Hawkins - The couple 3s he took didnt fall but he legit looked like an NBA athlete out there

[AntG168]

Bc the same people who said we're gonna win it all after these three games said Polley was going to the NBA after his only two good games last year. People get in a euphoric state after these wins and then when reality hits, they destroy the board. All people are saying is temper expectations for now. We'll have a better idea after the tourney. We do look very good, very deep, and we're talented. But we haven't had to face adversity or had to run a halfcourt offense that much so far.


Edit: I will say that a lot of the posts after the losses are from lurkers and posters who don't post often

But that’s my point, people don’t need to temper anything. Let them be excited. We don’t need an excitement and expectation police force

 

[husky429]

I find the complaining about people complaining about optimism more annoying than the original complainers.

Put that in the "sentences I never thought I'd write" box.

 

[tzznandrew]

But that’s my point, people don’t need to temper anything. Let them be excited. We don’t need an excitement and expectation police force

You're honestly the only one doing any real policing in telling people not to post.

This is a message board where we come together and get to disagree. Me telling someone they are wrong and giving reasons is the whole point. You telling people not to post is the opposite of the point.

 

[CTBballfan243]

The couple 3s he took didnt fall but he legit looked like an NBA athlete out there. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen someone look so much faster than everyone else on the court. It’s like watching Ronaldo run around. You can just tell how special of a player he is just by his movement.

He’s gonna drop 30 points at some point during conference play

Yes, they were NBA quality Bricks

 

[AntG168]

You're honestly the only one doing any real policing in telling people not to post.

This is a message board where we come together and get to disagree. Me telling someone they are wrong and giving reasons is the whole point. You telling people not to post is the opposite of the point.

Who told you not to post?

 

[Waquoit]

Watch more nba basketball then.

Make me

 

[Waquoit]

I wonder if that terrible stretch contributed to the beatdown they took in their first game after that against Marquette?

Also, I'm going by KenPom here...and there were not five sub-300 games by KenPom:

UMass 105
New Hampshire 277
Quinnipiac 253
Army 331
Texas Southern 319
Morehead State 328
Stony Brook 313

The best NC Home game this year is LIU at 273...

And, again, that league was stacked will excellent teams.

New Hampshire was sub-300 Sagarin when they played. Why did you feel the need to (inaccurately) call me out?

 

[Umami Zen]

Hawk is a baller and has onions. 2 yrs max

 

[tzznandrew]

New Hampshire was sub-300 Sagarin when they played. Why did you feel the need to (inaccurately) call me out?

I wasn't using Sagarin, so why would you change the metric? New Hampshire was 277 by the metric we had been using. I mostly went back and looked at it to see if it was an accurate reflection of reality or fair counter-argument. It was a decent one—one that I think misses context. But also one that either got something wrong or changed the metric to make a point. I guess it was the latter.

Honestly, I do think the terms and stakes have largely been laid out on this, and the answer to this may never really become clear since I think the team is good but not Final Four good. At that point—provided they don't get grossly underseeded or flame out—all evidence would be up for debate.

 

[Waquoit]

I wasn't using Sagarin, so why would you change the metric?

Because that's the one I was using when I made my comment! The one that you found so heinous that it needed "correcting". Besides is 277 that much different than 300? (Hint: No)

 

[MexicoHusky]

There have been a few comparisons. Ray Allen has been one of them. Ray was no where near the ball handler at the same point in development. So I don't see that.

I think he looks a bit like Jerome Dyson. A bit taller than Dyson, but similar slight build. He was also excited and played a bit too fast. Similar to Dyson.

 

[XLCenterFan]

I wonder what Hawkins thinks of Jackson though.

 

[Husky68]

Maybe, just maybe, having a reasonable conversation that's not beholden only to the current moment stripped of all meaningful context is enjoyable for some. A circle jerk of "oh my god we're the best team in the conference I know because Jackson dunked on a glorified middle schooler" is not only far more uninteresting to me, but frankly tiresome because we know that, usually, that same person is the first to start calling for heads to roll when the team doesn't effortlessly meet that standard.

Give me a conversation people who know and watch hoop and can put UConn and it's performance into a proper context rather than someone who thinks a team who is likely at best a 5 seed is a title contender and gets mad when people try to have a rational discussion.

That's just me. No harm in the board having multiple views.

Gee, wonder if UConn was ever a 5 or worst seed and also a title contender.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Except that isn’t what’s happening here. Most of what I see is the same 3-4 posters littering every thread with “we haven’t played anyone good yet”. It’s quite annoying. It’s an obvious observation that is constantly repeated anytime anyone has an excited view of our team, a player or our season. No one is saying don’t have “context”. We’re saying stop repeating yourself

You went for the long ball in labeling something that isn't really happening in this thread as "by far the worst" thing that happens on this board, and it resonated with a lot of posters. It was like an opposite field home run.

