Fans, thanks for casting your votes in the opening round of Miner Madness! There was only one upset in the Sweet 16 as coach Billy Gillispie's 2003-04 squad, the 10th seed, took down coach Don Haskins' 1985-86 Miners, the seventh seed. The number one, two, three, four, five, six, eight and 10 seeds all advanced to the Elite Eight.
Now the competition gets even more fierce! Who will come out of the weekend unscathed and advance to the Final Four?
Remember, you can vote on the UTEP men's basketball Twitter. We'll post two matchups on Saturday and two more on Sunday.
Opening Round Results
[1] 1963-64 Miners def. [16] 1987-88 Miners
[2] 1991-92 Miners def. [15] 1989-90 Miners
[3] 1983-84 Miners def. [14] 1974-75 Miners
[4] 2009-10 Miners def. [13] 1984-85 Miners
[5] 1986-87 Miners def. [12] 1962-63 Miners
[6] 1988-89 Miners def. [11] 1969-70 Miners
[8] 2004-05 Miners def. [9] 1966-67 Miners
[10] 2003-04 Miners def. [7] 1985-86 Miners
Saturday, March 28
[1] 1963-64 Miners (25-3) vs. [8] 2004-05 Miners (27-8)
| 1963-64 Miners (25-3) |
Starting Lineups |
2004-05 Miners (27-8) |
| Andy Stoglin (6-4, Jr., 8.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg) |
F |
Jason Williams (6-6, Jr., 11.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) |
| Harry Flournoy (6-5, So., 5.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg) |
F |
Omar Thomas (6-5, Sr., 20.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) |
| Jim Barnes (6-7, Sr., 29.2 ppg, 19.2 rpg) |
C |
John Tofi (6-8, Jr., 6.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) |
| Orsten Artis (6-0, So., 10.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) |
G |
Giovanni St. Amant (6-3, Jr., 7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg) |
| Steve Tredennick (6-0, Jr., 3.7 ppg, 0.7 rpg) |
G |
Filiberto Rivera (6-2, Sr., 13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg) |
Analysis: Let's take a minute to admire the awesomeness that was Jim Barnes. He had a school-record 48 double-doubles in his Miner career; the next best guy (Anthony Burns) had 31. And Barnes only played
two seasons in the Orange and Blue. During his senior year of 1963-64, he amassed 27 double-doubles ... in 28 games. And lest we mention the greatest individual performance in school history, when he tagged Western New Mexico for 51 points and 36(!) rebounds on Jan. 4, 1964. The 2004-05 Miners were
really good -- they won 27 games, second only to the 1966 champs -- and they also had a couple of seniors who were on top of their game in Omar Thomas and Filiberto Rivera. But man, the '64 team had
Jim "Bad News" Barnes. UTEPMiners.com Pick: 1963-64 Miners
[4] 2009-10 Miners (26-7) vs. [5] 1986-87 Miners (25-7)
| 2009-10 Miners (26-7) |
Starting Lineups |
1986-87 Miners (25-7) |
| Arnett Moultrie (6-11, So., 9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) |
F |
Chris Sandle (6-6, Jr., 12.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg) |
| Jeremy Williams (6-7, Jr., 10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
F |
Quintan Gates (6-7, Sr., 10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) |
| Derrick Caracter (6-9, Jr., 14.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) |
C |
Mike Richmond (6-9, Sr., 12.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) |
| Randy Culpepper (6-0, Jr., 17.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg) |
G |
Tim Hardaway (5-11, So., 10.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) |
| Julyan Stone (6-6, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) |
G |
Jeep Jackson (6-1, Sr., 12.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg) |
Analysis: We love this matchup. The 2009-10 Miners were arguably the best of the 2000's UTEP NCAA Tournament teams, just because they completely dominated C-USA (15-1), won 16 straight at one point, entered the top-25 rankings, and had tremendous
length -- you try to score on a team that fielded a starting five with four players 6-6 or taller, including the point guard. The 1986-87 Miners, however, were just
tough, with great senior leaders in Quintan Gates, Jeep Jackson and Mike Richmond. They were tough enough to play at Arizona in the first round of the Big Dance, in front of 12,885 largely hostile fans, and win in overtime. Coach Don Haskins' teams were more known for their defense, but this group could score, averaging 77.4 points per game. This would be a knock-down, drag-out fight, but we've got Haskins' troops prevailing in a tight one.
UTEPMiners.com Pick: 1986-87 Miners
Sunday, March 29
[2] 1991-92 Miners (27-7) vs. [10] 2003-04 Miners (24-8)
| 1991-92 Miners (27-7) |
Starting Lineups |
2003-04 Miners (24-8) |
| Marlon Maxey (6-8, Sr., 15.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) |
F |
Jason Williams (6-6, So., 11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) |
| Johnny Melvin (6-5, Jr., (8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
F |
Roy Smallwood (6-6, Sr., 8.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) |
| David Van Dyke (6-9, Sr., 13.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) |
C |
John Tofi (6-8, So., 10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg) |
| Eddie Rivera (5-8, Jr., 11.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) |
G |
Chris Craig (6-1, Sr., 9.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg) |
| Prince Stewart (5-11, Sr., (11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) |
G |
Filiberto Rivera (6-2, Jr., 11.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg) |
Analysis: Everyone knows just how close the 1991-92 Miners were to reaching the Final Four. After they stunned Kansas to get to the Sweet 16, they spotted Cincinnati a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes. They lost 69-67, but imagine how much different this game might have looked with a better start. Cincinnati later demolished Memphis, 88-57, to advance to the Final Four. The 2003-04 Miners set the tone for a Cinderella season by stunning the Harlem Globetrotters, 89-88, and ending their 288-game win streak in an early-season exhibition contest. They went on to tie for the WAC regular season title with a 13-5 record behind a trio of talented junior college transfers -- Filiberto Rivera, Omar Thomas and Jason Williams. They would've been up to the task, but may not have had the inside strength to counter Marlon Maxey and David Van Dyke.
UTEPMiners.com Pick: 1991-92 Miners
[3] 1983-84 Miners (27-4) vs. [6] 1988-89 Miners (26-7)
| 1983-84 Miners (27-4) |
Starting Lineups |
1988-89 Miners (26-7) |
| Fred Reynolds (6-6, Sr., 13.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) |
F |
David Van Dyke (6-8, Fr., 5.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg) |
| Paul Cunningham (6-7, Sr., 3.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) |
F |
Johnny Melvin (6-4, Fr., 5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg) |
| Juden Smith (6-6, So., 7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) |
C |
Greg Foster (6-11, Jr., 11.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) |
| Luster Goodwin (6-0, Jr., 10.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg) |
G |
Prince Stewart (5-11, So., 10.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg) |
| Kent Lockhart (6-4, Jr., 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) |
G |
Tim Hardaway (6-0, Sr., 22.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) |
Analysis: Another game that would likely go right down to the wire. An '88-89 team with a lot of offensive firepower (78.4 ppg) takes on an '83-84 squad that was as stingy as it gets on the defensive end (59.9 ppg allowed). The '88-89 team gets a sizable advantage at point guard as Tim Hardaway was in his senior year and at the top of his game. The '83-84 Miners have the edge up front with a pair of senior forwards in Paul Cunningham and Fred Reynolds. Johnny Melvin and David Van Dyke were future stars, but they were just freshmen for UTEP in '88-89. We say Hardaway has a huge game, but in the end, defense wins championships and the '84 Miners march on.
UTEPMiners.com Pick: 1983-84 Miners
Final Four -- Coming Saturday, April 4
Championship -- Coming Monday, April 6
