(01-23-2019 11:09 AM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  Often overlooked is the NIU v Kansas State in 2005. (might have been 04 or 06) 7-2 KSU playing 5-2 NIU at the Convo. 5000+ fans. The place was electric and the way the convo should be. OT win and the place went nuts. Single best game i've been to.

Yep, I think that’s most of the younger(ish) generation of NIU fans highlight before last night. That and DePaul the same year.

(01-23-2019 10:44 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  Anyone remember this loss:

1996 NCAA First Round
(3) Texas Tech 74
(14) NIU 73

Man o man what could have been. That loss was the biggest heartbreak of my NIU athletics fandom up to those MACC CFB heartbreakers, because I personally knew all those guys.

(As an aside, 1996 was the last year UMASS was good at basketball. How they turned that 1996 NCAA run into seemingly permanent basketball respect is beyond me.)

I was in Vegas for game with Tech grads I worked with.

Me and my boss, NIU grad has pts and money line.

I was getting the disingenuous token good game from some other techies after. Almost came to blows as they turned it into you were lucky....we played bad, etc.

They did follow that up with a blowup of UNC. Game where Ham shattered the backboard.

(01-23-2019 03:17 PM)randyfensfanclub1 Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 10:44 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  Anyone remember this loss:

1996 NCAA First Round
(3) Texas Tech 74
(14) NIU 73

Man o man what could have been. That loss was the biggest heartbreak of my NIU athletics fandom up to those MACC CFB heartbreakers, because I personally knew all those guys.

(As an aside, 1996 was the last year UMASS was good at basketball. How they turned that 1996 NCAA run into seemingly permanent basketball respect is beyond me.)

I was in Vegas for game with Tech grads I worked with.

Me and my boss, NIU grad has pts and money line.

I was getting the disingenuous token good game from some other techies after. Almost came to blows as they turned it into you were lucky....we played bad, etc.

They did follow that up with a blowup of UNC. Game where Ham shattered the backboard.

The run through the MCC tourney the year of that Texas Tech game is what turned my casual NIU fandom into full fledged. Fond memories of listening on clock radio to every moment of that tourney and then heading over to Holmes Student Center to watch the championship game in the lobby with a large group of fans.

And wow, Texas Tech I see looking back had a 21 game winning streak going into that game vs NIU, what a win that would have been. I cant remember exact specifics but did NIU have a last second shot to win? Maybe a Coleman last second opportunity?

In the 1996 NCAA game, NIU was behind the entire game. NIU was down around 6-7 with a minute to go and scored with like 3 seconds left and was down 1. Tech inbounded the ball, and ran out the clock. NIU did not have any timeouts at that point. NIU was a 14 point underdog that day, and a 14th seed I believe. It was voted the most exciting game of the first round.

You forgot to mention the bogus offensive foul call on
Chris Coleman in the last minute with a chance to tie it.

(01-23-2019 09:31 AM)niu88 Wrote:  January '86 (I think). Kenny Battle out dueled Ron Harper and Miami in OT.

oooohhh! Good one. Awesome game. Awesome players. True stars each one!

(01-23-2019 01:30 AM)jjj Wrote:  For the old school folks, the number 1 song when NIU last beat a ranked team was "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John.

I would say here are the top 5 NIU home victories in Dekalb, imo:

1. Beat #5 Indiana in 1972. NIU is one of the few teams that is undefeated vs Bob Knight.

2. Beat #14 Buffalo in 2019 at Convo Center.

3 Beat Wisconsin team in 1999 (Badger team would go on to Final 4 that year under Dick Bennett) (I saw this game in person, imagine the loud crowd noise for the last second last night, but it was that loud for the last minute vs Wisconsin)


4 Beat Wisconsin in 76? 77? (where the Wisconsin coach refused to come out of the locker room in the field house after the game, McDougal's first year i want to say).


5. This is to be determined...can not think of one off the top of my head, but I'm sure some fans will bring up more big home games where NIU won. The Depaul game in 79 would be here, but NIU lost when Mark Aguire hit 2 free throws at the end....

