How do you handle your feelings?

[superjohn]

I bet against UConn if I think it's a smart bet to the same standard I use for all my bets.

I never root for the bet ahead of rooting for UConn. This is the Rubicon for betting against your team. As long as you are happy to lose the bet and always prioritize your team's result over your betting result, it's fine IMO.

We need a vomit button for posts like this.

 

[ctchamps]

So now you cerebrate so that you can celebrate.

You employ internal joy as a decoy .

Not a bad ploy.

We’ll done!

 

[GlastonTim]

Can't answer because I will never bet against UConn, but sometimes I do turn the game off for a bit when we are struggling because I hope it will change things

Instead of turning off I just go to the bathroom.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The fact that 20% or BY'ers turn the game off in lieu of watching is jarring to me.

 

[homunculus]

The fact that 20% or BY'ers turn the game off in lieu of watching is jarring to me.

I always find it odd that so much discussion after losses sounds like people ignored what they watched and relied solely on the box score. This makes a little more sense.

 

[UConniki]

You aren't a real fan if you're betting against UConn. You aren't a fan if you're leaving the arena early or turning the game off when we're losing. I will never change my mind on this.

I must confess I did turn off a few games while KO was coach, Arkansas/ Auburn I think ( a 40+ point blowout), Villanova at the Hartford XL Center. I live in Florida but when we lived in CT I never left the HCC early no matter the score.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You aren't a real fan if you're betting against UConn. You aren't a fan if you're leaving the arena early or turning the game off when we're losing. I will never change my mind on this.

Honestly, if I’m not paying close attention to the game it’s because we’re blowing the other team out. I’ll always watch and believe if we are down, expecting us to pull it out (like the run we made late at Creighton). These questions were nonsensical.

 

[CL82]

You aren't a real fan if you're betting against UConn. You aren't a fan if you're leaving the arena early or turning the game off when we're losing. I will never change my mind on this.

Soooo, you are saying that if you do those things you are a casual fan?

 

[superjohn]

I store my feelings away in a deep dark place, I'm Irish Catholic.

 

[Greedo]

I don’t ever bet on any games so it never even crossed my mind to hedge a bet against UConn. I watch every game start to finish no matter the outcome.

I also always pick UConn to win it all in my bracket as long as they’re in the dance. This team has proven enough times that it doesn’t matter the seed or how the season has gone, they can pull it out. I’ve made some good money when no one else thought UConn would win it all.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Depends on the scenario. I never bet against them; unless I’m filling out a bracket and may consider it.

I stopped filling out brackets after 1990. At that point, it felt weird to not have the team I care about not chosen to win each game. It got so that during non-tournament years, I had no motivation to hop on the merry-go-round.

During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, I did turn some games off early, I skipped watching some games altogether, and I watched very little of the NCAA Tourneys.

In 2019 and 2020, I regained my footing, endured the "excruciating" close losses, and was attuned & 'ready' when Whaley (seemingly out of nowhere) filled a leadership vacuum in early 2020. I've been pretty close to all in since then.

I don't bet, and I believe that my opinion about those who bet against UConn says more about me than it says about them, though I find myself not unhappy when I learn that those folks have lost such bets.

I've repeated discovered that I can't last more than a few minutes in Chat, though I liked the brief game threads period. I reluctantly accepted the reasoning for their elimination, and do enjoy when some of that energy shows up in a close non-UConn game in the weekly thread.

I've vastly grown in my patience & tolerance this season toward my longest continuous friend who is watching UConn more regularly than ever this year but remains so low information that it can be painful for me to field his questions, hear him pass along something inconsequential that he heard from a network talking head, or otherwise engage with him during a game. It turns out that he asks little of me, and my key reminder is not to be rude because I visit this forum and click to linked articles & tweets & videos & podcasts & such at bare minimum comfortably more than 300 days a year. I'm the weirdo, not him.

I almost never watch with anybody else, though will do so and love it with my sister if we're within a county of each other on a game day (pretty rare in recent years). We generally text throughout most games, and both of us cherish it. I watched the 2009 Final 4 game against Michigan State at some sports bar near Cromwell, because I was doing something else nearby that weekend, and maybe at no other public space since then.

I've also watched in recent years at the home of a friend who is a Syracuse grad and casual fan. It's more a relief than a bother that he pays more attention to his phone than the game. It's like the 'silent men together' thing, which I hardly ever do, but did with my dad, who took me to my first games >60 years ago. This friend and I fit much better together going to Gathering of the Vibes than as sports fans. I keep an eye out for openings to 'suggest' that he can shift his fan interest anytime to the school where he earned his MBA, rather than where he went undergrad, but even today he sent a 'grip & smile' photo of a college pal with Boeheim, at some kind of event. Earlier this season, he noted a game winning shot, his having completely not known about & thereby missed the UNC victory, and a recent comeback. He's not attentive enough for me rag on the ACC, or discuss 2024’s conference realignment news, and he's way too wonderful a friend for me to ever be outright impolite, though that's easy to do for fun elsewhere. He acts congratulatory toward UConn and is supportive of my pleasure.

I'll finally add that I've faithfully watched nearly every UConn WBB game live or within a couple days since Paige Bueckers was a freshman, after many years of only watching games against ranked teams. I text with my sister during most games...up until after the decisive loss to South Carolina on February 11th. Since then, I've not watched 4 in-conference beat downs. I've absorbed feelings of sadness that the team is too short-handed yet again to compete at the highest level, this year due to a handful of players out for the season with injuries. I will watch the highlights videos for each of the missed games, and the second half of tomorrow's game after a yoga class.

