A Notre Dame Homer Looks at Sunday

[RockyMTblue2]

O’Boyle: Forget UConn, it’s time to believe in the Irish // The Observer

"Last year’s team was picked by many (including the preseason AP Poll) to dethrone Connecticut because they were loaded with talent, both in the starting five and on the bench.

With this team? Not for any reasons that stack up nearly as well, but because this is just one of the most exciting teams Muffet McGraw has had in her now more than 30 years here."

Pretty thin on analysis but plenty of rah rah.

 

[UConnCat]

I stopped reading after this . . .

The Huskies are playing at home.

They should be better rested, both because they’ve had one extra day since their last game and because they played unranked Michigan State and Nevada in the past week, while the Irish played the Gamecocks and the Wolverines.

 

[UConnNick]

Hahaha.....asphalt meets steamroller.

The author must have doubled up on his usual bowl of Lucky Charms cereal before writing this fluff piece.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Not too bad for a homer piece. It reads as cautious bravado with nothing hyperbolic.
I have contended that Notre Dame will only go as far in this game as their talented guards Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale take them. As the author pointed out, their combination of slashing and shooting is the real deal. I for one am thankful that we won't have to worry about ND home court officiating.

 

[HGN]

I like O'Boyle's enthusiasm ..............A true ND fan. All fans should be so enthusiastic and positive about their team. O'Boyle is no different. But of course I don't agree with some of his
rationale , but he has a right to his opinion. He was right about a few points. ND will probably not win on Sunday , and they will be 6-1 after this trip. But I disagree with his reasons why.
Being short handed and playing in Connecticut will not be the reason for the loss.( ND loss last year in South Bend). UConn is just a better team injury-free or not. UConn has beaten ND
when they had Turner and when they did not. UConn beat ND with 2 walk-ons of its own a couple of years ago. Now ND has 2 walk-ons.

The matter will be settled on the court on Sunday.

But he did give UConn a few props in the article.............Those props I whole-heartedly agreed with.

The Irish is still a good team and they have an exceptional coach..........Unfortunate for them so does UConn.

 

[bags27]

I dunno. The guy must have been reading all the Boneyarder trolls, because he writes in response:

This Connecticut team, despite an injury to arguably their best player in junior forward Katie Lou Samuelson, looks better than last year’s iteration and could challenge the 2015-16 team for the best team the Huskies have ever had.

What he's really arguing is that playing UConn will be (as it is for nearly everyone all the time) a learning experience. He's hoping that they feel good enough about themselves on Sunday that, with improvements throughout the season, they might pull the upset in March. Seems like a reasonable aspiration.

 

[huskyd]

The original version of the homer article:

The author suggests divesting oneself of "rationality." Mission accomplished.

 

[HGN]

I dunno. The guy must have been reading all the Boneyarder trolls, because he writes in response:

This Connecticut team, despite an injury to arguably their best player in junior forward Katie Lou Samuelson, looks better than last year’s iteration and could challenge the 2015-16 team for the best team the Huskies have ever had.

What he's really arguing is that playing UConn will be (as it is for nearly everyone all the time) a learning experience. He's hoping that they feel good enough about themselves on Sunday that, with improvements throughout the season, they might pull the upset in March. Seems like a reasonable aspiration.

Bags , are you trying to say he is saying to ND its ok to lose this one?

 

[rvwsleep]

"Reason is the enemy of faith"

 

[iamcbs]

ND fans and media live in an alternate reality in which they believe their school to be relevant in every sport. Alas they are not, Knute Rockne and Ara Parseghian are dead. Digger Phelps was a carnival barker who coached a team to one magical night against John Wooden and in 2001 Ann McGraw caught lightening in a bottle. I believe wholeheartedly in homerism, which is why I lurk on this Board, but at some point it has to be tempered with practicality....

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Not too bad for a homer piece. It reads as cautious bravado with nothing hyperbolic.
I have contended that Notre Dame will only go as far in this game as their talented guards Jackie Young and Arike Ogunbowale take them. As the author pointed out, their combination of slashing and shooting is the real deal. I for one am thankful that we won't have to worry about ND home court officiating.

Last night Debbie Antonelli was arguing that the ND UConn contest will be decided in those 2 players sweet spot and was doing so because she would really like to see UConn go down. Lordy, I really dislike that addelpated ACC homer.

 

[BroadwayVa]

O’Boyle: Forget UConn, it’s time to believe in the Irish // The Observer

"Last year’s team was picked by many (including the preseason AP Poll) to dethrone Connecticut because they were loaded with talent, both in the starting five and on the bench.

With this team? Not for any reasons that stack up nearly as well, but because this is just one of the most exciting teams Muffet McGraw has had in her now more than 30 years here."

Pretty thin on analysis but plenty of rah rah.

Sure and begora, that boy has a touch of the blarney in his brogue. He appears to have learned from the shenatchie's!

O'Boyle:This Connecticut team, despite an injury to arguably their best player in junior forward Katie Lou Samuelson, looks better than last year’s iteration and could challenge the 2015-16 team for the best team the Huskies have ever
Then he tells his reader why ND should beat UC.
Honestly, I enjoyed his piece.

