Deep breaths

[Kembafan]

Just choose to be hopeful and root hard for the team and the players. This is not to say you can’t talk about how the team is playing and what should be done to fix what ails this team. Of course we should talk about that stuff and argue passionately about it. We’re sports fans on a message board! Lunacy is our default mode! But try to be positive in general and you’ll feel much better and so will everyone else.

Here are some things to be positive about:

1. This team is talented and has shown us dominance at times. It will again.
2. We’ve won championships as 4 and 7 seeds. No big deal.
3. At halftime against Iona in the first round of the 2023 ncaat, things didn’t look so great. But a couple minutes later they looked spectacular. A COUPLE OF MINUTES!!!
4. We’ve got the best coaches in the game. If you think you’re obsessed about winning, Hurley is 1000x more obsessed than you.
5. Any #1 seed is TERRIFIED of getting UConn in their bracket. Yeah, even and especially duke. On selection Sunday the fans of whatever one seed that draws UConn in their bracket will be cursing the committee.
6. I can’t think of a 6 right now.

 

[HooperScooper]

 

[REB1094]

I think simultaneously, the 1 seed in our bracket will be scared but the 3 and 7 seed will be licking their lips

Team can beat anyone. Team can also play down and lose to anyone. Similar feeling as last year, but this time with a lot more talent which makes us a lot more dangerous

I'm sure I will overreact (positively or negatively) depending on what happens in the BET. But otherwise, I'm just here to enjoy the ride! LET'S GO HUSKIES

 

[JoeyBuckets]

Were so screwed…

 

[superjohn]

I think simultaneously, the 1 seed in our bracket will be scared but the 3 and 7 seed will be licking their lips

Team can beat anyone. Team can also play down and lose to anyone. Similar feeling as last year, but this time with a lot more talent which makes us a lot more dangerous

I'm sure I will overreact (positively or negatively) depending on what happens in the BET. But otherwise, I'm just here to enjoy the ride! LET'S GO HUSKIES

We're the opposite of Villanova. We're objectively a much better team than them. Better record, much better wins. UConn has shown they can beat the best and Nova hasn't won any of their games against the top teams but they win every game against the teams they should beat. I have way more confidence in UConn beating a top team in the tournament than Nova doing so but I have way more confidence in Nova performing to their seed than I do UConn.

 

[NCHuskie919]

Doomed

 

[Scoe]

I'll pretend losing out on a BE championship didn't just happen.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Just choose to be hopeful and root hard for the team and the players. This is not to say you can’t talk about how the team is playing and what should be done to fix what ails this team. Of course we should talk about that stuff and argue passionately about it. We’re sports fans on a message board! Lunacy is our default mode! But try to be positive in general and you’ll feel much better and so will everyone else.

Here are some things to be positive about:

1. This team is talented and has shown us dominance at times. It will again.
2. We’ve won championships as 4 and 7 seeds. No big deal.
3. At halftime against Iona in the first round of the 2023 ncaat, things didn’t look so great. But a couple minutes later they looked spectacular. A COUPLE OF MINUTES!!!
4. We’ve got the best coaches in the game. If you think you’re obsessed about winning, Hurley is 1000x more obsessed than you.
5. Any #1 seed is TERRIFIED of getting UConn in their bracket. Yeah, even and especially duke. On selection Sunday the fans of whatever one seed that draws UConn in their bracket will be cursing the committee.
6. I can’t think of a 6 right now.

Great post.
If we are angry at someone we love, Zen Buddhist thought advises us to picture where we and the other person will be in 300 years and then ask ourselves how much holding onto this anger really matters.

That being said, every member of this board will forget about all the nonsense of the marquette game by tmrw and be just as die hard for BET and NCAAs. This is a weak grudge that will have no legs amongst our fanbase once the tourneys start.

 

[Scoe]

Just choose to be hopeful and root hard for the team and the players. This is not to say you can’t talk about how the team is playing and what should be done to fix what ails this team. Of course we should talk about that stuff and argue passionately about it. We’re sports fans on a message board! Lunacy is our default mode! But try to be positive in general and you’ll feel much better and so will everyone else.

