I truly believe we can win it all

[WeAreUCONN]

Nah.

 

[caw]

You’ve got to be joking about an intimidation
Factor

If anything, the moment is more likely to intimidate the opponent than UConn, if UConn can get far enough for that to matter.

 

[bfs3]

Take the best versions of our guys this year and put them together.

Solo shooting lights out. Tarris double-double machine. Hass steady with the ball and continuing his magic with Samson. McNeeley late shot clock heroics. JStew and Mahaney providing spark off the bench. And AK doing a bit of everything and hitting crunch time threes

I don't particularly care if it's not realistic. I'm not some ESPN talking head, I'm a UConn fan. I believe

You’re not wrong, if everyone plays at their best. If we’re hitting on our 3s, especially AK then we can do well.

 

[jibsey]

Defense and turnovers. We’ll see if what Hurley has been preaching all year finally gets through.

 

[willie99]

Those teams had the best player on the court every game, regardless of the opponent.

This team is lucky to have the 3rd best.

Condolences, yet again. Maybe next year, maybe sometime in your lifetime

Of course nobody thought we had a chance in the Dance in 2023, Hurley can't even win a tournament game, 2014 or 2011. Nobody thought we had the best player on the court on March 13th in any of those years. I think it's funny to suggest we had the best player on any court in 2014. What we had in all those years was the best team.

As for a great player, a highly ranked recruit, a projected lottery pick, I present Liam McNeeley. More potential than you can even dream about. But it's the team and the coaching that makes us good. We have the opportunity and the potential, I'm good with that. Someday you may get to experience what that feels like. I hope you do, everyone should feel it sometime in their life.

 

[Dove]

I feel we have much more than others think we have.
Defense and rebounding trending up
I believe our center position is top 5 of 68
We have 3 legit scorers
2 bench players I feel will have a more polished game than the reg season in Mahaney and Stewart
And a healthier Diarra

 

[woodchuck68]

No arguments there.

All I'm saying here is don't let us get hot.

One more factor is officiating. If we get more freedom of movement because we arent allowed to be grabbed constantly, that could be a big difference.

 

[J187Money]

No arguments there.

All I'm saying here is don't let us get hot.

 

[DW1361]

I am encourage by Karaban the past few games. He has his confidence back. He is the key in my opinion. When he is on the top of his game he makes everyone better. Diarra also will have to be the spine of this team. I hold we win it all but it will require toughness and strong defense. We have relied on this in past championships and it can work again. If we win it all I will be elated. If we don’t I will be devasted. Regardless, I will be so proud to be a fan of this team.

 

[RuffRuff]

I am encourage by Karaban the past few games. He has his confidence back. He is the key in my opinion. When he is on the top of his game he makes everyone better. Diarra also will have to be the spine of this team. I hold we win it all but it will require toughness and strong defense. We have relied on this in past championships and it can work again. If we win it all I will be elated. If we don’t I will be devasted. Regardless, I will be so proud to be a fan of this team.

One thing I often consider with Alex and is that he’s played 2 looong seasons prior to this one. When you consider the combine, it’s been a long couple years for him. There may have been some simple mental exhaustion kicking in mid season, especially with all the early season drama. He’s not the kind of athlete that can have any fall off upstairs. I think he’ll spark back up and we’ll see more of the old version of him coming.

 

[HooperScooper]

One thing I often consider with Alex and is that he’s played 2 looong seasons prior to this one. When you consider the combine, it’s been a long couple years for him. There may have been some simple mental exhaustion kicking in mid season, especially with all the early season drama. He’s not the kind of athlete that can have any fall off upstairs. I think he’ll spark back up and we’ll see more of the old version of him coming.

Eh, you're reaching here. How much longer did UConn play than teams that didn't make the post season? 3 weeks? It's not like the NHL and NBA playoffs which are about 2 months past the regular season if you win the championship. Plus the college basketball off season is much longer than professional sports, about 6 months long as opposed to 3-4 months.

Alex is fine mentally.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Eh, you're reaching here. How much longer did UConn play than teams that didn't make the post season? 3 weeks? It's not like the NHL and NBA playoffs which are about 2 months past the regular season if you win the championship. Plus the college basketball off season is much longer than professional sports, about 6 months long as opposed to 3-4 months.

Alex is fine mentally.

He rocked his final midterm last Thursday.

 

[RuffRuff]

Eh, you're reaching here. How much longer did UConn play than teams that didn't make the post season? 3 weeks? It's not like the NHL and NBA playoffs which are about 2 months past the regular season if you win the championship. Plus the college basketball off season is much longer than professional sports, about 6 months long as opposed to 3-4 months.

Alex is fine mentally.

He wasn't fine mentally for a large chunk of the conference season. I'm a big believer in the psychology of sports - when we are talking 21 year old kids who play an extra three weeks two seasons in a row, test NBA waters and come back into a media frenzy with tons of hype, I think there can be a certain level of hangover that can hit. The kids been to the apex and back. Here's to hoping the tourneys resurrect the old Alex.

 

[DW1361]

I may be wrong, but didn’t he slump about the same time last year before recovering? I think exhaustion and trying too hard catches up with him. I see a lineup where everyone is stepping up their game and taking that little bit of pressure off Karaban has made a difference.