Nice find Rocky..

 

[j66kicker]

What I read was, “We are Notre Dame, so we are great. We will probably lose this weekend because we are injured and tired from being on the road and beating all those ranked teams, and UConn is all rested up and healthy [except for their best player] after only playing Michigan State and Nevada last week. Plus we are playing in Connecticut so we won’t have Touchdown Jesus looking over the refs to make sure all our flops rightfully get called as charges. So keep your chin up and don’t let this unfair loss tarnish our righteous greatness. We are Notre Dame, therefore we will always be the greatest, even after UConn kicks our @ss.”

 

[JordyG]

I dunno. The guy must have been reading all the Boneyarder trolls, because he writes in response:

This Connecticut team, despite an injury to arguably their best player in junior forward Katie Lou Samuelson, looks better than last year’s iteration and could challenge the 2015-16 team for the best team the Huskies have ever had.

What he's really arguing is that playing UConn will be (as it is for nearly everyone all the time) a learning experience. He's hoping that they feel good enough about themselves on Sunday that, with improvements throughout the season, they might pull the upset in March. Seems like a reasonable aspiration.

What he's also saying is when we lose it'll be because it's one of the greatest WCBB teams ever. But really, overall, it's an encouraging article for ND fans and complementary to Geno and co.. How can I hate on this guy? Hopefully one day we UConn fans will be as complementary to ND if their team is ever as vastly superior to UConn.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

ESPN weighs in, saying little.

"Notre Dame is the only program in recent years to have a period of sustained success against UConn, but that's getting distant. The Diggins-led Irish beat the Huskies in seven of eight matchups between 2011 and 2013. The last of those was in both teams' final Big East tournament, with the Irish taking the title game. Then Notre Dame went to take over the ACC, and UConn became the goliath of the American Athletic Conference."

"The Huskies know that the Irish will force them to play well to win, and that's something UConn coach Geno Auriemma wants."

Buckle up: Here comes the biggest day of the season so far

 

[my2cents]

If we have the same second half as Nevada, we lose

 

[Florida Fan]

O’Boyle: Forget UConn, it’s time to believe in the Irish // The Observer

"Last year’s team was picked by many (including the preseason AP Poll) to dethrone Connecticut because they were loaded with talent, both in the starting five and on the bench.

With this team? Not for any reasons that stack up nearly as well, but because this is just one of the most exciting teams Muffet McGraw has had in her now more than 30 years here."

Pretty thin on analysis but plenty of rah rah.

No wilting violets on this team, four unafraid to go to the hole. Geno's well executed defense and no foul trouble should hopefully continue to confuse and confound an improved Irish squad.

 

[Phil]

I don't know whether the team will read this piece (I hope not), but if they do I hope Geno reminds them that they are playing Notre Dame not Daniel O'Boyle. Because we've already beaten O'Boyle, but that doesn't count for much because were not playing him.

It was a fun place to read but I rarely read an article by a homer with so many explanations why their team is about to lose. And keep in mind I read a local Nevada article.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

...Hopefully one day we UConn fans will be as complementary to ND if their team is ever as vastly superior to UConn.

Phew! For a moment there I thought you were suggesting that someday I might be required to do something exceedingly unpleasant. Then that lovely, utterly impossible-to-fulfill "if" condition materialized and, trala tralay, I understood no compliment need pass my lips.

 

[arty155]

... I believe wholeheartedly in homerism, which is why I lurk on this Board,...

...I really read an article by Homer with so many explanations why their team is about to lose...

 

[MilfordHusky]

I stopped reading after this . . .

The Huskies are playing at home.

They should be better rested, both because they’ve had one extra day since their last game and because they played unranked Michigan State and Nevada in the past week, while the Irish played the Gamecocks and the Wolverines.

The S.C. game was in South Bend. The Michigan game was 180 miles away. That's either a day trip or a 1-nighter.

Eugene is 3,000 miles from Storrs. Los Angeles and Reno are nearly as far. I think the team was gone for 10 nights.

The author apparently doesn't know much about geography, travel, or math.

 

[MilfordHusky]

If we have the same second half as Nevada, we lose

Unless the team bus goes from Storrs to Hartford via Winnipeg, I don't think we'll see the same second half.

 

[bags27]

View attachment 26619

wouldn't go there. Trojans end up killing Achilles.

 

[BroadwayVa]

wouldn't go there. Trojans end up killing Achilles.

So those "things" killed a heel?

 

[HopJim]

ND fans and media live in an alternate reality in which they believe their school to be relevant in every sport. Alas they are not, Knute Rockne and Ara Parseghian are dead. Digger Phelps was a carnival barker who coached a team to one magical night against John Wooden and in 2001 Ann McGraw caught lightening in a bottle. I believe wholeheartedly in homerism, which is why I lurk on this Board, but at some point it has to be tempered with practicality....

Maybe it was just the timing of the ND blogs I have read but they seemed like the Red Sox fan's comments of many years ago-fatalistic-expecting the worst especially in playoffs. A lot of criticism regarding coaching and inability to get the VERY top players like UConn does every year.