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National Preview, Duke Curse Update!

CNNSI
has a national preview up
, and Chris Porter is cover boy, so you Auburn fans
might as well forget the Final Four plans. You know, the SI curse.
It's your turn. Speaking of curses, UConn continues to show evidence of
suffering from The Duke curse. Unbeknownst
to us, Doug Wrenn was suspended
for the game because of a serious attitude
problem. So let's tally up again: El-Amin arrested for drug possession,
Voskuhl had a car issue, El-Amin had a car issue, and Iowa took their #1 ranking
away in the first game. Now a dude with a 'tude.

Eventually people will figure this out - if you beat Duke in the NCAAs you
pay a heavy price later. Might just as well let us win 'em all! Here's the
list again. We're adding 84 and 85 in but we've forgotten parts of it, like who
was which year.

  • 1984, Boston College, lost coach Gary Williams soon thereafter to Ohio
    State. Program revived long enough to beat UNC, then self-destructed and
    lost Jim O' Brien to...Ohio State.
  • 1985, Washington. The next year they played in Durham so riddled
    with injuries that Detlelf Schrempf had to play point guard. A long decline
    ensued and their German connection dried up. Decline finally arrested
    by....Bob Bender
  • 1986, Louisville: A long slow descent followed, complete
    with probation
  • 1987, Indiana: A painful downperiod until 1992 Final Four
    (where they lost to.....Duke). Continued decline ever since '92.
  • 1988, Kansas: Probation, lost coach.
  • 1989, Seton Hall: slow decline ensued, finally
    arrested by...Amaker
  • 1990, Vegas. Lost rematch, lost coach, lost most prestige,
    got Rollie Massimino
  • 1991 n/a
  • 1992 n/a
  • 1993, Cal. Probation, lost coach, big scandal.
  • 1994, Arkansas: a small probation, faded for several years,
    just now reviving
  • 1995 n/a
  • 1996, Eastern Michigan: Lost coach, faded from view
  • 1997, Providence: Program peaked, fell, lost coach to Uva
  • 1998, Kentucky: Lost coach to NBA, lost players to hardship in '98, draft,
    transfers at the end of '99, a rash of serious auto related problems.
  • 1999, UConn: Reefer Madness, Hamilton left, two car problems. Doug Wrenn
    arrested before coming to UConn & then suspended for the Duke game.