Baylor Closing in On UConn According to Massey Predictions

[BroadwayVa]

Wasn't that the game when D went something like 0-12 in the 2nd half, coming off sobbing?

That was the game and i was screaming to all who could hear---Get Diana out of town--the hype that was piled on her with such expectation --not just by Uconn fans but the press--were unreal. She was touted as the third coming. I felt so bad for her prior to that game. And she met my expectation--she was a KID!! Also Muffet took advantage of Riley's sitting for much of the first half --I won't say Muffet outcoached Geno that game--but I won't say she didn't exploit every advantage.
DT a kid with an oversized ego--who would think the heaping of expectation on her would result in 14 missed shots --mostly 3's. Not my favorite game. But many of the other ND games (wins or losses) were great entertainment..

 

[Gus Mahler]

I don't think anyone should be surprised by this.

Well, yes, sort of. I am surprised at how good it makes UConn look! (for now)

 

[Wally East]

but for the life of me, I can't think of a single time when UConn beat a team in the regular season only to lose to them in the NCAA tourney.

Here's four examples:

1996 - Tennessee -- Jan 6, at Tenn, UConn 59-53. March 29, Tenn 88-83
1997 - Tennessee -- Jan 5, UConn 72-57. March 24, Tenn 91-81
2007 - LSU -- Feb 11, at LSU, 72-71. March 26, LSU 73-50.
2008 - Stanford -- Nov 22, UConn 66-54. April 6, Stanford 82-73.

One thing to notice is that in all four cases, UConn's opponent scored more in the second game than they had in the first game and in three of four cases, a LOT more.

One thing to note about 2001, is that Notre Dame defeated UConn in the first match-up in the regular season (it was the MLK Day game).

 

[Blue Huskie]

I don't know how they can make these projections. You just have to wait until the rematch takes place. We are so stat & prediction oriented in the world of sports it's insane.

 

[chuck.r]

That was the game and i was screaming to all who could hear---Get Diana out of town--the hype that was piled on her with such expectation --not just by Uconn fans but the press--were unreal. She was touted as the third coming. I felt so bad for her prior to that game. And she met my expectation--she was a KID!! Also Muffet took advantage of Riley's sitting for much of the first half --I won't say Muffet outcoached Geno that game--but I won't say she didn't exploit every advantage.
DT a kid with an oversized ego--who would think the heaping of expectation on her would result in 14 missed shots --mostly 3's. Not my favorite game. But many of the other ND games (wins or losses) were great entertainment..

Part of the reason the press (and fans) were so hyped about DT in that FF was that she had been the East Regional MOP the previous week, scoring 40+ pts cumulatively for the Sweet 16 & Elite 8 games. People naturally expected more of the same in the FF.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Part of the reason the press (and fans) were so hyped about DT in that FF was that she had been the East Regional MOP the previous week, scoring 40+ pts cumulatively for the Sweet 16 & Elite 8 games. People naturally expected more of the same in the FF.

I wasn't blaming FAN--i thought Geno and associates should have sequestered her away from they OVER hyping. At the time I had strong feelings it would effect her --and it did, obviously--her performance showed something got to her.
But thanks for the Regional update, 16 years ago. it is not a coaches job to make fans get hyped --it's to work with and give guidance to his/her players

Being Happy doesn’t mean every thing is perfect.


it means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections

 

[easttexastrash]

I can tell you this. I have watched every Baylor game this season and even in the early wins over top 15 opponents I was having my doubts that this team was ready to compete for a NC. Their play against UCONN was sorely disappointing as they grossly under performed. I no longer have those doubts.

I truly think this is the best team that Mulkey has ever put on the floor, including the 40-0 team. Of course, that team had Griner, who masked a lot of deficiencies. But this team has a strong player at each position and brings in some pretty good talent off the bench. And those bench players are going up against what I think is the best team in the nation in practice every day, only getting better. Cox and Chou are now much more ready to contribute, not just provide a little breather for the starters. And Nina Davis is Nina Davis again. Jones and Wallace are doing a tremendous job of finding their place as the primary point guards. Early in the season they were still learning how to run the team. And Alexis Prince is playing at a level we have never seen from her before.

Beware of the Bear!

 

[Phil]

I've been paying attention to Baylor and I agree they have vastly improved from the team we met earlier this year.

But guess what (do I have to really fill in the blank?)

