Can we now raise expectations?

[Kitaman]

I don't want to wait and decide after Memphis game.

I say yes, this is the team I thought would emerge in late January.

Here are some of the differences:

Jalen is taking more of a leadership role and has newfound confidence
DHam is super confident now and super dangerous
Miller although foul prone is playing well with the other players and is dependable (offensively)
We have a guy not scared to take the big shot (duh!)
Brimah is making noticeable contributions including rebounding. The biggee: Brimah is managing his fouls
Purvis and Gibbs are giving us what we need from the outside, and purvis more on the inside (driving)

Our bench of Nolan, Facey and Omar is tested and if managed can spell starters enough not to hurt us.

Sure the sample is small (March) but the timing is all that matters and this team is on time. Also I'm not saying FF expectations I saying 'UConn product' expectations.

I 'finally' see a team or more specifically a UConn Team.

So I'm raising them to do damage in the Tourney, to never quit and shock the world. This team is ready!

Opponents won't want us in their brackets. Why? Because WE ARE UCONN DAMMIT!

 

[7774]

I didn't know there were higher expectations than what this board already has.

Personally, with this team I try not to predict anything that will happen in the next game based on what has happened in the prior game(s). They are just not mentally consistent enough to do that IMO.

 

[djct1999]

Remarkable how a 55 foot bank shot salvages an entire season. I would argue it salvaged the perception of the UConn brand. We went from underachievers to the entire nation being reminded that UConn owns March. One shot. Thats what Cash Adams accomplished. This team will make the tournament. This team, even in the smallest of sample sets, showed us it's potential. Not the best season in the world but playing the way they have the last few days and making the NCAAs eliminates most of the bad taste we had the past few months.

 

[OkaForPrez]

@djct1999 did I miss the origin of the cash reference?

 

[djct1999]

@djct1999 did I miss the origin of the cash reference?

Did you see the Caron Butler instagram? The moment Adams shot the ball Caron goes "Cash!" Thought some on this board decided to carry that nickname going fwd.

 

[Bryan Lord]

@djct1999 did I miss the origin of the cash reference?

Caron's video. Even though some have called it a hoax lol.

 

[OkaForPrez]

@djct1999 nah I missed it thanks. Cash adams does have a nice ring to it.

 

[Bryan Lord]

Hopefully joe D picks up on it and makes it official.

 

[TheRogers]

Ooohhh maybe we should lay-off the Cash reference..... That playfull reference will leapfrog UNC's decades of systemic cheating in terms of priority for investigation.

 

[Bryan Lord]

Was cash Camby a thing?

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I vote "No," we are doomed, inconsistent, doomed, and jinxed. This is all a big conspiracy to get our hopes up so they can be cast down, crashing on the rocks below.

 

[John]

Was cash Camby a thing?

They called him Hookers & Blow

 

[jibsey]

We were SI preseason 18 so I think what we are seeing is we are coming around to what the original season's expectations were. It has been slow and painful particularly on the offensive end, but the defense has been there for awhile and KO is hanging his hat on that for a run. We now have 2 breakdown guys as the clock runs out. It's the KemBazzification of Jalen and DHam where they are comfortable doing that by going to the rim or creating. One other thing that bodes well. We have a great foul shooting team again like 2014. Now we see all of this improvement in the context of playing Cincy and Temple, AAC teams, not North Carolina or Michigan State. We have guards we have weapons. When we go up against monsters inside like Bond who had 50 pounds on Miller it's a problem but we have to game plan it, and we can't have players disappear like we have seen in the past. DHam and Rodney go 4-21 and it's gonna be over quick. So no, there is no prediction we are going to do anything but KO is putting his pieces in place.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I'm just along for the ride at this point. There's the talent on this team to make a run but a lot of that counts on consistency we haven't seen yet. Regardless, it's been a much more fun end to the season that I expected a couple weeks ago.

 

[TheRogers]

They called him Hookers & Blow

Hmmmm.....I wonder why? Maybe Dr J was watching a game when Camby took the winning shot. That instant Erving shouted "Hookers and blow!"

 

[SubbaBub]

Not yet. Getting to round of 32 is still the bench mark. Matchups will be important.

 

[UChusky916]

All I wanted was to make the tournament, and we have accomplished that. The state of college basketball this year combined with UConn's penchant for March runs keeps me somewhat optimistic. However this team has not shown any consistency that makes me think they can win 4 straight games versus tournament teams to make a final 4 or more. All I know is that I'm never giving up hope and I'll be cheering till the final whistle.

 

[BugsyCT]

They haven't shown consistently but we have seen first hand in multiple tourneys that something happens to these UConn teams in March, so anything's possible. If they play like they have the last 2 games I'd give them a shot to beat anyone.

 

[upstater]

One thing I really liked from the last 2 games is that both teams used SMU's strategy of coming out and challenging our guards by defending at midcourt. Against SMU this seemed to kill our offense. I was actually hoping in the last week that teams would throw a zone at us because UConn looked so bad. I have more confidence against the zone.

But against Cincy and Temple, UConn adjusted the offense.

 

[Calhoun's Court]

Amazing what a couple games can do.

If we can just hang in a rebound a little we are different team.

Maybe this team has flipped the switch.

It's great for this year but it is even better for next season if the guys coming back have figured it out.

 

[intlzncster]

@djct1999 nah I missed it thanks. Cash adams does have a nice ring to it.

 

[amory]

tough to raise expectations when we're about to run into a Memphis-branded buzzsaw in 3 hours or so.

this is a team that's won 4 out of their last 5 games. with a coach desperate to keep his job, and a team that knows they're one win away from the big dance and from silencing all the haters, this blue-and-gray colored freight train is about to run right over our hapless huskies. i even heard Shaq plays for them now. The big diesel, Shaquille O'Neal himself. How can we compete?

we've played more minutes against tougher opponents, we're tired. our luck has run out.

we


are


doomed.

 

[Waquoit]

Even though our offense can frustrate, out D has been pretty tough. No reason we can't make a run.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

tough to raise expectations when we're about to run into a Memphis-branded buzzsaw in 3 hours or so.

this is a team that's won 4 out of their last 5 games. with a coach desperate to keep his job, and a team that knows they're one win away from the big dance and from silencing all the haters, this blue-and-gray colored freight train is about to run right over our hapless huskies. i even heard Shaq plays for them now. The big diesel, Shaquille O'Neal himself. How can we compete?

we've played more minutes against tougher opponents, we're tired. our luck has run out.

we


are


doomed.

Very eloquent and convincing. Doomed as doomed can be.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Did you see the Caron Butler instagram? The moment Adams shot the ball Caron goes "Cash!" Thought some on this board decided to carry that nickname going fwd.

I've just bees saying it when something good happens.