I'll Keep Beating the Drum

[Jaydumo20]

Big East and their rotten refs are a meat grinder for UConn, always have been. Anyone remember 2011?
We have the offense. And Hurley is working up the team’s defense to let him make a run when it counts, no matter the seeding. Winning a 3rd straight title is near impossible with what was lost and should not be expected by us fans, but what is amusing is that the national sports media has already jumped ship. We are underdogs and I love it.

Not nearly impossible. And I'm not being a homer.

Ross will be a big defensive stopper by the beginning of March, Liam no longer has to offensively carry the team, AK will be freed up to play like he did when he had 2 alpha scorers in front of him last year, Solo is now the best 3 pt shooter in the country, Samson and tarris are cutting down fouls, Stewart is now someone you have to guard, and Hass will be healthier and have less pressure on him to carry so much offensive weight that he can get back to being a defensive stopper.

We will be a final four worthy team and if we are in the final four i wouldn't bet against us. And you'll be just as confident as i am come march 1st.

 

[RuffRuff]

Not nearly impossible. Ross will be a big defensive stopper by the beginning of March, Liam no longer has to offensively carry the team, AK will be freed up to play like he did when he had 2 alpha scorers in front of him last year, Solo is now the best 3 pt shooter in the country, Samson and tarris are cutting down fouls, Stewart is now someone you have to guard, and Hass will be healthier and have less pressure on him to carry so much offensive weight that he can get back to being a defensive stopper.

We will be a final four worthy team and if are in the final four i wouldn't bet against us. And you'll be just as confident as i am come march 1st.

I wouldn't let one win overset your expectations. I bet you weren't feeling quite like this after the DePaul game. Pump the brakes and see how the next two play out.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I wouldn't let one win overset your expectations. I bet you weren't feeling quite like this after the DePaul game. Pump the brakes and see how the next two play out.

If it were any other program or staff I'd agree with you.

 

[freescooter]

Duke and Auburn haven't won anything.

No kidding? Does Dicky V know that? Somebody call CBS. What is your point? Other than telling us something we already know. I didn’t say either one had won anything. I implied, I suppose, that both are better than Marquette. I think it is safe to say most people agree.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

Well said. Samson looks different. More composed, less 'jumpy'. He looks like a guy you can no rely on in March. Aidan still looks outmatched, but darn it he is playing hard. And if this coaching staff can do it with Samson (who looked objectively awful to start the year), they can do it with Aidan, who clearly is a talented b-ball player. Listen, our only weakness this year has been on the defensive side. And I liked what I saw against Marquette. There was an energy, an attention to detail. I do not remember extended periods of boneheaded lapses by our perimeter defenders. WE DO NOT NEED TO BE A TOP 20 DEFENSE. WE JUST NEED TO BE COMPETENT. Our offense will take it from there. I don't care who we play against.

 

[freescooter]

I wouldn't let one win overset your expectations. I bet you weren't feeling quite like this after the DePaul game. Pump the brakes and see how the next two play out.

I think we are a pretty good team that is more or less in a rebuilding season, whatever that means in the portal/nil era. Probably seeded 5 at best 7 at worst depending on the rest of the season. Lunardi has us a 7, I think, though Palm has us an 8 and On3 has us a 9. None of those are exactly high odds of winning it all. And just FYI, we were a 7 and a 5 under Hurley and lost to #10 Maryland and #12 New Mexico State, so you really need to look at all the data. I think we end up maybe a 5 if we win a couple of St John’s, Creighton and Marquette and don’t lose to some stumblebum like Georgetown. Then we win a round or 2 in the Tournament.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think we are a pretty good team that is more or less in a rebuilding season, whatever that means in the portal/nil era. Probably seeded 5 at best 7 at worst depending on the rest of the season. Lunardi has us a 7, I think, though Palm has us an 8 and On3 has us a 9. None of those are exactly high odds of winning it all. And just FYI, we were a 7 and a 5 under Hurley and lost to #10 Maryland and #12 New Mexico State, so you really need to look at all the data. I think we end up maybe a 5 if we win a couple of St John’s, Creighton and Marquette and don’t lose to some stumblebum like Georgetown. Then we win a round or 2 in the Tournament.

There are 3-5 really good teams this year and then a cliff to lots of very beatable teams. I do think this team can make a run if they get hot at the right time and stars align. We just won our first real marquee game, against a Marquette team I felt was personally overrated, due to an unreal shooting performance by one player. That is our only win this year against a current ranked team. I’d like to see how we do in the next two with Liam back before I start puffing the 3peat. Been there done that.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I think we are a pretty good team that is more or less in a rebuilding season, whatever that means in the portal/nil era. Probably seeded 5 at best 7 at worst depending on the rest of the season. Lunardi has us a 7, I think, though Palm has us an 8 and On3 has us a 9. None of those are exactly high odds of winning it all. And just FYI, we were a 7 and a 5 under Hurley and lost to #10 Maryland and #12 New Mexico State, so you really need to look at all the data. I think we end up maybe a 5 if we win a couple of St John’s, Creighton and Marquette and don’t lose to some stumblebum like Georgetown. Then we win a round or 2 in the Tournament.

I respect both of these opinions.

Percentage wise: 100% being the ultimate ceiling that this team can reach, where do you and @RuffRuff see them after the marquette win? 50% of what they could be? 75%. Or was that their best?
@RuffRuff do you think the marquette game is an anomaly for solo going fwd?

If they hit 90% of their potential, with these same players, how would they do in the tourney?

This is not a troll. I think they still have 25% more to grow, and they will fill that quota by march 1st. A 25% better team than the one who beat marquette at home is quite dangerous.

 

[RuffRuff]

I respect both of these opinions.

Percentage wise: 100% being the ultimate ceiling that this team can reach, where do you and @RuffRuff see them after the marquette win? 50% of what they could be? 75%

If they hit 90% of their potential, with these same players, how would they do in the tourney?

This is not a troll. I think they still have 25% more to grow, and they will fill that quota by march 1st. A 25% better team than the one who beat marquette at home is quite dangerous.

Great game. Need to see it sustained, built on. Team has been all over the place and it’s also really hard to rely game over game on sweltering shot making. Two great tests coming up with our best player back. Will feel exponentially better if we look great against those two unique/tough matchups of different flavors.

 

[Horatio]

I always looked at the Big East regular season as the initiation process for our teams and new players. It provides tough play, WTH moments, rivalries, playing through bad calls and familiar coaches. The best adversity. It makes our good teams great. It’s the marinade process.