Conference play, fresh start

[willie99]

The Auburn game set me back big time, my optimism has waned and my concerns have been elevated. That was just an unacceptable performance.

A win Saturday changes all that, a close game and I'm still not convinced anything except Gilbert returning rights the ship, anther pathetic performance and I might be dumping my lower level season tickets and taking a step back

I can find better things to do than watch them quit

 

[FfldCntyFan]

While this team does not have the talent we've come to expect over the past couple of decades, I don't see talent as the issue in competing in this conference this season. What disturbs me most is that twice, following spirited efforts as an undermanned team facing very talented opponents (Mich St, Zona), we mailed it in against teams we should have been able to hang with (Arkansas, Auburn). It is similar to the joke that was run on countless sitcoms for decades about the lazy brother in law who after a full day's work needed a vacation day.

This is something I never thought would be tolerated here.

 

[djct1999]

Sadly, a fresh start is not the solution. This team, this staff, this program is out of fresh starts. Seriously, does anyone give them a realistic shot vs Wichita State? I am at the point I would consider a valiant effort losing by less than 15.

 

[Paesano]

How many 5 star players does Wichita have? What you will see in the next game is what good coaching can do, even in a crappy conference. The contrast will be painful to watch.

 

[KodiacKemba]

Good coaching had Wichita about to lose to a Florida golf coast lol.. I don’t by the good coaching great coaching philosophy it’s like this either you have a team with dog in them or you don’t , be more physical be more energetic be more alert , something uconn don’t have except for vital he truly cares ... looking back to Arkansas n Auburn they flat out worked us physically n mentally got all the 50/50 hustle plays got all the second chance points .. Ollie is that fighters coach he drew up great outta timeout plays but his players didn’t execute that’s not on Ollie , we thought by now we would have a shorter rotation by time conference play starts and we don’t , the consistency not there yet .. I wanna see what kwintin can do with more meaningful mins , put the kids in who going to play hard n represent uconn , DO shouldn’t play unless it’s foul trouble dependent which he will play since our bigs average 15 fouls a game .. I wanna see our sets condensed to the foul line for example if vital is coming from the baseline to catch a pass from the top after a good screen curl to the basket which this season he is money from 10 to 12 ft , before we could get away with no scoring bigs because our solid guard play but we simply don’t have it so we need everyone to play together , & I know Polley in the doghouse but let him just get out there he’s a freshman no quick hook lol but guys like vital Adams n Larrier need Ollie to sit me down when they are outta control n turning the damn ball over .. I believe in Ollie , chill, n kill that we’re going to get the proper pieces to prosper in his system

 

[methodology]

Good that the students are on break. The adults will get very quiet against Wichita. The students would boo. Which should not happen. Do not question the team's effort. They just are not a good team.

The students average about 100 in attendance at Hartford. They never show up there it's pathetic

 

[champs99and04]

I did read your post. What you said has been said over and over on the boneyard.
The difference is the previous posts are much briefer.

Which part? I've read a lot of them. The posts I've seen tend to either shame people into being supportive or caution that things could be worse. This post basically says hey, I know we're bad and the conference is bad and we have no rivalries and the vibe around the program in general is horrible, but I'm still really looking forward to conference play because for everything that has changed there are still a lot of things that haven't. It's difficult for me to see how anybody could find fault in that sentiment even if they feel differently.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

I was optimistic after Arizona. The effort and compete was there. The defensive scheming on Ayton was, dare I say, masterful. We really held their best player in check and it gave us a chance to win.

The Auburn game was just a kick in the nuts. This season is going to be ugly with the roster as it's currently constituted (no Gilbert or Wilson).

If we get Gilbert back I will be optimistic again that we will be competitive.

 

[superjohn]

This board is nuts. A fresh start? We had people here thinking we would win 2 out of 3 against Zona, Auburn, and The Shockers. People thinking we had turned the season around because we didn't lose by 30 to Zona, now people thinking we can turn around the season by beating The Shockers.

We had zero chance of beating Zona or Auburn and we have zero chance of beating Wichita State. I put us at 15 wins on the season a long time ago, think I may have been too generous with that. We are a terrible basketball team.

 

[champs99and04]

You know what makes me sad? That this team actually is a vital part of some people's lives and, for those people, it is a rare source of joy and a distraction from the challenges they face.

I remember my father telling me in 1987 that Calhoun was a good coach and that this was going to be a good team. That was my freshman year and he was battling cancer. He loved watching those teams play and it was a distraction from what he was going through. He didn't live long enough to even see the dream season.

My wife's grandfather was a big fan of both the men and the women. He was a tough WWII vet that landed on Normandy. He did get to see both teams win championships. And when he was battling cancer, the games and our conversations about those games were a distraction for him. It really brought happiness into his life, if even temporarily.

