Really enjoying the '02 OU-Arizona "Crimson Classic"

[NMSooner'80]

It's close to being over already, but I'm sure it'll be shown a few more times on FSN-Oklahoma. Not only did I enjoy seeing OU advance to the West Regional final, I also loved it greatly that it was a beatdown of Arizona. I really learned to hate them during the '88 season, and that hatred has only dissipated slightly. That was truly one of those "we're better people than you are" self-promoting program in the mold of Kansas and Duke of that era.

One thing I remember about it was that almost all of the "talking heads" picked Arizona to win. I had forgotten that there were so many bad calls that went Arizona's way, until we really hit them in the mouth in the final 8 minutes and routed them.

It was also party time in Albuquerque for the many Arizona-haters there. Loot Olson (deliberate misspelling) ran his mouth three years earlier about a one-point loss to UNM, and the UofA fans really got bent out of shape in '02 after Lobo fans showed up to boo them in the first-rounders at the Pit. The idiotic editor-in-chief of the Albuquerque "Urinal" let them write crying letters about how St. Loot and Co. got verbally mistreated by such rude people. It's as if the moron had no idea why the locals hated Loot and Co.

OU really did well against Arizona during the Olson era. It's a shame the '90 team didn't end their long home-court win streak. But OU did get them in the '88 Final Four and then again in Norman in '89. :dance005:

 

[Oscar Uniform]

What about Kelvin's 1st NCAA tournament win in '99 when 13 seed and last at-large selection OU upset 4 seed Arizona in the final seconds?

 

[NMSooner'80]

What about Kelvin's 1st NCAA tournament win in '99 when 13 seed and last at-large selection OU upset 4 seed Arizona in the final seconds?

I could watch that one all day long. In fact, I may have enjoyed it even more than the 2002 game. Arizona had a kid from Albuquerque named A.J. Bramlett who snubbed UNM in '95, and OU ended his career. He was kind of a whiny brat anyway, and he also lost twice to the Lobos in the Pit during his career, the second one by a point in January of '99.

I actually pulled up behind him at a stoplight a few summers later. I knew it was him because he had a prestige plate with "Cats 42" on it. It would have been SO funny to have been able to have a "Boomer Sooner" car horn at that point in time, but unfortunately I just had a regular one. I should have passed him and let him get a glimpse of my OU tags and window stickers.

And yes, the locals loved it, other than the faction that fawned over Bramlett (and badmouthed the superior local player Kenny Thomas, who at least played 13 years in the NBA later), when 13th-seeded OU did the job that afternoon. Arizona's fairly frequent early exits were quite popular to UNM fans, in part because of the Wildcats' smugness they'd dealt with over the years.

 

[tycat947]

It's close to being over already, but I'm sure it'll be shown a few more times on FSN-Oklahoma. Not only did I enjoy seeing OU advance to the West Regional final, I also loved it greatly that it was a beatdown of Arizona. I really learned to hate them during the '88 season, and that hatred has only dissipated slightly. That was truly one of those "we're better people than you are" self-promoting program in the mold of Kansas and Duke of that era.

One thing I remember about it was that almost all of the "talking heads" picked Arizona to win. I had forgotten that there were so many bad calls that went Arizona's way, until we really hit them in the mouth in the final 8 minutes and routed them.

It was also party time in Albuquerque for the many Arizona-haters there. Loot Olson (deliberate misspelling) ran his mouth three years earlier about a one-point loss to UNM, and the UofA fans really got bent out of shape in '02 after Lobo fans showed up to boo them in the first-rounders at the Pit. The idiotic editor-in-chief of the Albuquerque "Urinal" let them write crying letters about how St. Loot and Co. got verbally mistreated by such rude people. It's as if the moron had no idea why the locals hated Loot and Co.

OU really did well against Arizona during the Olson era. It's a shame the '90 team didn't end their long home-court win streak. But OU did get them in the '88 Final Four and then again in Norman in '89. :dance005:

:woot

 

[NickZepp]

What about Kelvin's 1st NCAA tournament win in '99 when 13 seed and last at-large selection OU upset 4 seed Arizona in the final seconds?

I remember being so nervous all game. We stuck around but were down like 8 or 10 till like 4 minutes left. But we got a couple big 3s. Najera put back in and suddenly it was a game.

