Most Frustrating Seasons

[Hunt for 7]

Wondering how the Yard feels about that question. I was doing some research and came across the year after our first national Championship 1999-00. We were pre season #1 but we finished 25-10, 10-6 , Big East and lost in the second round. El-Amin, Mouring, Freeman, Voshul, Edmond Saunders who was a stud out of Waterbury and the highly over rated Ajou Deng ( wish we got his brother). Maybe it was a stretch to have that high of a pre season ranking but I just remember being frustrated with that team. I was trying to figure out at least for me the most disappointing seasons. I think it is between this year and that year.

 

[UofCT]

2010
2012
2015

 

[USNavyDog]

2009-2010, Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson were seniors and they had a miserable 18-16 record. I still remember that team kicking the tar out of No. 1 ranked Texas at Gampel...and then a game later getting their butts kicked by 15 points to bad Providence team at the Dunk.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

We were unranked coming into this year. We’ve lost some tough road games in the middle of the season. It’s a little bit of an overreaction to count this team out so fast.

 

[BugsyCT]

Most of the AAC years (except 2014 and 2016).

 

[Gburyhusky]

This season doesn't come close to frustrating in my opinion. Big picture ... nationally ranked, ncaa bid, a bunch of sold out arenas, fans are passionate, talented players, we are in the big east, tournament drama to come.

 

[RayRay19]

Not frustrating at all, this team has finally come together and put UConn back on the map. I'm excited!

 

[T-Squared]

2006. Huskies had a stacked roster but got bullied and beaten by George Mason in the Elite Eight game. Could have been ‘chip #5.

 

[Hunt for 7]

We were unranked coming into this year. We’ve lost some tough road games in the middle of the season. It’s a little bit of an overreaction to count this team out so fast.

Good point I was also looking at the teams that finished middle of the pack big east and had similar records where they had between 9 and 12 loses most of the time those teams made it to the second round. I am not giving up on them that’s why it’s frustrating. They were and have been so close so many times just would like one big time road win. I did not think they would win today but Creighton did not play as well as they can. If there was ever a chance it was today.

 

[SportsFan88]

2009-2010, Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson were seniors and they had a miserable 18-16 record. I still remember that team kicking the tar out of No. 1 ranked Texas at Gampel...and then a game later getting their butts kicked by 15 points to bad Providence team at the Dunk.

I still can’t grasp why we couldn’t be a tourney team or on the bubble with a senior sticks, dyson, and kemba having a year in, I remember us starting off pretty well especially sticks

 

[SportsFan88]

05-06, 09-10 off the top of my head, now for the other side of this, I remember us playing Texas in Houston when they had TJ Ford and I was so proud of how we almost pulled off which was basically a road game

 

[FfldCntyFan]

1992-1993

 

[HooperScooper]

2000-2001 season. Caron's freshman year. I remember it being so frustrating because they were up and down all season and every time they needed to win a game to put themselves on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, they lost. Every freaking time. Last game of the regular season was against Seton Hall and if they won that one they were probably in. And they lost in excruciatingly painful fashion. Then they lost to Syracuse in the first game of the BET and they were done. NIT. And then they played like they didn't even want to be in the NIT. It was just a very frustrating season.

 

[UconnFanDC]

The year we got Andre Drummond and did nothing

 

[McLovin]

The fact that no one has mentioned the 2016 is interesting… that team was a full court heave away from not making the tournament. But alas, they did by winning the AAC.

Post season “success” cures all. Let’s see how this season finishes before we call it a disappointment. (FWIW it is frustrating we have lost a ton of winnable games.)

 

[AdamaNation]

2006. Huskies had a stacked roster but got bullied and beaten by George Mason in the Elite Eight game. Could have been ‘chip #5.

How can there be any other than this?

 

[Scoe]

How can there be any other than this?

That entire year was turmoil despite winning. We got so much hatred with the whole laptop situation the media even our local media was coming after us.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The 2005-2006 season was just disheartening as throughout the season it appeared all too often that they were winning a lot of games in spite of themselves and there wasn't a whole lot of interest in putting more than a nominal effort into winning. The players that seemed to care the most were the players who played the least. I don't think anyone can find a team that ended up with a record that stellar that cared so little about winning. They won a lot of games solely because their talent was so superior (and from what I saw, evidently believed that would be enough to win a title).

