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1998 Final Four

The Road To The 1998 Final Four

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Kentucky and North Carolina each had new coaches, but the results on the court were awfully familiar. These two bluebloods were joined in San Antonio by new teams from the West, as Stanford and Utah made it. Here’s a look back on the paths all four programs trod to reach the 1998 Final Four.

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KENTUCKY

Tubby Smith’s Kentucky team didn’t look as talented on the surface as the ones that Rick Pitino cruised to the title with in 1996 or went to overtime in the national final of 1997. Jeff Sheppard was the best player, with Nazr Mohammed and Scott Padgett each averaging 12 points/7 rebounds per game down low. But Tubby’s ‘Cats still rolled uncontested to an SEC title, both regular season and tournament, and then through three games of the NCAA Tournament.

In the regional final at St. Petersburg, Kentucky and Duke added another chapter to their storied legacy, one that included a sizzling NCAA final in 1978 and one of college basketball’s all-time great games in 1992. Kentucky fell behind by 17 points in the second half and their season looked over. But point guard Wayne Turner kept causing problems with his penetration, ended up with eight assists and the Wildcats clawed their way back. In the final two minutes, Cameron Mills and Padgett hit monster three-point shots to win an epic 86-84 decision.

UTAH

Utah was in their sixth NCAA Tournament in the last eight years under Rick Majerus. The previous two years had seen them eliminated by Kentucky, first in the Round of 32 (1996) and then in the Elite Eight (1997). In 1998, the Selection Committee finally put the Utes on the far side of the bracket from the Wildcats.

Andre Miller was the team’s best player at the point and he delivered 28 points/7 rebounds in a tough 75-69 win over Arkansas in the second NCAA Tournament game. Michael Doleac provided the inside presence and posted 25/9 in a tough Sweet 16 win over West Virginia. Both Utah stars were shining in the regional final against Arizona. Doleac went for 16/11, while Miller posted an18/14/13 triple-double in a truly magnificent individual performance. Utah blew out the top-seeded and defending NCAA champion Wildcats in a 76-51 win.

NORTH CAROLINA

Bill Guthridge had been a long-time assistant to Dean Smith and Guthridge was handed the reins of the program after Smith retired in October. The Tar Heels were loaded. Antwan Jamison averaged 22/11 and was National Player of the Year. Vince Carter knocked down 16 per game, with point guard Shammond Williams averaging a 17/3/4 line. UNC was ranked #1 in the final poll before the NCAA Tournament.

They still needed overtime to survive Charlotte, 93-83, in the Round of 32, thanks to a 32/5/5 line from Williams and 24/7 from Carter. At the regionals Jamsion took over. North Carolina had to face a pair of rising powers—Tom Izzo’s Michigan State and Jim Calhoun’s UConn would win the next two national championships. But Jamison overwhelmed both teams, with 20/14 against Sparty and 20/11 against the Huskies, both double-digit victories that sent North Carolina into another Final Four.

STANFORD

Stanford was in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year under Mike Montgomery and the Cardinal was big and physical, led by Mark Madsen and Tim Young down low. Arthur Lee led the way in the backcourt. Stanford got a 3-seed in the Midwest and used their size to power their way through the first two rounds. Meanwhile, top-seeded Kansas went out on the first weekend and the Midwest bracket was wide open.

A 67-59 win over 2-seed Purdue set up a regional final game with 8-seed Rhode Island. The Rams were coached by Jim Harrick, who had led UCLA to the 1994 national championship, only to be chased out of Westwood over an NCAA investigation. Stanford trailed this game by six with less than a minute to play when they pulled off a stunning rally and won 79-77 in regulation. There was bitterness and controversy over late-game officiating in the immediate aftermath, but it wasn’t stopping the Cardinal from going to the Final Four.

SAN ANTONIO: THE 1998 FINAL FOUR

The semifinals were each a Blueblood vs. Western Challenger, with most people expecting North Carolina and Kentucky to cruise into a Monday Night showdown. But the Utes and Cardinal didn’t go quietly.

In fact, Utah didn’t leave at all, at least not on Saturday. North Carolina shot a miserable 3-for-23 from behind the arc and the Utes led by 15 in the second half. The Tar Heels roared back to within two with a couple minutes left. Miller capped off another splendid game, where he finished with 16/14/7, by getting the points that closed out the 65-59 win.

Kentucky-Stanford was an incredible basketball game from start to finish and it ended up in overtime. Sheppard finished with 27 points. Miller had 26. Kentucky made the one extra play needed in an 86-85 survival. It marked their third straight year in the national final.

