A few thoughts on Houston.

[HuskiesAllDay]

Now I'm confused All Day. We stink but we are really talented? So you think we are under performing? And your anger? Is that because the team doesn't care/try? I'm really asking, not being a wise guy.

I think we have a great point guard and a couple of average starters (for top level college ball) and have been below average at the 3 and the 5. So I don't see the great talent. We don't have great talent because we lost scholarships, were denied post season play, had a HoF coach resign and KO started with a 3 month contract. So I see a team that has won on hustle & Bazz last year and this.

And, though I get frustrated, I really never doubt that the kids who put thousands of hours into this team, care/try less than a middle-aged, armchair alum like me.

By the way have you never seen a talented team stink? We're you around for 2010 or 2012?? Or any other hundred college teams across the country over the years.

 

[David 76]

Semantics I guess. I would say a talented played lousy, grossly under achieved. Like our team with Rudy Gay, Charlie V, etc, rater than say they stink. Like I said, I really was asking questions.
But I still don't know why you personalize it so much that they sucked.They didn't lose to piss us off. I guarantee it bothers them more than it does you.


I don't think they would lose to Houston again. I also wouldn't bet on UCONN if we played Florida again

 

[freescooter]

You're blaming a loss to a depleted Houston team on fluke plays and a Phil Nolan sickness and I'm the delusional one? Stop with the excuses. It's been going on all season.

And don't forget the small crowd and that it was New Year's Eve(that's my personal favorite)...you left those points out!!!

 

[pj]

The 2011 team had some losses to weak teams and won the national championship. Most teams need wake-up calls several times during the season. This team has character and will respond.

 

[ctchamps]

No I don't think we are very talented unlike most on this board. But we are certainly more tented than Houston missing three starters and some of the other average teams we barely beat this year.

The fact that we lost to a Houston team missing three starters and people on this board try to make excuses and explain that away is shocking

free scooter wants heads to roll. He has never been happy with KO so he's looking for "excuses" to validate his hopes that anything to do with JC is removed from UConn.

You are looking for excuses to validate that this team is not as good as some fans have hyped.

The OP never made excuses. He analyzed the loss. You are confusing analysis with opinion. This team runs a fine line every game with a win or a loss. Most teams do. He listed the plays that were the difference between a victory and a loss. That's not making excuses. That's just summarizing the game from a position that the cup had some fluid in it.

It was a bad loss and no one is saying otherwise. People are just not going to the extent you are and saying this team is bad based on this bad loss. It certainly is possible this will turn out to be a bad season, but that isn't definite. So why jump the gun. The OP made the comment that we should be prepared for the worst but hope for the best. It's good advice.

And as far as the term "excuses" goes certainly there are people that overlook negativity, but not every person who defends a player or a team overlooks flaws or bad play. Learn to discern between a reasonable presentation of something versus something that is only intended as spin. The OP has a history of examining the good and the bad. He is not prone to exaggeration of things purely to validate an opinion.

I would recommend you learn not to treat things as absolutes. Life isn't absolute. You are setting parameters that insist on outcomes that reality has shown to be false. Otherwise explain how UCF beat Baylor and Oklahoma beat Alabama in football this week. The Houston upset was nothing compared to those upsets. Treat life as a set of probabilities. UConn was the favorite to win the game, but even oddsmakers know that predictions are fallible.

I have lots of strong opinions. I will defend them, but I love it when someone can show me something that requires that I reconsider my construct. The best thinkers are people who have well developed thoughts but are not close minded.

