Honest to God I just stumbled on to this article just now. Looks like Burlison and yours truly are on the same wavelength. Burlison also has 1991 on his mind:
The last time that teams that met for a NCAA championship played in the next year's Final Four was in 1991, when top-ranked UNLV hooked up against Duke.
The previous season, the Jerry Tarkanian Rebels smoked Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils, 103-73, in Denver in what is still the most lopsided championship final ever.
But in a 1991 semifinal in Indianapolis, Duke, led by Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley (starters the previous season) and a immensely gifted 6-foot-8 freshman in Grant Hill, stunned Tarkanian's Larry Johnson-led team, 79-77. The Blue Devils knocked off Kansas two nights later, There are several parallels in UCLA's semifinal clash with defending champion (and No. 1 overall seed) Florida on Saturday.
The Gators hammered the Bruins in last season's final in Indianapolis (73-57). They return all five starters, including FF Most Outstanding Player Joakim Noah.
Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer are juniors but are expected to declare for the NBA Draft and be first-round selections on June 28.
UNLV returned four starters, three of which (Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony) were first-round choices in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Duke returned Hurley and Laettner as starters, as well as several key reserves (including Thomas Hill and Greg Koubek, starters in '91).
The Bruins return two starters from last season's team in guard Arron Afflalo and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, as well as two reserves, Darren Collison and Lorenzo Mata, and a redshirt, Josh Shipp, who will be in the starting lineup Saturday.
Has coach Ben Howland's team closed the gap on Billy Donovan's squad as much as Krzyzewski's crew did on UNLV in 1991?
We'll get the answer over a two-hour stretch of time in Atlanta on Saturday night.
IIRC Laettner was a junior and Hurley was a sophomore. We don't have a gifted 6-8 freshman like Grant Hill, but we do have Shipp, who brings a little more to the table in terms of offense compared to Ced Bozeman. Until the tourney Shipp's defensive help was not there. However, Josh has really picked up his defensive intensity since his sloppy performance in the Cal game. Now if everyone can come out, stay focused, and lock up the perimeter ... Man I cannot wait till Saturday.The previous season, the Jerry Tarkanian Rebels smoked Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils, 103-73, in Denver in what is still the most lopsided championship final ever.
But in a 1991 semifinal in Indianapolis, Duke, led by Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley (starters the previous season) and a immensely gifted 6-foot-8 freshman in Grant Hill, stunned Tarkanian's Larry Johnson-led team, 79-77. The Blue Devils knocked off Kansas two nights later, There are several parallels in UCLA's semifinal clash with defending champion (and No. 1 overall seed) Florida on Saturday.
The Gators hammered the Bruins in last season's final in Indianapolis (73-57). They return all five starters, including FF Most Outstanding Player Joakim Noah.
Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer are juniors but are expected to declare for the NBA Draft and be first-round selections on June 28.
UNLV returned four starters, three of which (Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony) were first-round choices in the 1991 NBA Draft.
Duke returned Hurley and Laettner as starters, as well as several key reserves (including Thomas Hill and Greg Koubek, starters in '91).
The Bruins return two starters from last season's team in guard Arron Afflalo and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, as well as two reserves, Darren Collison and Lorenzo Mata, and a redshirt, Josh Shipp, who will be in the starting lineup Saturday.
Has coach Ben Howland's team closed the gap on Billy Donovan's squad as much as Krzyzewski's crew did on UNLV in 1991?
We'll get the answer over a two-hour stretch of time in Atlanta on Saturday night.
GO BRUINS.