Bubble Watch....

[BlueDogs]

The fact we are even having this conversation is disgusting. Could have put a bid away 4 times over beating Temple, Houston, Cincy or SMU.

 

[HooperScooper]

The fact we are even having this conversation is disgusting. Could have put a bid away 4 times over beating Temple, Houston, Cincy or SMU.

Completely agree. With the resources behind the UConn men's basketball program and playing in the AAC there is no way they should be in this situation and there's no way they should be missing the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row.

 

[Matrim55]

Completely agree. With the resources behind the UConn men's basketball program and playing in the AAC there is no way they should be in this situation and there's no way they should be missing the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row.

This is dumb.

We're still recovering from the sanctions that absolutely destroyed us on the recruiting trail. Between the 2012 & 2013 classes we snagged exactly two 4-star players, one of which went on to have a career marred by injuries. We were also hurt re: our 2014 class, since we couldn't go out on the trail as many hours as our competitors, and ended up getting just one difference-maker. That's picked up in 2015 and bigtime in 2016, but... that's the point of sanctions. They're meant to punish the school.

With better players will come better results. We're getting there.

 

[johnhuskies95]

This is dumb.

We're still recovering from the sanctions that absolutely destroyed us on the recruiting trail. Between the 2012 & 2013 classes we snagged exactly two 4-star players, one of which went on to have a career marred by injuries. We were also hurt re: our 2014 class, since we couldn't go out on the trail as many hours as our competitors, and ended up getting just one difference-maker. That's picked up in 2015 and bigtime in 2016, but... that's the point of sanctions. They're meant to punish the school.

With better players will come better results. We're getting there.

We still should've had better results the last 2 years. Both years we've had more highly recruited players than any of the other AAC schools, yet we've gone 21-15 in conference. That's not good enough.

 

[HooperScooper]

This is dumb.

We're still recovering from the sanctions that absolutely destroyed us on the recruiting trail. Between the 2012 & 2013 classes we snagged exactly two 4-star players, one of which went on to have a career marred by injuries. We were also hurt re: our 2014 class, since we couldn't go out on the trail as many hours as our competitors, and ended up getting just one difference-maker. That's picked up in 2015 and bigtime in 2016, but... that's the point of sanctions. They're meant to punish the school.

With better players will come better results. We're getting there.

Last year was fine. This year it's not. Do you think UConn should have gone 11-7 in the AAC? They were better than all those teams and yet they lost 7 of those games. Win at least 1-2 more of those games and they're in a much better position. No way they should have gone 11-7 in this conference.

I'm hoping Ollie is thinking the same thing and is not using the sanctions as an excuse. I realize we need to be realistic, but the reality is UConn's talent is better than 11-7 in this conference. You want to argue they should have been 11-7 in the AAC?

 

[Matrim55]

We still should've had better results the last 2 years. Both years we've had more highly recruited players than any of the other AAC schools, yet we've gone 21-15 in conference. That's not good enough.

Naw. Here's the 2012-through-2015 class rankings, courtesy of UConnJim's research:

2012: 1) Houston, 2) UConn, 3) Memphis, 4) Temple, 5) USF
2013: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) Cincinnati, 4) USF, 5) UConn
2014: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) Memphis, 4) UCF, 5) USF
2015: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) UConn, 4) USF, 5) Temple

As pointed out in that thread: Everybody has taken advantage of transfers as well. For some it's worked, for others it hasn't.

Last year was fine. This year it's not. Do you think UConn should have gone 11-7 in the AAC? They were better than all those teams and yet they lost 7 of those games. Win at least 1-2 more of those games and they're in a much better position. No way they should have gone 11-7 in this conference.

I'm hoping Ollie is thinking the same thing and is not using the sanctions as an excuse. I realize we need to be realistic, but the reality is UConn's talent is better than 11-7 in this conference. You want to argue they should have been 11-7 in the AAC?

I think we had trouble closing games out down the stretch, which is a feature (not a bug) of teams with inconsistent PG play. Missing out on recruits like Perkins killed us, though even landing a big-time PG recruit is no guarantee of success (look at Kaleb Joseph at 'Cuse).

Of course we could have done better, and I'd hoped we would do better. But I disagree with the original premise that "there is no way they should be in this situation and there's no way they should be missing the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row."