 

[UConnSwag11]

i think ollie is a good coach and will adjust throughout this season and next... i think he'll realize he's going to need to prioritize getting bigs bc he can get guards... this is all a learning curve for him... my only thing is that shabazz needs to take over like kemba, he's trying to get everyone involved which is great but he cant wait for the second half to take over

 

[freescooter]

Oh fleud, you are so stuck in your ways it is hilarious. While it is true that I did not want Ollie as our head coach and I didn't think it was appropriate that Calhoun left like he did and forced Ollie on us, I have no problem with the Calhoun legacy. It got a little sloppy at the end, but that happens with most long term head coaches. I wanted us to select the best coach out there, because we could have attracted a high end guy, and quite honestly I am not convinced that Kevin Ollie is anywhere close to that. So far over all I'd rate him as fine. Not brilliant, not the next Calhoun by any stretch, but not Mike Rice either. But I felt, and really still feel that in this uncertain time for our athletic programs, we should have gone looking for a proven head coach because if Ollie fails, it won't be like rebounding when we were in the Big East. It will be 50 or 100 times more difficult. And answer me this. Which major program would have hired Kevin Ollie as its head coach had there been an opening? Would Duke? UNC? Kentucky? UCLA? Indiana? Kansas? Michigan State? Louisville? Even the B level "power" programs? Georgetown? Villanova? That is one of the things that frosts me about the current Athletic director. He has no appreciation for where we are as a basketball program. None. though in his defense neither do most fans in a funny way. And he showed it in the Ollie hire.

 

[OkaForPrez]

The fundamental issue with your argument 'All Day' is that great teams (or even good teams) are infallible. Not only is your standard that we shouldn't lose to inferior teams, you are saying that we should be perfect against them. We beat Washington by 12 in our first true road game (after the early struggles) and comfortably handled Eastern Washington, but you continue to cite that as part of your argument that we should collectively hit the panic button. I disagree with that conclusion. Arizona State does too after last night.

Louisville, last year, lost three games in a row in January including a 9 point road loss to Villanova in a game they were favored by 11.5 points on their way to a national title. Villanova was an 11-7 team at the time.

 

[mauconnfan]

Oh fleud, you are so stuck in your ways it is hilarious. While it is true that I did not want Ollie as our head coach and I didn't think it was appropriate that Calhoun left like he did and forced Ollie on us, I have no problem with the Calhoun legacy. It got a little sloppy at the end, but that happens with most long term head coaches. I wanted us to select the best coach out there, because we could have attracted a high end guy, and quite honestly I am not convinced that Kevin Ollie is anywhere close to that. So far over all I'd rate him as fine. Not brilliant, not the next Calhoun by any stretch, but not Mike Rice either. But I felt, and really still feel that in this uncertain time for our athletic programs, we should have gone looking for a proven head coach because if Ollie fails, it won't be like rebounding when we were in the Big East. It will be 50 or 100 times more difficult. And answer me this. Which major program would have hired Kevin Ollie as its head coach had there been an opening? Would Duke? UNC? Kentucky? UCLA? Indiana? Kansas? Michigan State? Louisville? Even the B level "power" programs? Georgetown? Villanova? That is one of the things that frosts me about the current Athletic director. He has no appreciation for where we are as a basketball program. None. though in his defense neither do most fans in a funny way. And he showed it in the Ollie hire.

What a ridiculous question….which program would hire KO? He didn't play for any of them when he became available so why would they take a flier on him, stupid! He's a Husky and the only school to put him on that position would be UConn to "keep it in the family" just as it needs to be. Let me ask you this free, would JC be traveling with the team if Shaka Smart was the coach? Would Donny Marshall, Ray, Rudy, Jake or any others be hanging around if Smart were the coach…he was a flier but he was also family and it needs to stay that way. If he is learning on the fly so be it, he is good and will be better then as time goes on. UConn basketball would not be the same with an outsider at this point….no way no how! It was the right thing to do, he is the guy so get on board or just STFU…..seriously!

 

[freescooter]

Oka4, I'll also wager that Villanova was at worst a top 100 team. Houston was a 233. That's worse than Yale, Eastern Washington and Detroit. That was a very bad basketball team that we lost to. Does it happen from time to time that a really bad team beats a major team? Oh yeah, but it is very rare. Much more rare than a Providence beating UConn as some have tried to portray it. Certainly way worse than Villanova at 11-7 beating Louisville.