 

[HooperScooper]

He wasn't fine mentally for a large chunk of the conference season. I'm a big believer in the psychology of sports - when we are talking 21 year old kids who play an extra three weeks two seasons in a row, test NBA waters and come back into a media frenzy with tons of hype, I think there can be a certain level of hangover that can hit. The kids been to the apex and back. Here's to hoping the tourneys resurrect the old Alex.

So you're a psychologist who saw Alex? Lol

The speculation on this board makes me laugh sometimes. It's like when there are injuries. Hurley tells us what the doctors told him and then multiple posters on here give their own timelines with no medical information except that their cousin once did the same thing and was out x amount of time.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

He wasn't fine mentally for a large chunk of the conference season. I'm a big believer in the psychology of sports - when we are talking 21 year old kids who play an extra three weeks two seasons in a row, test NBA waters and come back into a media frenzy with tons of hype, I think there can be a certain level of hangover that can hit. The kids been to the apex and back. Here's to hoping the tourneys resurrect the old Alex.

Not my usual Reply toward you:

Have you been a regular watcher of the CT Scoreboard podcast episodes during the present season and the prior two?

They are essentially 1-to-1, split screen interviews between host Jared Kotler (@gwhuskyfan) and Alex.

The conversations are quite down to earth, and provide a modestly rendered portrait of a student-athlete who works hard and cares, and experiences the ups and downs of his own play and that of his team.

They aren't looking to set off sparks, but they do capture a certain tone that I've come to value deeply within the arc of each season. And they project an authenticity that mutes some of the edgier speculation that gets attention within this community and the larger sports media world.

 

[RuffRuff]

Not my usual Reply toward you:

Have you been a regular watcher of the CT Scoreboard podcast episodes during the present season and the prior two?

They are essentially 1-to-1, split screen interviews between host Jared Kotler (@gwhuskyfan) and Alex.

The conversations are quite down to earth, and provide a modestly rendered portrait of a student-athlete who works hard and cares, and experiences the ups and downs of his own play and that of his team.

They aren't looking to set off sparks, but they do capture a certain tone that I've come to value deeply within the arc of each season. And they project an authenticity that mutes some of the edgier speculation that gets attention within this community and the larger sports media world.

I've seen a couple, they're good. It's easy to sit back as a fan and expect this or that when it comes to a student athlete (in Alex's case truly a student), but they have ebbs and flows just like any human would. In Alex's case, you have someone that has experienced what few in the game have in his first two years. There is bound to be some come down, and mid season after one of your better players goes down would sound about right. I think we'll see flashes of the old Alex coming with a second wind of the post season. This is why he came back.

 

[Ripper32]

I can see an athletic SEC team stomping us into the ground. And there are a bunch to pick from.

 

[alexd]

Just eight more games playing like we did the last 12:00 last night and we're good.

 

[Pmac923]

I can see an athletic SEC team stomping us into the ground. And there are a bunch to pick from.

The problem is these teams can’t prepare for our movement on offense regardless of athletes . In the Big East they don’t allow our freedom of movement. The SEC teams go by the wayside in the big dance because of their erratic style of play. They give up a lot of points in the SEC.

 

[c29328]

This time of year is crazy. I can no longer open the UUUUUUUUU post or the haiku posts due to previous losses. I still have to find them to see they are there and then intentionally not open. I need to open any scouting post every time. And haven’t even seen this years Senhor or food yet. I am losing my mind.

 

[Ripper32]

The problem is these teams can’t prepare for our movement on offense regardless of athletes . In the Big East they don’t allow our freedom of movement. The SEC teams go by the wayside in the big dance because of their erratic style of play. They give up a lot of points in the SEC.

Our guards aren't dynamic to push through an athletic, well coached team that can half court trap/aggressively hedge and force our sets to start far away from the basket. Then on top of it, we have some frontcourt depth issues, which are exacerbated by SJ taking bad fouls. SJU showed where are we deficient against a deeper, more athletic lineup

 

[superjohn]

Then on top of it, we have some frontcourt depth issues, which are exacerbated by Samson Johnson taking bad fouls. SJU showed where are we deficient against a deeper, more athletic lineup

We probably have the best center duo in the country.

 

[RuffRuff]

So you're a psychologist who saw Alex? Lol

The speculation on this board makes me laugh sometimes. It's like when there are injuries. Hurley tells us what the doctors told him and then multiple posters on here give their own timelines with no medical information except that their cousin once did the same thing and was out x amount of time.

Um, it was widely discussed - he missed the two free throws against Nova, then went on a 6-47 from three tear. Were you not around for that? I'm not pretending to be his psych, just saying players go through emotional lulls.

 

[Scrutineer]

Starting next Sunday. Every team is 0-0. A new season. We can outscore just about any team in the Tournament. Gotta bring the energy on defense and rebounding and limit our TOs. Brackets and seeding/matchups do matter.

Let's bring it and roll the dice.

As you were typing that, the Committee was poring over all the metrics trying to load our bracket with the teams with the greatest chances to beat us. Must justify the season's hyping of the SEC and B1G don't you know!