Battle Tested.

[UConnSwag11]

Nice list, @aburks41

 

[Khal Drogo]

Nice list, @aburks41

Only 3 ACC teams with Duke bring the only top ten. What a disaster.

 

[Kitaman]

As usual only our conference foes concern me. As for the others I can see all victories.

 

[mauconnfan]

How can #1a be left out?

Delete and replace, the Friars deserve their spot!

 

[Salty Dog]

How could they not mention Jordan Hawkins in this write up lol. Just awful reporting.

 

[superjohn]

View attachment 90681

How could they not mention Jordan Hawkins in this write up lol. Just awful reporting.

There's like 4 people working at ESPN these days, give them a break.

 

[Leebo]

View attachment 90681

How could they not mention Jordan Hawkins in this write up lol. Just awful reporting.

It would have been very strange to have UConn preseason #1 after the tourney and then knock them down because of Hawkins leaving. That itself would have shown they had no clue what was going on.

 

[wingsfan055]

I can see 3 losses from that list of Top 25 in our schedule. Tough competition.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I think it helped us last year that no one really knew how good we were or how to game plan aganst us and we just steam rolled through the tourney. We arent sneaking up on anyone this year so this is a great test for the kids.

 

[6xChamps]

View attachment 90681

How could they not mention Jordan Hawkins in this write up lol. Just awful reporting.

Jordan Hawkins announced he was going to the draft right after we won the championship/it was known he was leaving. So when espn released rankings in which UConn was number 1 Hawkins’s departure was already accounted for. But the ranking was also under the assumption that Sanogo and Andre were coming back. Between espns first ranking and this iteration, both Sanogo and Andre declared for the draft. The ranking then dropped after the departures of Sanogo and Andre as mentioned in the write up.

Hawkins isn’t mentioned because he had no impact on the changing ranking from ESPN because he was already going to the draft in version one of the rankings.

 

[aburks41]

I think it helped us last year that no one really knew how good we were or how to game plan aganst us and we just steam rolled through the tourney. We arent sneaking up on anyone this year so this is a great test for the kids.

I think no one knew how to game plan against us because we had the best shooter in college, the best center in college, and the 2nd best center in college. The games we lost in the BE were because our defense disappeared and opposing coaches figured out how to use Andre's lack of shooting against us. Once our coaches solved those mystery, we were unbeatable except for a rare off night from 3.

Our only 2 losses after January 25th came at Creighton (7/27 from 3, lost by 3 points and a Jordan Hawkins big toe) and Marquette in the BET (7/25 from 3, lost by 2).

 

[UConnSwag11]

How can #1a be left out?

Delete and replace, the Friars deserve their spot!

And Cinci!

 

[temery]

And Cinci!

I sure hope these comments don't comeback and bite you both in the ass.

 

[temery]

I think no one knew how to game plan against us because we had the best shooter in college, the best center in college, and the 2nd best center in college. The games we lost in the BE were because our defense disappeared and opposing coaches figured out how to use Andre's lack of shooting against us. Once our coaches solved those mystery, we were unbeatable except for a rare off night from 3.

Our only 2 losses after January 25th came at Creighton (7/27 from 3, lost by 3 points and a Jordan Hawkins big toe) and Marquette in the BET (7/25 from 3, lost by 2).

I wonder how common it is for a team to win the national championship after losing their conference tournament?

 

[aburks41]

I wonder how common it is for a team to win the national championship after losing their conference tournament?

2023 UConn
2021 Baylor
2019 Virginia
2017 UNC
2016 Villanova
2015 Duke
2014 UConn
2012 Kentucky (this one is shocking...Vanderbilt (!!) won the tournament)

So basically the only teams over the past 10+ years to win both are 2022 Kansas, 2018 Nova, 2013 Louisville, and 2011 UConn

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Kinda crazy that St John’s is ranked in this

 

[Tenspro2002]

I think no one knew how to game plan against us because we had the best shooter in college, the best center in college, and the 2nd best center in college. The games we lost in the BE were because our defense disappeared and opposing coaches figured out how to use Andre's lack of shooting against us. Once our coaches solved those mystery, we were unbeatable except for a rare off night from 3.

Our only 2 losses after January 25th came at Creighton (7/27 from 3, lost by 3 points and a Jordan Hawkins big toe) and Marquette in the BET (7/25 from 3, lost by 2).

Marquette shot 11/29 in that game, including some ridiculous ones. That was the difference.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I think no one knew how to game plan against us because we had the best shooter in college, the best center in college, and the 2nd best center in college. The games we lost in the BE were because our defense disappeared and opposing coaches figured out how to use Andre's lack of shooting against us. Once our coaches solved those mystery, we were unbeatable except for a rare off night from 3.

Our only 2 losses after January 25th came at Creighton (7/27 from 3, lost by 3 points and a Jordan Hawkins big toe) and Marquette in the BET (7/25 from 3, lost by 2).

We should’ve gone 3-0 vs Marquette

 

[Salty Dog]

Jordan Hawkins announced he was going to the draft right after we won the championship/it was known he was leaving. So when espn released rankings in which UConn was number 1 Hawkins’s departure was already accounted for. But the ranking was also under the assumption that Sanogo and Andre were coming back. Between espns first ranking and this iteration, both Sanogo and Andre declared for the draft. The ranking then dropped after the departures of Sanogo and Andre as mentioned in the write up.

Hawkins isn’t mentioned because he had no impact on the changing ranking from ESPN because he was already going to the draft in version one of the rankings.

Gotcha - makes sense. Thanks.

 

[aburks41]

We should’ve gone 3-0 vs Marquette

We played like crap in the second half in the game @ Marquette. We should have beat them in the BET though. Every single wide open 3 clanked off the rim, it was just a terrible shooting performance

 

[Tenspro2002]

We played like crap in the second half in the game @ Marquette. We should have beat them in the BET though. Every single wide open 3 clanked off the rim, it was just a terrible shooting performance

It's glossed over now, but Hawkins was working to overcome a reputation for coming up small in big games, shooting 2-11 (1-8 from 3) in the BET loss to Marquette, after going 4-13 (2-7) in the prior loss to Creighton. He had as much of a monkey on his back as Hurley. Then he went 0 for the first half against Iona and it felt like here we go again.

Then, well, you know the rest.

 

[Travelman6]

"bUt uConN haS aN eASy pAtH"

 

[UConnSwag11]

We played like crap in the second half in the game @ Marquette. We should have beat them in the BET though. Every single wide open 3 clanked off the rim, it was just a terrible shooting performance

I don’t want to bring up old arguments, but we were running Marquette out of their building with Clingan and then he barely played. That changed the game. In the BET it was a funky game. Missed threes and sloppy play. We’ve seen to have done well against them

 

[FfldCntyFan]

We played like crap in the second half in the game @ Marquette. We should have beat them in the BET though. Every single wide open 3 clanked off the rim, it was just a terrible shooting performance

I don’t want to bring up old arguments, but we were running Marquette out of their building with Clingan and then he barely played. That changed the game. In the BET it was a funky game. Missed threes and sloppy play. We’ve seen to have done well against them

If we needed the wakeup calls that those (and other) games gave us to be ready for the tournament, it was a small price to pay to win a title.

If we didn't need the wakeup calls, just had some WTF moments during a season where we could have done better prior to the tournament and would have won it all anyway, well, the reward was well worth the few unnecessary bumps in the road.