The setup for This Saturday game is deja vu to 1989 Rutgers-temple at the RAC

[Scarlet Shack]

February 1989....

Rutgers...coming off three straight losing seasons of 20 plus under littlepage...gets blown off the court in state college by 25...and comes home 10-12

They find a way to get back to 12-12...and have perennial NCAA bound temple with mark Macon and mike vreeswyk coming to town...who Rutgers had not beaten in double digit attempts

It’s a game that Rutgers ...with two road games coming up, had to have to secure a winning season

Rutgers pulls the upset off over temple by a dozen at a great RAC...the first return of the RAC...where the home crowd for the first time the RAC became the RAC again under bob wenzel

Saturday’s game against national ranked Iowa ...a game Rutgers probably must have to have any chance at a .500 season for the first time in 13 years....and will be before a sold out Saturday night crowd at the RAC

Not exactly the same set up ...but somewhat close. Big February game to give a rebuilding program a chance at a winning season.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Mike Vreeswck..now that's a name.....good player.

Got my voice back for Saturday!

Let's destroy the sellout jinx!

At least the Michigan imbecile won't be there...:)

 

[bac2therac]

good call Shack....this was my first game I ever attended at RU and sat somewhere up in 213 with my brother. I think this game is on youtube with RUhoopsproject...this was the game that made everyone dream big dreams and what was to come. I was late to the party that year but I never looked bac and the rest is history

Maybe there is someone out there that will become the next Bac2therac for the next generation for what could be the rennaissance of the RAC in the Big 10 era

 

[BigRnj]

Mike Vreeswck..now that's a name.....good player.

Got my voice back for Saturday!

Let's destroy the sellout jinx!

At least the Michigan imbecile won't be there...:)

But we may get an Iowa Idiot. I swear whoever owns those seats advertise them for sale on the opponent’s hoop site.

 

[RUHouston]

good call Shack....this was my first game I ever attended at RU and sat somewhere up in 213 with my brother. I think this game is on youtube with RUhoopsproject...this was the game that made everyone dream big dreams and what was to come. I was late to the party that year but I never looked bac and the rest is history

Maybe there is someone out there that will become the next Bac2therac for the next generation for what could be the rennaissance of the RAC in the Big 10 ear.

Hey I was there, too, Bac! That was me with the loud mouth in the trumpet section....I mouthed off to one of the Temple players and he gave me the stare of death during pregame warm ups...that was back when the band was pretty rowdy...

 

[wheezer]

I don't know if it was this game, but I was at the first game Macon played at the RAC, as a frosh...we got inside his head and he had a bad game

 

[AreYouNUTS]

With 3000+ students in attendance @Groz lol (having fun but true)!!

 

[LOU-RU85]

I too was at that game - fun time,

 

[Westcoast]

good call Shack....this was my first game I ever attended at RU and sat somewhere up in 213 with my brother. I think this game is on youtube with RUhoopsproject...this was the game that made everyone dream big dreams and what was to come. I was late to the party that year but I never looked bac and the rest is history

Maybe there is someone out there that will become the next Bac2therac for the next generation for what could be the rennaissance of the RAC in the Big 10 ear.

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

 

[Loyal_2RU]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

Cheney would feel righteous indignation.
Knight would feel self-righteous indignation.

Big difference

 

[RUPete]

With 3000+ students in attendance @Groz lol (having fun but true)!!

I was there and a student. Good crowd, but 3,000 is not accurate. Nostalgia is a funny thing.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Sounds like the setup might be turning 50 already or very soon!

 

[RocktheRac]

Yup. First game I ever attended with bac,

 

[bac2therac]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.


Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

Yes..was not at the Palestra but was watching on was it MSG and crowd/cheerleaders chanting bac2therac became my screename when the message boards arrived in the mid 90s

 

[RU89]

Yes..was not at the Palestra but was watching on was it MSG and crowd/cheerleaders chanting bac2therac became my screename when the message boards arrived in the mid 90s

I was at all of those games, Palestra (one of my favorite venues to watch a college basketball game------just reaks the movie Hoosiers type setting). It was definitely a time of incredible excitement coming off the disastrous Littlepage years. When we beat Temple at the RAC you started to dream, "can we do this, can we run the table?" But everything still had to go right and it did. Beating Temple again at the Palestra to host the A-10 Championship against Penn State was incredible enough, but to witness what is still for me the loudest sports event i've ever attended was an out of body experience because of where we came from to get there.

