One of the things I find with fans who have never experienced any meaningful success with their program is that they don't understand what it takes. The teams at this level are so good that any weakness gets exploited. Even the bonehead coaches can come up with good game plans if given 4 days to prepare for 1 game.
Niang is a huge loss. If UConn had lost Daniels, we would be suicidal on this board, and we have a lot of depth. The Iowa State fans are acting like losing Niang is no big deal on a team that is short to begin with and only plays 7 guys.
I am not saying UConn is guaranteed to win, but I like our hand a lot better than I like Iowa State's right now. UConn fans have been here before, and know what it takes. We know when UConn is winning with mirrors (2002, 1991), we know when the team is a year away (1998, 2003), and we know when the team is really good (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2009, 2011). We also know that even when the team is really good, it can still lose.
We also know when the team has taken an insurmountable body blow from an injury (2000, 2008). It sure feels like Iowa State is in that situation right now. Maybe the Cyclone guards are that good that they can compensate for the loss of Niang, but I have a hard time seeing how a team that lost one of its 3 best players doesn't get worse.