"Easy Path"

[Deleted at users request]

I’m on Michigan football boards and they’re super impressed with our overall title runs over the past 25 years. With the caveat of we play nobody in most of these championship games.

Oh well.

 

[jontaejones]

What teams would've given UConn a game?

And what Big East teams would give UConn a game -- with tourney refereeing and not BE refs?

So you guys would have smoked all 63 teams?

That's the Uconn fan base I know!!

 

[Travelman6]

How a bracket is set up is beyond any teams control.

If Purdue can't take care of business, that is on them. Same with Houston etc. UConn plays whoever wins, simple as that. If its so easy, where in the world was Purdue? Duke? Virginia? Kansas? etc. Hmmm, ask them how easy it was!

 

[uconndogs]

But Kansas, Marquette, among others would have given them a game.

I also think Miami was happy to be there and didn't being their A game.

LOL, the Miami comment is priceless......yeah, they said "what the heck, this is good enough".....

 

[mrl2016]

So you guys would have smoked all 63 teams?

That's the Uconn fan base I know!!

Yes - we already smoked the overall 1 seed who smoked the overall 2 seed on their home court

 

[prankster]

How a bracket is set up is beyond any teams control.

If Purdue can't take care of business, that is on them. Same with Houston etc. UConn plays whoever wins, simple as that. If its so easy, where in the world was Purdue? Duke? Virginia? Kansas? etc. Hmmm, ask them how easy it was!

In the tourney, you become who you beat.

When a 16 beats a 1, they then presume the match up path of the 1.

In the end, it evens out. Usually in the Sweet 16 round.

You only ever play who is left there to play. And the presumption is always that you are playing the best in your bracket.

They may not have seemed to be the best when the bracket was populated by the committee. But they are presumably the best when you face them.

And, again, it is largely sorted out to the point that everything is pretty even by the second weekend.

 

[gsmooth]

But Kansas, Marquette, among others would have given them a game.

I also think Miami was happy to be there and didn't being their A game.

That's way off base. Miami had a great deal of confidence that they would win it all and rightfully so they played really well. Miami players were crying after the game on the sidelines during the UConn. But yes, let's stick to the narrative of them being happy to be at the Final Four and not wanting more, SMH.

 

[UChusky916]

5 of the 6 teams we played in the tournament were ranked top 25 in KenPom.
We did not beat scrub teams. We dominated and made them look like scrub teams.

 

[Magic32]

I seldom if ever go on other teams message boards. Decided to take a quick tour after the Miami game and now this one. Just curious of the various perceptions. No posting, just reading. Went to Syracuse, Providence, Duke, Kentucky. BY FAR, the most complimentary fanbase is Kentucky on Rupp Rafters. The other 3, not that I care much, are mostly haters minus a few exceptions.

Had never viewed the Kentucky board so I checked it out. Most still don't consider UConn a Blue Blood because we don't have a 70+ year record of winning but some certainly feel we are. They really despise Cal more than I ever could have imagined and respect Hurley. Going so far as saying UConn was the best coached team in all of the NCAA. Kind of like we are new $ and they are old $.

 

[jontaejones]

That's way off base. Miami had a great deal of confidence that they would win it all and rightfully so they played really well. Miami players were crying after the game on the sidelines during the UConn. But yes, let's stick to the narrative of them being happy to be at the Final Four and not wanting more, SMH.

It happens. The final 4 is the goalpost 1st. Several coaches have said it including Wright

I mean don't get me wrong. I think u would have beat them Miami with their A game anyway but they looked lethargic. SDSU OTOH definitely came to play and u guys beat them down. Gonzaga wanted it bad too.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It happens. The final 4 is the goalpost 1st. Several coaches have said it.

I mean don't get me wrong. I think u would have beat them Miami with their A game anyway but they looked lethargic. SDSU OTOH definitely came to play and u guys beat them down.

Three consecutive games, three quality offenses (Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami) had their worst performances of the year. I doubt that was coincidental.

Tell me, if someone claimed the Nova team from a few years back (Jay's second title) wasn't really a dominant team, they just got lucky with how their path to the title fell, how would you react?

 

[Waquoit]

Going in, the West looked like the bracket with the highest-metric teams. UConn was shipped out West instead of earning a 3-seed. Here's how Kenpom closed the season yesterday:

View attachment 86826We held the #1 offense to 58 points, and scored 76 against the #4 defense.

Props to Ken Pom for finally getting UConn right.