 

[freescooter]

So i

What a ridiculous question….which program would hire KO? He didn't play for any of them when he became available so why would they take a flier on him, stupid! He's a Husky and the only school to put him on that position would be UConn to "keep it in the family" just as it needs to be. Let me ask you this free, would JC be traveling with the team if Shaka Smart was the coach? Would Donny Marshall, Ray, Rudy, Jake or any others be hanging around if Smart were the coach…he was a flier but he was also family and it needs to stay that way. If he is learning on the fly so be it, he is good and will be better then as time goes on. UConn basketball would not be the same with an outsider at this point….no way no how! It was the right thing to do, he is the guy so get on board or just STFU…..seriously!

It was more important to "keep it in the family" than to get the best coach available? Got it. As long as we know what is important.

 

[mauconnfan]

So i

It was more important to "keep it in the family" than to get the best coach available? Got it. As long as we know what is important.

He was 20-10 with a left over team…….he's 11-2 with what is now looking to be a team which is not sufficient in many areas……he has Danny Hamilton, Rodney Purvis, Amidah Brimah, Kentan Facey, Prince Ali and so many others eventually who will come in and much interest in the program. He may have not been the "best" available but he's damn good and the best fit. Explain to me with that team they are throwing out there, and one year of sanctions and playing for nothing, explain how 31-12 is awful. Even as negative a bitch as you are you can't find a reason……unless it's all because of Houston. When they were 8-0 we couldn't find your sorry a**…….

 

[ctchamps]

Oh fleud, you are so stuck in your ways it is hilarious. While it is true that I did not want Ollie as our head coach and I didn't think it was appropriate that Calhoun left like he did and forced Ollie on us, I have no problem with the Calhoun legacy. It got a little sloppy at the end, but that happens with most long term head coaches. I wanted us to select the best coach out there, because we could have attracted a high end guy, and quite honestly I am not convinced that Kevin Ollie is anywhere close to that. So far over all I'd rate him as fine. Not brilliant, not the next Calhoun by any stretch, but not Mike Rice either. But I felt, and really still feel that in this uncertain time for our athletic programs, we should have gone looking for a proven head coach because if Ollie fails, it won't be like rebounding when we were in the Big East. It will be 50 or 100 times more difficult. And answer me this. Which major program would have hired Kevin Ollie as its head coach had there been an opening? Would Duke? UNC? Kentucky? UCLA? Indiana? Kansas? Michigan State? Louisville? Even the B level "power" programs? Georgetown? Villanova? That is one of the things that frosts me about the current Athletic director. He has no appreciation for where we are as a basketball program. None. though in his defense neither do most fans in a funny way. And he showed it in the Ollie hire.

I'll give you the benefit of doubt when you claim to be a supporter of JC. You just have the weirdest way of expressing it. I'm not talking about this post. I'm talking about the history of your posts and how overly negative they are regarding the Calhoun era. And I know most of the posters would agree with me.

We have no way of knowing a big named coach would get better results than KO anymore than we can be certain what KO's legacy will be. I was thrilled by his hire. From everything I read about KO and how various NBA coaches utilized him to develop rookies and be a "players coach", from commentary by Hall of Fame coaches Larry Brown and Jim Calhoun about KO's mindset, work ethic and ability to relate to people, and from the testimony of posters who went to KO's basketball camps with their children and were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences, I felt KO was a great net positive for UConn to take a chance with a hire. More so because he is a UConn guy loyal to the program. If you read the Larry Brown interview by Dom Amore, KO could have been an assistant coach at Oklahoma instead of UConn when he stopped playing. He did the opposite of many bb coaches including one you touted for UConn - Brad Stevens. I wanted no part of a future where UConn was a stepping stone for coaches and we were constantly facing getting a new coach every three or four years.

Even if I turn out to be wrong, expressing any negativity towards KO at this stage is premature. He took over the program at the worst possible time. Even with this upcoming recruiting class he was handicapped in his recruitment. I'll evaluate how KO does four years from now when he has the chance to get more of his type of players and demonstrate his approach to coaching. I hope most fans are equally patient.

