re: Can you believe LSU hoops played these two games on back to back days in the 89/90 season

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eams were absolutely loaded back then.

It always irks me the narrative that Dale didn't win a NC with CJ, Shaq, Stanley, etc. We lost to a top loaded GT team in Round of 32.

Then GT made the Final Four and lost to an amazing UNLV team that crushed Duke in the Finals.

Duke beating undefeated UNLV in the Final Four the next season is one of the greatest upsets.

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That was Dale's most talented team...and probably one of the most crushing losses of his tenure. LSU started the game kicking the absolute dog shite out of GT. It was something like 20-3 in favor of LSU to start. By halftime LSU had given almost all of it up and had one point lead.

Chris Jackson just wasn't himself and went into that game seemingly on fumes. He was actually LSU's lowest scoring starter in that game. Shaq and Stanley each had double-double's.

Had LSU won that game they would have moved on to the sweet 16/elite 8 in the Superdome. And it would have been an absolute madhouse with probably 50k LSU fans (remember, they had just set the attendance record the year before when they played Georgetown in the dome). It would have been hard to bet against LSU in that environment. Basically it would have been a Tiger Stadium crowd at a basketball game. The LSU fanbase could not wait for that potential set up! Win two virtual home games in the Dome and they get to the Final Four against a UNLV team they had already beaten.

Yes, GT was great....but that LSU team was loaded and set up for a Final Four run through their home state. There have been some devastating losses in LSU history, but not many top that one. It was ALL there for the taking.