ESPN - top title contenders and other stuff | Page 3 | The Boneyard

ESPN - top title contenders and other stuff

Vowelguy said:
The persecution complex on this board is staggering.
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lol have to agree with you on that
The idea that ESPN with somehow have an anti-uconn bias it’s really silly
that being said, I had started the conversation about Voepel and wondering if others thought he had some animus regarding Uconn
A number of others seem to share that feeling and gave some up pervasive evidence of it
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think any writer for any publication might not always be objective
And I think Vopel may be that way re Uconn
 
Zonepress said:
A number of others seem to share that feeling and gave some up pervasive evidence of it
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think any writer for any publication might not always be objective
And I think Vopel may be that way re Uconn
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A number of people think the earth is flat. Doesnt make it true.
 
Voepel’s UConn comments are questionable for sure. Not crazy out of line but certainly not the popular take either. He’s the anti UConn guy. Someone has to be. Clicks are needed and all the ESPN writers can’t be saying the same thing. So he’s going to be angling toward and emphasizing the downsides to the team and be light on the positives. Geno may retire, Paige is gone, etc. For the other contenders he may be stating all the positives and omitting some negatives. It’s all a strategy for readers interest and he may actually believe what he writes too but whatever. Take a breath and realize it doesn’t matter too much. Games will be played and a champion crowned this next season. UConn is seemingly in the drivers seat to me (they’re Sarah Strong!) but we’ll see.
 
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Zonepress said:
really
this is a forum for OPINIONS !!
if your goal is just to be a contrarian, I think you’ve succeeded
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You have an opinion that you gave us and that many debunk as pure folly. ESPN did not show any bias in this article and Jana, while showing improvement does not warrant any specific mention. I would say Blanca deserved a mention as a top freshman possibility, the AA potential is a bridge too far for me but I do agree she’s extremely talented and will contribute mightily this year.
 
DefenseBB said:
You have an opinion that you gave us and that many debunk as pure folly. ESPN did not show any bias in this article and Jana, while showing improvement does not warrant any specific mention. I would say Blanca deserved a mention as a top freshman possibility, the AA potential is a bridge too far for me but I do agree she’s extremely talented and will contribute mightily this year.
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And your so-called debunking are merely contrary opinions because the underlying bias alleged — whether certain specific cited episodes constitute bias — is non-adjucatable by law or fact because it is based on people’s perceptions or feelings.

Certain things are adjucatable. Whether the earth is round or flat. Whether or not a law affecting a suspect class survives strict scrutiny. Whether or not Charlie Crème is biased in his prognostications of the NCAAT committee’s work (note: he is not).

And there are the specific cited episodes of slanted coverage. It is impossible to prove 100% bias (mens rea, editorial discretion) but it is also impossible to disprove that people’s feelings or perceptions are not genuinely held.

In the end, it’s all a tempest in a teacup. But it is people’s tempests and teacups, which fans are allowed to have and the Board is the place to express them.

It’s ok to express exasperation. But what is not ok are people feeling that they are thought police gatekeepers on something that is not adjucatable.
 
Zonepress said:
lol have to agree with you on that
The idea that ESPN with somehow have an anti-uconn bias it’s really silly
that being said, I had started the conversation about Voepel and wondering if others thought he had some animus regarding Uconn
A number of others seem to share that feeling and gave some up pervasive evidence of it
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think any writer for any publication might not always be objective
And I think Vopel may be that way re Uconn
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I agree with you. In regard to something like this – stick to what you believe. For example some posters probably believed right from the beginning UCONN was going to win. While others may not have believed until last minutes.

For me, I find it “staggering” that people don’t believe to some degree that MV dislikes UCONN. MV “is allowed” to be a human being. And human beings can have biases. Or are they only bias if they approve of UCONN?

Anyhow for me, I’ve often disagreed with the poster that spoke of “staggering.” I can’t help it- I know what I believe and I’m near certain MV popped off at UCONN and/or Geno in general during the Collier vs Nneka, and/or Geno vs Parker, and/or so many UCONN players like Jones making it.

Also, when I was 9 years old I noticed the difference in my favorite team when the MVP the prior year helped them win a championship to the next year they got beat in semis in which while he played he was nowhere near his former self. I can tell that as a kid. So, this isn’t “questionable, ”imo it’s out of line because if I could see it at 9 years old, MV didn’t even make a 1 sentence mention of it in his article.

Then add in the point I made about him being possibly sad. AI picked up on it, but I seem to recall it. I realize for others this isn’t proof but for me it sort of is and it’s within the context o the other things. Plus this is something I’m more apt to remember. Because many years ago – whne the UCONN men won their 1st title by beating Duke 77-74, I believe his name was Mike Vaccarro wrote an article in some manner stating how sad he was or the game was that Duke didn’t win. Coming from New York and Duke being so dominant overall those many years, and UCONN winning once – I was amazed. I ended up sending him an email – he never replied. But it just shows writers and analysts can have preferences too. Do we really think Muffet and Monica McNutt wanted UCONN to win? SO, we’re to believe that MV is above it all? Don’t we think Rebecca wanted UCONN to win?
 
