The OU-Kansas 1988 National Title Game

[NMSooner'80]

Simple math: Ed Hightower + KU = OU loss

or

Stanley Reynolds + anyone with a pulse = OU loss.

 

[skyvue]

I think Billy was blindsided by Larry Brown's game plan to keep it up-tempo the first half, and slow things down in the second half.

Tramel's story suggests that Brown had no such game-plan, that he was as blindsided by KU's run-and-run first half as Billy and the Sooners.

 

[MsProudSooner]

Simple math: Ed Hightower + KU = OU loss

or

Stanley Reynolds + anyone with a pulse = OU loss.

Not sure that a pulse was required for Stanley Reynolds.

 

[KBaden145]

Not sure that a pulse was required for Stanley Reynolds.

What a poor official he was.

 

[Big Old Booger]

Unfortunately, many in Oklahoma also celebrated OU's loss. I posted awhile back about how a guy in Edmond, after buying a sports restaurant (not really a bar), went and got the old CSU scoreboard when it was on sale. He hung it in his restaurant and displayed the score (Home 79, Visitor 83).

I think enough people saw it, who did like OU, and his business failed within a year.

Keep in mind, too, this was before OSU was very good - so the "OU haters" usually picked either Kansas or Georgetown to root for, depending on pigmentation.

I'm sure the restaurant you are speaking of was "Cowboy Bob's" which used to be on Memorial Road (and Western) just south of Edmond. He was a big KU fan and he had a scoreboard in the restaurant but I can't remember the score displayed.

The restaurant had really good food, but the real reason why it failed is because he closed the bar and quit selling alcohol. He went to my church and once he became a deacon he decided to make these changes and never really recovered from it. He is/was a very nice man even if he was a beaker.

 

[Big Old Booger]

I hated tubs for a year afterwards for pulling the press in the second half and not making grace and mookie not force the ball inside in the second half. Their bigs were in foul trouble and they could barely stand up by the end of the first half. Just like everyone else in the tourney, they would have collapsed in the second half under our press.

About a year or so out from that game, I was at a function where billy said that he blew it by pulling the press and not forcing the ball inside. With this confession, I forgave him and he is still my favorite OU coach.

Billy was never quite the same after the head injury. It seemed like he just lost some motivation and quit recruiting.

Like most of you, I was sick for weeks after that game. I still think that is one of the great teams in NCAA history.

According to the article, we were gassed at halftime and that's the main reason Tubbs pulled back on the press in the 2nd half. They were gassed not only from the first half but also from playing the late game Saturday vs Arizona and they didn't get to bed until 2 am the next day. Then they had to be up early Sunday and Monday for press conferences and other media stuff.

 

[152219]

According to the article, we were gassed at halftime and that's the main reason Tubbs pulled back on the press in the 2nd half. They were gassed not only from the first half but also from playing the late game Saturday vs Arizona and they didn't get to bed until 2 am the next day. Then they had to be up early Sunday and Monday for press conferences and other media stuff.

and thus why Tubbs should have played some reserves in the first half, even if it wasn't what he had done in the tourney prior to the finals. OU's bench was good enough to play with KU's bench that game.

It was funny watching how scared KU's guards were of Mookie that night. If he got close to them they started to panic and threw the ball like a hot potato.

Ultimately, it also didn't help that Grace played poorly and shot the ball way below his season averages. If he had just hit his averages OU wins by 8-10.

 

[NMSooner'80]

One final comment on the Mistake of '88. It didn't make up for the disaster, but at least Mike Bell got a bit of revenge on Milt Newton, and up in Lawrence no less, in '89. Bell posterized Newton with a "facial" dunk that was so powerful that it almost took Newton through the net with the ball. :clap :clap

Anyone else remember that dunk? It was an all-timer, no matter who it was against.

 

[Big Old Booger]

One final comment on the Mistake of '88. It didn't make up for the disaster, but at least Mike Bell got a bit of revenge on Milt Newton, and up in Lawrence no less, in '89. Bell posterized Newton with a "facial" dunk that was so powerful that it almost took Newton through the net with the ball. :clap :clap

Anyone else remember that dunk? It was an all-timer, no matter who it was against.

Yes, I remember it very well. An awesome dunk and in Larryville too.

 

[Big Old Booger]

and thus why Tubbs should have played some reserves in the first half, even if it wasn't what he had done in the tourney prior to the finals. OU's bench was good enough to play with KU's bench that game.