I will cheer them fully for the BE Tournament, and then for however far they go in the NCAAs. All of these feelings of resignation, sadness, acceptance, and continued caring are for a 23-5 team that is undefeated in conference play, has risen to being ranked 10th in the AP poll, is NET-rated 2nd, and has the 2nd highest ranked strength of schedule.

I'm emotionally invested in UConn basketball, and very much so this year. If points could be assigned to all other sports fan interests combined, they'd fall far short of points assigned to UConn MBB & WBB.

None of OP's poll choices fit exactly, but the 4th one is closest, enough so that I even chose it.

 

[willie99]

I must confess I did turn off a few games while KO was coach, Arkansas/ Auburn I think ( a 40+ point blowout), Villanova at the Hartford XL Center. I live in Florida but when we lived in CT I never left the HCC early no matter the score.

I left that Nova game early. We said to ourselves that if we go down 30, we're leaving. We went down 30 early in the second half, immediately stood up and walked out. Went to Black Eyed Sally's and wrang up an incredibly large bar tab. Drank our sorrows away. In our defense, we remained season ticket holders during the dark ages and still went to all the games. Believe me, based on season ticket sales and attendance records, I know most people can't say that

I don't leave early when we're losing, nor do I turn off the TV, especially in March. But I have left very late, like inside the last 4 minutes, when the game is put away and it's not a win worth celebrating. I would leave early, errr late, for Mississippi Valley State but never the X or Marquette or Creighton blowouts this year.

 

[Matias]

I‘ve lived through 5 national championships, the first of which I was a student on campus. Any jitters, stressful emotions, or feelings of insecurity were let go a long time ago. The wins, the losses, I enjoy it all. It‘s just a ride at this point. I don’t gamble on games because it just sidetracks the experience for me but I got nothing bad to say about people who do. Do what you need to do to maximize the experience and LIVE THAT HUSKYMANIA DREAM TO THE FULLEST!

 

[Leebo]

I think that's different. I don't always have UConn winning my brackets. That's just homerism. I'm a Denver Broncos fan but I'd be foolish to drop money on them to win the superbowl next year.

If you have money on a bracket where UConn isn't your champion, you're betting against UConn.

 

[Jaydumo20]

If you have money on a bracket where UConn isn't your champion, you're betting against UConn.

I can see your logic. But in this rare case I'm secure in my fandom. I've won a few times having uconn as the unlikely champ (like many BYers) especially the 11 and 14 teams. But the Daniel Hamilton team that lost to kansas...I did not have them winning it all. I might as well have wiped myself with that hundred dollar buy-in bill. same result.

 

[Jaydumo20]

@Leebo You hit on a great sub thread:
"do you always have uconn winning all your brackets"

I'd love to see that result

 

[HuskyHawk]

I store my feelings away in a deep dark place, I'm Irish Catholic.

Only to have the come out all at once later on. Whoa to the person who is the target of that.

 

[dennismenace]

1 I almost always record every game. I start watching at least one half hour later. This gives me the freedom to zip through commercials or halftime commentary. I am ecstatically happy to have this option. I have become kind of philosophic about getting upset at the game.
The sun will still come up tomorrow. I enjoy this team we have now more than any I recall because of their team effort to be unselfish and pretty much all out hustle for the good of the team. I attribute this to the entire coaching staff. I think this comes across to the players as an inspiration and helps them to want to do likewise. That said they remind me of a family. At times they all are human and make mistakes but the good of the team helps them get back in line and remember their identity. So when they don't seem to be performing well I have developed a degree if patience with them (LOL not that it matters to them what I feel) expecting them to get back to normal. I will get instantly upset at times but I stop and remember who they are and who I am and settle down. I want to continue to be happy and enjoy this season which has been wonderful. I did not take the poll because I had no option that I agreed with but a good thread nonetheless. I like to laugh and think about the mojo but don't really believe it but I used to act like it was important meaning I used to give some credence.

 

[Dogdeacon]

1 I almost always record every game. I start watching at least one half hour later. This gives me the freedom to zip through commercials or halftime commentary. I am ecstatically happy to have this option. I have become kind of philosophic about getting upset at the game.
The sun will still come up tomorrow. I enjoy this team we have now more than any I recall because of their team effort to be unselfish and pretty much all out hustle for the good of the team. I attribute this to the entire coaching staff. I think this comes across to the players as an inspiration and helps them to want to do likewise. That said they remind me of a family. At times they all are human and make mistakes but the good of the team helps them get back in line and remember their identity. So when they don't seem to be performing well I have developed a degree if patience with them (LOL not that it matters to them what I feel) expecting them to get back to normal. I will get instantly upset at times but I stop and remember who they are and who I am and settle down. I want to continue to be happy and enjoy this season which has been wonderful. I did not take the poll because I had no option that I agreed with but a good thread nonetheless. I like to laugh and think about the mojo but don't really believe it but I used to act like it was important meaning I used to give some credence.

I try to do this, but my kids who are constantly on their phones (and I have to rewind plays) insist on watching LIVE so that they don't get spoiled and get follow stats and any online discourse. DVR is 90% regular season only practice unless games occur during work that can't be avoided.

Initially, before the kids were sentient enough to care watching on DVR totally liberated me from superstition. Managed to hold that with obvious exceptions such as don't say blatantly stupid jinxing things and/or do say obtuse, frivolous reverse jinxing things.

 

[buddy]

If you’re at the game in person and UConn is winning by 30+ and there’s a minute left, is that an acceptable time to leave to beat the traffic? Asking for a friend…

Only if you are George Costanza's parents