And so it begins: USA Today says the St. Francis blowout is bad for the sport

[cohenzone]

Good point! So, as basketball fans, let's embrace the incredible experience it is for those players to play in the NCAA tournament. They get to travel to a larger arena, stay in a nicer hotel, eat a better steak dinner, and play an elite team, all things they will never forget for the rest of their lives. It's not about UConn.
(That being said- St. Francis' coach should have embraced those things and not had his girls look like fools out there. There is such a thing as a moral victory.)

I think that if a conference is considered D1, and the rules say the champ or their conference tourney champ automatically qualifies, then on paper they belong. Whether or not D1 is too broadly defined is a whole other thing.

The trouble yesterday was that the SF coach made a decision bound to make his kids look worse. They apparently have one player who is their best scorer and I don’t think thry tried to run anything to set her up (wouldn’t have worked, but still). It was sort of like going to a movie and getting an unexpected Roadrunner cartoon where Wylie Coyote keeps running into the mountainside that a moment before had magically had a tunnel for Roadrunner that was now gone. Wylie still keeps slamming into the mountain. The cartoon might be kind of funny but it’s still a cartoon. UConn scored 55 points in 10 minutes. And then 39 in the next 10. Because those SF kids kept slamming into the mountain.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

USA Today Panders to their audience. It's a sound business model for them. Sells papers. Little Old Connecticut vs. 49 states, PR, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, Europe, China, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, ..... It's why their All American Teams suck and its why they shill this line.

 

[UConnNick]

UConn has won 6 of the last 10 titles. Alabama has won 5 of the last 10 titles. Not a huge difference yet almost no one has ever claimed Alabama and Nick Saban are bad for football. Why?

Because it is possible to beat them. They routinely lose at least one regular season game. UCONN had a 111-game win streak, won four of the past five NCs, and beats teams by ridiculous margins. Whether that's good or bad for the sport is open for debate, depending on your perspective.

The problem is there's not enough talent to go around in WCBB like there is in other sports. What little there is gets concentrated among the top five teams and all the rest have no chance. Blaming that all on UCONN is simplistic. There are lots of reasons for that which have nothing to do with UCONN. Our stature just makes us a convenient scapegoat if you're looking to assess blame for the lack of parity. It also makes for good copy and clicks because controversy sells.

 

[lne001]

If the same number of 7 year old girls played basketball as 7 year old boys and the quality of youth coach was identical, we wouldn't have such a large differential.

One of the things I have wondered is how often a week do young girls play pick up games like young boys do. I pass outdoor courts and there are often guys playing, have never seen girls.

If the only basketball you play is on official teams with coaches then you are not nearly putting in enough effort. I know there are girls who do this as religiously as guys, I just don't think there are enough.

 

[UConnNick]

Every single NEC team is not tourney ready. Go look at who is in that conference. I mean any team from that conference would get destroyed by a top 25 team. It's really a question of why does every conference deserve an auto bid ?

Careful, you're making the argument for splitting the NCAA into two top divisions, call them A and double A if you want. Right now UCONN is on the wrong side of that divide. The P5 conferences may very well opt to do this at some point. If we remain in the AAC when it happens, we're going to be playing a lesser level of competition. No more ND, Louisville, Baylor, SC and Miss. St. We'll be playing the Saint Francises of WCBB.

 

[Centerstream]

Careful, you're making the argument for splitting the NCAA into two top divisions, call them A and double A if you want. Right now UCONN is on the wrong side of that divide. The P5 conferences may very well opt to do this at some point. If we remain in the AAC when it happens, we're going to be playing a lesser level of competition. No more ND, Louisville, Baylor, SC and Miss. St. We'll be playing the Saint Francises of WCBB.

What you are referring to exists in football, FCS and FBS, yet teams from each division compete against each other.