The team we have now has a little bit of that storybook feel to it, gritty players that never quit, a coach the fan base totally appreciates (how about some Pikecicles?) and a feeling that every time they take the court now something good might happen. These are starting to be fun times again for Rutgers basketball. Man, it's been a long wait.

 

[Unionst]

February 1989....

Rutgers...coming off three straight losing seasons of 20 plus under littlepage...gets blown off the court in state college by 25...and comes home 10-12

They find a way to get back to 12-12...and have perennial NCAA bound temple with mark Macon and mike vreeswyk coming to town...who Rutgers had not beaten in double digit attempts

It’s a game that Rutgers ...with two road games coming up, had to have to secure a winning season

Rutgers pulls the upset off over temple by a dozen at a great RAC...the first return of the RAC...where the home crowd for the first time the RAC became the RAC again under bob wenzel

Saturday’s game against national ranked Iowa ...a game Rutgers probably must have to have any chance at a .500 season for the first time in 13 years....and will be before a sold out Saturday night crowd at the RAC

Not exactly the same set up ...but somewhat close. Big February game to give a rebuilding program a chance at a winning season.

Along with James Bailey, Mark Macon was for me, the most talented college basketball player to ever play in the RAC. Chaney’s inability to coach offense kept him from being as great as he could have been.

 

[RUskoolie]

I know the basketball team is turning a corner because I am now trying to find a way to get tickets to some of these games. Have never felt that in 8+ years.

 

[RUPete]

I was at all of those games, Palestra (one of my favorite venues to watch a college basketball game------just reaks the movie Hoosiers type setting). It was definitely a time of incredible excitement coming off the disastrous Littlepage years. When we beat Temple at the RAC you started to dream, "can we do this, can we run the table?" But everything still had to go right and it did. Beating Temple again at the Palestra to host the A-10 Championship against Penn State was incredible enough, but to witness what is still for me the loudest sports event i've ever attended was an out of body experience because of where we came from to get there.

The team we have now has a little bit of that storybook feel to it, gritty players that never quit, a coach the fan base totally appreciates (how about some Pikecicles?) and a feeling that every time they take the court now something good might happen. These are starting to be fun times again for Rutgers basketball. Man, it's been a long wait.

They really got hot down the stretch to finish the season 15-12 and improve their seeding. I remember a good road win at URI before that last Temple game. One of my favorite teams because so many of those guys suffered through the Littlepage years and no one thought they would do much on this level. They got every last ounce out of their potential that season and they were rewarded for it.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

Along with James Bailey, Mark Macon was for me, the most talented college basketball player to ever play in the RAC. Chaney’s inability to coach offense kept him from being as great as he could have been.

Um, Larry Bird?

 

[PiscatawayMike]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

Indeed, in the post-game presser, Chaney went ballistic. His "If you're going to beat me, beat me!" sound bite was replayed over and over by Steve "Captain Midnight" Somers on WFAN that evening and early morning. One of the rare nights when Rutgers basketball was the No. 1 topic of conversation on The FAN..

Ah, the memories...

 

[RUBigFrank]

The bird appearance at the RAC is a good story. NIT game we beat Indiana State - they and Bird go on the following season undefeated to meet Magic and MSU in the finals. RU goes deep in the tourney but loses a heartbreaker to he Johnnies. Bird got into a fight with a heckler in that game at the RAC and cracked the guy in the face - smashed his spectacles with broken glass and blood on the floor. First hand witness as this was the section I was working as an usher.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I was there and a student. Good crowd, but 3,000 is not accurate. Nostalgia is a funny thing.

Disagree buddy. Remember not only did we have the three sections behind the bench, but the three sections behind the basket held a lot more at the time (and typically had a lot more packed in there than seats lol...) especially since the band didn’t take up 200 seats like they do now. They were actually in front of the student section. Throw in the 300 level and, trust me, there were times we had 3000 students in there in the late 80’s and early 90’s Because a few of those games we actually filled up both sides of the 300s, not just one, which is why it was so damn loud in there. Having students standing, in the 300s, with that ceiling echoing the noise, man that was awesome!