It was funny watching how scared KU's guards were of Mookie that night. If he got close to them they started to panic and threw the ball like a hot potato.

Ultimately, it also didn't help that Grace played poorly and shot the ball way below his season averages. If he had just hit his averages OU wins by 8-10.

Only 1 reserve played that game and it was Terrence Mullins. We used Wiley a lot vs Zona and we also had Tony Martin who was a good backup as well that didn't play.

 

[NMSooner'80]

I'm sure the restaurant you are speaking of was "Cowboy Bob's" which used to be on Memorial Road (and Western) just south of Edmond. He was a big KU fan and he had a scoreboard in the restaurant but I can't remember the score displayed.

The restaurant had really good food, but the real reason why it failed is because he closed the bar and quit selling alcohol. He went to my church and once he became a deacon he decided to make these changes and never really recovered from it. He is/was a very nice man even if he was a beaker.

That place doesn't sound familiar to me, although I used to really like a "New Mexico Style" restaurant that was on Memorial between Western and the railroad tracks. This other one was on 2nd at Bryant, northeast side of the intersection.

 

[NMSooner'80]

Sorry, I'm going to add one more thing. I really hated how the kids on that team were so villified in the non-Oklahoma media. Playing for a team that scores a bunch of points doesn't make you evil, nor does playing for a goody-two-shoes team like KU, Dook, Arizona, etc., make you morally superior.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

People always forget that KU was supposed to be better than OU going into that season. The Beakers also underachieved until the final month of the season, then got every break in the book in the NCAA's - not to mention a true homecourt advantage.

How many of you were at the Big-8 tournament in KC that year? OU was at the top of their game. Maybe my favorite tournament I've ever attended.

Kansas lost to K-State in the first round. I believe it was a late evening game and I definitely recall that it looked like KU was not even going to get to 50 points. They had to score 10 or so (with the game already effectively over) to get over the "half-a-hundred" mark. They were rediculously pitiful.

Then somehow as I recall they basically got the Big-8 route through the tourney - always pretty close to home - one weekend in Lincoln if I remember correctly. Then all the upsets ahead of them giving them an easy road to the Final Four.

Lots of politics going on by the committee. I think I recall that the Big-8 had a representative on the committee - and he had ties to Kansas.

You can tell that I also have frustrations with that year's events.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

How many of you were at the Big-8 tournament in KC that year? OU was at the top of their game. Maybe my favorite tournament I've ever attended.

Kansas lost to K-State in the first round. I believe it was a late evening game and I definitely recall that it looked like KU was not even going to get to 50 points. They had to score 10 or so (with the game already effectively over) to get over the "half-a-hundred" mark. They were rediculously pitiful.

Then somehow as I recall they basically got the Big-8 route through the tourney - always pretty close to home - one weekend in Lincoln if I remember correctly. Then all the upsets ahead of them giving them an easy road to the Final Four.

Lots of politics going on by the committee. I think I recall that the Big-8 had a representative on the committee - and he had ties to Kansas.

You can tell that I also have frustrations with that year's events.

Dr. Bob Frederick. He was an angel on their shoulder more than once - allegedly. I went to those games. Even then I thought we were going to win it all.

 

[Big Old Booger]

How many of you were at the Big-8 tournament in KC that year? OU was at the top of their game. Maybe my favorite tournament I've ever attended.

Kansas lost to K-State in the first round. I believe it was a late evening game and I definitely recall that it looked like KU was not even going to get to 50 points. They had to score 10 or so (with the game already effectively over) to get over the "half-a-hundred" mark. They were rediculously pitiful.

Then somehow as I recall they basically got the Big-8 route through the tourney - always pretty close to home - one weekend in Lincoln if I remember correctly. Then all the upsets ahead of them giving them an easy road to the Final Four.

Lots of politics going on by the committee. I think I recall that the Big-8 had a representative on the committee - and he had ties to Kansas.

You can tell that I also have frustrations with that year's events.

They got shipped to Lincoln for the first round, a 3 hour drive from Larryville and we were sent to Atlanta, a 3 hour flight from OKC. For the regional semi's and finals they went to Detroit and we were in Birmingham. And, yes, they did get a great draw opponent-wise. Seems like Murray State beat UNC and so KU got to play Murray State in the 2nd round, and almost lost, instead of UNC. Dean Smith was always an underachiever anyway...