“Why Can’t They Run It Back?” - Rich Eisen on UConn Winning the NCAA Tournament

[@kevinsolomita672]

Want some? Come get some!!!! Uconn baby

[@rainmaker3700]

Uconn won the NIT in 88-89 and that was the start of the dynasty.

[@davidmilner8778]

💯

[@tonialoconte]

'87-'88, actually. My junior year there. They lost in the NIT the following season, then had their Big East-winning "dream season" in '89-'90.

[@viswaprasanna941]

Uncle Clifford! 😁😁😁

[@rickycoope5295]

Why does everyone forget about the donyell Marshall UConn and ray Allen UConn were stud teams in the early to mid 90’s??

[@rainmaker3700]

Because they didn't win the big one.

[@stanleylipka7657]

That’s true!

[@kcorpora1]

Because they did not win, dah!!!!

[@rickycoope5295]

@@kcorpora1 not my point duh! They had very good teams there but everyone seems to start at their 99 title..you can be a good program while not winning a title

[@ADT2695]

@@rickycoope5295. I know! The consensus is too adoring to wards ‘National Championships’. Success is just that: Success.

[@ppumpkin3282]

Live it to Rich Eisen to tie UConn's victory back to his days at Michigan.

[@97NikeSb]

Well it literally happened the same day just 34 years later. Why not bring up a core memory when your alma Mater won a natty

[@cactaceous]

What the hell is Rich saying? UConn won the Big East tournament title 3 times in the 90’s before winning the NCAA title in 99. Calhoun’s UConn was a powerhouse Big East program in the 90’s.

[@kevinsolomita672]

We are 1 behind g-town for most big east tournament titles

[@wfsmithiv51]

Shabazz was a senior when UConn won in 2014, it was his last game of eligibility

[@Gaels68]

God Rich.... I love to hear you talking about my Huskies in such a light. Especially since my graduate school and life-long football team is the Wolverines. I'm in sports valhalla baby!!!

[@knoxconary]

It’s so so so hard to repeat. I thought my Jayhawks had a good chance, but even then, it’s such a challenge in todays game.

[@tnekeroom9897]

It really is especially in this sport. I remember all the analyst talking bout how it was almost a forgone conclusion that they were gonna repeat and I was like no it’s not 😂

[@legalbeagle6853]

Ray Allen anyone? Uconn was a thing starting in 1990. And you can't or wouldn't hate another team unless they were a force to be reckoned with.

[@tracyisbest]

They might have been "a" thing in 1990 but they weren't THE thing. Surely you can see that right? Their first final four was 1999 when they won it all the first time. And by the way, UCAN'T wasn't a "force' quite honestly for a few years now. LOL! They won as a 7 seed a decade ago and lost their way ever since this tourney started three weeks ago. They were FOURTH in the Big East this year, got a favorable draw and got hot. Good for them. Hardly a "force". You'll understand this some more as the next few years go by. LOL!

[@lahellight4337]

@@tracyisbest you're wrong. UConn was THE thing, in the 90s. surely you can see that, right? UConn OWNED the BigEast throughout the 90's - besting the storied national powerhouses of that time such as Georgetown, Syracuse, and Villanova - Jim Calhoun has a winning record against EVERY so called "legendary" school - John thompson from georgetown? in the 90's UCONN has winning 13-9 record against him ( in total the 2 schools are tied in their rivalry as of now) - Allen iverson? Ray Allen bested him in the Big east conference Championship with a ridiculous game winning shot. Jim Beoheim of Syracuse? Again UConn has a the winning 13-9 record against them in the 90's ( syracuse is ahead 56-39 cus they been playing each other since the 50's and before Calhoun got to UConn, syracuse had a 31-13 record against UConn, but during Calhoun's era that lead significantly diminished when he retired in 2012 along with Syracuse moving to the ACC, the Orange held an 8-6 lead in conference tourney games -- and there have been 55 regular-season meetings dating back to Calhoun's first season at UConn in 1986. Boeheim has a 28-27 lead in the regular season - that's how big that rivalry was for these 2 schools. Coach K of Duke? After losing to duke in back to back years in 1990 and 1991 in the ncaa tournament - elite 8 in 90, sweet 16 in 91, UConn got their revenge in 1999 at the championship game, and made it even when UConn won 2004 final four game against duke, and since has won 3 more chips since. UCONN IS AND WAS A FORCE. A FORCE FORGED IN THE 90S THAT YOU CLEARLY WASNT PAYING ATTENTION TO BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN YOUR OWN BUBBLE. this "force" didnt only affect the men's.. but also the womens. UCONN BASKETBALL IS HUGE, AND IT all started during the humble Yankee conference where UCONN was again.. a force to be reckoned with that Calhoun brought to National prominence IN THE 90S. UCONN ( maybe along with DUKE) WAS THE THING IN THE 90'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL. NO BUTS OR IFS ABOUT IT.

[@lirider3932]

Went to UCONN 91-95 and the whole campus would shut down for games. EVERYONE minus the exchange kids dropped everything. Went up to Donyell Marshall at Upper Deck and he gave me five....haha.