Here are some things to be positive about:

1. This team is talented and has shown us dominance at times. It will again.
2. We’ve won championships as 4 and 7 seeds. No big deal.
3. At halftime against Iona in the first round of the 2023 ncaat, things didn’t look so great. But a couple minutes later they looked spectacular. A COUPLE OF MINUTES!!!
4. We’ve got the best coaches in the game. If you think you’re obsessed about winning, Hurley is 1000x more obsessed than you.
5. Any #1 seed is TERRIFIED of getting UConn in their bracket. Yeah, even and especially duke. On selection Sunday the fans of whatever one seed that draws UConn in their bracket will be cursing the committee.
6. I can’t think of a 6 right now.

Last night was a good night to have a good meal and sit down and have a drink and keep things in perspective. We have a path to the sweet 16 and that's all you can ask for. Last year we had to play the overall and eventual champs in rd 2 and we still put a scare into them even last years team.

Hopefully this loss lights a fire in us and gets us going starting Thursday night.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Yesterday could turn into a reboot of 2004, when we went into Syracuse (a team we handled over the prior few meetings) looking to finish the BE regular season tied with Pitt for first, lost, then went on to win the BET and National title. Unfortunately, it could also be a continuing symptom that this team (similar to a handful of prior UConn teams), while talented enough, does not have the mental fortitiude to get it done. Time will tell.

One thing that has been obvious is thast this team is too nice. They don't seem to want to step on the opponent's throat, they appear to ease up at moments when they are within a possession or two of the knockout punch, they often miss identifying the instance where a defensive stop is vital.

In 2004 Jim Calhoun often referred to Ben Gordon as "Gentle Ben" due to passive nature. The 2004 BET is where he stepped fully into the role of an assassin. We can hope that someone (Reed, Demary) who often fades into the background for extended stretches starts asserting himself for the entirety of the game (both would be great). We need Ball to not disappear for extended periods, hell, we could really use someone adopting Cam Spencer's personna on the court.

I'll be at MSG Thursday evening and I'll be fully behind the program from here on out. Let's hope yesterday woke a few of our players up.

 

[AdamaNation]

Just choose to be hopeful and root hard for the team and the players. This is not to say you can’t talk about how the team is playing and what should be done to fix what ails this team. Of course we should talk about that stuff and argue passionately about it. We’re sports fans on a message board! Lunacy is our default mode! But try to be positive in general and you’ll feel much better and so will everyone else.

Here are some things to be positive about:

1. This team is talented and has shown us dominance at times. It will again.
2. We’ve won championships as 4 and 7 seeds. No big deal.
3. At halftime against Iona in the first round of the 2023 ncaat, things didn’t look so great. But a couple minutes later they looked spectacular. A COUPLE OF MINUTES!!!
4. We’ve got the best coaches in the game. If you think you’re obsessed about winning, Hurley is 1000x more obsessed than you.
5. Any #1 seed is TERRIFIED of getting UConn in their bracket. Yeah, even and especially duke. On selection Sunday the fans of whatever one seed that draws UConn in their bracket will be cursing the committee.
6. I can’t think of a 6 right now.

Right now we’re at 2 in the Midwest.

 

[jdb50]

Wife and I yelling at the TV all game Saturday like wake up you guys! Where is the coaching!? And yet as Silas drove down the lane I was ready to go nuts if we went to OT. At this point it is up to the players to get their heads on straight and be the team they should be. Believe you guys! It is time to bring the hammer and effort. No let up. You got this!

 

[willie99]

OMG, we're looking at a two seed

Blasphemy

 

[uconn_jack]

I think simultaneously, the 1 seed in our bracket will be scared but the 3 and 7 seed will be licking their lips

I understand your point, but I doubt very much they'll be "licking their lips". Do you really think the likes of Nebraska, ISU, Zags, Bama, or Purdue is going to be glad to see UConn? And based on Lunardi's 7 seeds, same goes for Nova, Miami, St Mary's, and UK. Besides the PTSD several of those all have with us, none of them are going to be any less scared of us than the other 2 seeds.

 

[Tenspro2002]

We're the opposite of Villanova. We're objectively a much better team than them. Better record, much better wins. UConn has shown they can beat the best and Nova hasn't won any of their games against the top teams but they win every game against the teams they should beat. I have way more confidence in UConn beating a top team in the tournament than Nova doing so but I have way more confidence in Nova performing to their seed than I do UConn.

