How nervous are you about Sunday's game?

[Carnac]

In my youth I was told that you're supposed to have butterflies before big events, that it is a normal human response and that if you didn't have them you weren't taking things seriously.

Be that as it may, I am not nervous. I am always cognizant of the possibility of a rolled ankle or unwelcome foul trouble (see 1995). So there is a fear of the unexpected or unlikely, but I am in a calmer, more relaxed state than any of the past three years. Here's why:

1. UConn has the best defensive backcourt in the country. That is a tremendous asset. Also, one of them is a big guard who can handle a variety of opposing players. Very few teams can switch like UConn; Kia is a big reason for that.
2. UConn has the best one-two punch on defense in the country, and maybe in the history of WCBB. I'm talking about Mo and Stewie. Mo is the first line of defense. She is arguably the best defensive disruptor on the perimeter ever. Who's been better? That is of immeasurable value. Stewie may not be the very best rim protector ever (see Griner), but she's up there. And she probably gets more steals that anyone her size has ever had.
3. This team is first in the country (so I'm told) in least fouls committed. On the obverse, they are the number one team in the country in free throw percentage.
4. This team, like last year's, starts five players who can shoot the three. Who else does that? DePaul, I suppose. No matter what kind of junk or semi-junk defense the opposition tries, they risk being burned from the arc.
5. Gabby is the top sixth-woman in the country. No elaboration needed.
6. While it's true that the OSU coaching staff has had a week to prepare for UConn, the converse is also true. And Geno and CD are not at their first rodeo.
7. Then we have the Big Three, and they don't.

I could go on, but is there really any need to?

All of these are excellent observations. Thanks for sharing Gus. Especially #3. OSU will not be cashing in at the free throw line today.

 

[DaddyChoc]

bout to take a nap, and watch the game later on DVR... this is how I avoid stress and the talking head. If UConn lose I just delete it off my DVR, and move on with life

 

[Lobo50Fan]

More anxious and excited, though nerves are definitely there. I just saw a post of the averages for both teams on Facebook. Even if both teams play such great defense that they both reach those averages, UConn would still win. They only allow 48 ppg while OSU allows 51. Little things like that help.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I, like several above, will DVR and not watch live. This is rooted in superstition. If I watch live, we lose. Silly, but there it is. It's why, though DVRing, I will have my 2004 Dual Champs ball cap on. My 2002 39-0 T shirt is still in the laundry, but I am thinking of digging it out.

 

[bags27]

bout to take a nap, and watch the game later on DVR... this is how I avoid stress and the talking head. If UConn lose I just delete it off my DVR, and move on with life

I used to do this with the Patriots sometimes, when I still cared about the NFL.

 

[Fiftyish]

Always nervous at tournament time. Happy the game is at 6. Less time to worry.
"Let's get ready to rummmmmmble"

 

[Kibitzer]

A quick grammar reminder: Boneyarders are eager for the game to begin. OSU fans are probably anxious about playing UConn.

 

[iri10]

For a number of years now I've felt relatively "safe" up to the S16, and increasing degrees of nervous from the elite 8 to the finals. Same thing this year. I spend more time thinking about the ways UConn could lose then the ways they could win.

This is the curse of the glass half-empty fan: that pre- and during-game nervousness. The best part of being a half-empty fan? Being proven wrong repeatedly.

 

[VAMike23]

A quick grammar reminder: Boneyarders are eager anxious for the game to begin.

at least in some cases.....

 

[Plebe]

A quick grammar reminder: Boneyarders are eager for the game to begin. OSU fans are probably anxious about playing UConn.

And right on cue, Kara Lawson said in her opening statements just a few minutes ago that she is "anxious" to see how the first-time participants in the Final Four handle themselves.

 

[Roundball fan]

UConn, UConn, UConn yes they win.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I used to do this with the Patriots sometimes, when I still cared about the NFL.

woke up at the start of the 3rd quarter... nice score to wake up to, enjoyed the rest of the game except the news of KLS

 

[ABachelor6CR]

I posted this yesterday on another thread on pg.2, but it fits here also:

Earlier today I was worried about OSU as "a team of destiny" type team, but as the day wound down I went back to the facts, many stated above, and now feel that UCONN can win by 25 to 30 points!
Who does OSU have to cover Stewie?
Hamblin is good, big, but slow and has bad endurance.
They have size to go with talent but UCONN has quickness, athleticism, "been there before", and loads of speed.
MoJeff will drive their G's crazy!
Tuck will cover Hamblin too much talent inside & outside
No one sells out on defense for 40 minutes like the Huskies!

And the main fact that gives me the confidence is as stated above:
They lost to TN at home!

So UCONN 87 / OSU 53!

Sorry. I didn't know I needed to consult you first....

 

[meyers7]

WHAT!!!! Blasphemy!
I remember exactly what I did wrong the day of that Stanford disaster last season, and I was completely messed up during that awful spell when we lost so many games against ND. It was like i couldn't even tie my shoes correctly, and I had the wrong sequence on the three locks on my door, and I was eating all the wrong meals at the wrong times. And that doesn't even begin to cover the wardrobe choices I was making and which chair I was sitting in. IT WAS ALL MY FAULT!

There, they say confession is good for the soul, and this is the first time I have come clean with this dark secret that I have been carrying for so many years. It was my fault Maya lost her last Uconn game! I feel a great burden lifted form my shoulders. I hope you all can forgive me.

Not saying I don't go through my own rituals, but at some point I have to realize, I have no control.

As in, once again I DVR'd the game and starting watching (from the beginning) at halftime. I do my due diligence, even though it doesn't matter.