The women are still a source of happiness for those who are fans and are going through tough times. But the men are not. That's the sad part.

There's no doubt that winning can lift a lot of people's spirits and that it's sad that things aren't as good as they could be. I'm also of the belief that these things do not exist in a vacuum and that everything has its saturation point. Over the last few years this program has been a distraction to me and it has at times even brought joy. Sometimes the most fulfilling moments are the ones that cause you to forget about everything and everybody else. When we beat Tulsa in the AAC semis a couple years ago in a brutally ugly game I didn't care that we could have been playing at MSG, I didn't care that the team was bad, and I definitely didn't care that the product I was seeing was a million miles from the one I grew up with. I just cared that at that moment in time I wanted one thing and I got it, a chance to see my team play another game.

As far as the women's team, different people like different things. I've never really been interested for a variety of reasons the biggest of which being that I was a male growing up in a culture that was largely indifferent to women's sports. Oddly enough, I think people avoid certain products for the same reason that they eventually embrace them - I don't care about the UCWBB team because it's foreign to me, and it's foreign to me because at one point in time I probably decided I was too good for it. Now obviously that's a nonsensical position but it's a nonsense grounded in a well-reasoned reality. I gravitated towards men's sports because that's where the people were. It didn't matter whether they were there for the right reason or the wrong reason it just mattered that they were there. With the men's program in tough times, I've realized that it was never about the wins and losses as much as it was the spectacle. That's what drew me. It's what draws everybody at some point. Those moments you speak of with your father couldn't make my point any better. It was never about the winning. The winning just gave you an excuse to see what it was about.

 

[August_West]

This board is nuts. A fresh start? We had people here thinking we would win 2 out of 3 against Zona, Auburn, and The Shockers. People thinking we had turned the season around because we didn't lose by 30 to Zona, now people thinking we can turn around the season by beating The Shockers.

We had zero chance of beating Zona or Auburn and we have zero chance of beating Wichita State. I put us at 15 wins on the season a long time ago, think I may have been too generous with that. We are a terrible basketball team.

marked this down.

Lets see if you are right.

 

[UCweCONN]

This board is nuts. A fresh start? We had people here thinking we would win 2 out of 3 against Zona, Auburn, and The Shockers. People thinking we had turned the season around because we didn't lose by 30 to Zona, now people thinking we can turn around the season by beating The Shockers.

We had zero chance of beating Zona or Auburn and we have zero chance of beating Wichita State. I put us at 15 wins on the season a long time ago, think I may have been too generous with that. We are a terrible basketball team.

I agree and for the first time since I joined the BY (this version), I've been motivated to change my avatar.

 

[The Funster]

I don't see any reason why we can't go undefeated in this conference.

 

[Paesano]

I don't see any reason why we can't go undefeated in this conference.

Sure! Just not with this team and coach.

 

[Yonick]

Which part? I've read a lot of them. The posts I've seen tend to either shame people into being supportive or caution that things could be worse. This post basically says hey, I know we're bad and the conference is bad and we have no rivalries and the vibe around the program in general is horrible, but I'm still really looking forward to conference play because for everything that has changed there are still a lot of things that haven't. It's difficult for me to see how anybody could find fault in that sentiment even if they feel differently.

 

[Yonick]

Never found fault in your post, just thought it could have been much shorter.

 

[JMick]

I don't see any reason why we can't go undefeated in this conference.

you're going to be awfully disappointed

 

[8893]

This board is nuts. A fresh start? We had people here thinking we would win 2 out of 3 against Zona, Auburn, and The Shockers. People thinking we had turned the season around because we didn't lose by 30 to Zona, now people thinking we can turn around the season by beating The Shockers.

We had zero chance of beating Zona or Auburn and we have zero chance of beating Wichita State. I put us at 15 wins on the season a long time ago, think I may have been too generous with that. We are a terrible basketball team.

marked this down.

Lets see if you are right.

We are beating Wichita State.

Mark it down.

 

[August_West]

We are beating Wichita State.

Mark it down.

I’ll sign this

 

[The Funster]

you're going to be awfully disappointed

Why?

 

[JMick]

Why?

because there is a 0% chance this team goes undefeated in conference play. I will happily delete my account if that happens

 

[The Funster]

because there is a 0% chance this team goes undefeated in conference play. I will happily delete my account if that happens

ok

 

[Giddyup5]

Never found fault in your post, just thought it could have been much shorter.

no one is forcing you to read it

 

[Travelman6]

Uconn had a chance at a fresh start when they had a unique 12 day break to freshen up, improve and work on issues. To lose by 25 in the 2nd game back from such a break is a huge problem in my opinion. To lose by a combined 40 in the first 2 games is alarming. What did they do in the 12 days they had?

 

[Yonick]

no one is forcing you to read it

Giddy up and good buy