We are a very high variance team.

We could find ourselves tied with a 15 seed late in the 2nd half, or we could find ourselves up 10 on Arizona in the championship game and neither would surprise me.

Paradoxically, if I'm placing futures bets, I'm betting on us to lose in the first weekend and to cut down the nets.

 

[superjohn]

We are a very high variance team.

We could find ourselves tied with a 15 seed late in the 2nd half, or we could find ourselves up 10 on Arizona in the championship game and neither would surprise me.

Paradoxically, if I'm placing futures bets, I'm betting on us to lose in the first weekend and to cut down the nets.

Yep, I'm leaning towards a first weekend loss being a lot more likely than cutting down the nets at this point. We should be playing much better than we are but I see us being too flawed in roster construction and not talented/athletic enough to just turn it on and run through everybody.

Right now I just want us to play close to our ability and win the Big East tournament and clean up in the first weekend of the tournament. If we don't win the Big East tournament and don't make it out of the first weekend this season is a failure, those great out of conference wins at the beginning of the season and the great record will mean nothing.

Everyone needs to play better but I'm looking at our veterans AK and Solo, they need to man up right now.

 

[RuffRuff]

Cross your fingers and hope for the best. They have just enough talent to make it interesting, would have to play up and hit shots.

 

[uconn_jack]

Ok, I understand what your comment was referring to now. Maybe, but I don't think it would be that bad. Other than Saturday, he has really kept it under control the last season and a half. I'm not sure the refs have a vendetta against Hurley anymore, and don't think this incident will really flare that up again. He will be on a short leash for the BET though.

 

[Candyman]

2nd half against Nova and the full Johnnies game I was convinced we were back. After the Hall game I told myself they just got hot from 3 and they are normally terrible from three but we won. Against Marquette I told myself Mullins will never shoot 1-10 from three again and AK will never not score a basket.

As for the Big Dance I will tell myself teams OOC can’t figure out our offense so we play better.
If we don’t make it to 2nd weekend I won’t be surprised and if we make it to elite 8 I won’t be surprised.

 

[Horatio]

27-4. 1 reasonable loss. 1 four point loss, against a top 5 team, without 2 starters. 2 bad losses. If we go to the preseason predictions on this board, I’m sure most of the predictions were worse than 27-4. We gotta relax

 

[CTBasketball]

Yesterday could turn into a reboot of 2004, when we went into Syracuse (a team we handled over the prior few meetings) looking to finish the BE regular season tied with Pitt for first, lost, then went on to win the BET and National title. Unfortunately, it could also be a continuing symptom that this team (similar to a handful of prior UConn teams), while talented enough, does not have the mental fortitiude to get it done. Time will tell.

One thing that has been obvious is thast this team is too nice. They don't seem to want to step on the opponent's throat, they appear to ease up at moments when they are within a possession or two of the knockout punch, they often miss identifying the instance where a defensive stop is vital.

In 2004 Jim Calhoun often referred to Ben Gordon as "Gentle Ben" due to passive nature. The 2004 BET is where he stepped fully into the role of an assassin. We can hope that someone (Reed, Demary) who often fades into the background for extended stretches starts asserting himself for the entirety of the game (both would be great). We need Ball to not disappear for extended periods, hell, we could really use someone adopting Cam Spencer's personna on the court.

I'll be at MSG Thursday evening and I'll be fully behind the program from here on out. Let's hope yesterday woke a few of our players up.

No other place to change the seasons narrative than within MSG.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Folks, I have to apologize. It's my fault. I missed two games all season, Creighton at home and Marquette on the road. Was busy with stuff, and assumed wins in both cases. But it's tournament time now, so I'll be on my best behavior to ensure we don't have any surprise losses. Can't guarantee we win out, but we shouldn't lose to any more bad teams.

 

[richw]

#6 They made their free throws Saturday.

 

[BlueandOG]

The hardest steel is tempered in the hottest fire. This loss was rough - but it will motivate our team. Watch out.

 

[HuskiesFourLife]

It was a brutal loss but 27-4 and 17-3 is what it is. Let’s go win the big east tournament and totally change the narrative. We recently blew out St. Johns and Nova. Let’s do this!