The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 17

Yup, it is December. And as the temperatures outside drop, the heat is rising on college campuses across the country as basketball season kicks into full swing. But December is also a time to reflect on the past year. This December is special, because as we draw closer to the new year, we get closer to the end of the aughts. In the spirit of the holidays, we are going to celebrate the decade past by counting down the top 25 games, players, and teams of the last 10 years with the BIAH advent calender. Each day, we will be unveiling the next on each of our lists, culminating with our gift to you on Christmas Day: the best game, the best player, and the best team of the 2000's.

Here is No. 9:


2007: Barton vs. Winona State: One of the most exciting finishes I have ever seen in a college basketball game. Period. I'm just going to post the video, I hope you have 3:34 free to watch.



Actually, scratch that. I have to say something about this game. I don't care what two teams were playing, what division it was, how big the arena was, or how many pro players these teams produced. This was the most bonkers finish to a National Championship game ever. End of story. It was more bananas than Jordan's shot in 1982, crazier than Jimmy V running around the court looking for somebody to hug, and more perplexing than Chris Webber's timeout call.

The emotional rush that both teams felt must have been the most intense feeling ever. Those last 30 seconds is why you play the game. It's why you play all 40 minutes, whistle to whistle. I can't tell you what state Barton is located in, or what their mascot is, but I will always be able to tell you this: they were National Champions in 2007, and the game will stay in my memory for as long as I live.


Blake Griffin, Oklahoma: Blake Griffin was a freshman the same season as Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, and OJ Mayo, and that, combined with a balky knee, was a big reason why he did not get all that much attention despite averaging 14.7 ppg and 9.1 rpg for a 23-12 team.

It wasn't until his sophomore season that Griffin became unstoppable. And as a sophomore, he was unstoppable. He spent the summer training with Frank Matrisciano, Griffin absolutely dominated college basketball in 2008-2009 while being named player of the year. He averaged 22.7 ppg, 14.4 rpg, and set a Big XII record with 30 double-doubles, one off of David Robinson's national record. More impressive than his numbers, however, were his dunks.




2004 St. Joseph's:
If ever a team was to get less credit than they deserved, it was the 2004 St. Joe's squad without a doubt.. They won 27 games in a row. Neither of Roy Williams' championship teams did that. None of coach Cal's Memphis squads were able to win 27 in a row, and that was in a watered-down C-USA. Hell, the New England Patriots only won 18 games in a row.

The Hawks nearly went wire-to-wire as the #1 team in the A-10, but a loss to Xavier in the A-10 quarterfinals destroyed their hopes of a perfect season. Even after that loss, the Hawks entered the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed and beat Liberty, Texas Tech and Wake Forest before falling to #2 seeded John Lucas Oklahoma State.

The Hawks back court was absurdly talented. Delonte West was an assassin from the perimeter and Jameer Nelson was hands-down the best guard in the country. Many teams with a starting back court like that probably would have squandered a loss somewhere in a 28-game season. But not the Hawks, not in the Atlantic-10 in a down year for Xavier. One member of the 27-1 St. Joe's team who is easily forgotten is Pat Carroll, the small forward who averaged just over 10 ppg. He was often grabbing big boards or making clutch shots, and is usually overshadowed by the efforts of Jameer Nelson, who is considered the poster boy for that storied run in 2004 (He was named PoY). While this team may not be considered the best team of the past decade, it's very possible they had the best regular season of any team in the last ten years. After all, the feat had not been done since UNLV did so in 1991.

No. 10: West Virginia v. Wake Forest, Juan Dixon, Kansas's 2008 team
No. 11: Kansas v. Memphis, TJ Ford, Syracuse's 2003 team
No. 12: West Virginia v. Louisville, Stephen Curry, and UCLA's 2008 team
No. 13: Gonzaga v. Arizona, Kevin Durant, and Florida's 2006 Team
No. 14: UConn v. Duke, Joakim Noah, and Duke's 2002 team
No. 15: Oklahoma State v. St. Joe's, Chris Paul, and UConn's 2006 team
No. 16: Gonzaga v. Oklahoma State, Ty Lawson, and Kentucky's 2003 team
No. 17: Duke v. Maryland in the 2001 Final Four, Deron Williams, and Gonzaga's 2006 team
No. 18: Duke v. Indiana, Mateen Cleaves, Gonzaga
No. 19: Syracuse v. Kansas, Dwyane Wade, UCLA's 2006 team
No. 20: Pitt v. Villanova, Michael Beasley, and Duke's 2004 team
No. 21: Duke vs. Maryland in the 2001 ACC Semis, Josh Howard, Arizona's 2001 team
No. 22: Marquette v. Kentucky, Tayshaun Prince, UConn's 2009 team
No. 23: Vermont v. Syracuse, Andrew Bogut, and Memphis's 2008 team.
No. 24: UConn v. Miami, Luke Harangody, and Kansas's 2003 team
No. 25: Drake v. Western Kentucky, Wayne Simien, and Louisville's 2009 team.