Frustrated

[superjohn]

Reminder: UConn was 14-18 last year and brought in one recruit of note.

I'm as excited as everyone else for the turnaround but let's have a LITTLE perspective. Even for the boneyard.

What is lacking in perspective? You expected us to lose to that team at home?

 

[Waquoit]

Jalen is a senior and the team leader, most of our fans consider him a star player. He's obviously held to a different standard than the rest of the players.

Exactly, he put up some numbers but he was on 18 for a long time. I don't blame him in the least for the loss but he had a chance to win the game and put himself in UConn lore and it didn't happen. Too bad.

 

[zls44]

What is lacking in perspective? You expected us to lose to that team at home?

I didn't expect them to lose, but a 76-72 loss to them isn't exactly damming

 

[blackbird]

What is lacking in perspective? You expected us to lose to that team at home?

Absolutely.

Last year, they get blown out.

Yeah, JA is our star, so he gets a lot of the focus (only when things go bad though..) but a little perspective here. The last three years he has had to do absolutely everything for this team. He’s spend summers recovering physically, and was never coached out of his bad habits.

It’s obvious he’s coachable, so hopefully we see some major growth this year.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Main takeaways-

1. Say what you want about the FBI investigation, but Sean Miller is a great coach. He got a down-year Zona team to win a tough game on the other side of the country in a tough environment. More notably, he called a few excellent timeouts when we were on mini runs. He circled our bigs and killed us on high pick and rolls. The pressure on the guards was really good and his team is ice at the line.

2. This was the first time my dad and I made it to Hartford for a game since a loss to Pitt in 2010. The crowd was awesome and really felt like the OBE. Too bad we only get one of those types of games this season against a big basketball brand at home.

3. The loss was disappointing, but we had chances to win. This team will get better throughout the season, and it feels so good to have a competitive basketball program again.

 

[Stainmaster]

The crowd was awesome and really felt like the OBE.

This was the comparison I had as well.

 

[Caronimo]

Need to add one thing here before bed. Do we really need that DJ yelling to wave towels? Makes me cringe and brings back bad memories of DJ Joey who was an embarrassment. At one point the guy was about to say something into his microphone until big red UConn chant overpowered it. The on court guy was good and funny, but let’s please stop with the DJ’s getting on the mic please.

 

[UCDaveD]

Disappointing result, but I actually came away quite optimistic about our future. Gilbert had a rough afternoon, but at this point in his career, I'm not surprised. He'll grow from this no doubt. He seems like the type of kid who will use that game as motivation going forward. That was the type of game where we could have used a gritty, smart, intense senior. A Jevon Carter type dude.

 

[mauconnfan]

Absolutely.

Last year, they get blown out.

Yeah, JA is our star, so he gets a lot of the focus (only when things go bad though..) but a little perspective here. The last three years he has had to do absolutely everything for this team. He’s spend summers recovering physically, and was never coached out of his bad habits.

It’s obvious he’s coachable, so hopefully we see some major growth this year.

What makes you think he’s coachable? Bad habits are his no one else’s fault on his habits time for him to make less mistakes if he wants to be as good as he thinks he is. The only ones to blame for 12 TOs for he and CV are them.

 

[Excalibur]

Posters expect a senior guard to show the team how to win, forgetting that he has no prior experience actually winning. . .

 

[Excalibur]

What is lacking in perspective? You expected us to lose to that team at home?

It was a toss-up game. We missed opportunities. If you think we had "no business" losing that game you're delusional. Full stop.

 

[UCDaveD]

It was a toss-up game. We missed opportunities. If you think we had "no business" losing that game you're delusional. Full stop.

As evidenced by the spread hovering between Arizona -1 and UConn -1.5. Essentially a toss-up.

 

[Towney007]

Four weeks ago - anyone who looked at our schedule and saw that game and thought this was a 'toss up' is a total LIAR.

I'm happy we didn't lose by 15-20 based off of what i've seen out of this team the last few years and having been launched out of a cannon last year by the same team. They're literally a tough match-up across the board for us. I was a little more optimistic heading into this week - but c'mon guys.

It's OK to be disappointed that we didn't win given how things shook out on the court today, but I can't even fathom a world where this is a let down like we lost to a team that was inferior to us. That's straight out silly.

 

[polycom]

we should not have lost that game, however it seems as though Hurley is trying to figure out his rotation people played minutes who should not have and some of the lines up didn't make sense. Yakwe and Sid should really never play together ever.

 

[superjohn]

Four weeks ago - anyone who looked at our schedule and saw that game and thought this was a 'toss up' is a total LIAR.

I'm happy we didn't lose by 15-20 based off of what i've seen out of this team the last few years and having been launched out of a cannon last year by the same team. They're literally a tough match-up across the board for us. I was a little more optimistic heading into this week - but c'mon guys.

It's OK to be disappointed that we didn't win given how things shook out on the court today, but I can't even fathom a world where this is a let down like we lost to a team that was inferior to us. That's straight out silly.

Sure but people need to stop comparing us to last year, we absolutely blew last year and we don't anymore. They should have an advantage down low and we should have an advantage at guard. The game was at home between two equal teams, we don't constantly shoot ourselves in the foot and it's a W.

Anyone with a pulse blew us out last year so we can stop comparing us to them. We know how much better we are now.

 

[auror]

Four weeks ago - anyone who looked at our schedule and saw that game and thought this was a 'toss up' is a total LIAR.

KenPom had us slightly favored before the season.

 

[Towney007]

I know the improvements are easily recognizeable. And i'm buying on this team now. Especially after today.