As an aside, I think Crean will not last long at Indiana. UCLA had a great start under Howland and then things went poorly for five seasons. Let's just hope the football program get's it's act together and the AAC gets a decent contract or UConn gets out of dodge, otherwise neither of our approaches to what should have been done with the bb coaching hire will matter.

 

[David 76]

I don't think Ward hired Ollie. JC did. I wanted a full search too but I am very happy with Ollie's recruiting, motivation (OK, not at Houston but look at last year and the beginning of this one) character, and I think I like him as a game coach.
They had a really bad game. They are still the team that has bounced back from our limbo faster than I thought they could and (usually) wins beyond their talent level
Should something truly tragic happen, say lose 2 games in a row, I may need to avoid the boneyard

I remain in-between those of you who expect this team to go to the final four and those that think it stinks so bad we are doomed for eternity.

 

[David 76]

Oka4, I'll also wager that Villanova was at worst a top 100 team. Houston was a 233. That's worse than Yale, Eastern Washington and Detroit. That was a very bad basketball team that we lost to. Does it happen from time to time that a really bad team beats a major team? Oh yeah, but it is very rare. Much more rare than a Providence beating UConn as some have tried to portray it. Certainly way worse than Villanova at 11-7 beating Louisville.

Yes. And we won't win the NC like Louisville did either.

 

[pj]

It was more important to "keep it in the family" than to get the best coach available? Got it. As long as we know what is important.

(a) Ollie will prove to be the best coach available. Like all coaches, he'll get better with experience, learning from his mistakes. (b) "Keeping it in the family" has value. It's called loyalty and loyalty from the university evokes loyalty from others. If you don't value people who have given to you and go instead for unattached free agents, no one will be loyal back. If you want to have a special program, you have to keep it in the family.

 

[Huskygamble19]

i think ollie is a good coach and will adjust throughout this season and next... i think he'll realize he's going to need to prioritize getting bigs bc he can get guards... this is all a learning curve for him... my only thing is that shabazz needs to take over like kemba, he's trying to get everyone involved which is great but he cant wait for the second half to take over

I think we are actually very lucky that we retained more players after the sanctions put on us by that cherub faced demon (Emmert). He gutted the recruiting trail down to grabbing what we could get that were not afraid of the sanctions hurting the teams prospects for a championship in the near future. We lost a lot of inside presence and thus we are where we are with the bigs that are here. We just have to make do and hope they improve toward the end of the year. that team last year was punished for no good reason except to show how Emmert could wield his baby rattle power. someone stole his binky. Bazz remained and Boat did also. they all could have left, but stuck it out and I commend them for doing so. What we get this year is an 11-2 team so far, which overall, is not too bad considering what hand has been dealt them. They have played some maddening games to be sure, but it is going to tke some time to iron out the wrinkles.

 

[Huskygamble19]

Oh fleud, you are so stuck in your ways it is hilarious. While it is true that I did not want Ollie as our head coach and I didn't think it was appropriate that Calhoun left like he did and forced Ollie on us, I have no problem with the Calhoun legacy. It got a little sloppy at the end, but that happens with most long term head coaches. I wanted us to select the best coach out there, because we could have attracted a high end guy, and quite honestly I am not convinced that Kevin Ollie is anywhere close to that. So far over all I'd rate him as fine. Not brilliant, not the next Calhoun by any stretch, but not Mike Rice either. But I felt, and really still feel that in this uncertain time for our athletic programs, we should have gone looking for a proven head coach because if Ollie fails, it won't be like rebounding when we were in the Big East. It will be 50 or 100 times more difficult. And answer me this. Which major program would have hired Kevin Ollie as its head coach had there been an opening? Would Duke? UNC? Kentucky? UCLA? Indiana? Kansas? Michigan State? Louisville? Even the B level "power" programs? Georgetown? Villanova? That is one of the things that frosts me about the current Athletic director. He has no appreciation for where we are as a basketball program. None. though in his defense neither do most fans in a funny way. And he showed it in the Ollie hire.

