We started with 16 teams and now we're down to four! In the last round of fan voting, the eighth-seed 2004-05 Miners stunned the top seed 1963-64 squad to earn a surprise berth in the Final Four. They're being joined by the no. 2, 3 and 4 seeds as the 1991-92, 1983-84 and 2009-10 teams all held serve and advanced to the semifinals.
Maybe this is the way it was meant to be. We're guaranteed to have one of legendary coach Don Haskins' teams in the championship game, and it will match up against a team from the 2000's.
We're closing in on a champion and the mythical "second-best team in UTEP basketball history." Review the semifinal matchups below and make your picks on the UTEP men's basketball Twitter Saturday. The championship game voting is set for Monday.
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
[8] 2004-05 Miners def. [1] 1963-64 Miners
[4] 2009-10 Miners def. [5] 1986-87 Miners
Sunday, March 29
[2] 1991-92 Miners def. [10] 2003-04 Miners
[3] 1983-84 Miners def. [6] 1988-89 Miners
Saturday, April 4
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[4] 2009-10 Miners (26-7) vs. [8] 2004-05 Miners (27-8)
| 2009-10 Miners (26-7) |
Starting Lineups |
2004-05 Miners (27-8) |
| Arnett Moultrie (6-11, So., 9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) |
F |
Jason Williams (6-6, Jr., 11.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) |
| Jeremy Williams (6-7, Jr., 10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
F |
Omar Thomas (6-5, Sr., 20.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg) |
| Derrick Caracter (6-9, Jr., 14.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) |
C |
John Tofi (6-8, Jr., 6.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) |
| Randy Culpepper (6-0, Jr., 17.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg) |
G |
Giovanni St. Amant (6-3, Jr., 7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg) |
| Julyan Stone (6-6, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) |
G |
Filiberto Rivera (6-2, Sr., 13.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg) |
Analysis: The 2009-10 Miners ran roughshod through the Western Athletic Conference to capture the regular season title with a 15-1 mark. The 2004-05 Miners earned the NCAA bid the hard way, topping Hawaii, Rice and Boise State in Reno, Nev. to claim the WAC Tournament trophy. Both teams bring some flair in the backcourt with Randy Culpepper's awe-inducing acrobatics for the 2009-10 squad, and Filiberto Rivera's supreme confidence running the show for the 2004-05 team. The biggest question is, how would the '04-05 club match up against the '09-10 Miners inside and could they find a way to neutralize 6-11 Arnett Moultrie and 6-9 Derrick Caracter? We'd love to see the matchup between the two Williams (Jason and Jeremy) too.Â
UTEPMiners.com Pick: 2009-10 Miners
[2] 1991-92 Miners (27-7) vs. [3] 1983-84 Miners (27-4)
| 1991-92 Miners (27-7) |
Starting Lineups |
1983-84 Miners (27-4) |
| Marlon Maxey (6-8, Sr., 15.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) |
F |
Fred Reynolds (6-6, Sr., 13.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) |
| Johnny Melvin (6-5, Jr., (8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
F |
Paul Cunningham (6-7, Sr., 3.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) |
| David Van Dyke (6-9, Sr., 13.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) |
C |
Juden Smith (6-6, So., 7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) |
| Eddie Rivera (5-8, Jr., 11.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) |
G |
Luster Goodwin (6-0, Jr., 10.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg) |
| Prince Stewart (5-11, Sr., (11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) |
G |
Kent Lockhart (6-4, Jr., 9.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) |
Analysis: Both teams won the WAC regular season crown, but the 1983-84 Miners also presided over the inaugural WAC Tournament field with victories against Wyoming and New Mexico (back when the top two seeds earned a double-bye to the semifinals). The 1991-92 Miners have a distinct height advantage with 6-8 Marlon Maxey and 6-9 David Van Dyke controlling the paint. The 1983-84 Miners would find a way to keep it close until the end as they held opponents to a staunch 59.9 points per game. Stat to consider: the '91-92 Miners were a tad bit better on the boards (+3.7 rebound margin, compared to +2.6 for the '83-84 team). The '83-84 team shot better at the line (70 percent), and could that be the deciding factor in a tight game?
UTEPMiners.com Pick: 1991-92 Miners
Championship -- Coming Monday, April 6
