There is only one thing left to say:

<Center><big><big><big><big><big><big><font><B></b></big></font>2CONN

Being a Duke & Tenn fan (for many, many years), it pains me to say it but, Congratulations to UConn. There, I said it. Now I have to go wash my mouth out.

sorry to rain on your parade, but UCOnn is not the first school to win both mens and womens titles in the same year. It has been done twice before, once on the same night.

Congrats to UConn, I was looking forward to a final four of Minn., PSU, Purdue and Tenn. though.

Please tell us what school has won D1 basketball national championships in the same year. Because when he says "the first school to win both mens and womens titles" he's speaking of D1 "titles."

UConn is the first D1 school to win both the men's and women's basketball championship in the same season. It might have happened at a lower level, but this is a first for D1.

Never said they were D1, one was D2 ('99 I think) and the one that won both on the same night was D2 NAIA ('00 I think). Yes, they are the first D1, but not the first. 'Course, anything below D1 really doesn't matter to much anyway.

Admit it -- you were laying a trap otherwise you would've been more specific.

In 1984 Central Missouri State won both titles for NCAA Division II.

In 2001 Northwestern (IA) won both titles in NAIA Division II.

In 2004 Connecticut won both titles in NCAA Division I.

--Rich

I cannot tell a lie...

Hmmmm, I guess somebody besides me saw the "Did You Know" segment on SportsCenter this morning. . . :)

Actually, I didn't. I did a bit of quick research on the hickoksports.com website and the NAIA website and came up with the above.

D-I and D-II/III are worlds apart, though. And I don't mean that in a bad way.

Winning a national championship is a big thing at any level in college. The double appears to be just as rare at all levels, so I am not sure that the distinction of level matters that much.

Also, does anybody know if this first includes the old AIAW era? Some of the problem with women's records is that the NCAA didn't sponsor a women's basketball program until the 1970s, so you couldn't have an NCAA double. I hope that at some point they include the AIAW champs in the list of recognized NCAA champs, but that is asking a lot of the NCAA.

Oh yeah, and congrats to U-Conn and Taurasi, although I was pulling for Tennessee just to make the rivalry more interesting. U-Conn is becoming the UCLA of women's ball.

I think Connecticut may also have been the only D1 team previously to hold a men's and women's title at the same time. The men won the championship in late March 1999, and I believe the women won the championship in early April 2000, just before the men's 2000 championship game was played. I remember something about it on sports center, which I think said it was the only time both were holders of the trophy at the same time in D1, or at least there was something special about it worthy of a "Did You Know."

Another cute ESPN irrelevancy :)

Actually, North Carolina would qualify as well.

The Men won the 1993 Championship.

The women won the 1994 Championship on Sunday afternoon, before the men's game was played on Monday night.

Yes, it does. The AIAW was dominated by Immaculata, Delta State and Old Dominion. The only school to break through that domination was Ann Meyers and UCLA in 1978. But if memory serves, Kentucky won the men's in '78, over Duke.

And now Delta State plays in NCAA Division II (where it won the D-II championship twice in the 90s) and women's school Immaculata (which is going coed in Fall 2005) plays in NCAA Division III.

That Northwestern double was a big deal to the school (my alma matre). It was a family affair. Brother and sister made their respective all tournament teams (at least one was tournament mvp), and Dad was coach of the women's team.

And Northwestern's championships were won on the same night in different cities. Some say the women's championship was sort of won on their home court, since they played the tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, that year, just a stone's throw from Orange City.

I knew a couple of guys who could throw a snow ball that far, but not sure about a stone. (^: You're right, though, that was a lot like Kansas playing in Kemper Arena (okay, on a much smaller scale) or Indiana playing in Indianopolis.

I for one was not surprised by UConn's achievment. I'm a PC alumnus and follow the Big East closely. It seems that the polls were way wrong in not rating UConn men and women #1 at the end of the season. When the men won the Big East tournament without Okafor in there until the final...that is when that team really matured and came together...it was much more than a 1 or 2 player team. As far as the women are concerned, I think UConn was just a mite bit upset that they were not ranked #1 and were on a mission to prove it.

Was anybody else in our group surprised by the outcome?

By the way, I'd like to say hello to everybody in the group - first day posting. I've called in New York, North Carolina and now Georgia - hence TravelinMan. Enjoy this forum immensely! And I know it will get real interwsting once season starts.

__________________________________________________ _____

"Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire

Welcome to the board!
 

Polls are a week to week thing. It's kind of a "what have you done for me lately" thing. I jhonestly don't think either team was real concerned about the polls.

Who did you work for when you officiate in NC?

BktBallRef - I worked for Glen Spivey in the Triad area (Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem)from '99 - '2003. Are you from NC? NC is where I learned mechanics/rotation for 3-man. NY and Georgia are 2 man. NC was surprised NY was still 2 man as they perceived a much more physical game from that area of the country. Why, I don't know what they are talking about! <grin>

Yep, I know Glen. Worked for him in the rec leagues when I lived there in 92-93. A real good guy!

I live just outside of Fayetteville now.

Were you around in the Jimmy Walker era? I saw him live a few times too. Another great guard. Just dominated. I honestly thought that he was gonna be another Big O. Never had the pro career that I thought he might have, but he was a wild man, I hear. I remember watching another PC grad Lennie Wilkins play in the NIT when I was in high school- which tells you how old I am. Another great, great player. Could only go left, but nobody could stop him anyway when he wanted to take it all the way.

TravelinMan,
Welcome ... a board !
Don't wait for the season; pop in from time to time.
mick

Jurassic - I'm probably older than you then. Yes, I more than remember "Walk" - I knew "Walk" very well. He, Arnie Gemino(from the Cape) and I (Jack Gil)roomed together for 3 years at PC. I kid you not. I can tell you some stories Walker told about officials back in those days that would make your hair stand up. Walker definitely was the New England Big O in college and should have been a great star in the NBA. He did make the all-star team 3 times though. But great things were expected of him. He was the #1 draft pick in his year. What I remember most fondly about Walk was all the free beers we would get during off season whenever we would go out together for a few cold ones. Seriously, he was a great guy and was the most modest guy when it came to his abilities and tremendous basketball talent.

Mick - Thanks. I definitely will make my presence known....
BktBall, yes Glen was especially helpful when I first moved from Yankee land to the South. That's Fayetteville NC right?

Naw, I think that I may have a coupla years on you. I just turned 16 in late fall of '59 when I refereed my first basketball game. Varsity game too. Jimmy Walker was mid to late '60s at PC, wasn't he?

Jurassic - I misread your earlier post - thought you were in HS when you saw Walker, not Wilkins. I'm 3 years younger -- does that make me a senior member though? Or what exactly is the criteria? What state are you calling in now? BTW, Walker had one weakness - women. Of course, he would always tell me he never went out the night before a game in college. Of course there are a lot more games in the pros ...and a lot more temptations.

Jalen Rose!

That one made the news. That was when he was playing for the Pistons. I know a lot more but it is personal stuff so out of respect for a friend and roomie...... like I said a great guy with whom I had a lot of laughs and great basketball discussions. I belive he is lising in Connecticut now and every so often goes to PC and gets another award.