 

[PhanTom]

USA Today is bad for those still buying newspapers! I can answer this OP with 4 letters, some I refrain from using, but I will post these: UMBC! Most teams playing UCONN come in with a strategy they feel if it works to perfection, and a little bad luck for the Huskies, they could actually win the game. St. Francis did that, it didn't work! Their players and fans came here willingly, tried their hardest, and give them credit for scoring a bunch of points. They will never forget the experience, and neither will history. I was there, paid my money, have paid my dues to UCONN, and Loved nearly every minute of that game. BTW USA Today, how many folks now talking/writing about that game would be doing that tidat if not for the way it played out!

 

[LouS]

I just completed the article in USA Today and the comments. The article and the comments were written by a bunch of do-gooders who have NO IDEA of sports competition and basketball in particular. They don't know a thing about Geno and Chris and the principles they teach and live by. SFU knew what they were getting into and welcomed the opportunity to play Uconn and be in the national spotlight. As suggested by thesis do-gooders letting up on SFU and letting them score so the score disparity wouldn't have been so large would have been an INSULT to SFU, the game of basketball and sport itself.

 

[UConnNick]

Good point! So, as basketball fans, let's embrace the incredible experience it is for those players to play in the NCAA tournament. They get to travel to a larger arena, stay in a nicer hotel, eat a better steak dinner, and play an elite team, all things they will never forget for the rest of their lives. It's not about UConn.
(That being said- St. Francis' coach should have embraced those things and not had his girls look like fools out there. There is such a thing as a moral victory.)

I understand your point about the competition itself, but don't think it's all glitz and glamour for the lower seeded teams like Saint Francis.

A friend of mine played D-I BB for TX Southern. They played Duke one year in the NCAA's as a 16 seed. Duke stayed in a top notch downtown Tampa hotel as a 1 seed. TX Southern stayed at a Rodeway Inn. Saint Francis may have been staying at Motel 6.

There's a definite pecking order to the seeding process, in many more ways than one.

 

[CL82]

One of the things I have wondered is how often a week do young girls play pick up games like young boys do. I pass outdoor courts and there are often guys playing, have never seen girls.

If the only basketball you play is on official teams with coaches then you are not nearly putting in enough effort. I know there are girls who do this as religiously as guys, I just don't think there are enough.

It definitely happens but it is a different era, with team practice, games, AAU team(s), private trainers and other commitments burning a lot of time. Same is true for the boys as well.

Keep in mind that the guys at the court may not be the same kids on the school teams. My daughter and her friends/teammates would join pick up games from time to time and typically win very comfortably. They follow a pattern. First is the "well I guess you play if you want <chuckle, chuckle>, then comes half-hearted guarding, then embarrassment followed by more committed guarding, disguised as half-hearted play, then all out hard play, and then embarrassed defeat.

 

[MSGRET]

I’m not sure that interpretation is correct. Title IX says that schools accepting govt funds need to spend equally on boys and girls. It’s not a sports law, it’s an equality in education law. There is nothing about tournament games or basketball specifically in Title IX

Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid. The NCAA has been forced by the Federal Government on the sports side because it is considered to be an
activity in which they do receive Federal Aid.

 

[eebmg]

I just completed the article in USA Today and the comments. The article and the comments were written by a bunch of do-gooders who have NO IDEA of sports competition and basketball in particular. They don't know a thing about Geno and Chris and the principles they teach and live by. SFU knew what they were getting into and welcomed the opportunity to play Uconn and be in the national spotlight. As suggested by thesis do-gooders letting up on SFU and letting them score so the score disparity wouldn't have been so large would have been an INSULT to SFU, the game of basketball and sport itself.

I agree that the article is insulting to the game of WCBB and the spirit of competition but I am torn because USA Today in general often goes after and highlights many sports stories that other outlets do not touch including HS athletics and less than popular college sports. So, I prefer to go after the authors but not the medium. JMHO. Keep in mind that opinion pieces do not necessarily go through any deep editorial process and the opinions of a given writer may not be indicative of the periodical in general.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Yes, but Einstein’s work was largely confined to the theoretical side of things. The guy who applied that theory to the most dangerous instrument of destruction ever devised by mankind was J Robert Oppenheimer.

