Define a successful season

[RichCTBB]

Coach Hurley was just given the Hoopy Award for Songwriter of the Year by Jay Wright during halftime of the Purdue/Wisconsin game. I'd say that's a successful season.

 

[Rocktheworld]

So much is contingent. I think usually an E8 run is a success—ideally a FF, but so much is random. But when the bracket breaks like it did in 2006, and E8 is a failure.

If they're a 1 in Brooklyn-Boston...it's a major disappointment to not make the Final Four.

Completely agree. There is always randomness but we will own Brooklyn and Boston. I know I’ll be feeling like “man…” if we don’t make it through. We’re so talented, so deep, can win in so many ways… and knowing that we may have a dip when Newton Clingan and Castle all leave

 

[Rocktheworld]

Coach Hurley was just given the Hoopy Award for Songwriter of the Year by Jay Wright during halftime of the Purdue/Wisconsin game. I'd say that's a successful season.

What a weird, cringy segment.

 

[storrsroars]

Coach Hurley was just given the Hoopy Award for Songwriter of the Year by Jay Wright during halftime of the Purdue/Wisconsin game. I'd say that's a successful season.

Castle was not nominated for 'best new artist" (freshman)

 

[Edward Sargent]

What we are enjoying right now

 

[dogpause]

I can't imagine being a fan of this program, and this team, and not thinking National Championship. This doesn't mean if we lose at some point in the tournament that I won't get over it quickly, but I will be sad for a short time.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

This season has been pure joy so far. I would be excited with a Big East regular season and tourney championship, along with a trip to the F4. We won the title last year so we should be realistic with our expectation’s because it’s almost impossible to repeat.
I’m hoping for another shining moment.

 

[Mr. French]

Big East title or a Final Four appearance and the season is a success

One or the other, but not both, would leave me a sliver disappointed…so I’d answer both would be a definite success.

 

[navery12]

One or the other, but not both, would leave me a sliver disappointed…so I’d answer both would be a definite success.

Anything less than 3 titles this year will leave me disappointed and wondering what if, but I think it should still be viewed as a success after the initial disappointment over how it ends wears off

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The way I see it, if we go the full season without one Fire Hurley thread, we will have had a successful season.

 

[HuskyFich]

I think anytime you make it to the second weekend of the NCAAT, it’s a success, especially considering the post season crapshoot.

But, we need to start winning regular season titles again, consistently. That is the best marker of a dominant team.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

This is already a super successful season already. To make it an amazing season, we just need to repeat as national champs. This team is simply too talented not to set such a goal. We are the best team in the country, and the goal should be to win the national championship.

 

[AntG168]

The worst part about a season like this is waiting for the inevitable painful loss that ends it. More than likely it’s coming…

With that in mind just enjoy the ride. Celebrate every high and accomplishment.

 

[ninety-nine]

The worst part about a season like this is waiting for the inevitable painful loss that ends it. More than likely it’s coming…

With that in mind just enjoy the ride. Celebrate every high and accomplishment.

Well, it's not inevitable, considering that this program has ended five of the past 25 seasons with an April win, and a bunch of these guys just did it last year.

 

[superjohn]

The worst part about a season like this is waiting for the inevitable painful loss that ends it. More than likely it’s coming…

With that in mind just enjoy the ride. Celebrate every high and accomplishment.

Nothing inevitable about it.

 

[AntG168]

Well, it's not inevitable, considering that this program has ended five of the past 25 seasons with an April win, and a bunch of these guys just did it last year.

Nothing inevitable about it.

We have as good a shot as anyone. But just going off of percentages it’s most likely coming. Let’s hope not. But a “successful” season should never be pinned on one of the hardest statistical things to do in sports, win the NCAA tournament

 

[AdamaNation]

20-2, 10-1 in the BE so far and #1 in the country- it’s obviously been an incredibly successful season to this point. Before the season started, I believe we had a thread about what would make for a successful season. I think it’s a good time to revisit that now and ask, how would you define a successful season the rest of the way?

For me it would be a BE Regular Season title, a strong showing in the BET (maybe make it to Saturday night) and at least a Final Four appearance in the tourney. Another title would be great but I wouldn’t consider the season a failure if it didn’t happen. What say you?

Honestly any two of the list.

 

[MTBingNinja]

I agree, it's all about March for me too, so I'd trade any BE accomplishment for a title. But at the end of the day only 1 team wins it all so that being the only successful end isn't really realistic.

We haven't won the BE regular season since 2006 and postseason since 2011, so if this team does that and then loses in the Elite 8 or Final Four I think that's still a successful season with a disappointing end

Where UConn is now, it’s all about the March Madness Tournament. Certainly, BE regular season championship is a goal. BE tournament championship is a goal. But I’d rather assess how the season went based much upon how deep the team goes in late in March.

 

[HooperScooper]

The worst part about a season like this is waiting for the inevitable painful loss that ends it. More than likely it’s coming…

 

[Kitaman]

Success can be in stages. First win this bad boy and then roll the dice:

 

[TheChamps990411]

Check the pompousness.

Really? How long do you celebrate after a season ending tournament loss? How long do you think DH does? I can tell you the last time i celebrated after a tournament loss and that was 1990. After 2011 and 2014 i realized this program had reached a different level that is reserved for very few and that is if they are in the tournament they are a legit threat to cut the nets down. It may sound pompous coming off like this program is better than everybody else well its because we are not like most everybody else. There are literally a handful of program at the level we we are. Expectations of anything less than championships is all part of being a blue blood.

 

[businesslawyer]

If the season ends with a loss and our initial response is "how $%# did we let this happen?" the season will not be a success.

Pretty much everything else will be a success.

Any loss will be met with that response. It’s like you don’t even know us any more.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We have as good a shot as anyone. But just going off of percentages it’s most likely coming. Let’s hope not. But a “successful” season should never be pinned on one of the hardest statistical things to do in sports, win the NCAA tournament

You are answering two different questions in this post.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Ordinarily I would agree with you, but this team is far too skilled and deep to not win another National Championship. Failure is the wrong word, but I fully expect this team to win another title as long as they remain healthy. They are that good.

This team has thus far given us reason (well on display in these comments) to imagine that the BE regular season championship, BET championship, and NCAA championship are all plausible. Adjusting for their own conference particulars, not many teams are in such a position. Let that in.

"If healthy" has been the primary qualifier throughout this season, and it is astonishing that the team is ranked #1 by the polls, leads its conference standings, and shows itself near the top of so many other measurements in spite of being fully healthy for one game only.

The likelihood of winning 6 consecutive games against escalating competition is quite rare. Doing so when a key player is unavailable due to illness or injury is unheard or or nearly so (someone else can look that up). The additional possibility of extraordinary performance by an unexpected team has ample precedent. In short, a National Championship is very very difficult, but somebody does it every year. We are still in, "Why not us?" territory, but we're also just past the conference season's midpoint.

We've been witnessing a team that has conjured the possibility of winning even with a key absence. The unlikelihood of such success is what's driving most of the equivocations here, as would be fully expected, and as should be.

It truly is a time to savor each game.

When several players are among the voices saying that this team has significant room for improvement, believe them, and watch how the 'February build' unfolds. Expect that the coaches and players are on a mission.

Hope, pray, or summon whatever is your chosen tool that we are not subject to a deep compromise of the type that will undoubtedly affect some number of teams at the highest levels in the weeks to come.

Past that, I'd like to see this team win 4 consecutive 2-game weekend tournaments after completing the Big East regular season in first place. I believe that all of that is possible, subject to the already identified key qualifier, and knowing as well that player absences have already been a notable part of this season.

As always, it will be one game at a time.