Expectations

[Chief00]

We have the talent - but repeating is very difficult. You are everyone's big game and we lost K-Walk. Besides being talented you also need luck - foul trouble, injuries, bad shooting games, etc.......can all bounce you from the tournament.

Having said that we will be in the hunt......and that is all a fan can ask at this point.

 

[lavuuk153]

The biggest issue with the team is PG. Bazz hasn't run a team yet and no one knows if Boatright can play at this level. The good news is they have all year to develop as there is enough talent on this team to be a top 6 BE team even if they do struggle. I'm expecting AO to really put it together this year and having that animal line up next to him will give everyone we face fits. It's always nice when I don't fear getting pushed around in the paint by Pitt.

 

[Kitaman]

How can one have high expectations after losing the best player in the nation who happened to be a point guard. Sure the roster is loaded and the coaching staff is the best, but Kemba is, well, like no other. He bailed us out last year time and time again. This is 'After Kemba'.

My expectations are that they will compete for the BE Title and of course the BET tournament (expect them to get a bye). I certainly don't expect them to be a middle of the pack team again. Also I don't know if this non-BE schedule helps or hurts. The 'Maui' confidence last year was a huge factor in knowing what this young team can do. With this schedule we won't really know until January.

So do we have addition by subtraction? Meaning is Kemba is less than AD, DD,RB and a complete year's experience with championships, I hope so. But damn Kemba was, well you know................

I hope I am not putting to much focus on Kemba but he was so special and so good last year. Bazz has some big shoes to fill, he doesn't have to fill them this year. Maybe this will be Ollie's defining moment.

BTW its amazing how only Alex has been here longer than Coach Ollie. Kevin is in a good place with good timing.

 

[caw]

I don't know if UConn has been in better shape to defend a National Championship, which is just awesome to be able to say. I thought pre-Drummond UConn was a contender, though probably an outside contender. Now they are one of 4-5 favorites going into the season. I think it's realistic to expect a elite 8 for this team. No team should ever expect a NC or final four with how the tournament works. A ton could happen between now and the NCAA's though, and UConn has a lot of question marks (players in new roles).

 

[ctchamps]

that sentiment is flat out ridiculous. the season starts in early november and doesn't end - based on your expectations - until the first week of april. you won't even know if your expectation can be met until after 5 months of basketball.

i'm flabbergasted at that statement.

We are an eclectic bunch.

I read in one of your other posts you left scout because of all the vitriol directed at the 2006 team by posters. You may want to be prepared that some people can get nasty on this board. I'm not of fan of posts that are venomous to players or teams. But there is no way of stopping it. Just know that most posters are reasonable.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

We are an eclectic bunch.

I read in one of your other posts you left scout because of all the vitriol directed at the 2006 team by posters. You may want to be prepared that some people can get nasty on this board. I'm not of fan of posts that are venomous to players or teams. But there is no way of stopping it. Just know that most posters are reasonable.

yeah, that kind of sentiment scares me. how many "lamb is just thinking about his position in the draft" posts are we going to see if they lose to a mid level BE team in january ?

you would think at this point, after 3 national championships and 4 final fours that they could get the benefit of the doubt

 

[emac]

el amin won it all his second season. just sayin

El Amin was BE rookie of the year and starter as a frosh. Bad comparison. He WAS in his second year though. He was a exception. Hopefully, Bazz is just like him.

 

[ctchamps]

yeah, that kind of sentiment scares me. how many "lamb is just thinking about his position in the draft" posts are we going to see if they lose to a mid level BE team in january ?

you would think at this point, after 3 national championships and 4 final fours that they could get the benefit of the doubt

The only logic to this is that we are who we are. Some people are more forgiving. Some are less forgiving. Some are more demanding. Some are less demanding. Some people are laid back and happy no matter what happens. Others are miserable unless things go their way. And some poor critters are miserable no matter what. My advice is learn to ignore people who see the world differently than you do.

