With all the talk of UCF and the Big East it seemed like such good timing for the UCF basketball team to rattle off 14 straight wins. Coming off a great football season and a great start in basketball, it seemed like they were out to prove they were ready for the big time.

Then they lost 8 straight C-USA games and are playing Tulane for last place (which they were in until they finally snapped their losing streak on Saturday). This is by far one of the worst meltdowns I can remember. I don't remember too many of these kinds of meltdowns at the college level (probably because the season is so much shorter than the pros). Post some of the worst meltdowns you guys can remember.

I follow baseball more closely so I remember the Padres last season losing 10 straight which allowed my Giants to sneak into the playoffs and win it all. Also the Mets from a couple years back had one of the worst Septembers of all time to blow a huge lead in the NL East.

My number one though, the Dodgers blowing a 13 1/2 game division lead in August and September of '51 leading up to a three game series with the Giants ending with the Shot Heard 'Round the World.

Wow. My teams taking it on the chin in this post. The Dodgers and Giants left town a couple years later, the Mets 2007 still disgusts me, and Tulane... who started the season 9-3 and then lost 11 straight C-USA games (including five by five points or less).

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1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Losing streaks like that are the worst. Losing by a small margin over and over is brutal. You almost wish your team would get blown out or suck so you have an excuse not to watch.

The Mets 2007 meltdown was a karmic result of them playing "who let the dogs out" after they won the 2001 NLCS

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The most difficult ones are when no logical reason is evident for a meltdown.
Meltdowns can happen because of injuries and lack of depth, the schedule suddenly becomes much tougher, fatigue, opponents figure out a team's techniques and strategies, a sudden change in the coaching staff, turn of the weather sometimes, teams fast out of the shoot hit reality, or something more sinister, and perhaps more rare, such as throwing games due to betting, or poor officiating demoralizing.

And then, there are "let downs" and the crumbling of motivation which coaches are to figure out and somehow handle.

Why is the Yankees of 2004 never mentioned for epic meltdowns? They are up 3-0 in the ALCS, have the lead in the 9th inning of Game 4 and have the best post season closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, on the mound. They blow that game. Then they have a two run lead in the eighth to end the series in Game 5. Mariano Rivera comes in with the Yankees still holding on to a one run lead and the game gets tied up and the Red Sox eventually win. The Red Sox went on to win Game 6 leading the whole way and dominated Game 7. The Yankees were the first team to blow a 3-0 series lead.

Most definitely an epic meltdown. Bill Mueller's single to tie the game is one of the all time clutch hits. Off the top of my head I can't think of too many hits that impressive. I really liked him with the Giants and was sad to see him go (and win a batting title a year or two after).

What makes that meltdown even worse was the dominance the Yanks had in the first three games. They nearly put up 20 runs in game three if I remember correctly. It seemed like they'd cruise to the title especially with the Cardinals waiting for them. It was like a car hitting a brick wall at 70 mph...epic