A friend of my dad worked on the Manhattan Project. I should have asked him about his feelings on it.

 

[CL82]

A friend of my dad worked on the Manhattan Project. I should have asked him about his feelings on it.

I know an engineer from it. His thought process is that "it was interesting work."

 

[MD#12Fan]

I think that if a conference is considered D1, and the rules say the champ or their conference tourney champ automatically qualifies, then on paper they belong. Whether or not D1 is too broadly defined is a whole other thing.

The trouble yesterday was that the SF coach made a decision bound to make his kids look worse. They apparently have one player who is their best scorer and I don’t think thry tried to run anything to set her up (wouldn’t have worked, but still). It was sort of like going to a movie and getting an unexpected Roadrunner cartoon where Wylie Coyote keeps running into the mountainside that a moment before had magically had a tunnel for Roadrunner that was now gone. Wylie still keeps slamming into the mountain. The cartoon might be kind of funny but it’s still a cartoon. UConn scored 55 points in 10 minutes. And then 39 in the next 10. Because those SF kids kept slamming into the mountain.

Agree! I'm just saying don't blame UConn for their incompetence. Throw a bunch of filet mignons into a tiger cage and what happens.

 

[MD#12Fan]

I understand your point about the competition itself, but don't think it's all glitz and glamour for the lower seeded teams like Saint Francis.

A friend of mine played D-I BB for TX Southern. They played Duke one year in the NCAA's as a 16 seed. Duke stayed in a top notch downtown Tampa hotel as a 1 seed. TX Southern stayed at a Rodeway Inn. Saint Francis may have been staying at Motel 6.

There's a definite pecking order to the seeding process, in many more ways than one.

I heard those stories this past week on Maddog's show. Didn't your buddy still get a kick out of the experience.
OK, the NCAA should level out the amenities regardless of seed. Agreed.
My main point is for people not to criticize UConn for their excellence. It's the coach's responsibility to not embarrass his kids. I think he failed. Ever heard of plan B. Plan A should have lasted 3 minutes.

 

[oldude]

A friend of my dad worked on the Manhattan Project. I should have asked him about his feelings on it.

As a college undergrad, I attended Columbia University, where much of the early work was done on the Manhattan project in Low Library. The large Low Library dome is one of the dominant architectural features of the campus.

 

[Carnac]

What you and the reporter for the USA Today both miss is that Geno and the Huskies need to accomplish something in these early round games, regardless of the score.

After losing to MS St last year, when the Bulldogs walked the ball up the court the entire game, Geno blamed himself for not doing anything to speed up the tempo. This year, UConn has been utilizing various presses and traps all season.

I suspect that the plan yesterday was to see if the Huskies could maintain their effectiveness if they pressed the entire qtr. As others pointed out, Geno pulled the press after one qtr.

For the entire 2nd half, Geno had the team walk the ball up the court, even when there were opportunities to fast break. This had nothing to do with trying to take it easy on St Francis. UConn needed to work on their half-court offense, which they did.

In the 4th qtr, Geno cleared the bench, but the Huskies continued to walk the ball up the court, working on their half-court offense, doing an exemplary job.

In some ways, this game was played like a preseason game vs a DII team, where Geno has his team working on things that will be important during the big games against ranked programs that start early in November.

The next two weekends UConn will have some huge games against the best teams in WBB. Geno is doing everything he can to insure that the Huskies are ready for that challenge.

Well said OD. It's not hard to understand what Geno's motives are here. In prior media interviews, he has said exactly where the team needed to be. What we see is him going about his business of getting them there. Regardless of the critics, outside agitators or just folks talking to hear themselves, he has a job to do. Remember what he said about being there when your team needs you. He said "When they look over at you from the floor, you better have something for them. You better not be hiding". He has something for them. We saw it's application yesterday.

