Perfect Upset: : The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship
About.com Rating
The Bottom Line
HBO Sports' documentary on Villanova's shocking NCAA Championship run is an entertaining look back to the days before the shot clock, the three-point line, and the really baggy shorts. But it's more than a little repetitive; there are only so many ways you can say, "Everyone thought Georgetown would win, but Villanova won."
Pros
Cons
Description
Guide Review - Perfect Upset: : The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship
Anyone who has ever played basketball on a playground has had an experience like this:
But the underdogs played the basketball equivalent of a perfect game, shooting 79% from the floor and missing just one shot in the second half. There's simply no defense for that.
HBO Sports' documentary includes interviews with all the key players: Massimino, Ewing, Georgetown coach John Thompson, Villanova players Gary McLain, Ed Pinckney, Harold Jensen, Chuck Everson and others, and broadcasters Billy Packer and Bill Raftery. It does a good job of recapturing the feel of 'Nova's run, with a wealth of clips from the game and sportscasts from the era.
But in the end, it feels more like a highlight reel than a documentary. Villanova over Georgetown is one of the greatest upsets in college hoops history; but we knew that going in. I'd have liked to see more on the game strategies employed by Massimino and Thompson, and a bit less of the "everyone thought Georgetown was going to win" angle.
The Bottom Line
HBO Sports' documentary on Villanova's shocking NCAA Championship run is an entertaining look back to the days before the shot clock, the three-point line, and the really baggy shorts. But it's more than a little repetitive; there are only so many ways you can say, "Everyone thought Georgetown would win, but Villanova won."
Pros
- An entertaining hour -- if only for nostalgia purposes.
Cons
- A bit heavy on what happened -- doesn't really address how.
Description
- Running Time: 58 Minutes
- Rating: TVPG for occasionally-salty language
- Broadcast Schedule: Running on HBO and HBO on Demand in December and January.
- Nostalgia Factor: Off the charts. Don't miss the short-shorts, the CBS in-game graphics, and some truly awful suits.
Guide Review - Perfect Upset: : The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship
Anyone who has ever played basketball on a playground has had an experience like this:
- Opposing player hits a very difficult shot
- Defending player says something along the lines of "you can have that shot all day"
- Opposing player continues to hit the shot
- Defending player realizes there's little he can do... sometimes, when the other guy is "feeling it," there is no defense
But the underdogs played the basketball equivalent of a perfect game, shooting 79% from the floor and missing just one shot in the second half. There's simply no defense for that.
HBO Sports' documentary includes interviews with all the key players: Massimino, Ewing, Georgetown coach John Thompson, Villanova players Gary McLain, Ed Pinckney, Harold Jensen, Chuck Everson and others, and broadcasters Billy Packer and Bill Raftery. It does a good job of recapturing the feel of 'Nova's run, with a wealth of clips from the game and sportscasts from the era.
But in the end, it feels more like a highlight reel than a documentary. Villanova over Georgetown is one of the greatest upsets in college hoops history; but we knew that going in. I'd have liked to see more on the game strategies employed by Massimino and Thompson, and a bit less of the "everyone thought Georgetown was going to win" angle.