Words can hurt, but only if we allow them to hurt. Since the other guy isn't likely to change, the only option is to change ourselves. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Waquoit]

This team should start at least 15-0 with that schedule. 15-0 will get those expectations going.

 

[Scot-e]

I agree we should start 15-0 or somewhere close if we have a WTF game and someone gets super hot- but looking at those games I see no one until BE play that can do that.

As for all this talk of NC or bust- I recommend you go back and watch ANY Uconn game from last year and see what we are missing this year with Kemba in the NBA. His hand was in 60% of all our offense. Add to that what he did on the D side- his leadership and you have something that is way out of the ordinary- just like our 11-0 run last year. We did not lose our best player- we lost the guy who made just about everything happen and made everyone better.

AD is the type of player that will make everyone better as well- in a different way - but much better. His addition certainly should help us have a chance to get through the first couple of rounds of the NCAA- once that happens - who knows. But this year there are teams that are going to play on a much higher level then last year. UNC is stupid good, Uk will be better for the sole reason a few players stayed in school for once and they reloaded, OSU is balanced and very good, Lville is about as deep a team as I have seen outside of this years UNC team in some time and they have maybe the best point guard in the BE this year, Quse has all the pieces to beat us- PITT is there to= the list goes on and on this year and those are just the big boys.

If everything works out the way we hope it will-meaning- the sophs all improve dramatically- SN is steady and makes great choices at the PG spot and can drain the open JSs, RS has added a bit more O to his game and continues to be a stopper on D, NG gains confidence and also can now be a steady shooter form the outside, TO can play solid minutes and score 4-6 a game and help hold done the middle, JL is the beast we have been hearing about all summer and can pull it off with teams keying on him. Ad to that AO having a monster year looking toward joining Kemba in the NBA and plays like he did in the NCAAs, RB is a capable sub at PG, DD is a stud and no one gets hurt. We have as good a shot as any at making the FF.

Sound like a lot? It is.

WE ARE SO DOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tykurez]

Not sure about anyone else, but I was hoping for a shot at the NIT title last year ... maybe an NCAA berth but wasn't counting on it. Maybe it was just a bad taste from 09-10 in my mouth, but all I really wanted was to see the young kids play and show some improvement. Never in my wildest dreams did I consider them having a shot at the title. I was fully ready to enjoy a .500 season just having fun watching young kids grow and learn.

That said, my expectations are slightly higher this year. They should absolutely make the NCAA tournament, and I'd like to see them win a couple games there. But I can't forget that they lost arguably the best leader they've had in a Husky uniform. And that they are playing with 1 upperclassman. Sure the schedule looks easy, but I've learned throughout the years to never take any of these teams for granted. I'm excited (again) to watch a bunch of young kids having fun and (hopefully) improving throughout the year.

 

[gibhunter]

Bazz and Boat should be very good guards. They won't be KW, but they don't have to be. Last year KW carried the team and needed double/double from AO to beat top 20 teams. This year our guards just need to distribute and make open shots which both guys can do and then some. We have JL, RS, DD on the wings and AO doing his thing and a great passing big man in AD. There is plenty of scoring to go around, all we need is a point that can distribute. This team is loaded and that's why to me anything less than another FF will be a disappointment.

 

[Waquoit]

My only worry, and it isn't much of one, is that the team doesn't play team ball and forgets the great defense they played in the post-season. That defense wasn't just Kemba.

This team should have high expectations. Bazz was the PG for much of the Final Four, AO was the best big man and Lamb was money from outside. That's a good team right there. Add the most explosive recruit with two other blue chippers to the returning role players with rings and your HOF coach is primed for another run. I won't be disappointed if we don't win again, winning championships is hard. I will be disappointed if we don't give it a good run.

 

[jibsey]

How many minutes total do we need to get out of Bradley and Wolf now that we have Drummond?

 

[ctchamps]

How many minutes total do we need to get out of Bradley and Wolf now that we have Drummond?

20 minutes

Bradley and Tyler will probably get 5-15 minutes between them depending on AD getting into foul trouble.