A great, great game no one really talks about. Iowa came back from 14 points down in the second half to beat Georgetown in the Elite 8 81 to 80 and Iowa went to the final four.
What an Iowa team under Lute Olson. Ronnie Lester with a knee injury that season coming back late. Georgetown with Sleepy Floyd was damn tough. Kenny Arnold was such an underrated guard and one of my fav Iowa players of all time.
Holy crap....Glasper! I totally remember you playing at Iowa! You were such an underrated Guard! How awesome is this! Hope things are good with ya! Go Hawks! 👊
Growing up in the Northeast I was in 7th grade. I wanted Georgetown or Syracuse to get to the Final Four I thought the Big East may never get this chance again. LOL boy was I wrong. The next year we kept hearing about these two DC area kids who could both jump out of the gym. Anthony Jones & Bill Martin signed and some Ewing kid from the Boston area people were comparing to Bill Russell. Wonderful time for Big East basketball!
It is hard to believe it has been FORTY years since this legendary Hawkeye game. If only Ronnie Lester didn't get hurt against Louisville in the national semifinal . . .
Lester's unfortunate injury also hurt Iowa defensively against Louisville's man among boys Darrell Griffith! He went off for 34 huge points and wouldn't be denied! Just flat out refused to lose, further proving it down the stretch of the national championship against the tournament Cinderella UCLA
As a Georgetown fan, this was the first big heart break of the 80's, the second was 1982. I've been looking for this game for 10 years, thanks for the post.
No problem. This was a great game and not really talked about. I have heard there was a good copy out there somewhere and if I do find it I will post it.
@@Frogger-by1cu it's a shame too because Iowa was a power program for quite awhile! The irony from this game - Lute Olson taking the Hawkeyes to only their second FF that season ('80) and then eight years later at Arizona during their first ever FF run, he took out Iowa in the Sweet 16! '86-'87 was Iowa's golden opportunity at another FF and then the second half happened and they collapsed against UNLV in the regional finals! Since the '80s though, the Hawkeyes have only made the second week once ('99 - lost to eventual national champion UConn in the Sweet 16 - Tom Davis' last game as head coach)
I was only 9 when this game took place, so I don't remember it. The '82 game was my first big heart break. I didn't realize the Hoyas were so close to making the Final Four in 1980. I knew they'd lost to Iowa, but had never seen the game until now to see the big lead they squandered. I miss these days of 4-year players.
I ran across it a long time ago. If you are old enough and a hawkeye fan, then you remember this game. I know I wanted to see it for a long time so i thought I would share.
AVC IV I remember the game well. I was so mad. They went into somewhat if a stall gave. Took all the momentum away. That loss hurt for awhile. We should have won ace been in the final four
@@BAYAREA-kd1ig That Vegas game is still stunning 33 years later! Iowa was laser focused, in total control up 18 going into the break and that was a loaded ballclub (Brad Lohaus, Jeff Moe, BJ Armstrong, Roy Marble, Kevin Gamble)! Without a halftime, Iowa wins that game! No one that whole season except for Oklahoma had that much control against UNLV at any time until the Elite 8! That was my freshman year in HS and I watched that entire game! Vegas very fortunate
Philly as a regional site as a dress rehersal for the Final Four in 1981. In those days the NCAA usually awarded a regional to the Final Four site the year before they hosted the Final Four to work any kinks out for the next year.
Wow!! I remember this game well. I find it interesting that the announcers never once, called it the final four. Ronnie Lester! To bad he wasn't fully recovered. Iowa would've won it all!!!
That was quite a first yr for the Big East Conference - a three way tie for the leagues' regular season championship, but yet only Georgetown advanced as far as the regional finals! Syracuse was the #4 overall seed! And Iowa took them both out! First FF for a man who would become more well known down the road at Arizona - Lute Olson! He coached at Iowa through the '82-'83 season garnering one more quality win in that years' tournament by upsetting Big Eight champion Missouri
It was the Big Ten in 1980 that also took out the other Big East co-champ St John's (Purdue and Joe Barry Carroll) in the Southeast opening round! Purdue also advanced to that FF
To also think how close it was to being a Louisville/Georgetown Final Four game in 1980. If it had happened, the '82 FF game between them would have been looked at as a rematch.
@trha2222 Conference game at Ohio State in 1979 as a junior All-American might have been his best game. Poured in 31 points on 13 of 19 shooting (before there were 3-pointers) in weekend major TV game that ultimately propelled them to NCAA tourney in the last year that there were only 32 teams selected.