But we've played 3 P5 schools and we're 1-2 and we've beaten up on a lot of bunnies. We're better, but how much better is a big question mark because there's literally no way a program our size could possibly be any worse than it was last year. And I'm sorry but anyone thinking we're that much better than Arizona that we should be angry about this loss because we beat up UMass-Lowell is... sorry. Not buying it.

We hung with a very good team today and lost. Largely because they're just better. And why they're better was on display in a lot of places - as they pretty much took all our weaknesses out and showed them to us over and over again.

I can get being diappointed by not winning because we didn't do things in the game we should have been able to do and execute. I don't get how someone can look at this whole thing as if we lost to lowely Arizona or something. When I looked at the schedule - this and Nova were the two that jumped right off the page at me as tough games.

 

[auror]

The AAC stinks, but its still a 3-4 bid league. No reason UConn shouldn't be able to be one of the 3 or 4.

AAC is lacking elite teams this year. It's proving to actually be somewhat deep so far this year, though. 7 teams in the top 90 in KenPom, which is only the 2nd time that's happened (2016 the other). Only 5 in top 100 of NET though. We'll likely have 3-4 teams in the bubble hunt, but I don't think we get 4 unless a few teams separate themselves. Most likely is 2.

 

[superjohn]

I know the improvements are easily recognizeable. And i'm buying on this team now. Especially after today.

But we've played 3 P5 schools and we're 1-2 and we've beaten up on a lot of bunnies. We're better, but how much better is a big question mark because there's literally no way a program our size could possibly be any worse than it was last year. And I'm sorry but anyone thinking we're that much better than Arizona that we should be angry about this loss because we beat up UMass-Lowell is... sorry. Not buying it.

We hung with a very good team today and lost. Largely because they're just better. And why they're better was on display in a lot of places - as they pretty much took all our weaknesses out and showed them to us over and over again.

I can get being diappointed by not winning because we didn't do things in the game we should have been able to do and execute. I don't get how someone can look at this whole thing as if we lost to lowely Arizona or something. When I looked at the schedule - this and Nova were the two that jumped right off the page at me as tough games.

That's just bull IMO, we lost because we didn't play well. It took a lot of things going really wrong for us to lose and all those things happened. This is not a very good Arizona team, they aren't more talented than us, and the game was at home. We should have won.

The loss isn't the end of the world but I strongly disagree with the picture you are painting. This was also the most winnable game out of the FSU, Nova, Zona games IMO. We can still win 1 of those but this was the easier of the three.

 

[Towney007]

That's just bull IMO, we lost because we didn't play well. It took a lot of things going really wrong for us to lose and all those things happened. This is not a very good Arizona team, they aren't more talented than us, and the game was at home. We should have won.

The loss isn't the end of the world but I strongly disagree with the picture you are painting. This was also the most winnable game out of the FSU, Nova, Zona games IMO. We can still win 1 of those but this was the easier of the three.

Well, we'll just agree to disagee. I think they're better and I think that played out a lot today. We did plenty to shoot out own foot off. The way it was played we had our chances to win the game, too. But they forced Gilbert and Adams into those situations. They slagged our bigs all night. They made guys like Vital do what they don't do well.

I just wasn't looking at this as a must-win is all. I would be happy with our proving that we belonged and we really did that today, so i'm still pretty sunny side up at this point - even moreso than before the game. That's all.

 

[strivefor5]

todays game was a very winnable game and I was bummed afterwards but only for a few moments because today showed the potential this program has and I believe we are going to be very good in a couple years. then add the fact that recruiting is trending upward. Hurley is creating a buzz around the school and kids are taking notice and want to be a part of it. I am very excited for the future of UConn basketball.

 

[intlzncster]

Reminder: UConn was 14-18 last year and brought in one recruit of note.

I'm as excited as everyone else for the turnaround but let's have a LITTLE perspective. Even for the boneyard.

Thank you.

 

[intlzncster]

What makes you think he’s coachable? Bad habits are his no one else’s fault on his habits time for him to make less mistakes if he wants to be as good as he thinks he is. The only ones to blame for 12 TOs for he and CV are them.

When you're taught poorly, you learn poorly. It's that simple. When bad habits are allowed to flourish, they become embedded, entrenched. You believe, as a kid, that this is the way. That's why coaching, especially at these young developmental stages, is so damn important. As a coach, you beat the bad habits right out, and the fundamentals right in. These kids ain't pros; kids don't know what they don't know. AAU ain't doing them any favors coming into college either.

 

[willie99]

AG layed a brick, he'll be fine. Adams was good, he's not going to be perfect all the time. Vitale gives 1,000%, I can't fault in that kid. The bigs were good enough to win.....

I think they may have NOT played within themselves yesterday, I think they wanted it too much and forced things a little too often. They'll grow from this.

There is one thing I don't really get as of now, why does Smith get all the minutes he's getting? The only plausible explanation is that Hurley thinks he can be a star for them when he gets his game together, but I just don't see anything yet.

 

[80shusky]

This is a game UConn should have won. This UConn team isn't a great team. I'm on board with the enthusiasm along with everybody else but we should be introspective here. Yesterday's loss was self inflicted. A good team with a winning mindset wins that game at home. Jalen and CV had something like 12 turnovers between them. That's pretty much the game along with Arizona's 19 made free throws. We hung with them on the boards, badly outplayed their guards but you can't have your experienced guards turn the ball over that much and expect to win against a solid team.
Still I like what I am seeing with the energy level in general and that the feeling of impending doom seems to be lifted this year. I'm truly excited for the games now and feel like we have a chance to win every one.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is a flawed team.