Now, you're swinging at bad pitches and looking for someone else to blame. Take your win and take your loss.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

But that’s my point, people don’t need to temper anything. Let them be excited. We don’t need an excitement and expectation police force

This "police" thing is just an amped up, whiny rhetorical invention; it's not real. If it were, I might agree.

You're free to express yourself as exuberently as you want, and somebody else is free to express their distaste or disagreement.

 

[olehead]

Maybe, just maybe, having a reasonable conversation that's not beholden only to the current moment stripped of all meaningful context is enjoyable for some. A circle jerk of "oh my god we're the best team in the conference I know because Jackson dunked on a glorified middle schooler" is not only far more uninteresting to me, but frankly tiresome because we know that, usually, that same person is the first to start calling for heads to roll when the team doesn't effortlessly meet that standard.

Give me a conversation people who know and watch hoop and can put UConn and it's performance into a proper context rather than someone who thinks a team who is likely at best a 5 seed is a title contender and gets mad when people try to have a rational discussion.

That's just me. No harm in the board having multiple views.

Amen, but remember the choir to whom you preach.

 

[tzznandrew]

Gee, wonder if UConn was ever a 5 or worst seed and also a title contender.

Yes, UConn is one of two teams to ever win the title from a seed lower than 4 in the 43 years of the NCAA seeding the tournament. We should absolutely take those two exceptions (4%) and universalize them.

 

[aburks41]

Yes, UConn is one of two teams to ever win the title from a seed lower than 4 in the 43 years of the NCAA seeding the tournament. We should absolutely take those two exceptions (4%) and universalize them.

The point is, anything can happen because we’ve already created the blueprint. This team can defend, they can shoot, they’re extremely fast and athletic, they’re bigger than 6 NBA teams, they can go 10 deep. What more can you ask for in a championship contender??

 

[husky429]

The point is, anything can happen because we’ve already created the blueprint. This team can defend, they can shoot, they’re extremely fast and athletic, they’re bigger than 6 NBA teams, they can go 10 deep. What more can you ask for in a championship contender??

Better shooting and half-court offense if you want to get real technical about it. The jury is still out on those.

I do think we end up with a top 20 offense though. Our experience should be enough to overcome any major limitations we haven't seen yet.

 

[imno1]

. Besides is 277 that much different than 300? (Hint: No)

If I’m bowling yes

 

[tzznandrew]

The point is, anything can happen because we’ve already created the blueprint. This team can defend, they can shoot, they’re extremely fast and athletic, they’re bigger than 6 NBA teams, they can go 10 deep. What more can you ask for in a championship contender??

"We" was the 2014 team that was underseeded at 7, had multiple key players who not only had been to the NCAAs before, but had won a title. It had a first team AA and perimeter defense that slowed down quality opponents in ways that neither Cole nor Gaffney has shown they can do.

That team is light-years different from this one. And there's no overlap, not even on the bench. What happened in 2014 is irrelevant.

 

[tzznandrew]

Because that's the one I was using when I made my comment! The one that you found so heinous that it needed "correcting". Besides is 277 that much different than 300? (Hint: No)

So...KenPom had been the metric being used by everyone in this discussion. You silently decide to use Sagarin to make the home slate look just as bad as this year's, and then when I point out you were wrong you're annoyed and say the numbers don't really matter?

Again, the specific numbers aren't the point, necessarily. But for an overall comparison of the schedule of this year's and ones in the past, it seems odd to pop in, make a snarky comment based on different data, and then get annoyed when someone points out that you are using whatever numbers might fit your argument and then obscuring that.

 

[aburks41]

"We" was the 2014 team that was underseeded at 7, had multiple key players who not only had been to the NCAAs before, but had won a title. It had a first team AA and perimeter defense that slowed down quality opponents in ways that neither Cole nor Gaffney has shown they can do.

That team is light-years different from this one. And there's no overlap, not even on the bench. What happened in 2014 is irrelevant.

You're right, bringing in Akok and a top 10 recruiting class off the bench is way worse than Olander, Kromah, and Calhoun. How could I be so stupid?

 

[jibsey]

So the talent we have 1-10 means that it's on Hurley to get the combos and usage right. That's difficult.

 

[tzznandrew]

So the talent we have 1-10 means that it's on Hurley to get the combos and usage right. That's difficult.

And the talent/experience of 1-2-3 in 2014 surpasses 1-2-3 now.

It's a guards' game, and our guards are good, but not nearly up to Bazz-Boat caliber.

It's a shooters' game, and none of our players can shoot as well—and consistently—as Giffey-Bazz-Boat-Daniels.