We were supposed to miss at least that long and take a half-decade to dig out (look at Indiana).

Also, I'm sorry I called your post dumb. There was no need for me to go ad hominem against your opinion.

 

[johnhuskies95]

Naw. Here's the 2012-through-2015 class rankings, courtesy of UConnJim's research:

2012: 1) Houston, 2) UConn, 3) Memphis, 4) Temple, 5) USF
2013: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) Cincinnati, 4) USF, 5) UConn
2014: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) Memphis, 4) UCF, 5) USF
2015: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) UConn, 4) USF, 5) Temple

As pointed out in that thread: Everybody has taken advantage of transfers as well. For some it's worked, for others it hasn't.


I think we had trouble closing games out down the stretch, which is a feature (not a bug) of teams with inconsistent PG play. Missing out on recruits like Perkins killed us, though even landing a big-time PG recruit is no guarantee of success (look at Kaleb Joseph at 'Cuse).

Of course we could have done better, and I'd hoped we would do better. But I disagree with the original premise that "there is no way they should be in this situation and there's no way they should be missing the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row."

We were supposed to miss at least that long and take a half-decade to dig out (look at Indiana).

Also, I'm sorry I called your post dumb. There was no need for me to go ad hominem against your opinion.

If you're honestly comparing our situation with Indiana's then I really don't know what to say. Indiana returned two walk-ons from their 07-08 team for the 08-09 season. That's it. They were in a much deeper hole. There's really no comparison.

And those recruiting rankings are misleading. Our average star rating has been the highest in the conference for 3 out of those 4 years, which is more indicative of the quality of a recruiting class in basketball than in a sport like football.

 

[HooperScooper]

Naw. Here's the 2012-through-2015 class rankings, courtesy of UConnJim's research:

2012: 1) Houston, 2) UConn, 3) Memphis, 4) Temple, 5) USF
2013: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) Cincinnati, 4) USF, 5) UConn
2014: 1) UConn, 2) Cincinnati, 3) Memphis, 4) UCF, 5) USF
2015: 1) Memphis, 2) SMU, 3) UConn, 4) USF, 5) Temple

As pointed out in that thread: Everybody has taken advantage of transfers as well. For some it's worked, for others it hasn't.


I think we had trouble closing games out down the stretch, which is a feature (not a bug) of teams with inconsistent PG play. Missing out on recruits like Perkins killed us, though even landing a big-time PG recruit is no guarantee of success (look at Kaleb Joseph at 'Cuse).

Of course we could have done better, and I'd hoped we would do better. But I disagree with the original premise that "there is no way they should be in this situation and there's no way they should be missing the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row."

We were supposed to miss at least that long and take a half-decade to dig out (look at Indiana).

Also, I'm sorry I called your post dumb. There was no need for me to go ad hominem against your opinion.

No problem. We disagree. I think they should have played better this year. I just don't want to hear any excuses. Bottom line is there was ample talent on the roster and they didn't get it done. You can make the argument that the sanctions set them back from being an NCAA Championship contender. Making the NCAA Tournament, especially in this weak year, is a much lower bar. One UConn should not be coming up short of 2 years in a row.

If they don't make the NCAA Tournament I don't want to hear any excuses coming out of Storrs. I want to hear things like we heard from Calhoun and the players after the 2006-2007 season when they didn't even make the NIT. Anyone remember how mad Calhoun was after that season? He vowed that it would never happen again. Here is a quote from Calhoun after that season. You can almost envision the fire coming out of his eyes when he said it. That's the kind of thing I want to hear from Ollie.

"I'm not sitting back anyplace," Calhoun said. "We will have a better team that shows up on the floor next year. It's not a group of selfish kids that don't care. They just don't understand. They will understand over the next six to seven months."

 

[Inyatkin]

My favorite thing is when people prove their fanhood based on what they will and will not accept from their team.

 

[HooperScooper]

My favorite thing is when people prove their fanhood based on what they will and will not accept from their team.

Thanks. But that wasn't my intention.

So what's your opinion of the season?

