a stud team with Luther Head, Dee Brown and Deron Williams, they did some damage!
Loved that team. Those three played both sides.
 

Georgetown with Patrick Ewing and Sleepy Floyd in 82 and Georgetown again in 84 with Ewing and a host of others.

Phi Slamma Jamma (Houston 83) with Hakeem, Clyde Drexler, and Larry Michaux

NC State coached by Jim Valvano that upset Phi Slamma Jamma in the 83 championship

UNC (82) with James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Michael Jordan as a freshman

As others have mentioned, the 1990 UNLV team

And, of course, Villanova (85) that played an almost perfect game to prevent Georgetown from repeating as national champs.
 


I can’t believe no one has brought up the fab five team yet, I may have been too young to understand whether they were playing solid offense/defense or whether they were even better than the teams they were playing but they were the team that made basketball cool and sparked a lifelong love for the sport. I’m 35 to put it in perspective...
 

Didn't follow the college game at all until the 85 title game. First team that caught my eye was Duke in '86 with Dawkins. That was followed by the Seikaly Syracuse team. Loved Providence under Pitino. Then I may be one of the few outside NC that fell in love with Christian Laettner. After he graduated, I didn't really find a team to truly enjoy until my Badgers started getting good.

Truly admired the best Illini teams. OhioSt and Purdue were really good. Loved the run Beilien had with Pittsnogle. GMason, Loyola, Nova, Virginia.

Anyone but Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, Duke in the 1&done era. Don't even know how their fans can enjoy these.
 

The whole Big Ten was awesome to watch in the late 80's through early 90's. I would cheer for Indiana in that era...

Ewing's Georgetown teams...
 

Went to the sweet 16 at the Metrodome in ‘89 and watched.

Missouri: Anthony Peeler, Doug Smith
Syracuse: Stevie Thompson, Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman
Louisville: Felton Spencer, LaBradford Smith
Illinois: Bardo, Gill, Anderson, Battle, Liberty

IL beat Louisville, Syracuse beat MO in a great one. Then IL/SYR was epic. I remember Stevie T listed at 6’2 (no way) playing above the rim all game. Guy was made of helium. Illinois was an amazing team with a bunch of interchangeable 6’5 guys with talent. Unbelievable Weekend. My first exposure live to big time college BB.
 
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Went to the sweet 16 at the Metrodome in ‘89 and watched.

Missouri: Anthony Peeler, Doug Smith
Syracuse: Stevie Thompson, Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, Derrick Coleman
Louisville: Felton Spencer, LaBradford Smith
Illinois: Bardo, Gill, Anderson, Battle, Liberty

IL beat Louisville, Syracuse beat MO in a great one. Then IL/SYR was epic. I remember Stevie T listed at 6’2 (no way) playing above the rim all game. Guy was made of helium. Illinois was an amazing team with a bunch of interchangeable 6’5 guys with talent. Unbelievable Weekend. My first exposure live to big time college BB.

Herd,

I went to the metrodome when david rivers played for Notre Dame back in the 80's. I kind of went to see him. Anyway, I'm pumped up, went with some buddies, and we were up in the right field seats. I've never been so pissed off in my life. We were so far away that the players seemed like ants running around. You could barely see the game.

It's been so long ago, but I think NC State had a monster then named Washburn. I think he played in the dome, too. I'm going from memory. I think I have that right.
 




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