Butler more impressive than Utah?

[Mr. Crimson]

Did anyone see the ESPN bit on that team this morning. I laughed out loud as Tark pointed out that despite heavy investigations, the NCAA never found a major violation.

Right. So UNLV just volunteered out of the goodness of their heart to be placed on probation for three years.

Tark is a joke. Its like OJ proclaiming his innocence. Tark managed to get 3 programs on probation. Which was a record he thought would stand like Bob Beamon's long jump, till Jim Herrick took it as a personal challenge and managed to do it in far less time.

But Cal is working very hard at doing it in a much more dramatic fashion. When Kentucky gets the death penalty, he'll have secured his place in history.

[SeattleUte]

1991 UNLV in the Big Sky conference is the standard. Here's to hoping that Butler beats Duke by 30.

UNLV in the Big Sky? lol UNLV was never in the Big Sky.

[SeattleUte]

What seed did Utah beat in the 2nd round? Butler beat a 13.

I still think Utah was more impressive in '98. Beat the defending champs in the Elite 8 and beat a UNC team with two NBA All-Stars.

If Butler beats Duke, obviously their run is more impressive.

Utah beat Arkansas in the second round. Utah was a 3 seed and Arkansas was a 6 seed, but Nolan Richardson's team was a feared 6 seed, very athletic, a pressing, trapping team ("40 minutes of hell") that was seemingly a tough matchup for Utah. I remember all the sportswriters seemed to be favoring Arkansas to win that one. Richardson had won the title in 94 and was runner-up in 95 and he was an elite coach who recruited great athletes and basketball players (as he was till he fought with the adminisration and got fired).

Utah led most the way and pulled away in the second half; Andre destroyed their press all by himself.

Utah also beat in succession two teams that were good of historic proportions--Arizona was ranked no. 1 much of the year with their entire team back from the NC year before, and North Carilina with Jamieson and Carter was ranked no. 1 at season's end. They were ranked in the top 1-4 most of the season.

Here is the final AP regular season poll in 1998 with each team's week by week rankings in the links:

http://www.appollarchive.com/mbasket...m?appollid=783

Here are the seedings and final games for each team in 1998:

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament "]1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Clearly unless Butler wins tomorrow Utah beat rougher opponents. This was also back when guys like Jamieson and Carter and Bibby would stay around for a few years.

[jay santos]

I think the concept behind "impressive" in this thread is better stated as "surprising". Butler's run has been a little more surprising than Utah's, but Utah's was probably more impressive as far as how good they played.

[SeattleUte]

Can you believe that over on Utefans they are burning Majerus in effigy because of a purported comment to Boylen reported third-hand comparing Utah basketball to St. John's (anyone with a a historical horizon should not be too much offended by that) and contrasting it with Duke? Every Ute coach since Vadal Peterson has left Utah under strained and unhappy circumstances if not fired. What does that tell you about the character of the Ute fan base? (The current lionization of Jack Gardner over there is by people who probably weren't even born when he coached.)

http://www.utefans.net/basketball/20...tradition.html

I think the gods will continue to punish Ute basketball until ignoramus Ute fans learn to appreciate their blessings.

[CJF]

Can you believe that over on Utefans they are burning Majerus in effigy because of a purported comment to Boylen reported third-hand comparing Utah basketball to St. John's (anyone with a a historical horizon should not be too much offended by that) and contrasting it with Duke? Every Ute coach since Vadal Peterson has left Utah under strained and unhappy circumstances if not fired. What does that tell you about the character of the Ute fan base? (The current lionization of Jack Gardner over there is by people who probably weren't even born when he coached.)

http://www.utefans.net/basketball/20...tradition.html

I think the gods will continue to punish Ute basketball until ignoramus Ute fans learn to appreciate their blessings.

I think a St. John's comparison is a good one. I sure wouldn't mind someone with insight to the game and historical appreciation like Majerus has, compared BYU to St. Johns. Of course it would be incorrect, but it would be a huge compliment to BYU. I remember thinking Michael Smith was going to be the new Chris Mullin even down to the haircut. St. Johns was a fun program to watch in the early to mid 80's. The Georgetown rivalry was epic.

[Mr. Crimson]

Can you believe that over on Utefans they are burning Majerus in effigy because of a purported comment to Boylen reported third-hand comparing Utah basketball to St. John's (anyone with a a historical horizon should not be too much offended by that) and contrasting it with Duke? Every Ute coach since Vadal Peterson has left Utah under strained and unhappy circumstances if not fired. What does that tell you about the character of the Ute fan base? (The current lionization of Jack Gardner over there is by people who probably weren't even born when he coached.)

http://www.utefans.net/basketball/20...tradition.html

I think the gods will continue to punish Ute basketball until ignoramus Ute fans learn to appreciate their blessings.