Somehow, for the third straight year, Utah and Kentucky still managed to find each other in the bracket. The Utes were a sentimental favorite with basketball lifer Majerus looking to finally reach the mountaintop. When they led 41-31 at the half and still clung to a four-point lead with six minutes left, it was right there. But with Sheppard getting 16 and Padgett adding 17, the Wildcats pulled away down the stretch. The 78-69 win gave Kentucky it’s second title in three years and under two different coaches.

1998 Sports: Greatness Sealed With A Championship

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The markings of greatness were all over 1998 sports. No fewer than five sports crowned champions where either great players, historic franchises or both sealed their legacy with a championship.

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Nowhere was this more obvious than the NBA, where Michael Jordan got his sixth ring and second three-peat for the Chicago Bulls, as he hit a game-winning shot to take Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
While the Bulls were concluding a three-peat, the New York Yankees were starting one of their own, and no team in this franchise’s long and successful history has ever done it better than the 1998 edition. The Yankees won 114 games and won the World Series in a sweep.
The Denver Broncos were the defending Super Bowl champs, and they came back even stronger in 1998. Not only did the Broncos win a second straight title, but quarterback John Elway followed Jordan’s lead in going out the door with a championship.
In hockey, the Detroit Red Wings were similar to the Broncos in that they were after a second straight title. The Red Wings were similar to the Yankees in that the hockey team was one with a proud history. And Detroit was similar to both teams in that they sealed their own legacy with a second straight Stanley Cup Finals sweep.
And finally we come to college basketball. Kentucky won the NCAA title in 1996 and made the final game in 1997. The 1998 team wasn’t quite as loaded talent-wise, nor as dominant during the season. But the end result still saw Big Blue cutting down the nets on a Monday night in San Antonio.
Read more about the 1998 Chicago Bulls
Read more about the 1998 New York Yankees
Read about the 1998 Denver Broncos
Read more about the 1998 Detroit Red Wings
Read more about 1998 Kentucky basketball
When we talk about greatness in 1998, by rights, we should be able to include the Great Home Run Race of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Unfortunately, the reality of PED use by both men—as well as by Barry Bonds who subsequently broke both of their records has left that tainted. But there’s no denying how much the McGwire-Sosa race captivated everyone in 1998.
There was also another great race in baseball, one that can be remembered with no regrets—a three-team fight to the finish for the National League wild-card spot that ended on a nice October night in Wrigley Field.
Read more about the great races of the 1998 MLB season
Tennessee football might not have been capping off or beginning a historic dynasty. They might not have been seeing a great player walk off into the sunset in triumph. That makes them a little odd in the montage of 1998 champions, but it doesn’t diminish their excellence. The Vols won the national title, beating Florida State in the first year that college football had a guaranteed 1 vs 2 national championship game set up in advance.
Read more about the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers
In our celebrations of greatness, three organizations/programs that came up just short of a title deserve some mention. The histories of the Atlanta Falcons, the San Diego Padres and Utah Utes’ basketball are not littered with championship success. But all three had great runs in 1998. The Falcons made the Super Bowl for the first time in their history. The Padres made their second World Series appearance and Utah hoops reached the NCAA final, the high point of a good coaching career for their boss, Rick Majerus.

Just Missed Glory: The 1998 Utah Jazz & Utah Utes

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The state of Utah isn’t the first place that comes to mind when it comes to sports. Having only one professional team, the NBA’s Utah Jazz, will do that, even if the state does have successful college programs in both basketball and football. 1998 saw Utah experience a basketball season that was, by any objective measure, extraordinarily successful. It was also was, by any objective measure, extremely aggravating.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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At the college level, Rick Majerus and the Utah Utes made a run to the NCAA championship game. The 1998 Utah basketball team became America’s darling in March—they weren’t a true Cinderella, as a #3 seed who had been to the regionals each of the previous two years. But the country liked the colorful Majerus and seein him pull off consecutive upsets of Arizona and North Carolina to reach the Monday Night stage had anyone without a direct rooting interest in the opponent pulling for the Utes.
Unfortunately, that opponents was the Kentucky Wildcats. They were the team that knocked out Utah each of the previous two years and even set on opposite sides of the NCAA Tournament bracket, the two programs seemed destined to find each other. Utah led by 12 points early in the second half, but fell short of a national championship.
The 1998 Utah Jazz made the NBA Finals. It was the franchise’s second straight trip to the Finals. Unfortunately, they ran into Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls for the second straight season. The Jazz were in position to get their first championship, but Jordan would rip their hearts out one last time with a magical performance that has lived on in history. Like their college counterparts, the 1998 Utah Jazz had that one annoying opponent they couldn’t quite get past.
It might have been a frustrating ending in both the Final Four and the NBA Finals, but the 1998 Utah Utes and the 1998 Utah Jazz gave their home state a great ride and some excellent basketball along the way.
Read more about the 1998 Utah basketball team
Read more about the 1998 Utah Jazz