The BIAH Advent Calendar: Day 4

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. 22:


2003: Marquette vs. Kentucky: In 2003, Kentucky and Arizona were considered far and away the two best teams in the country. But when the tournament seedings came out, the two Wildcat teams were destined to play in the national semifinals, causing outrage over the fact that the national title was going to be decided prior to the title game.



But Kentucky never made it to the Final Four, in (extra) large part due to the performance from Dwyane Wade. Wade has quite possibly the most impressive all around tournament performance on this night. He finished the game with a triple-double - 29 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists to go along with four blocks - as he snapped Kentucky's 26 game winning streak and led the Golden Eagles to the final four for the first time since 1977.


Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky: Prince is the kind of kid every college coach would love to have. Not only was he immensely talented, he was the kind of player that could dominate a game on either end of the floor - he ranks 8th on Kentucky's all-time scoring list and 6th all-time in steals. He won two SEC regular season and two SEC tournament titles while twice being named an all-american.

But with Prince, it was never about individual accomplishments. He was more than willing to defer to other guys on the offensive end. but Prince always seemed to shine when the lights were the brightest. Remember this game winner against Florida? Or the 41 he put on Tulsa in the NCAA Tournament? My personal favorite was this game:




2009 UConn Huskies: In a season where UNC was expected to be far and away the best team in the country, UConn was the team that many people believed had the talent to compete with the Heels. In atypical Jon Calhoun fashion, this version of the Huskies was a team that relied on their half court defense. With the human eraser, 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet, protecting the rim, UConn would get out and pressure opposing perimeter players in the half court, preventing jump shots and all but begging teams to put it the ball on the floor.



With Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson, and Thabeet manning the paint, at times the Huskies best offense was to throw the ball at the rim and go get a rebound. But their leader was the oft-maligned AJ Price. Price had as difficult of a collegiate career as anyone I can remember - he almost died as a freshman after he suffered an brain hemorrhage, was arrested after he took part in the theft of some laptops, and he tore his acl midway through the first round NCAA Tournament game in 2008. By his senior season, Price had matured into a leader and a guy that ran the Huskies, taking and making a number of big shots throughout the season. UConn made it all the way to the Final Four in 2009, where they ran into the buzz saw that was the '08-'09 MSU Spartans.


No. 23: 2005 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.