 

[Bretski]

I can tell you this. I have watched every Baylor game this season and even in the early wins over top 15 opponents I was having my doubts that this team was ready to compete for a NC. Their play against UCONN was sorely disappointing as they grossly under performed. I no longer have those doubts.

I truly think this is the best team that Mulkey has ever put on the floor, including the 40-0 team. Of course, that team had Griner, who masked a lot of deficiencies. But this team has a strong player at each position and brings in some pretty good talent off the bench. And those bench players are going up against what I think is the best team in the nation in practice every day, only getting better. Cox and Chou are now much more ready to contribute, not just provide a little breather for the starters. And Nina Davis is Nina Davis again. Jones and Wallace are doing a tremendous job of finding their place as the primary point guards. Early in the season they were still learning how to run the team. And Alexis Prince is playing at a level we have never seen from her before.

Beware of the Bear!

are you worried about the Texas games this year? or after seeing the early results not so much?

 

[easttexastrash]

are you worried about the Texas games this year? or after seeing the early results not so much?

At this point Texas does not worry me. Lang is a capable post player but is not one who is going to overwhelm you. Holmes is highly gifted athletically and can do some spectacular things for a player of her height, but she is still a bit wild at times. I don't see the same discipline that I see in Baylor and I thought Texas would be better than they are. I was actually hoping that they would be ready to give Baylor a challenge so that we would be more tested before the NCAA tourney.

 

[Alydar]

2001 ND BE tourney---loss in Final 4 (but that was because the kids were mad at Geno for the half time chewing--BS)
I believe you learn nothing much by losing---that you can't learn by watching game tapes.
If you play Geno once in the season--win or lose--he'll have something new for you in the Tourney.

Add:
2008 when Stanford beat UConn in the FF semis after losing big to UConn in a Caribbean tournament during the regular season.
2011 & 2012 when UConn lost to Notre Dame in the FF semis after beating them in the regular season.

 

[Alydar]

I am a big fan of the Massey ratings. But like all algorithmic systems, they use past performance to predict future performance and make no allowances for things like injuries or returning players and more importantly, how a team performs under the pressure of something like the FF.

Playing in the FF is a psychological hurdle. I don't care how good a team looks against an over-matched opponent. The FF is all about execution under intense pressure. And that includes the coaching staff. Having been there before and having success there is a huge edge.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I am a big fan of the Massey ratings. But like all algorithmic systems, they use past performance to predict future performance and make no allowances for things like injuries or returning players and more importantly, how a team performs under the pressure of something like the FF.

Playing in the FF is a psychological hurdle. I don't care how good a team looks against an over-matched opponent. The FF is all about execution under intense pressure. And that includes the coaching staff. Having been there before and having success there is a huge edge.

I'm sure if he was acquainted with LISP---his system would be better--when defining what it is you want to
see relative to the programming--how many parameters do you include and what is the value added.
After just so many parameters --the viewers tend to be confused.
Psychological parameters are among the hardest to evaluate--much of it is subjective and varies from psychological expert.
to expert.
I usually say: What you get for free---is usually worth the fee paid. Enjoy it.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I can tell you this. I have watched every Baylor game this season and even in the early wins over top 15 opponents I was having my doubts that this team was ready to compete for a NC. Their play against UCONN was sorely disappointing as they grossly under performed. I no longer have those doubts.

I truly think this is the best team that Mulkey has ever put on the floor, including the 40-0 team. Of course, that team had Griner, who masked a lot of deficiencies. But this team has a strong player at each position and brings in some pretty good talent off the bench. And those bench players are going up against what I think is the best team in the nation in practice every day, only getting better. Cox and Chou are now much more ready to contribute, not just provide a little breather for the starters. And Nina Davis is Nina Davis again. Jones and Wallace are doing a tremendous job of finding their place as the primary point guards. Early in the season they were still learning how to run the team. And Alexis Prince is playing at a level we have never seen from her before.

Beware of the Bear!

I wish you'd be nice---I'm frightened from reading the above--this is a uconn site --you are not supposed to
tell us how good other teams are!!

Being Happy doesn’t mean every thing is perfect.

it means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections

 

[DefenseBB]

Don't know if its the level of competition or if Baylor has actually improved, but they are playing good/great Basketball. They are dominating teams and their inside post play is playing like I thought they would against UConn. Baylor is a team I wouldn't mind seeing lose before the F4 if UConn gets there this year.

As I have said on other threads, they have improved by playing combo games against great and crappy teams, allowing their talent to gel.