Always hope - 34 years ago this week.

[groove]

Warriors backdoored their way into the tourney 34 years ago this week, losing their last game of the season on a Sunday afternoon, nationally televised game against Michigan. They received news of their bid at halftime, Al changed his suit and the rest is history. A 20-7 record got them a first round match up against cincinnati.

Nice articles in the March 7 Milwaukee Sentinel about the Michigan game, the bid and the upcoming tournament

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DXpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3BEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6777%2C1203544

[Tugg Speedman]

If memory serves me correctly, at the time wasn't 7 losses the most ever for a tourney team?  And we went on to win it all.

If our name is called on Sunday, we'll do it with 14 losses, which will again tie the record for the most losses for a tourney team.

... hey, I can dream!!

[groove]

If memory serves me correctly, at the time wasn't 7 losses the most ever for a tourney team?  And we went on to win it all.

If our name is called on Sunday, we'll do it with 14 losses, which will again tie the record for the most losses for a tourney team.

... hey, I can dream!!

The seven losses for that season was a record for the most losses for a team that went on to win the tournament. Looks like a couple teams in that '77 tournament had 9 losses, Duquesne had 14.  I think the Warriors went into the tournament ranked 16th or something like that.

[groove]

Interesting to see the television schedule that appeared in the Sentinel later in the week to see how things have change over the years. If you were in Milwaukee, of the 16 first round games, just four were televised.  Saturday you had the Marq-Cincy and UCLA-Louisville games and on Sunday Michigan-Holy Cross and then Syracuse against the SEC champ. I don't remember a lot of cut-ins during telecasts in those days either.

[NCAARules]

If our name is called on Sunday, we'll do it with 14 losses, which will again tie the record for the most losses for a tourney team.

Sorry - just a nitpick ... the 14 losses would tie the record for most losses by an at-large selection. There have been teams with more losses in the tourney via the AQ route.

Also - I'm not sure how to bring this up, mostly because i hate all things red, but - 11 years ago our neighbors at UW@Probation got an at-large with 13 losses. They were still playing on the third weekend of the NCAA tourney.

So at least twice we've seen a comparatively high-loss team can do serious damage in the tournament.

Here's hoping for another one!

[Hards Alumni]

Interesting to see the television schedule that appeared in the Sentinel later in the week to see how things have change over the years. If you were in Milwaukee, of the 16 first round games, just four were televised.  Saturday you had the Marq-Cincy and UCLA-Louisville games and on Sunday Michigan-Holy Cross and then Syracuse against the SEC champ. I don't remember a lot of cut-ins during telecasts in those days either.

Less games on TV, but less games played overall as well.

[mu_hilltopper]

When you're the 13th unluckiest team (of 345) .. you're probably not heading for a national championship.

(Gosh, look who is 2nd unluckiest?  Indiana.)

[groove]

Only two teams from that week's AP top 20 failed to make the field - #9 Minnesota and #12 Alabama. I think Minnesota may have been on probation that year.  Interesting that #3 San Francisco was matched up against #5 UNLV in the first round.

[bilsu]

MU I believe was ranked 1 or 2 preseason. They were the equivalent of this years Michigan St.

[groove]

MU I believe was ranked 1 or 2 preseason. They were the equivalent of this years Michigan St.

Yeah, lost back-to-back games early on to Louisville and Minnesota and then something like 4 of 6 around the time McGuire announced he was retiring.

[HouWarrior]

MU held the distinction of the team with most losses (7) to win a NCAA BB tourney, until the 1983 NC state Wolfpack team, coached by Jim Valvano.

NC State had 10 losses, but won the ACC tourney, for an automatic bid in the NCAA Tourney. In the Championship game at the Pit in Albuquerque, they beat Guy Lewis' Phi Slamma Jamma team from the Univ. of Houston, with Olajuwon and Drexler, on a last second put back by Lorenzo Charles. I was a law student at UH at the time, and it was devasting.

Any time I need perspective after a tough MU loss, such as Louisville, this year, I take myself back to the abyss of that moment; and I enjoy/remind myself that NO MU loss will/could ever be worse than that moment for me, in 1983.

The torture also followed Olajuwon and Drexler for years , until 1995. Drexler joined the Rockets after a February trade, and they snuck into the playoffs as a sixth seed. Olajuwon and Drexler then led the Rockets to an NBA championship....and coincidentally, the 1995 Rockets hold the record for the lowest seeded team to ever win a NBA ring.

The worst can be first...if they make the tourney.