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We have to go to players in Azzi and Sarah. They will draw much of the attention of opposing defenses. However last season we had Paige to and it was difficult for defenses to guard all three. This season we have a very good post presence with many who will contribute. We have depth that can score. Let me say this. Blanca will be a major star. It will take some time for her to adjust but she will be a major star this season. One of the advantages for our schedule which many have mentioned is a little weak is that Geno will be able to play more players without the fret of losing most games. UConn is back and a very powerful and overwhelming team.

Getting back to Azzi and Sarah drawing alot of attention from opposing defenses. Blanca will draw alot of attention and is athletic enough to be tuff to stop. She has been compared to Napheesa. She will be able to exploit her talent because of the attention her teammates will receive.

The key is staying healthy. We are loaded almost beyond belief. I believe most teams have become weaker then they were last season due to transfers and graduation. UConn lost Paige however they kept their nucleus which on defense was suffocating. UConn is bigger and more athletic this coming season and their defense will gobble up most opponents just like they did last season. Most teams dont have 2 AAs. Most teams dont have 3 go to players.

Now imagine Caroline and Yana coming back and being close to what they were? Imagine our height athleticism and defense. Imagine the balance and competition amongst our team. This is the motivation that will run this team. There arent many teams that have what UConn has. UConn may be a stronger team then last season. Just a side note. The connection between Christ the King and UConn is very solid and you know who is at CTK and graduating this season. Geno may not be retiring for quite some time. Im am confident that UConn and Geno have a plan in place for when he decides to step down. There are too many players in AAU and around the world that want to play for Geno. The future is bright and this coming season could be one of the most dominate seasons UConn has had.
 
I cannot think of another team that lost the NPOY, one of the best players and leaders in the history of the program, and was, or will be better the following season…..with the exception of UConn this coming season. :)
 
Watch any sporting event (especially college) and you will find a large number of fans on both sides who are 100% sure that the announcers were biased against their team in favor of the other.
 
oldude said:
I cannot think of another team that lost the NPOY, one of the best players and leaders in the history of the program, and was, or will be better the following season…..with the exception of UConn this coming season. :)
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Hmm. Didn't UConn experience that after 2002 with Bird?
 
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DEpup said:
Hmm. Didn't UConn experience that after 2002 with Bird?
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That’s a really interesting question. So I’ll split a few hairs. The 2001-02 UConn team is considered by many to be the greatest WBB team ever. They went 38-0, winning the national championship. In addition to NPOY Sue Bird, the Huskies had 3 other top 5 draft picks: Swin, Tamika & Asjha.

The next year UConn won another national championship. But they only went 37-1. They were lead of course by NPOY DT, who carried a less talented team than the year before to the national championships in both 2003 & 2004.

So my hair-splitting conclusion is that after losing NPOY Sue Bird, next year’s UConn team was not quite as good, although, “We had DT and you didn’t.” ;)
 
oldude said:
I cannot think of another team that lost the NPOY, one of the best players and leaders in the history of the program, and was, or will be better the following season…..with the exception of UConn this coming season. :)
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Are you counting Paige as the POY based on the Wade Trophy? It's a great honor but I think the two they gave Watkins are seen as more of the pure POY awards.
 
Sluconn Husky said:
Are you counting Paige as the POY based on the Wade Trophy? It's a great honor but I think the two they gave Watkins are seen as more of the pure POY awards.
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Paige won both the Wade trophy voted on by D1 HC’s and the Honda trophy, voted on by over 1,000 D1 AD’s and administrators. Those awards considered her play during the Big Dance. The Wade Trophy is the oldest WBB NPOY award and generally considered the most prestigious.

Watkins had a great year, until it prematurely ended. The awards she won were voted on by sportswriters and groups of businessmen in Atlanta and LA respectively. All were voted on before the Big Dance.

You tell me which POY awards were more prestigious?
 
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Vowelguy said:
Watch any sporting event (especially college) and you will find a large number of fans on both sides who are 100% sure that the announcers were biased against their team in favor of the other.
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Just curious, using your logic above then how can you ever make a determination that some writer or analyst or announcer is bias based on what you've just said? No one is ever bias because both sides complain?
 
oldude said:
That’s a really interesting question. So I’ll split a few hairs. The 2001-02 UConn team is considered by many to be the greatest WBB team ever. They went 38-0, winning the national championship. In addition to NPOY Sue Bird, the Huskies had 3 other top 5 draft picks: Swin, Tamika & Asjha.

The next year UConn won another national championship. But they only went 37-1. They were lead of course by NPOY DT, who carried a less talented team than the year before to the national championships in both 2003 & 2004.

So my hair-splitting conclusion is that after losing NPOY Sue Bird, next year’s UConn team was not quite as good, although, “We had DT and you didn’t.” ;)
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I hear what you're saying. For me, I'll be super happy if Azzi and Sarah combined can make a DT and win another title.
 
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For me, I am always interested in seeing which team becomes the next "big time" program. I noticed that Michigan was on the list. Being in Big Ten country (Minnesota) and attending a lot of Michigan games over the years (family connection), Michigan has been an interesting program. Going into its 45th season, Michigan has 0 Big Ten titles. 0 Conference titles and only 13 trips to the NCAA tournament. It has been a slow build and Coach Barnes-Arico is doing a decent job of building, recruiting, and developing talent. I do hope that Michigan can make that jump into that "Big Time" program conversation. Same with Oklahoma, UCLA, USC, and the rest of the ranked teams.
 
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