All-Time Tournament: Day 10

With Day 9 of the tournament returning back to the mean in terms of the number of upsets, Day 10 certainly picked up the slack. Now the question is, which four teams were able to claim the last four spots in the Round of 16 and continue to survive and advance?

Here is a snapshot of the bracket that saw action on Day 10:

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Game 31

The 2014/15 Bucks pulled off a minor upset to get into the Round of 32 where they faced the third seed, 1980/81 Bucks. These Bucks pulled off the first 60-win season in the post-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era. Did they add to their pile of wins?

They most certainly did not! The only top-five seed (and second top-ten) to go down went down in an offensive outburst. Khris Middleton led the way for the 14/15 Bucks with 28 points and 3/5 shooting from beyond the arc. Surpassing Middleton’s three-point shooting prowess was Jared Dudley, who went 4/5 from from three-point land and finishing with 16 points off the bench. Marques Johnson did all he could scoring 35 points, but received little to no help. Quinn Buckner was one of only three non-Johnson players to score in double figures, and he posted 16. The 14/15 Bucks are off to the Round of 16 where they await the winner of our next contest.

Game 32

With a relatively easy Play-in Round victory, the 1999/2000 Bucks were led by Glenn Robinson’s 30 points and Sam Cassell’s 16 assists. We saw Big Dog take on a rookie Lew Alcindor and 1969/70 Bucks. So which first overall pick came away the victor?

The Big Dog came to feast. Robinson nearly outplayed Alcindor on the stat sheet with 21 points and six rebounds, while Alcindor dropped 24 points and hauled in a measly (by his standards) eight rebounds. Robinson was joined by Cassell who tallied 24 points and dished out 14 assists. A cold third quarter doomed the 69/70 with Jon McGlocklin being the only player not named Alcindor to score more than 11 points, as he finished with 16. The 69/70 Bucks become the first Alcindor/Abdul-Jabbar team to be eliminated from the All-Time Tournament. The 99/00 Bucks will take on the upset-minded 14/15 Bucks in the Round of 16.

Game 33

The third day of the game pit the last Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Bucks team against a 57-win squad that came up just shy of reaching The Finals. Were the 1985/86 Bucks able to make the 1974/75 team the second Abdul-Jabbar squad sent home?

They were! Carried by strong first and third quarters, the 85/86 Bucks avoided being the third upset of the day and will now advance to the Round of 16 where they take on the winner of our next game. Sidney Moncief (28 points, six rebounds, and four assists) and Terry Cummings (26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists) carried the six seed past a dangerous opponent. Abdul-Jabbar turned in a listless 17 point and seven rebound performance for the now eliminated 74/75 Bucks.

Game 34

The final game of the Round of 32 showcases the 2016/17 Bucks and the 1983/84 Bucks. the 16/17 unit secured a 42-point victory in the Play-in Round and were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 24 points. How did they respond against the Eastern Conference runners-up?

Not great! The 83/84 Bucks relied on strong first and fourth quarters to bookend the game and tip the scaled in their favor. Sidney Moncrief (29 points), Marques Johnson (22 points), and Bob Lanier (20 points) out-paced the over-matched 16/17 squad. Antetokounmpo posted a 17 points, nine rebound, and seven assist stat line, but it was not enough as no other Buck was able to score over 13 points. The 83/84 team will take on the 85/86 Bucks where the winner of that game will surely be looking forward to an easy Quarterfinal match-up.

So now that the Round of 16 is set, let’s take a look at the updated bracket:

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Looking Ahead to Day 11

Just 16 teams are left in the hunt to claim the title of greatest Bucks team of all-time. The first four games here in the Round of 16 feature a team from all five decades of Bucks basketball as well as the highest and lowest seeded teams remaining.

Here are the eight teams vying for a spot in the Quarterfinals:

Game 35

The 2009/10 Bucks needed a strong fourth quarter from Brandon Jennings to knock-off the 1988/89 Bucks, 106-97. Jennings ignited for 26 points that proved crucial in advancing this Bucks team.

The tournament’s top seed needed a dominant third quarter to give themselves enough of a cushion in a 109-104 victory over the 2001/02 Bucks. The 1970/71 Bucks were led by none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 21 point, 12 rebound, and five block stat line.

Will the champs fear the deer?

Game 36

Pulling off one of the biggest upset in the tournament, the 2015/16 Bucks shocked the ninth seeded 1979/80 Bucks, 131-129 in overtime. Jabari Parker and Greg Monroe are the reason this team pulled off back-to-back upsets in the tournament, as the duo each posted a double-double in the Round of 32, with Moose notching one in the Play-in Round.

The 1981/82 Bucks cruised past the 40th seeded 1996/97 Bucks, 125-90 in the Round of 32. Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson combined for 40 points and had five other teammates score in double figures to get the win.

Can this tournament’s lowest seeded squad keep the magic going?

Game 37

After a slow first quarter, the 2017/18 Bucks rallied back and cruised in the second to earn their 116-99 victory over the 13th seed 1982/83 Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined for 56 points as their hot shooting proved to be too much to overcome.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped 44 points and corralled 20 rebounds in the 107-99 Round of 32 victory for the 1972/73 Bucks. They never trailed as they took the 2003/04 Bucks to task from the opening tip, to the final whistle.

Will the fourth overall seed finally extinguish the Greek Freak’s upset streak?

Game 38

Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson had top-notch performances in their 121-102 wire-to-wire upset over the 1986/87 Bucks. Allen shot 3/5 from three-point en route to a 31-point game, while Robinson tallied 26 points of his own.

Our tournament’s fifth seed scored just 16 points in the fourth quarter of their Round of 32 game, but it was enough as they got past the 2010/11 Bucks, 92-83. Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge combined for 32 points on 44-percent shooting from the field to make up for a quiet, yet still effective, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar performance.

Will Abdul-Jabbar shake off the rough tournament start and lead his team to the Quarterfinals?