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Yes..was not at the Palestra but was watching on was it MSG and crowd/cheerleaders chanting bac2therac became my screename when the message boards arrived in the mid 90s

I think I told you that one....me and a couple of buddies started that chant talking to Emory ward during the second half of penn state - west va when it became clear that the winner of the Rutgers - temple game was going to be the home team for the Atlantic ten final.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Indeed, in the post-game presser, Chaney went ballistic. His "If you're going to beat me, beat me!" sound bite was replayed over and over by Steve "Captain Midnight" Somers on WFAN that evening and early morning. One of the rare nights when Rutgers basketball was the No. 1 topic of conversation on The FAN..

Ah, the memories...

People forget that game never should ha e gone to overtime ...I sat under the basket and that block by Tom savage on mike vreesywk layup that forced overtime was the biggest BS goal tend call I ever saw

The lane violation that made Cheney nuts with that comment in the locker room after the game should never have happened

 

[Scarlet Shack]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

See my responses above to both of those comments to others

 

[djrc89]

I was a senior and had purchased season ticks for all four of my years. ... 3 littlepage seasons. ... we had defeated Rhode Island and bonaventure on the road. I was at every game that season at home and the temple crowd was loud and ready. I mayve had scarlet blinders on but I never thought we’d lose that game. And I made it to the Palestra in the snow storm and was on tv after as well.

 

[hinson32]

Along with James Bailey, Mark Macon was for me, the most talented college basketball player to ever play in the RAC. Chaney’s inability to coach offense kept him from being as great as he could have been.

Better than Larry Bird?

 

[DocRU]

I was a senior and had purchased season ticks for all four of my years. ... 3 littlepage seasons. ... we had defeated Rhode Island and bonaventure on the road. I was at every game that season at home and the temple crowd was loud and ready. I mayve had scarlet blinders on but I never thought we’d lose that game. And I made it to the Palestra in the snow storm and was on tv after as well.

You guys are “amateurs”. I was at the RU Army game with Coach Bobby Knight and Coach K as his PG. But I believe my first RU game was against Columbia with Jim Mcmillen and Dave Newmark. Or it might have been Princeton with Chris Thomford. Who can remember? I do know the RU starting 5. McFadden and Stewart at the guards Graecen and Goetz at forwards and Doug Britelle at center. Went 21-4 lost to Tenn in NIT. Long time ago but I became hooked forever.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

Disagree buddy. Remember not only did we have the three sections behind the bench, but the three sections behind the basket held a lot more at the time (and typically had a lot more packed in there than seats lol...) especially since the band didn’t take up 200 seats like they do now. They were actually in front of the student section. Throw in the 300 level and, trust me, there were times we had 3000 students in there in the late 80’s and early 90’s Because a few of those games we actually filled up both sides of the 300s, not just one, which is why it was so damn loud in there. Having students standing, in the 300s, with that ceiling echoing the noise, man that was awesome!

Incorrect. The students did not have three sections behind the bench. They had half of the seats behind the benches on the scorers table side. That amounted to half of the old 114 and all of the old 116. Half of 114 and all of the old 112 were general public seats. I can’t believe there were 3000 students at the Temple game. The students that jumped on the bandwagon were passionate but the numbers were not that great for most of the season. And I don’t remember there ever being any students in the 300 level until the Championship game and even that was a special case because originally 40% of the regular seats were supposed to be available to Penn State so the normal seating plan was out the window.

In 1989-90 2,700 students grabbed season tickets and then they definitely assigned some to the 300 level but the downstairs footprint remained the same.

 

[Unionst]

Better than Larry Bird?

I missed that game. Plus, Macon played 4 years so saw him a good bit.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Incorrect. The students did not have three sections behind the bench. They had half of the seats behind the benches on the scorers table side. That amounted to half of the old 114 and all of the old 116. Half of 114 and all of the old 112 were general public starts..

3 sections...114-116....that’s what I said lol!
...And I sat in the 300s no less than 5 or 6 between 1988 and 1992 AS A STUDENT.

Thank you, however, for pointing out that we sold 2700 students season tickets, proving once again that we easily had 3000+ at many games “back in the day” lol!

 

[RUPete]

3 sections...114-116....that’s what I said lol!
...And I sat in the 300s no less than 5 or 6 between 1988 and 1992 AS A STUDENT.

Thank you, however, for pointing out that we sold 2700 students season tickets, proving once again that we easily had 3000+ at many games “back in the day” lol!