Do you ever bother getting facts right? Because Majerus made that phone call unsolicited. Second, it wasn't St. Johns, it was DePaul. Third, you continue to act like a puppy about him despite the fact that a decade out, he's actively working against Utah basketball.

This is despite the fact that if he'd been anywhere else he'd have been out on his ass for the nonsense that was going on, especially after the title game. Dr. Hill covered for him until he couldn't make the investigation over Lance Allred go away. He covered for Majerus much longer than any AD could or should have.

And you know who's fault it is, MAJERUS'. If he hadn't been a total ass, the Salt Lake writers have nothing to write about. Plus at the end of the day, he could have stayed and fought, instead he faked a heart attack and ran away like a little boy. And somehow for all of this you love him? You're not even a Ute fan anymore, you're a Majerus fan and should change your name to such.

Rick crapped on Utah basketball and continues to do so seven years after faking a heart attack and running away. That ended any right he had to our love and respect and I will make it my personal mission in life that he never be honored by this University. And should it ever happen, I will be there to chant, "Faked a Heart Attack."

No wonder you're nothing more than the punchline to a joke around here.

[Jeff Lebowski]

[il Padrino Ute]

SU, while you make some good points, you need to get your facts straight. Majerus compared Utah to DePaul, not St. John's.

[CJF]

SU, while you make some good points, you need to get your facts straight. Majerus compared Utah to DePaul, not St. John's.

That's the last time I believe SU. Sheesh.

[SeattleUte]

I don't care if he compared Utah to BYU. The validity or not of the comparison was an aside. I'm sure he's said a lot of terrible things about Utah to many people. It wouldn't suprise me. My main point stands. Ute fans who hate Majerus hate themselves, and are ingrates. They are petty, insecure people who can't celebrate Utah's greatest years. And as I showed, every Utah coach left Utah on bad terms. I don't blame Majerus for having a sour taste about Utah. Most of Utah's fans seem to be asses.

[Flattop]

I'm somewhere between SU and Crimmy here.

Majerus wasn't the same after 1998 and it was definitely a bad breakup. Majerus is a flawed human being, no question, but he is also a basketball genius and he gave us one of the best multi-year runs in an already impressive Utah basketball history.

It's ironic, I used to worry everytime Rick's name was mentioned for a job vacancy at another school, but my brother would answer that it would be harder to replace Dr. Hill than it would be to replace Majerus. I don't think it's worked out that way.

[U-Ute]

I don't hate Majerus, after all, he did do a lot of great things for Utah basketball, however, I refuse to lionize him as well. Things he did both greatly helped and greatly hurt the program.

That being said, there is more than a kernel of truth to what Majerus says about Utah fans.

U-Ute

[Mr. Crimson]

I don't hate Majerus, after all, he did do a lot of great things for Utah basketball, however, I refuse to lionize him as well. Things he did both greatly helped and greatly hurt the program.

That being said, there is more than a kernel of truth to what Majerus says about Utah fans.

U-Ute

And I've stated my opinion about Ute fans. However Majerus sought out Boylen to say this too him. If Boylen called Rick and asked, that is one thing, but Rick sought out Boylen and that is something very different.

And I think this is the greater point. Is that a lot of Utah fans rooted for Majerus, excused his awful behavior while he flirted with every job out there (San Diego St, really) and just kept getting worse and worse. And somehow Rick has the audacity to criticize the very people who worshipped him?

Its what is really laughable about people like Seattle Majerus Fan and MP Funk, Majerus is actually pissing on them and they think its just the shower.

[U-Ute]

It's ironic, I used to worry everytime Rick's name was mentioned for a job vacancy at another school, but my brother would answer that it would be harder to replace Dr. Hill than it would be to replace Majerus. I don't think it's worked out that way.

I will side with your brother on this. Its because of Dr. Hill that we're in the conversation of moving to the PAC-10, not because of Majerus. Has he proved himself less than omniscient on the hiring of basketball coaches? Yes. Has he pulled the plug on coaches when he has had to (Giac), even when it was incredibly difficult to do so (Mac)? Yes. He makes mistakes like anyone will, but he fixes them.

Maybe my memory is tainted, because I didn't really start following the U until I started going there, which happen to coincinde with the same year Dr. Hill was hired, so my knowledge of the program prior to that is mostly second hand. Still, it seems that, as a whole, the athletic program has taken tremendous strides across the board under Dr. Hill's tutelage. Those effects are far more reaching than anything Majerus did.

U-Ute