 

[pepband99]

Interesting results from last night...
I'm telling you, this bubble and RPI situation is unprecedented. It's amazing how crazy the cut is going to be. I'm going to group bubble teams into "RPI-based" vs "Other metrics-based", as there appears to be a HUGE divide, more than i can ever remember, in the 2.

RPI-based:
Texas Tech losing to TCU. Really bad loss. There is about a *20* spot difference between the RPI and other metrics for them. They're essentially the opposite of UConn, numbers wise. Projected everywhere as a 7.

Oregon St beating ASU. Almost a *30* spot difference. Insane!

Metrics-based:
Wichita St is going to be the all time RPI vs Other metrics litmus test. Almost a 40 spot difference. That's why you're seeing them all over the map on bracketology.

UConn are not that far off either - about 30 spots. It's one of the reasons I'm harping on about the CCSU game - the metrics look at point differential, so blowing out a bad team doesn't hurt out numbers that much. The RPI sees "351," and just kills us.

 

[djct1999]

All the smart people have UConn in. There is a reason for that. Any metric really worth looking at suggests that UConn's body of work is superior to most fringe bubble teams. Objectively speaking, when you have 21 wins and your worst loss is still a top 80 team, you should be in the field.

 

[pepband99]

All the smart people have UConn in. There is a reason for that. Any metric really worth looking at suggests that UConn's body of work is superior to most fringe bubble teams. Objectively speaking, when you have 21 wins and your worst loss is still a top 80 team, you should be in the field.

Totally agreed, but what worries me is that the committee is never consistent with this. One year it's RPI, one year it's OOC SOS, one year it's advanced metrics, etc. I don't like seeing these things diverging this much when we're so close to the cut line.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't see how anyone can feel confident if we lose Friday. It's possible that we get in, but I certainly wouldn't bet on it. I do think UConn is in with a win. As everyone has pointed out, our metrics are solid and like WSU, we did play several weeks without a starter. I doubt it will matter because I don't think Temple can beat us three times...they shouldn't have won either of the other two games.

The waiting is killing me.

 

[beakumhawks]

Tejas Tech lost to a horid TCU team last night in the Big XII tourney, putting them, in my opinion, from a definite IN to squarely on the bubble.

 

[auror]

Tejas Tech lost to a horid TCU team last night in the Big XII tourney, putting them, in my opinion, from a definite IN to squarely on the bubble.

They have a losing record in the B12 and beat absolutely nobody in the nonconf. I can't believe they'd be safely in. They won at Baylor, but have no other decent wins away from home. They're 4-10 in KenPom "A" games, 3-1 in "B" and a loss outside either. With a loss to Cincy, UConn would be 4-8, 2-1, and 2 losses outside (but the outside losses are better, they're just home games to 50-100 teams). Probably a slightly worse resume, but not significantly.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Today's games:

Go UConn
Go Memphis (vs. Tulsa)
Go Michigan St (vs. Ohio St.)
Go Indiana (vs. Michigan)
Go Texas A&M (vs. Florida)
And go USF (haha) vs. Temple

 

[KemBuckets21]

This is dumb.

We're still recovering from the sanctions that absolutely destroyed us on the recruiting trail. Between the 2012 & 2013 classes we snagged exactly two 4-star players, one of which went on to have a career marred by injuries. We were also hurt re: our 2014 class, since we couldn't go out on the trail as many hours as our competitors, and ended up getting just one difference-maker. That's picked up in 2015 and bigtime in 2016, but... that's the point of sanctions. They're meant to punish the school.

With better players will come better results. We're getting there.

Do you think the players are the problem this year? Last year we were much less talented, I don't think we can blame the players now though.

 

[Shabazzkets]

This is dumb.

We're still recovering from the sanctions that absolutely destroyed us on the recruiting trail. Between the 2012 & 2013 classes we snagged exactly two 4-star players, one of which went on to have a career marred by injuries. We were also hurt re: our 2014 class, since we couldn't go out on the trail as many hours as our competitors, and ended up getting just one difference-maker. That's picked up in 2015 and bigtime in 2016, but... that's the point of sanctions. They're meant to punish the school.

With better players will come better results. We're getting there.

I mean, we'll see in a couple of years if this is true. If we start brining in top classes and start pounding the rest of the AAC, great. For now, everything suggests we're a mid-level AAC program with the best tradition of any mid-major in the country. Tradition is the past, though...I'm most interested in the future.

