The 1995 Tournament was an odd tournament for myself. It was the first tournament I watched away from the guys I grew up with watching the tournament and falling in love with March Madness. It would also be the last where I was unemployed and unencumbered from sneaking peaks and doing what I could to get updates.
It was also the first and only tournament of my March Madness life that didn't include Duke. Duke had amazingly made every Final Four from 1986-1994 except in 1987 & 1993. They had also played in 5 National title games, a run unmatched since. It was...A BRAVE NEW WORLD.
East Region, Thursday
8. St. Louis vs. 9. Minnesota- I can't recall if this was on of the openers or one of the later day games but I had a vested interest in cheering against everything Minnesota because I'm petty and hated others joy. Things started off well enough as the Billikens jumped out early on the Gophers, leading 31-14. Minnesota chipped away and tied the game after Townsend Orr stole a pass and fired a pass to the infamous Chad Kolander to tie the game and send it into overtime. St. Louis held a 64-61 lead with 13 seconds left and the Gophers had the ball. They managed to get of 4 3 attempts, missing all 4. Townsend Orr took 3 of them and Voshon Lenard missed the other. It'd be a precursor for a miserable showing by the Big Ten.
5. Alabama vs. 12. Penn- Alabama survived in overtime against Penn. I note this game because it went to overtime and Alabama scored 24 points in 5 minutes. Or a Virginia half in today's game of "great basketball".
3. Villanova vs. 14. Old Dominion- This was a night game that would end up being one of the best tournament games ever. ODU played the game without Odell Hodge, their best player. Petey Sessoms would step up and make big play after big play. The Monachs lead most of the game, jumping all over the Wildcats. They lead 49-40 before Villanova went on a 16-3 run looking to avoid the upset. Up 58-55 with the ball and less than a minute left, Villanova star Kerry Kittles was called for a charge. Petey Sessoms attempted a 3 with 19 seconds left and was fouled b Jason Lawson. Sessoms hit all 3 and Lawson would miss a game winning shot, sending the game into overtime. Sessoms would make 2 more free throws in overtime to tie the game with 25 seconds left and ODU would tie up Alvin Williams before he could get a potential game winner off. ODU would calmly hit another pair of free throws before Villanova's last possession of double overtime to send it to a 3rd. ODU would ice the game after a Sessoms block and making a layup and getting fouled on the ensuing breakout. ODU would win 89-81.
The eventual winner out of the East would be Oklahoma State, the 4-seed. Big Country Bryant Reeves would go through Wake Forest and Tim Duncan and UMass and Marcus Camby.
Southeast Region
4. Oklahoma vs. 13. Manhattan- Most people won't remember this, but Manhattan and Coach Fran Fraschilla were an at-large bid out of the MAAC that year. It was pretty controversial at the time, beating out teams such as Iowa and Georgia Tech. The Jaspers would justify their selection by handling the Sooners.
3. Michigan State vs. 14. Weber State- This game was played on Friday while the previous game was played on Thursday. This game sticks with me for a few reasons. I filled out two brackets this year. One had an All-Big East Final 4 which was engulfed in flames after the Villanova fiasco and in another, I had Michigan State winning it all. I called it the McGuire/Manning Corollary, thinking Michigan State would make a run for the retiring Jud Heathcote while ridingthe Senior play of Shawn Respert. Shockingly, I was wrong. Weber State would outscore Sparty by 16 in the 2nd half lead by Ruben Nemhard's 27. Respert would have 28 but it wasn't enough and like that, the Izzo era was upon an unsuspecting nation. Looking back, the Big East scenario was so far fetched I was obviously really drunk picking that one.
6. Georgetown vs. 14. Weber State- I probably picked an All-Big East Final 4 expecting some great play from Allen Iverson, the Hoyas super frosh. In this game, he was an Iverson-esque, 6-20 from the field, but would play a pivotal part in the outcome. Georgetown jumped out to an early lead in this game only to see the Smokey Joe's tie it up at 51 with less than 10 seconds left and Ruben Nemhard going to the line to give them the lead. Nemhard, a 77% FT-shooter missed the front end and the Hoyas junkyard dog forward, Jerome Williams snagged the rebound and passed to Iverson who raced up the court and took an off-balance shot that missed everything. Trailing the play and getting in position to rebound was Hoyas Sr. and captain, Don Reid who in one move, caught the air ball and layed in the winner over his shoulder as time expired and give Georgetown the win. We nicknamed Weber State the Smokey Joe's that week and they'll always be the Smokey Joe's to me.
North Carolina eventually worked their way to the Final 4 out of the Southeast as the 2-seed.
