Hoopfeed: Proud to be an American, but is No. 1 Connecticut happy to be in the American?

[Waquoit]

I am concerned that it will effect recruiting at some point, especially if some of the other big WCBB teams start avoiding us- and I fear that may happen , at least to some degree.

Recruiting will be fine for as long as Geno is here. He is at the top of his profession, the world leader in his field. Talent wants to go where the best is. But if we are still in the American when he moves on, we will end up like La Tech. It will be all over. So enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[huskybill]

I thought for a long time about how to respond to hioerring, DobbsRover, Tonyc, and DishNSwish who all made comments about my post. I realized I could write dozens of pages on the topic and after reading page 2, AuntyNan would banish all the pages to the Dead Threader Office where most Boneyarders, including me, never go. So here's a somewhat shortened version of what I was trying to say.

As Tony pointed out, all fans want their teams to win. I think it's fair to say that on the Boneyard, almost all the posters want UConn to win all their regular season games, get to the Final Four and win the National Championship. The few who don't are not fans of UConn and want their favorite team to win it all. In that sense we are all elitists.

And yet a goodly number of the Yarders speak longingly of parity and more competition for UConn. Parity means equality so the fans want all teams to be equal and UConn to win every game. Now UConn is not the only elite team in Division 1 Women's Basketball; only the best right now. One could also put Baylor, Tennessee, ND, Stamford and a few other teams as being among the elite teams. But there are 300+ other teams in Division 1.

DobbsR talked about the "cult of losing." I consider it more as a counterculture. And there are times in history where cults and countercultures have become the dominant culture. The death of elitism, the rise of parity; equality; is not just talked about in WBB or sports. Look around you. The word "equality" is on everyone's tongue about everything in the 2014 world. And the idea of equality is growing stronger, not weaker.

I am for UConn winning every game and making all games, against even ranked teams, "laffers." I think I'm going against the tide in opposing equality. So be it.

 

[DobbsRover2]

I am for UConn winning every game and making all games, against even ranked teams, "laffers." I think I'm going against the tide in opposing equality. So be it.

You unashamed big bully, you, HB. But I'll be happy to join you in that whomping club. Let the NFL have its parity, WCBB is where the Huskies run wild at the top.

 

[Phil]

I think a good point has been made.

Just look at these margins of victory:

• 36,
  
• 58,
  
• 29,
  
• 15,
  
• 34,
  
• 15,
  
• 51,
  
• 49,
  
• 11,
  
• 11,
  
• 38,
  
• 46,
  
• 46

This is bad for the sport, maybe the team should be broken up, or made to play with only four players or something.

I'm not surprised that so many people are complaining abut the dominance of...Arkansas.

Yes, those are the margins of victory of Arkansas in their first 14 games.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Yes, those are the margins of victory of Arkansas in their first 14 games.

Only 11 points in two of the games? C'mon, that's Razorback thin.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Ah, yes, Arkansas' diet of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

I see a lot of generalization going on. When the issue is that no team seems to be able to elevate themselves to be competitive with UConn, instead of taking the two options that seem obvious to me (either there are coaches who are not doing the things they need to do, or it can't be done), some folks are focusing on the "margin of victory", which is a bit disingenuous. It is a symptom.

Likewise that Arkansas and some other teams can nosh their way through easy-ville and end up ranked is a bit of an issue, but in the cosmic scheme of things, Arkansas seems to be coming back to the pack.

For the few times I have seen one, love a Rutgers (or Arizona) blowout. Wouldn't get tired if they happened more often. And yes, HB, I would love if RU won a NC, but unlike a UConn where it can be almost expected (and if not one year, certainly in a very short span) I have little hope of it happening. As do fans of the vast majority of the 350 or so D1 teams.

 

[Wonkster]

Wow! let us now praise this famous man/letter. Is this the same as the expression: 'you can be too smart for your own good'? What will do-Uconn-in is all this silly hype about being too good. It is taking on a life of its own and if team-Uconn starts believing in it then ..(wish comes through). Can a scientist/researcher ever be too smart for his/her own good? Are they going to fall on their face because they want to break out of the old paradigm? Come on. Let us leave behind all these small minds that would confined us to the pack. Oh dare these huskies to think and behave as if they were better that everybody.

I think what these complaints about perfection show is that political correctness has come full bloom to women's college sports, to the point where it may be ineradicable. It's a game of self indulgence that I can't imagine being played with UCLA's basketball teams of the John Wooden era.

Personally, it makes me retch.