[@peterbard1815]

It's amazing how much Rich just doesn't know about any of these teams or players. You thought, in 1997, that UConn was a WBB school? The men were coming off three straight Big East regular season titles and a BET championship, and had top-2 seeds in each of the last 3 tournaments, not to mention their wild season in 1990 when they won the Big East regular season and tournament titles and made the Elite Eight as a 1 seed. They had produced two first-team all-americans in the prior 3 seasons (Donyell Marshall in 94 and Ray Allen in 96). Not to mention, if you thought this year's title was "out of nowhere," you weren't paying attention. They were one of the best teams in the country statistically, and many people who actually follow the sport a bit more carefully than Rich Eisen had them coming out of a brutal region, with several picking them to win the title.

[@travelandeats8518]

Connecticut!!!!

[@ram11198]

Shabazz played 4 years

[@willlewis276]

Update: UConn ran it back

[@TecMatt]

To answer the question in the title: because it's hard to do, no one's done it in almost 20 years, and we're talking about the tournament made famous by it's upsets

[@adriankendrick4281]

No one has run it back since my Gators way back in 2006 and 2007.

[@kevinsolomita672]

I remember when my huskies beat them gators twice in the year gators were favored to win

[@Chrisbethinking]

Richie two times is hilarious 😂😂😂😂😂

[@albertonieves9171]

I love Ollie but Calhoun built that team, Ollie just took over

[@TheRoyalHour]

“In 1996” “Nope” “7…” “Yup” “Thank you” Lmao

[@garymacmillan]

Why is broadcast sports at least 50% trivia?

[@MMAALL]

Like Eisen, but he’s way off. UConn dominated Big East or was top echelon from 1990-1996. Back then, the narrative was UConn was a great regular season and Big East team, but stumbled in Big Dance. They were the pre-2004 Red Sox of college basketball. Trust me, UConn became a basketball school in 1990. Every game after was sold out and scalpers were selling bad seats to games with non-conference cupcakes.

[@sportgeek2028]

Kevin Ollie is legend and got done dirty UConn should’ve never left big east he couldn’t recuit in American conference

[@alvinbailey2830]

Husky Nation

[@stevefirth6472]

One sub-note here: Seton Hall (Hurley's alma Mater) beat UConn during the regular season. The pirates are coming!

[@FireBladeRR-RSP]

Lmao… they stink

[@YoungLiam74]

seton hall is bad lol. they aren't coming.

[@_baller]

FAU 🦉🏀

[@stellaglez5967]

Aztecs 😢

[@WaywardAnalysis]

I'm sure that almost all of Syracuse and Seton Hall fans were rooting for UConn because of Big East affiliation (even if Syracuse is no longer Big East). My order of rooting interests has always been 1) Syracuse 2) Any other Big East teams (except for non-geographical ones like Creighton and Marquette) 3) ACC teams 4) Anyone playing against the most overrrated conference ever - teams from the Big Ten (it's actually comical how the big ten conference never win even though they have more selections than any other conference---I believe they have 2 championship teams in last 43 or so years).

[@beezer5623]

This I believe is true. Big East is blood. As long as they aren't playing UCONN, I will always root for one of the classic teams.

[@formacionG13]

PMC wagner about to capture bakhmut.

[@petersuburban4869]

Way to make something out of nothing. Way to make it about Michigan. Way to create a narrative that nobody cares about

[@tracyisbest]

But....but.....Rich cares and it's his show. He has to talk about his overrated wolverines at any opportunity. NO ONE, not even Notre Lame does less with more than the wolverweiners of Meat Chicken. And they do it year after year after year after year after ye...... He should bow his head in shame that they couldn't beat TCU in the semifinals last year. Georgia made TCU look like a junior high school team. Little Ten Overrated Team #1 couldn't beat them at all. LLLLLLLOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

[@kcorpora1]

Rich let me help you out why they can't run it back...All the foolish upsets wiped out the better teams to make a good path for Ucon...That won't happen next year!

[@daebak7370]

I got Duke or uconn running it back next year

[@kcorpora1]

@@daebak7370 Duke, nah...Duke is Duke, how long has it been?

[@SerFondue]

We shall see 😂

[@tracyisbest]

NO! Let's talk about April 4th, 1983 - The Pit in Albuquerque, NM. FORTY YEARS AGO TONIGHT. NC State 54 Houston 52. You'll never see an ending to a season from the conference tournament to the end like the Wolf Pack had that year. Basketball, especially NCAA basketball today is so lame by comparison. Why won't UCan't run it back? Because they shouldn't have ever run it to begin with, that's why. They're the FOURTH PLACE TEAM IN THE BIG EAST THIS YEAR. Lost eight games. Marquette, Xavier, Creighton all finished higher in the conference then they did. No, last year UCan't was a 5 seed who lost to a 12 seed. Now they're the "best team in the country'??? Really? They beat a 12 seed, 5 seed, 8 seed, 3 seed and then two more 5 seeds at the final four. Fortuitous schedule for them. Didn't really play any heavyweights that is certain! No, they WILL NOT run it back.....AT ALL!!!!!!!!!

[@YoungLiam74]

17-0 all by double digits. Castle and co incoming. They have a very good shot at running it back

[@alexazzolina7952]

Stay salty bud sorry your team lost