Cincy game maybe the key to our season

[BFieldHusky]

With 12 games left, I feel we have to go at least 10-2 if we want to think about getting an at large bid. Even in that premise, I think we would have to win another game in the American tournament. The game Thursday night at Cincinnati might be the key to all of that. If they could pull that one out, look at the rest of their schedule:

at Houston
East Carolina
at Tulane
Tulsa
at SMU
at Memphis
Tulane
at East Carolina
SMU
Memphis
at Temple

If (and I know this is a big IF with this team) we could beat the teams we should (Houston, East Carolina (twice) Tulane (twice) Memphis (twice) thats 7 wins there. Split the 4 games between Tulsa, SMU (twice) and Temple and we are 21-9, 14-4 in the league. Really just hold serve at home against Tulsa and SMU and we have the split. 2 wins against Cincy, a win against Tulsa and SMU should give us 5 Top 50 RPI wins including the Dayton win from earlier in the year. Then I think one win in the American tournament gets us in.

Cincinnati plays great D, but does struggle to score. Sound like someone else we know? I thought our 2nd half against them in the 1st game was one of our better performances of the season. Huge game Thursday.

 

[gtcam]

I don't think its the key but UConn needs to win as many as possible. Beating Tulsa, SMU, Memphis at home and Temple away is vital
SMU away is a toughie

 

[upstater]

I agree that this Cincy game is ultra-important, a kind of hump in the season. Win, and you may win 5 in a row.

But as long as UConn has a chance to win the AAC regular season, even with 3 more losses (13-5), I will not count them out.

The AAC reg season champ is getting a bid. For UConn, that might mean 10 losses in the regular season.

 

[Scot-e]

IF we play them in the AAC tourney I would agree with you. We pretty much need to beat everyone at this point- more importantly we need to get better or it will be a very quick visit to the NCAAs.

We are DOOMED!!!

 

[BoatShow]

Always tough to win at Cincy.

 

[4in16]

I posted this in another thread yesterday with the rpi ranks per ESPN.

RPI DATE OPPONENT SCORE
67 Dec. 5 YaleL 44-45
331 Dec. 14 Coppin StW 106-85
8 Dec. 18 Duke* L 56-66
129 Dec. 22 Columbia* W 80-65
341 Dec. 28 Central Connecticut StW 81-48
59 Dec. 31 TempleL 53-57
77 Jan. 3 @ FloridaW 63-59
206 Jan. 6 @ South FloridaW 58-44
32 Jan. 10 CincinnatiW 62-56
43 Jan. 13 @ TulsaL 58-66
31 Jan. 17 @ StanfordL 59-72
201 Jan. 22 UCFW 67-60
UPCOMING GAMES TIME
206 Jan. 25 South Florida 12:00 PM
32 Jan. 29 @ Cincinnati 8:00 PM
266 Feb. 1 @ Houston 3:00 PM
261 Feb. 4 East Carolina 7:00 PM
141 Feb. 7 @ Tulane 6:00 PM
43 Feb. 12 Tulsa 7:00 PM
14 Feb. 14 @ SMU 9:00 PM
89 Feb. 19 @ Memphis 9:00 PM
141 Feb. 22 Tulane 4:00 PM
261 Feb. 25 @ East Carolina 7:00 PM
14 Mar. 1 SMU 2:00 PM
89 Mar. 5 Memphis 9:00 PM
59 Mar. 7 @ Temple 12:00 AM

As of today our schedule with opponents RPI per ESPN. As long as they don't lose to one of the bottom 4 Houston, ECU, USF, UCF(don't play again) well bottom 5 rpi wise with Tulane at 141 currently they have 4 games possibly 5 top 50 games with temple close at 59. Go 3-2 in those and they are 5-7 vs top 50 4-1 they're 6-6 so who knows at this point that's not including AAC tourney opponents. They technically don't have a bad loss( 100 plus rpi )with Yale @ 67 and temple 59 being the highest ours is currently 75. It's definitely a long road but the rigorous ooc schedule will garner more respect than SMU's terrible schedule last year that got them snubbed. Uconn's current sos is 46, point is optimistic yes but it is possible to go 11-2 in the last 13 and still get in no matter what the seed which is why most bracketology sites have them just outside at the moment.