(The Oral Roberts game was at the Chicago Stadium....not in Dekalb)

I was at the Wisc game in 1999....at Chick Evans...We havent had Wisc at home in BB since then

(01-23-2019 03:57 PM)jjj Wrote:  In the 1996 NCAA game, NIU was behind the entire game. NIU was down around 6-7 with a minute to go and scored with like 3 seconds left and was down 1. Tech inbounded the ball, and ran out the clock. NIU did not have any timeouts at that point. NIU was a 14 point underdog that day, and a 14th seed I believe. It was voted the most exciting game of the first round.

The crowd really got behind the Huskies late in the game

Does anyone remember in what DePaul game and which NIU player had an unreal put back slam? I was watching on TV and Al McGuire (iirc) went batshit.

(01-23-2019 07:23 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  Does anyone remember in what DePaul game and which NIU player had an unreal put back slam? I was watching on TV and Al McGuire (iirc) went batshit.

Terry Green. Most incredible dunk I have ever seen.

I was at the game and will never forget that dunk.

He later became an assistant coach at Lockport. I spoke with him several times about it.

(01-23-2019 07:32 PM)HuskieDave Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 07:23 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  Does anyone remember in what DePaul game and which NIU player had an unreal put back slam? I was watching on TV and Al McGuire (iirc) went batshit.

Terry Green. Most incredible dunk I have ever seen.

He later became an assistant coach at Lockport. I spoke with him several times about it.

Thanks, that's it. Was that the 1979 game?

(01-23-2019 07:37 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 07:32 PM)HuskieDave Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 07:23 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  Does anyone remember in what DePaul game and which NIU player had an unreal put back slam? I was watching on TV and Al McGuire (iirc) went batshit.

Terry Green. Most incredible dunk I have ever seen.

He later became an assistant coach at Lockport. I spoke with him several times about it.

Thanks, that's it. Was that the 1979 game?

I believe, yes, it was the 1979 game.

Terry had played on Lockport’s undefeated state champions the year before.

(01-23-2019 07:37 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 07:32 PM)HuskieDave Wrote:  

(01-23-2019 07:23 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  Does anyone remember in what DePaul game and which NIU player had an unreal put back slam? I was watching on TV and Al McGuire (iirc) went batshit.

Terry Green. Most incredible dunk I have ever seen.

He later became an assistant coach at Lockport. I spoke with him several times about it.

Thanks, that's it. Was that the 1979 game?

Can't find it on YouTube. Any video mavens out there?

It is definitely worth a watch.

https://www.rrstar.com/x1793481842/NIU-s...asterpiece

(01-23-2019 08:00 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  https://www.rrstar.com/x1793481842/NIU-s...asterpiece

Great, great article. Thanks for posting.

Terry always said the timing of everything was just perfect and he was able to palm the ball in mid-air, which allowed him to absolutely slam it home.

Love the pictures with the article - look at the crowd in the background.

May have been the best sporting event I have ever attended.

I had graduated in 74 and went back for the game with 3/4 co-workers. One of whom I saw about a year ago and he asked me about the dunk.....40 years later.

1991 Mid Continent Conference Tournament Championship game was amazing. Down big against Northern Iowa and Whiteside led us back...

Allen Rayhorn of Dakota said. “Then, I saw Terry’s shoelaces come flying by. The timing was impeccable. Unbelievable.”

(01-23-2019 05:08 PM)HuskieJ Wrote:  You forgot to mention the bogus offensive foul call on
Chris Coleman in the last minute with a chance to tie it.

The biggest factor in that game was TJ Lux was sicker than a dog and hardly played. I believe he had terrible diarrhea from the flu so basically sat on the bench. Texas Tech ended up forfeiting all of their winnings as well as they were using ineligible players:

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/03/sport...-tech.html

I've watched a ton of sports in lifetime and nothing has ever compared to the moment Green put the dunk down.
In 1979, college basketball was just starting to hit a popularity not seen before, DePaul was the nation's darling, the atmosphere at Chick Evans that night was unreal and to have Green come flying through the air on a game-tying dunk at the buzzer was akin to see a real-life Superman.

1982 - NIU vs OHIO first round of MAC Tourney. Packed Fieldhouse and a Carl Armato jumper from the top of the key to win! I followed them to Ann Arbor for the conference finals and then to Dallas for NCAA. Terry Green was on that team but didn’t start.

The Battle/Harper matchup was fun as well.

Best game at the Convo was Kansas State.