Midwest Region
5. Arizona vs. 12. Miami (OH)- One year earlier, Arizona had done the unthinkable. They avoided a catastrophic 1st Round upset and made the Final 4. Well, they remembered who they were on this day as Miami (OH) and Head Coach Herb Sendek upset the Wildcats, 71-62 lead by Devin Davis' 24 points.
8. Michigan vs. 9. Western Kentucky- This marked the end of an era at Michigan. Ray Jackson and Jimmy King would be playing their last game as Wolverines. That meant no members of the Fab 5 would be left at Ann Arbor, having declared early or exhausted their eligibility. For most of the game, it looked like the Fab 5 would live on but Michigan would squander a 49-34 lead in the final 8 minutes of the game. With 9 seconds left, Western Kentucky's Michael Fraliex drilled a 3 to send the game into overtime. The Hilltopppers scored the first 10 points of overtime and the Fab 5 ceased to exist.
3. Purdue vs. 14. UWGB- In a defensive slug fest, Purdue outlasted the Phoenix, 49-48. After 2 3-seeds had been eliminated, it was clear Purdue wouldn't have a cakewalk over the Phoenix. UWGB had beaten Jason Kidd and Cal a year earlier and were coached by legendary basketball hater, Dick Bennett. Late in the game, Cuonzo Martin of Purdue took a charge from the Phoenix Gary Grzesk and made both free throws to give the Boilermakers the lead. UWGB's Eric Jackson missed a shot at the buzzer and the Boilers became the only team from the Big Ten to escape the 1st Round. This was Bennett's last game at UWGB. He left to invent the modern game of basketball at Wisconsin.
2. Arkansas vs. 15. Texas Southern- One year earlier, on their way to winning a National Title, the Razorbacks pummeled Texas Southern by 66. 66 points! In this game, Arkansas hung on by the skin of their teeth as Texas Southern missed a FT with 6 seconds left that would have tied the game. The final score was 79-78.
4. Virginia vs. 12. Miami (OH)- Riding the momentum of the upset win over Arizona, Miami jumped out to a halftime lead over the Cavaliers. The game would eventually go to overtime where Virginia pulled away for a 60-54 victory. The run by Miami propelled Herb Sendek to NC State where he lived a life on the bubble before bolting for Arizona State. Junior Burroughs scored 28 for the Cavaliers. Those Virginia teams were damn good.
6. Memphis vs. 3. Purdue- Purdue carried the burden of the last remaining Big Ten team in the tournament. They were not up to the task as they lost late to Memphis. David Vaughn of Memphis would make a tip-in in the final seconds and would steal the Boilermaker in-bounds pass, thwarting any potential miracle, icing the Memphis 75-73 win. No Big Ten team made it to the second weekend.
2. Arkansas vs. 7. Syracuse- I have to admit a lot of what happened in this region is sketchy in my memory, this game being a big one. I suspect it's because this was before multiple channel options. We were pretty much stuck to whatever game they gave us and I vaguely recall this one being up in the corner of the screen as we watched another game. For the life of me, I can't recall what was on against it. Anyway, Syracuse had this game won when Lawrence Moten called a TO they didn't have. Scotty Thurman hit the FT sending the game to overtime. Arkansas eventually prevailed, 96-94 in a thriller.
Arkansas came out of this region as the 2-seed, beating Memphis in overtime in the Sweet 16 and outlasting Virginia who defeated the 1-seed Kansas.
West Region
1. UCLA vs. 8. Missouri- The West would largely play out to script but still gave us a remarkable game, one of the best in tournament history. The Bruins entered the tournament the favorite. After years of flame outs, this was the team to get Jim Harrick over the hump. Failure was not an option. Then came Missouri. The Tigers jumped all over UCLA, leading 42-34 heading into overtime. It was the largest deficit UCLA had faced all year. UCLA battled back, taking the lead after eventual Tourney MOP, Ed O'Bannon made 4 consecutive free throws. Missouri steeled itself and took the lead with 4.8 seconds left on a shot by Julian Winfield. Years earlier, Danny Ainge of BYU had gone coast-to-coast to give BYU a win over Notre Dame. Harrick instructed Sr. PG Tyus Edney to do the same. He did just that. Edney streaked up the court, banking the winner in as the buzzer sounded. UCLA largely coasted to their first title in 20 years. 20 years later, that is their last.
The '95 Tournament was what makes March great. It had upsets, buzzer beaters and moments that last a lifetime. The Final 4 wasn't overly memorable. The Bruins handled Arkansas in the final after beating Oklahoma State. The Razorbacks gave themselves a chance at a repeat after downing UNC. All-in-all, the 1995 Tournament holds its own as one of the best.
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