Bottom line

[The Funster]

You think this team can score without Adams/Larrier? Good luck with that.

Well, according to Larrier we should wait for them to warm up to the task, lol.

 

[champs99and04]

Mostly agree, especially about most of the fans being casual fans. But they’re not boycotting; they’re skipping games because they aren’t fun to go to.

Boycotting might be the wrong word, but there is more to it than that. Their conception of "fun" is wholly distorted because they are spoiled. If the UConn football team was 5-2, I'm fairly comfortable saying that "fun" is a word that would be used. They are the opposite of spoiled. There has been a level of futility normalized within the program that causes any departure from abject misery to be interpreted as their salvation.

And when I read threads titled "I'm embarrassed as a UConn alum" or "If you care about UConn basketball," essentially implying that anybody who is not recoiling at the sight of these games is doing a disservice to the program, I don't think it's that much of a stretch to use the word "boycotting."

Besides, the fun of following a team has always been the actual act of following them. Winning helps a lot, but there is a reason fans stick with their teams and it isn't because they're morally obligated; it's a habit that can exist for what it is, entertainment, even in circumstances where the potential is depressed by the product.

 

[Walker11]

Boycotting might be the wrong word, but there is more to it than that. Their conception of "fun" is wholly distorted because they are spoiled. If the UConn football team was 5-2, I'm fairly comfortable saying that "fun" is a word that would be used. They are the opposite of spoiled. There has been a level of futility normalized within the program that causes any departure from abject misery to be interpreted as their salvation.

And when I read threads titled "I'm embarrassed as a UConn alum" or "If you care about UConn basketball," essentially implying that anybody who is not recoiling at the sight of these games is doing a disservice to the program, I don't think it's that much of a stretch to use the word "boycotting."

Besides, the fun of following a team has always been the actual act of following them. Winning helps a lot, but there is a reason fans stick with their teams and it isn't because they're morally obligated; it's a habit that can exist for what it is, entertainment, even in circumstances where the potential is depressed by the product.

I imagine a lot of our fanbase is UCONN MBB/Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox fans. This is almost a preposterously fortunate fan experience.

 

[gtcam]

Enough of the “Best players didn’t well and we still won” excuses, our best players are supposed to play well, and if they can’t play well against a 1-4 Ivy league team, a BAD team, then that is the real problem.

How much would UConn lose to Nova?
That BAD team lost by 14 but it was much closer than the final score

 

[John]

I imagine a lot of our fanbase is UCONN MBB/Celtics/Patriots/Red Sox fans. This is almost a preposterously fortunate fan experience.

Or Giants/Yankees, some trophies there too.

 

[gtcam]

Michigan State is the real deal!!!

Nah
According to some UConn just sucked in the 2nd half in Portland and KO should be burned at the stake for that 2nd half

 

[CardiacAndre7]

How much would UConn lose to Nova?
That BAD team lost by 14 but it was much closer than the final score

You’re right, 1-5 Columbia is good, my fault.

 

[champs99and04]

You’re right, 1-5 Columbia is good, my fault.

@gtcam makes a good point. Villanova is arguably the best team in the country and Columbia played them tough. They also hung around for a while against a pretty good Penn State team. Losing to them would have been embarrassing, but they're still good enough to compete for the Ivy League crown and a tournament bid. There are two teams in our conference alone ranked below them on KenPom and they're within whispering distance of UMass, Memphis, Pittsburgh, etc.

We played them on a Wednesday night just days after the conclusion of an emotionally and physically draining road trip. I imagine they got in Monday morning at a brutal hour and then rev up the tanks for Columbia minus one of their best players. They predictably came out flat in the first half but then fought back behind the efforts of some unexpected contributors. They were an 11 point favorite and won by four. Overall there is a lot of bad but there is also enough hope to be seen for people who want to see it. I'm happy to get out of there with a win and move on. If we can hang our hats on one thing so far it's the lack of a bad loss - that's one of the things that has killed us the past few years and it would go a long way towards securing a tournament berth to avoid them this year.

 

[Whtdmd]

What i don't like is the people who say fire Ollie and then everything will be better again. Firing Ollie is giving up this season and the next also. Given the decline in our attendance. A 2 yr hiatus in our program is sure to ensure mediocrity. What has AD Bennett done with Football and Edsel. I went to the opening day against Holy Cross and barely 25000 fans showed. The attendance is down, we re in out 3rd coach since Edsel I and nothing has slow the decline in the fan base. The best thing going forward is to keep Ollie n let him and the team work through this. I have been to everyone of the games this yr. The main issue with the offense is players not making shots, this is that simple. The offensive sets has been quick and actually good, The shots are open. The lack of results is from poor shooting, not the play sets. What is with Adams missing all those open jumpers or free throws. That is on him to work harder in shooting. A coach can only do that much. We do have a championship coach. Don't give me the crap about Calhoun's players. Daniels barely play 5 minutes a game for Calhoun. Giffey was shooting 30% from the three. Napier was a turnover machine and Boatright could not stand him. We have a good recruiting class coming in. Lets go UCONN

 

[BlueDogs]

I think you and I are mostly on the same page, but there can be room between "we are no longer an elite program" and "things are so despondent it's time for me to write to the Athletic Director."

The fact that there were 3,800 people there underscores my point that people are spoiled. You're not making some noble gesture by not going to games, you're just setting the program back further. Rhode Island and Providence have won a combined two tournament games in like 20 years and tickets for Saturday's game were going for like $220 on Stubhub Monday. To a certain extent, a product is what you make it. The people who are boycotting now are doing so because they care too much. Your average person doesn't care what our three point percentage on the season is, they just want to have a good time and feel like they're part of the community. Unfortunately my impression is that a lot of those people are not showing up because people like the ones on this board make UConn sports out to be the plague and they think that this somehow helps.

I'm not sure why my original thread was merged into this one even though our posts say completely different things, but hopefully other people feel the way I do about this. I can acknowledge that the current situation sucks while also recognizing that a lot of people on this board are being brats about it. You don't need to know one thing about basketball to gather that.

There is a fine line between being spoiled brats and demanding excellence from a program that clawed and fought tooth and nail to become THE Most Successful basketball program over the last 20 years. Puke, Kentucky, Kansas, UNC expect nothing but the best year in and out. Why this fan base should accept less is beyond me unless you don't truly believe we should be in that class. I do. It was earned by a lot of players over many decades and many hard fought battles. I see nothing to indicate KO can get consistent play or improvement out if his players. Nice guy. Great Husky. But not the coach the keeps the program at an elevated level.