It's not hard to see what he's trying to do, or what his end game is. He trying to incorporate a game plan that will help his team win the national championship. He has a specific game plan of how he's going to do it. Basketball purists understand, sports journalists looking for low hanging fruit don't. Instead of complaining how UConn's dominance in WCBB is bad for the sport, why don't flip the script and ask why don't more teams rise to UConn's level of athleticism, physical endurance and execution?

 

[NoelAustin]

So Baylor sucks? ND sucks? Texas sucks? Louisville sucks? Come on man I know it's not your position to call everyone else a crappy team. You really can't judge by these first round games.

All the teams you listed are very good, at least. If anything sucks, it's the NCAA tournament's single-elimination format. Why not select the best 16 teams, and have a double-elimination tournament? Better basketball and fewer blowouts. NCAA baseball does something like that, and I've not heard complaints about it.

 

[cbraarj]

UConn has won 6 of last 9 titles
2009,2010,2013,2014,2015,2016. Lost 2011,2012 and 2017.
Soon 7 of 10 and VERY good for them. It’s how uncompetitive the seasons and championship games are. Have any of the 2009-2016 championship games been less than 15 point margins? Most are 29 or more. In a title game. That sucks

Dont watch than! Its just that simple!

 

[cbraarj]

What you and the reporter for the USA Today both miss is that Geno and the Huskies need to accomplish something in these early round games, regardless of the score.

After losing to MS St last year, when the Bulldogs walked the ball up the court the entire game, Geno blamed himself for not doing anything to speed up the tempo. This year, UConn has been utilizing various presses and traps all season.

I suspect that the plan yesterday was to see if the Huskies could maintain their effectiveness if they pressed the entire qtr. As others pointed out, Geno pulled the press after one qtr.

For the entire 2nd half, Geno had the team walk the ball up the court, even when there were opportunities to fast break. This had nothing to do with trying to take it easy on St Francis. UConn needed to work on their half-court offense, which they did.

In the 4th qtr, Geno cleared the bench, but the Huskies continued to walk the ball up the court, working on their half-court offense, doing an exemplary job.

In some ways, this game was played like a preseason game vs a DII team, where Geno has his team working on things that will be important during the big games against ranked programs that start early in November.

The next two weekends UConn will have some huge games against the best teams in WBB. Geno is doing everything he can to insure that the Huskies are ready for that challenge.

I agree with you after Mississippi State last year. Uconn needs to force the tempo because nobody wants a track meet with them! Uconn controls tempo all 6 games! They will win No.12!

 

[cbraarj]

There is over 300 Division 1 teams. Take the 10-12 best leagues for D1 with between 120-150 schools and that is the 64 team tournament. The rest play in D1-AA and have there own tournament. Will it get rid of the blowouts. No but it might help a little with parity through the division. Also cut the scholarships to 13 instead of 15.

As far as comparing MCBB and WCBB. The mens game is 50 years ahead of the womens game. Womens game still needs time to grow as far as the players are concerned. Most female players have never played pickup while in grade or high school. Most boys are playing between 7-10 and not just an hour or 2.

Remember the Mens Tournament used to be 32 and 48 team tournaments. UCLA was amazing with Coach Wooden! Where was the parity back then? Not in MCBB.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I know an engineer from it. His thought process is that "it was interesting work."

Many of them didn't know exactly what they were working on.

 

[MSGRET]

There is over 300 Division 1 teams. Take the 10-12 best leagues for D1 with between 120-150 schools and that is the 64 team tournament. The rest play in D1-AA and have there own tournament. Will it get rid of the blowouts. No but it might help a little with parity through the division. Also cut the scholarships to 13 instead of 15.

As far as comparing MCBB and WCBB. The mens game is 50 years ahead of the womens game. Womens game still needs time to grow as far as the players are concerned. Most female players have never played pickup while in grade or high school. Most boys are playing between 7-10 and not just an hour or 2.

Remember the Mens Tournament used to be 32 and 48 team tournaments. UCLA was amazing with Coach Wooden! Where was the parity back then? Not in MCBB.

Also remember that ONLY the league champions went to the dance, so it wasn't as open as it is now.

 

[Sluconn Husky]