Didn't Ollie win some unbelievable games last year where no one gave us a chance? He earned that contract despite what you think. He had the team playing very well all year. This year is a different story, but it is not all his fault.

 

[David 76]

I think the most upsetting thing about last year was the BE not allowing us into our conference tournament. While the rats were plotting the destruction of the best college basketball conference ever, we were too unholy to play in its final tournament? No one their had the right to keep us out.
Oh! The mendacity!

 

[ctchamps]

I think the most upsetting thing about last year was the BE not allowing us into our conference tournament. While the rats were plotting the destruction of the best college basketball conference ever, we were too unholy to play in its final tournament? No one their had the right to keep us out.
Oh! The mendacity!

Totally agree given that the conference was ending. It was poor taste.

 

[Inyatkin]

I think the most upsetting thing about last year was the BE not allowing us into our conference tournament. While the rats were plotting the destruction of the best college basketball conference ever, we were too unholy to play in its final tournament? No one their had the right to keep us out.
Oh! The mendacity!

It was a joke, but I still say the worst part about last year was when the NCAA invented a retroactive punishment to target UConn and basically attempt to destroy the program. That was no fun.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Semantics I guess. I would say a talented played lousy, grossly under achieved. Like our team with Rudy Gay, Charlie V, etc, rater than say they stink. Like I said, I really was asking questions.
But I still don't know why you personalize it so much that they sucked.They didn't lose to piss us off. I guarantee it bothers them more than it does you.


I don't think they would lose to Houston again. I also wouldn't bet on UCONN if we played Florida again

Agree in all points

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

free scooter wants heads to roll. He has never been happy with KO so he's looking for "excuses" to validate his hopes that anything to do with JC is removed from UConn.

You are looking for excuses to validate that this team is not as good as some fans have hyped.

The OP never made excuses. He analyzed the loss. You are confusing analysis with opinion. This team runs a fine line every game with a win or a loss. Most teams do. He listed the plays that were the difference between a victory and a loss. That's not making excuses. That's just summarizing the game from a position that the cup had some fluid in it.

It was a bad loss and no one is saying otherwise. People are just not going to the extent you are and saying this team is bad based on this bad loss. It certainly is possible this will turn out to be a bad season, but that isn't definite. So why jump the gun. The OP made the comment that we should be prepared for the worst but hope for the best. It's good advice.

And as far as the term "excuses" goes certainly there are people that overlook negativity, but not every person who defends a player or a team overlooks flaws or bad play. Learn to discern between a reasonable presentation of something versus something that is only intended as spin. The OP has a history of examining the good and the bad. He is not prone to exaggeration of things purely to validate an opinion.

I would recommend you learn not to treat things as absolutes. Life isn't absolute. You are setting parameters that insist on outcomes that reality has shown to be false. Otherwise explain how UCF beat Baylor and Oklahoma beat Alabama in football this week. The Houston upset was nothing compared to those upsets. Treat life as a set of probabilities. UConn was the favorite to win the game, but even oddsmakers know that predictions are fallible.

I have lots of strong opinions. I will defend them, but I love it when someone can show me something that requires that I reconsider my construct. The best thinkers are people who have well developed thoughts but are not close minded.

Good advice. I clearly get a little too upset sometimes This season isn't lost, but honestly there is no reason we should lose to a team like Houston that's missing three players. And it's more than one bad game. We haven't played very well almost all season and I'm wondering why we haven't improved at all over last year.

Last years team losing to Houston makes some sense. Last year we were inexperienced and mostly underclass men. This year all of our good players are juniors or seniors. Boat and DD should have made the soph to junior jump and be considerably better. They are not. Bazz is a senior now. Kromah is a massive upgrade over evens. Giffey is 10x better than last year. All our young guys like Calhoun and Nolan are a year older.
Yet somehow as a team we are no better, and have actually probably been worse than last year. There's little justification for this, and the frontcourt is not the only reason.