 

[Jaker]

Even though we beat Michigan ages ago, we need them to lose today or they could bump us out.

 

[7774]

Do you think the players are the problem this year? Last year we were much less talented, I don't think we can blame the players now though.

Yes, the players are easily the majority of the problem. This is not a mentally talented team, so I don't know why people continue to think it's talented.

 

[KemBuckets21]

Yes, the players are easily the majority of the problem. This is not a mentally talented team, so I don't know why people continue to think it's talented.

Not sure I agree, But, to each his own.

 

[4in16]

The latest update. Still not a "lock" to ESPN, haha.

American Athletic Conference
Teams that should be in: Connecticut, Cincinnati
Work left to do: Temple

Connecticut didn't need four overtimes to dispatch Temple on Saturday. Huskies fans were surely relieved. We were mildly disappointed. What can we say? We're spoiled.

Connecticut [23-10 (11-7), RPI: 42, SOS: 49] It's been an excellent weekend for the Huskies, and you can gauge the degree of excellence by the shifts of Joe Lunardi's bracket. Before Friday, the Huskies were among his first four teams out. Then came Jalen Adams' three-quarter-court third-OT buzzer-beater and a subsequent win over Cincinnati and the Huskies clambered up onto the last four in ledge. Today brought a win over Temple. Now Kevin Ollie's team is among Joe's first four byes, the product of knocking the Owls off their regular-season-champ/No. 1 seed perch. It also sets up a pretty interesting Sunday. Ironically enough, either UConn will win the American tournament automatic bid outright, or it will take a bad loss to either Memphis or Tulane. The only remaining question is whether that loss would damage their resume enough to tarnish the work of the past two days.

 

[caw]

The latest update. Still not a "lock" to ESPN, haha.

American Athletic Conference
Teams that should be in: Connecticut, Cincinnati
Work left to do: Temple

Connecticut didn't need four overtimes to dispatch Temple on Saturday. Huskies fans were surely relieved. We were mildly disappointed. What can we say? We're spoiled.

Connecticut [23-10 (11-7), RPI: 42, SOS: 49] It's been an excellent weekend for the Huskies, and you can gauge the degree of excellence by the shifts of Joe Lunardi's bracket. Before Friday, the Huskies were among his first four teams out. Then came Jalen Adams' three-quarter-court third-OT buzzer-beater and a subsequent win over Cincinnati and the Huskies clambered up onto the last four in ledge. Today brought a win over Temple. Now Kevin Ollie's team is among Joe's first four byes, the product of knocking the Owls off their regular-season-champ/No. 1 seed perch. It also sets up a pretty interesting Sunday. Ironically enough, either UConn will win the American tournament automatic bid outright, or it will take a bad loss to either Memphis or Tulane. The only remaining question is whether that loss would damage their resume enough to tarnish the work of the past two days.

Someone wants to compete with Lunardi for biggest moron.

 

[pepband99]

The latest update. Still not a "lock" to ESPN, haha.

American Athletic Conference
Teams that should be in: Connecticut, Cincinnati
Work left to do: Temple

Connecticut didn't need four overtimes to dispatch Temple on Saturday. Huskies fans were surely relieved. We were mildly disappointed. What can we say? We're spoiled.

Connecticut [23-10 (11-7), RPI: 42, SOS: 49] It's been an excellent weekend for the Huskies, and you can gauge the degree of excellence by the shifts of Joe Lunardi's bracket. Before Friday, the Huskies were among his first four teams out. Then came Jalen Adams' three-quarter-court third-OT buzzer-beater and a subsequent win over Cincinnati and the Huskies clambered up onto the last four in ledge. Today brought a win over Temple. Now Kevin Ollie's team is among Joe's first four byes, the product of knocking the Owls off their regular-season-champ/No. 1 seed perch. It also sets up a pretty interesting Sunday. Ironically enough, either UConn will win the American tournament automatic bid outright, or it will take a bad loss to either Memphis or Tulane. The only remaining question is whether that loss would damage their resume enough to tarnish the work of the past two days.

Brennan is such a puss. Make a call. If he seriously thinks a Memphis loss drags us out now, he's insane.