 

[Tenspro2002]

2012.

Immense talent, but horrible roster fit and chemistry. JC trying to shoehorn Drummond, Oriakhi, and Roscoe Smith into a lineup style that was 20 years out of date.

Drummond obviously having gotten zero coaching in high school and not being a winning player.

Bazz/Boat/Lamb conflict over being the alpha.

DeAndre Daniels showing flashes, but being wildly disappointing as a top 10 recruit.

Complete no-show in the NCAA Tournament from the opening tip.

Really sad and unfitting for JC to go out on the worst coaching performance of his career.

 

[ElGreco]

2006. Huskies had a stacked roster but got bullied and beaten by George Mason in the Elite Eight game. Could have been ‘chip #5.

Agree. This along with the year we blew it vs Florida with Donyell.

 

[Old school]

2006 no question. All that talent and losing to George Mason.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Since I started the thread and have considered the initial question, I am happy it helped take our mind of some of the recent developments, but one for certain, the question cannot be answered until the year is over. If something clicks and we make a run in the BE tourney and then get to the second weekend then everything we have endured to date will be forgotten.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Wondering how the Yard feels about that question. I was doing some research and came across the year after our first national Championship 1999-00. We were pre season #1 but we finished 25-10, 10-6 , Big East and lost in the second round. El-Amin, Mouring, Freeman, Voshul, Edmond Saunders who was a stud out of Waterbury and the highly over rated Ajou Deng ( wish we got his brother). Maybe it was a stretch to have that high of a pre season ranking but I just remember being frustrated with that team. I was trying to figure out at least for me the most disappointing seasons. I think it is between this year and that year.

All of the usual suspects have been identified by others, so I'm going to change the terms. The OP provides the perfect springboard.

My theme is 5 that ended in sadness and disappointment due to a key late-season injury.

In 1996, Ricky Moore dislocated his shoulder in the 1st Round game against #16-seed Colgate. 32-2, #1-seed UConn lost to #5-seed Mississippi State in the Sweet 16 game.

In 2000, Khalid El-Amin's game 1 high ankle sprain resulted in "the limp" 13 minutes into game 2that sealed #5-seed UConn's fate against #4-seed Tennessee. No Sweet 16 after the National Championship season. This was the team that @Huskie62 used to open the thread

In 2008, AJ Price tore his ACL 9 minutes into the first round game that #4-seed UConn lost to #13-seed San Diego..

In 2009, Jerome Dyson's torn meniscus when eventual #1-seed UConn was 23-1, was prelude to UConn's only loss in Final Four competition, being defeated in Detroit by #2-seed Michigan State in the Semi-Finals.

In 2021, RJ Cole fell hard to the floor and banged his head in the Big East Semi-Finals, as eventual #7-seed UConn lost to Creighton. Even though RJ returned for the NCAA game against #10-seed Maryland, he was not fully effective, and UConn suffered another First-round loss to a lower seed.

 

[Rico444]

2010 was rough. Coming off of the Final Four the previous year, and the core of Stanley, Kemba, and Dyson and expectations were high, even if we knew they weren't as good as the previous year. I still can't believe how bad they were at the end of the year. I distinctly remember seeing Calhoun just sitting in the sidelines not moving during one particularly bad game. I'd seen us lose before, but I'd never seen him look like he didn't know what to do with a team like that game. Part of it was the spinal stenosis, I'm sure, which caused him to have to miss a few games that year, but still it was incredible how poorly that level of talent played.

EDIT: I'm mixing up my seasons, the spinal stenosis leave of absence was in 2012. He missed a few games in 2010 for undisclosed health issues.

 

[bluestreak]

2006. Huskies had a stacked roster but got bullied and beaten by George Mason in the Elite Eight game. Could have been ‘chip #5.

I don't think I slept well for a week after that GM loss. I was so mad at Rudy Gay I've never forgiven him. He had the talent to win that game 1 on 5. (some sarcasm)
But he just played like he was bored with college. Drank myself silly after that game.