Thread by @bigbluehistory

My companion piece for SECNetwork's Southern Hoops: A History of SEC Basketball Part V (1990-1998), originally aired Monday February 27, 2023.

Start of 🧵...

@SECNetwork @SEC

First the previous four episode reviews are available at links below:

Part I (1930-1959):
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1622108…

Part II (1960-1969):
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1624860…

Part III (1970-1979):
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1627849…

Part IV (1980-1989):
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1629980…

(1:05) Mentions #9 Arkansas vs. #8 Kentucky game on 25-JAN-1992. This was 1st year Arkansas entered the SEC after leaving Southwest Conference. Previously they had been in NCAA Final 4 four times: 1941, 1945, 1978 & 1990, finishing in 3rd place each time.

This was more than any other SEC team besides Kentucky. LSU had been in three Final Fours previously (1953, 1981, 1986) but had never won the title either.

This was 1st game between UK & Arkansas since 1978 National Semifinal game, when Eddie Sutton coached the Razorbacks.

The game was wildly anticipated, seeing UK's free-wheeling three-point attack vs. the Hogs' '40 Minutes of Hell' pressure defense. In the end Arkansas ran away with the game 105-88.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/…

(4:00) Mentions 1992 SEC Tournament in Birmingham. In 2nd round Tennessee's Carlus Groves grabbed & fouled Shaquille O'Neal which led to a bench clearing fight, with Groves swinging at LSU coach Dale Brown.

LSU won the game 99-89, but following game against Kentucky Shaquille O'Neal had been suspended by league office because of fight. Kentucky won the semi-final game 80-74.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/…

Meanwhile Arkansas & Alabama play a classic, won by Alabama 90-89 on a last second three-pointer by Elliott Washington in other semi-final.

In final, UK beats down a tired Alabama team 80-54 to win the SEC tournament championship.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/…

(8:40) Mentions the Sports Illustrated "Kentucky's Shame" cover. Looking at it, I'm always struck by how strange it is. The jersey is backwards, with the name of school on the backside. SI had to specially make this, then hire someone to pose in it, all to try to humiliate UK.

(10:05) Mentions 1992 UK-Duke East Regional game which is considered one of the classic games in NCAA tourney history.

One of my 1st webpages discusses the final shot. Still believe instructions were fine, but defensive execution was poor.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/choke.html

BTW, this reminds me, I still can only laugh at the Sports Illustrated drawing of the final shot, where the illustrator attempts to portray the 6'-11" Christian Laettner posting up against the 6'-7" Deron Feldhaus.

Proportions just a 'little' misleading.

The show goes on to focus on Corliss Williamson & Arkansas, as they should, but they do completely skip Kentucky's 1993 Final Four run with Jamal Mashburn & Travis Ford. UK ended up getting beat by the Fab Five of Michigan. Probably worth mentioning I'd think.

(18:54) Florida's Dan Cross: "We cut down one side of the net, & you're supposed to go down and cut down the other side of the net. We forgot to, just because we weren't used to cutting down nets."

That's because Kentucky won the 1994 SEC Tournament Championship over Florida.😉

(23:15) Derek Anderson: "I did always shoot this for my free throws, one dribble for my mom, one dribble for my dad. I was always saying I hoped to see them again."

Makes the technical free throws Anderson shot vs. Minnesota in 1997 Final 4 even more poignant.

Even though going back to look at video, Anderson dribbled three times, so maybe he had a third person in mind?

Anderson, who was out with a torn ACL injury came into the game to hit both free throws.

(26:15) Narrator "Derek Anderson's college career would start out at Ohio State. But after two seasons, he transferred to Kentucky."

Not mentioned was Anderson faced Kentucky while with the Buckeyes in Maui, scoring 23 points in losing effort.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/…

1996 SEC Tournament Championship, Mississippi State upset #1 ranked Kentucky.

UK was lucky they no longer were in the old days where only one conference representative was invited to tourney.

(34:10) Narrator: "Kentucky remained the favorite in the NCAA tournament, and breezed it's way into the championship game."

Partly true. UK had a tough semi-final game vs. #2 ranked UMASS!! 81-74, coached by John Calipari. Probably worth mentioning.

bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/…

In fact, the only two teams to beat Kentucky that season (Massachusetts & Mississppi State) were themselves Final Four participants.

The 1996 Kentucky National Championship team is considered to be one of most talented teams in UK & NCAA history.

(48:10) Narrator: "While in Ky, the evolution of the SEC would be personified by a new face of the Wildcat program (Tubby Smith), a son of sharecroppers who would make history of his own."

Episode says 1998 but presumably they'll talk about Tubby's 1998 championship next time?

Like 1980s episode, this was more enjoyable than earlier episodes, largely because it wasn't filled with gross factual errors. Still seemed to gloss over many areas & too myopic on some storylines. Maybe because short on time?

No mention at all of South Carolina joining league?

Many great SEC players were not mentioned, including:

Arkansas' Pat Bradley
Auburn's Wesley Person
Florida's Stacey Poole & Andrew DeClerq
Georgia's Litterial Green, Shandon Anderso & Carlos Strong
Kentucky's Rodrick Rhodes, Travis Ford & very slight mention of Jamal Mashburn..

LSU's Clarence Ceasar & Ronnie Henderson
Mississippi's Joe Harvell & Ansu Sesay
South Carolina's B.J. McKie
Tennessee's Allan Houston
Vanderbilt's Billy McCaffrey & Dan Langhi

among others.

End thread .../🧵