 

[superjohn]

Everyone trying to discredit us seconds after the win. We literally beat Bama. I genuinely think even if it had been a harder game the result would have been the same given a rematch.

Get over it, pundits. We won.

Not everyone. ESPN has been slobbering all over us. Seth Greenberg thinks we're an absolute juggernaut and more national championships are coming soon.

 

[Waquoit]

Most of the teams we beat looked pretty good in the game before us.

Every game was preceded by "these guys are going to be a tough out. UConn better be ready to play". Then, after getting destroyed the same group is saying "They only beat WCC teams".

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

So you guys would have smoked all 63 teams?

I think that's a preposterous conclusion that leads me to questioning your reading comprehension skills, and I certainly would not generalize that conclusion to encompass a broader swath of Villanova fans.

That doesn't mean that you do not offer a claim unworthy of consideration, only that I disagree or perhaps don't understand what you mean.

What specifically has given you the impression that you've accurately stated a majority/consensus/dominant point of view?

I'm interesting in reading what you have to offer.

That's the Uconn fan base I know!!

I'll take you at your word, though I'd welcome whatever discussion of your sample population you'd like to offer.

 

[jontaejones]

I think that's a preposterous conclusion that leads me to questioning your reading comprehension skills, and I certainly would not generalize that conclusion to encompass a broader swath of Villanova fans.

That doesn't mean that you do not offer a claim unworthy of consideration, only that I disagree or perhaps don't understand what you mean.

What specifically has given you the impression that you've accurately stated a majority/consensus/dominant point of view?

I'm interesting in reading what you have to offer.

I'll take you at your word, though I'd welcome whatever discussion of your sample population you'd like to offer.

His second statement implied that.

But I'm just joking around talking trash. Just like u guys.

As for the answer, Kansas Marquette and I think strangely Indiana would have been tough.

 

[90BSEE]

Maybe God likes us more.

 

[jontaejones]

Three consecutive games, three quality offenses (Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami) had their worst performances of the year. I doubt that was coincidental.

Tell me, if someone claimed the Nova team from a few years back (Jay's second title) wasn't really a dominant team, they just got lucky with how their path to the title fell, how would you react?

That's not what I said.

I said that with another draw you would have gotten a game.

West Virginia gave us a game and almost beat us in 2018. It was VERY close. And several other teams could have beat us under the right conditions.

 

[uconndogs]

Three consecutive games, three quality offenses (Arkansas, Gonzaga, Miami) had their worst performances of the year. I doubt that was coincidental.

Tell me, if someone claimed the Nova team from a few years back (Jay's second title) wasn't really a dominant team, they just got lucky with how their path to the title fell, how would you react?

This is really the point. UCONN played exceptional and very consistent defense throughout the tournament. Opponents had not answer for UCONN's length and also the ability to closeout on the perimeter.

The other thing I'll say is six games and six wins all with the margin of victory in double figures. I don't know if it's been done before, but it was as dominant a performance as I've ever seen.

Folks can critique UCONN's path all they want, but everyone else had a six game path and only one team ran the table.

With the exception of the Miami game when they decided the semis were as far as the wanted to go........which proves that anything is possible to be posted on this site.........

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

His second statement implied that.

Nah, that's just what you inferred and then boosted beyond credibility.

But I'm just joking around talking trash. Just like u guys.

Which guys are "you guys?"

As for the answer, Kansas Marquette and I think strangely Indiana would have been tough.

I imagine that a good number of posters could come up with their own 3 or more teams who could have put up a game - win or lose - that would be closer than the "smoked" you suggested.

Thanks for responding.

 

[mrl2016]

 

[Palatine]

Where were these trolls when we were mowing down Michigan State, Florida and Kentucky?

You can only beat the teams you play.

 

[444JR]

Beat 7 of the top 21 teams in the final KenPom standings

 

[jontaejones]

Nah, that's just what you inferred and then boosted beyond credibility.

Which guys are "you guys?"

I imagine that a good number of posters could come up with their own 3 or more teams who could have put up a game - win or lose - that would be closer than the "smoked" you suggested.

Thanks for responding.

Perhaps but I was still joking.

Seriously I was rooting for Uconn the whole time and I didn't say anything in this thread to the contrary

 

[gsmooth]

That's not what I said.

I said that with another draw you would have gotten a game.

West Virginia gave us a game and almost beat us in 2018. It was VERY close. And several other teams could have beat us under the right conditions.

sure there were teams that could beat Villanova in 2018, but certainly not likely to beat them. That Nova 2018 was a juggernaut.