You just won’t let this go. You completely missed the point of the post. No way there were 3k students at that Temple game. Bottom line, students are going to need to show a lot more demand and attendance before you boot loyal fans and donors from the 100s. I sit in the 200s, but I get real tired of the disrespect shown that group of fans who have put up with more crap than anyone.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

3 sections...114-116....that’s what I said lol!
...And I sat in the 300s no less than 5 or 6 between 1988 and 1992 AS A STUDENT.

Thank you, however, for pointing out that we sold 2700 students season tickets, proving once again that we easily had 3000+ at many games “back in the day” lol!

There were only three sections back then. 112, 114 and 116. No 111, 113, 115. So the students had 1 1/2 sections. Just pointing that out because contrary to what some youngins on this board who want to evict the current season ticket holders from those sections think, the students never had all of those seats and the RAC still rocked. Frankly, I think those incredibly uncomfortable, packed bleacher seats contributed to the overall rowdiness of all fans in those sections as much as anything because it was so uncomfortable that you were looking for an excuse to get out of your plastic molded "seat" and yell at somebody. If you were willing to endure the cramped quarters in the always-100-degrees-RAC then you were a true RU basketball fan.

 

[80RU]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

What made his rage most interesting was that it was delayed. He did not show an immediate reaction when the violation, which was the correct call, happened. It was not until Macon came down and hit that long improbable three point shot, which made the free-throw significant, that he went ballistic.

 

[Degaz-RU]

I recall the birth of the Bac to the Rac chant at the Palestra after PSU beat WVU and our game was coming up next with the rematch against Temple. We all knew if we won, we hosted the championship game.

Macon stepped into the lane during a critical free throw to call a timeout (at Cheney's direction) and got the lane violation and we got another ft. Cheney went nuts. The post game press conference was crazy. Cheney was apoplectic. None of the reporters asked him any questions because we all thought he would come down into the press and kill anyone who dared interrupt him. His rage was crazier than anything I ever saw Bob Knight unleash.

I covered that Temple A-10 semifinal game at the Palestra for the Targum. Chaney did indeed go absolutely NUTS in the post game presser. I think I still have the audio tape somewhere. Dude was quite a character.

 

[RUPete]

I covered that Temple A-10 semifinal game at the Palestra for the Targum. Chaney did indeed go absolutely NUTS in the post game presser. I think I still have the audio tape somewhere. Dude was quite a character.

He was, but a really good guy too. When I was on the Targum, I would call him for game advances or features and he would always call back through his secretary and spend a bunch of time on the phone with you. Many times the day before a game which many coaches wouldn’t do at the time.

 

[bac2therac]

3 sections...114-116....that’s what I said lol!
...And I sat in the 300s no less than 5 or 6 between 1988 and 1992 AS A STUDENT.

Thank you, however, for pointing out that we sold 2700 students season tickets, proving once again that we easily had 3000+ at many games “back in the day” lol!

you are right...we used to have to trek over from other campuses to the RAC to wait in a long line at 8AM once a month to get the student tix for that month and you had to gather up peoples student ids to get tix for others if you wanted to sit together...as the seats were assigned, if you didnt get them right away you were banished to the 300 level which happened a few time for even a superfan like me

student support was off the chain during that timeframe...yes it didnt start until basically the Temple game in 88 but right up to 92, students support was enormous...puts anything even during Bannon/Waters to shame

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Also...the 108-110 sections were filled and those sections held another 200-300 people before they were reconfigured

Band was Also in the middle

I know for a fact the students were allocated 3200 seats back then...and we definetly had that many when the RAC was sold out

 

[Scarlet Shack]

you are right...we used to have to trek over from other campuses to the RAC to wait in a long line at 8AM once a month to get the student tix for that month and you had to gather up peoples student ids to get tix for others if you wanted to sit together...as the seats were assigned, if you didnt get them right away you were banished to the 300 level which happened a few time for even a superfan like me

student support was off the chain during that timeframe...yes it didnt start until basically the Temple game in 88 but right up to 92, students support was enormous...puts anything even during Bannon/Waters to shame

Plus ...people used to sneak in through the side doors back in the day...they weren’t special guest entrances back then for bigger games ...wasn’t wholesale but it happened

 

[RUtrumpet92]

If this is a repeat of 1989, will some enterprising students create and bring Pikesicles to the game on Saturday?