 

[James]

Win @ cincy would mean a lot, in the sense of getting a good W streak going. the squad would be 9-2 in 2015. with a lot of rough travel. But in mid feb. they have to go @smu and @memphis, thats going to be really telling. I'll def be buying in if the huskies clean up on that road trip 2-0

 

[tzznandrew]

Honestly, they're not out at all, even with a loss @Cincy or @SMU. They lose just those 2, and they'll go into the AAC tournament 21-9 with an RPI in the mid-30s and an SOS in the low 50s.

That's almost certainly a tournament team, especially if they win @Temple, and beat Tulsa and SMU at home. Even throwing another loss in there, at 20-10 (depending on the loss), they'll have a upper 30s-low40s RPI...so, a solid bubble team.

But, this team has sadly not given us the confidence that such a feat is within their ability.

Yet, other UConn teams have looked worse and still had great runs in them.

 

[donyell34]

Yogi Berra " it's not over till it's over". We are still in it. Cincinnati will be big.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Cinn at Cinn would be a huge win , a loss is not quite as big.

 

[bmo22]

I think we can only afford one loss the rest of the way and it would have to be @Cincy or @SMU. Otherwise I think we need to win the AAC tourny. The committee will only want 2 AAC teams in or 3 if an unexpected team wins the conference. The bottom of the conference is just as weak, if not worse, than last year (currently 4 teams > 200 in the RPI). It's unfortunate but they're going to accept a bubble team from a better conference over one from the AAC, even if the resumes match.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

With a 11-7 record, every game is big. I don't think UConn gets in if they lose more than 10 games. That means no more than 2 losses in the regular season, unless they win the AAC tourney outright.

I knew this year was going to be a rebuilding year, but it will be a tough pill to swallow if they completely miss the tournament.

 

[kobe]

BTW the home team has won 5 straight games in the series.

 

[4in16]

BTW the home team has won 5 straight games in the series.

Streaks end everyday.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

@4in16 Thanks for posting the RPI list above - it's games like Coppin State and CCSU that just absolutely cannot be on the schedule anymore. Such killers to the SOS.

 

[4in16]

@4in16 Thanks for posting the RPI list above - it's games like Coppin State and CCSU that just absolutely cannot be on the schedule anymore. Such killers to the SOS.

I agree but there is just no way to tell who is gonna be a 250+ rpi team when making the schedule and convincing halfway decent teams to schedule you isn't easy. No problem, btw. Plus their ooc schedule and lack of a bad loss is giving the optimist in me hope of an at large bid, they just can't lose more than two of the smu, cincy,Tulsa and temple games left or one of the bottom 3. A lot of bubble teams are going to take several more losses before selection Sunday.

 

[RedDog]

I'm so greedy, I don't want to just make the NCAA tournament, but I want much more.

I want to avoid the play-in game.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

@4in16 Thanks for posting the RPI list above - it's games like Coppin State and CCSU that just absolutely cannot be on the schedule anymore. Such killers to the SOS.

You have a point, but every contending team in the NCAA plays filler teams to open the season. No way to avoid that.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm so greedy, I don't want to just make the NCAA tournament, but I want much more.

I want to avoid the play-in game.

If you offer me the play in game now I'm all in!

 

[Palatine]

This team is playing without a net. Any slip could be fatal.

 

[imno1]

I'm so greedy, I don't want to just make the NCAA tournament, but I want much more.

I want to avoid the play-in game.

Someday a play-in game winner will win the whole thing. It might as well be us since we know a thing or 2 about running the table.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

You have a point, but every contending team in the NCAA plays filler teams to open the season. No way to avoid that.

Everyone does and in the Big East it would be fine. However, scheduling a team that projects to be 150 instead of 300 makes a solid difference in SOS.

 

[jibsey]

A win in their house would be big, their coach calling this a rock fight. Maximum effort needed.