I was 14 years old. I remember watching most of the first half at school because the class I was in had it turned on, and getting home just in time for the final 10 minutes or so but I had a dental appointment to attend. So I scrambled for a VHS tape because it was pre DVDR or any digital recording, started recording, but my Mom left without me so I got to watch it all. I believe I still got that VHS somewhere too. It's only the last 6 minutes or so plus post game stuff on CBS and ESPN.

 

[sanguinetti]

one of the crazy things about the 99 game is Alex Spaulding basically holding Jason Terry to like 12 points or something.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

one of the crazy things about the 99 game is Alex Spaulding basically holding Jason Terry to like 12 points or something.

Kelvin could teach almost anyone to play good defense.

 

[NickZepp]

one of the crazy things about the 99 game is Alex Spaulding basically holding Jason Terry to like 12 points or something.

Spaulding had a great game against Charlotte in round 2 as I recall.

 

[WaymanFan]

Some great memories from both '02 and '99. Although there was technically no pressure on us to win as a #13 seed, it was arguably the biggest 1st round victory in school history. We had only won ONE game in the Dance that entire decade, and it was against a #16 seed in 1990. Our entire fan base was begging for a 1st round victory. Well, we ended a 6-game losing streak, which included 5 1st round knockouts. I had never celebrated a 1st round victory before or since that game (though the one in 2008 was pretty sweet as well).

The second half of the '02 game against Arizona was the best half of basketball OU has ever played in the NCAA Tournament. I'm sure some 1988 fans may remind me of our second half against Villanova, but Arizona was a higher quality opponent, hence a bigger accomplishment.

Here's one little tidbit from that game which some of you may not be aware of. Kelvin missed some of the practices that week leading up to the game because his dad was in the hospital. He left the preparations in the hands of assistants Ray Lopes and (the late) Jason Rabedeaux. OU looked pretty lethargic in the first half of that game. At halftime, the coaches went into a separate room and Kelvin lit into the assistants for not having the team ready to play. The thing is, the players heard every word (likely by design)...whatever Kelvin said obviously worked.

 

[NMSooner'80]

Some great memories from both '02 and '99. Although there was technically no pressure on us to win as a #13 seed, it was arguably the biggest 1st round victory in school history. We had only won ONE game in the Dance that entire decade, and it was against a #16 seed in 1990. Our entire fan base was begging for a 1st round victory. Well, we ended a 6-game losing streak, which included 5 1st round knockouts. I had never celebrated a 1st round victory before or since that game (though the one in 2008 was pretty sweet as well).

The second half of the '02 game against Arizona was the best half of basketball OU has ever played in the NCAA Tournament. I'm sure some 1988 fans may remind me of our second half against Villanova, but Arizona was a higher quality opponent, hence a bigger accomplishment.

Here's one little tidbit from that game which some of you may not be aware of. Kelvin missed some of the practices that week leading up to the game because his dad was in the hospital. He left the preparations in the hands of assistants Ray Lopes and (the late) Jason Rabedeaux. OU looked pretty lethargic in the first half of that game. At halftime, the coaches went into a separate room and Kelvin lit into the assistants for not having the team ready to play. The thing is, the players heard every word (likely by design)...whatever Kelvin said obviously worked.

Great story on the Kelvin "pep talk." I'd never heard that one.

A lot of my UofA hate had to do with being in Albuquerque all of those years, and knowing how arrogant and snotty their whole program could be toward what it saw as its "inferiors." But, I also didn't appreciate it that the '88 Final Four game between OU and "St. Lute and His Leaping Apostles" (their label given by a homer media back in Tucson) became one that OU dominated but almost turned into an excuse-fest because Steve Kerr couldn't make a shot. It was as if we were supposed to forfeit because he had an off-day - probably because of Mookie Blaylock's defense.

I was in OKC in '88 but had moved to Albuquerque that summer. I remember the made-for-TV game in January of 89, Norman, which OU won by two but really controlled until the final minute (although UofA never got the ball with a chance to tie or win). CBS had the "Sainted One" on camera all day long, and I've always believed in part because they really thought he was such a saint and Billy was the "bad guy" in their eyes. Late in the game, one of the Arizona players called a timeout that Loot didn't want, and CBS caught his facial expression. It was so funny to see my mom's reaction to that, because of their non-stop CBS fawning over Olson. She said sarcastically, "Surely HIS players don't make mistakes.... " :ez-laugh: