Loss to SMU is Not the Nail in the Coffin

[UConn07]

http://the-boneyard.com/blog/loss-to-smu-is-not-the-nail-in-the-coffin/

 

[alexd]

True. We could lose the next six. Then win the AAC tourney and we're in the dance.

No worries.

 

[3rdbass]

They have to win the AAC tourney to get in. Not enough quality wins are there even if the beat SMU at home.

 

[pnow15]

May not be the nail in the coffin. but all of the pine boards are cut and laid out.

 

[Horatio]

Do they even nail coffins anymore?

 

[joober jones]

It's the nail in the coffin, though we still have the claw hammer that has the power to remove it. We all know what that is.

 

[Candyman]

NCAA tourney hopes are gone. Very slim chance to win AAC tourney the way this team has been playing. They havent shown at all they can win 3 or 4 straight games against decent competition home or not home.

 

[Bonesbrigade]

Would 22-11 get us in? Won't give up quite yet....

 

[The Funster]

Just have to be, what, 5th or better going into the AAC tourney? That gets us a first round bye and we just have to win 3. Definitely doable. Then with the right matchups maybe we make sweet 16. Who the hell knows?

 

[pnow15]

AaC tourney hope. We could get to the final and find that SMU didn't make it.

 

[seanmc94]

22-11 only gets the RPI into the low 60s. It's AAC or bust

 

[PRHusky]

22-11 would most likely get us in. That would mean 8 wins in a row before losing the AAC Tourney Championship Game.

One more regular season loss and its definitely going to take winning AAC tourney.

 

[Horatio]

Would 22-11 get us in? Won't give up quite yet....

I don't think so. My take on it is this, we have to constantly go above and beyond when it comes to the NCAA making decisions in our favor. Uconn wounded and on the bubble = Uconn to the NIT. We can't forget that their really petty towards us and probably still have a bad taste in their mouths because of this nationally / globally televised smack in the mouth- http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...01FECBEB2D597B40A54801FEC&FORM=VRRTAP&PC=APPL

 

[Kitaman]

Just have to be, what, 5th or better going into the AAC tourney? That gets us a first round bye and we just have to win 3. Definitely doable. Then with the right matchups maybe we make sweet 16. Who the hell knows?

And this is why I occasionally buy a Powerball ticket.

 

[jdb50]

We saw what we needed to improve on and it is the games at the XL that are going to matter. Just have to win the last one by one point.

 

[Fishy]

Losing to SMU wasn't the final nail in the coffin - losing to Houston was the final nail.

Losing to SMU was like someone breaking into the funeral home and taking selfies with our remains.

 

[Bonesbrigade]

22-11 would most likely get us in. That would mean 8 wins in a row before losing the AAC Tourney Championship Game.

One more regular season loss and its definitely going to take winning AAC tourney.

That is basically what I was saying...2011 is proof anything can happen but striking a balance between realism and blind faith is never easy. Hopefully we enjoy the rest of the season...

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

NCAA tourney hopes are gone. Very slim chance to win AAC tourney the way this team has been playing. They havent shown at all they can win 3 or 4 straight games against decent competition home or not home.

You are off on that assumption as it relates to UConn's prospects of winning the AAC tourney on its home court. Odds are that they will play SMU, Tulsa or Temple in the Final. Prices have dropped a bit and will continue to drop as the tourney approaches enabling UConn fans to flood the Civic Center. Will they? Yes for the semi final and final which will actually turn into an electric environment.

If I had to be critical of this team and the season that is unfolding (Using At-Large probabilities at less than 10% without winning the AAC tourney as a threshold) it could be summed up by saying...players on this team in my opinion have not done enough work on their own time in the offseason and outside of the practice structure. That includes the leadership variable. Putting in the work makes a difference not just from a skill perspective but more importantly from mentality standpoint. Why is this important???? The more work you put in the better you are going to feel about yourself. Another way to put it is these players lack urgency because they don't personally feel like they have as much at stake. The more work you put in either as a coach or a player the more at stake you have in the PROCESS. This is why we got embarrassed against SMU and witnessed the dunk fest.

The UConn players do not have the incentive to succeed that is necessary to at least get an At-Large bid which should have been easily attainable for this group with the right work ethic.

**Last year all of the above were present for some obvious reasons. So except for the injury excuse the bottom line is many of our players inability to get better stems from lack of work ethic in comparison to some of the other players in America. An NCAA tourney team being the litmus test. Samuel, Facey, Purvis, Nolan, Calhoun ect ect...from a skills perspective.

 

[Jluc]

AAC tourney or bust and its been that way since the houston loss.

 

[Matias]

I see this team suffering from the same post-championship hangover as in years past. Lack of urgency or hunger. Overcelebrating achievements during games. Lack of toughness/confidence when things go south. Lethargic play in road games. Regression when the going gets tough.

When they are on point and have the hunger and drive (see: revenge game against Tulsa) they can beat anyone. But what makes up championship teams is being able to play at level 5 even when conditions are unfavorable. Even when the refs are screwing you. Even when the crowd is 100% against you. Even when your opponent is faster and bigger than you.

If this team has any aces in its sleeve it's the heart they play with, and making an end season run is a very real possibility because of it.

It will, however, take some favorable circumstances. A home court conference tournament could give them the momentum they need to peak in the post season and gain some AAC glory. The NCAA itself, however, is a much tougher obstacle and not something this team is built to endure unless they make some drastic breakthroughs.

 

[Jerry1714]

22-11 only gets the RPI into the low 60s. It's AAC or bust

Sean, if you are going to post here at leas try to be accurate with what you say.

22-11 with how the AAC bracket would shape out based on those results would give UConn an RPI of 34.

http://www.rpiforecast.com/cgi-bin/rpiwizard.cgi

Nice try though

 

[champs99and04]

If we win out in the regular season, that would put our RPI at about 41 according to the link Jerry just posted. I would have to think that 20-10 with wins against Dayton, Cincinnati, SMU, and Temple would at least get us back into the discussion. Whether that actually happens is another story.

 

[Husky999]

This team could lose 8 straight by 40 points or more, but because we won the title last year some people here will keep thinking / beliveing that this team is somehow good??? Even though its painfully obvious that this is the worst UCONN basketball team in 25+ years and it's not even close. If we played the same schedule we did when we won the title in 2011 we'd be lucky to be around 7-17 right about now. Our wins are against.. Bryant, College of Charleston, Columbia, CCSU, ECU, Tulane, Coppin St, South Florida, Tulsa, Central Florida...... Dayton and Cincy.. (Only 2 noteworthy wins) Both aren't even great wins. We legit have no good wins. Cincy is a bubble team and Dayton will probably make it in, but if that's your teams best win that's sad. Seriously we have 3 wins vs RPI 0-100.. 3!!! We'll probably crack 20 wins this year but that's an indictment on how bad our schedule is. Ollie has to go and schedule 10+ OCC tournament teams next year because the AAC is a 2 bid league forever.. That will never change. In 2011 we played 23 games against teams that made the tournament (including the BE tournament) before the big dance. This year were lucky to get 10. Only thing keeping us above water is our joke of a schedule. Man this seriously is a last place team in the old BE... we'd be duking it out with Depaul for foundation rights. I'm sure ill get bashed but seriously... nothing more can be said at this point. Worst product since Calhoun's first few years and we're defending champs no less. Just feels like the team (aside from RB) isn't putting 100% this year. Don't like to call out players but some kids look like there sleepwalking through the games (RP among others). Just don't get it. It's a sad sad year. This team had a much better talent level coming into the season than what is being displayed currently. Ollie might not have been the best coach X's and O's wise but he always got his kids ready to go and pumped to play. Now there isn't even that. Don't even look like they want to be out there. Usually get blown up right out of the gate by better competition. Boatright is the only one that I can count on to play hard each and every night. No one else. I dunno.. just rambling... but I don't see this getting any better. All anyone ever talks about here is "if we win X" I remember the 2 loss AAC conference talk. At this point were lucky if were in the top half of the league instead of the bottom half. Loss after loss and people still say we can be an at-large team... Man give it up. The only way we're dancing is if we win the AAC tournament and after watching the beatdown at the hands of SMU how can anyone believe we can win that tournament????

 

[TheChamps990411]

The amount of delusion in this thread is amazing. That being said you really cant dismiss the optimists here because of 2011 and 2014. There is no one who expect either of those teams do what they did when march rolled around. Who believed Kemba and the miracles would win 5 games in 5 nights against 4 top 25 teams nevermind going on to win 6 more games in a row. Last year we were left for dead after AAC tourney and nearly went out in the first round. Those two roads were a lot tougher than what this team is facing now. My big issue is yes those teams appeared dead in the water but both those teams at their worst were better than this team. Sucks to say that but its the truth. I dont expect this team to make much noise this year. But if it did happen itd be yet another historically ridiculously improbable run.

 

[Jerry1714]

This team could lose 8 straight by 40 points or more, but because we won the title last year some people here will keep thinking / beliveing that this team is somehow good??? Even though its painfully obvious that this is the worst UCONN basketball team in 25+ years and it's not even close. If we played the same schedule we did when we won the title in 2011 we'd be lucky to be around 7-17 right about now. Our wins are against.. Bryant, College of Charleston, Columbia, CCSU, ECU, Tulane, Coppin St, South Florida, Tulsa, Central Florida. Dayton and Cincy.. (Only 2 noteworthy wins) Both aren't even great wins. We legit have no good wins. Cincy is a bubble team and Dayton will probably make it in, but if that's your teams best win that's sad. Seriously we have 3 wins vs RPI 0-100.. 3!!! We'll probably crack 20 wins this year but that's an indictment on how bad our schedule is. Ollie has to go and schedule 10+ OCC tournament teams next year because the AAC is a 2 bid league forever.. That will never change. In 2011 we played 23 games against teams that made the tournament (including the BE tournament) before the big dance. This year were lucky to get 10. Only thing keeping us above water is our joke of a schedule. Man this seriously is a last place team in the old BE... we'd be duking it out with Depaul for foundation rights. I'm sure ill get bashed but seriously... nothing more can be said at this point. Worst product since Calhoun's first few years and we're defending champs no less. Just feels like the team (aside from RB) isn't putting 100% this year. Don't like to call out players but some kids look like there sleepwalking through the games (RP among others). Just don't get it. It's a sad sad year. This team had a much better talent level coming into the season than what is being displayed currently. Ollie might not have been the best coach X's and O's wise but he always got his kids ready to go and pumped to play. Now there isn't even that. Don't even look like they want to be out there. Usually get blown up right out of the gate by better competition. Boatright is the only one that I can count on to play hard each and every night. No one else. I dunno.. just rambling... but I don't see this getting any better. All anyone ever talks about here is "if we win X" I remember the 2 loss AAC conference talk. At this point were lucky if were in the top half of the league instead of the bottom half. Loss after loss and people still say we can be an at-large team... Man give it up. The only way we're dancing is if we win the AAC tournament and after watching the beatdown at the hands of SMU how can anyone believe we can win that tournament????

Remember this? http://the-boneyard.com/threads/blown-up-and-embarrassed.54254/

So I guess this means we are winning the national championship this year!

No one is saying this team will win it, or that it is even close to talented enough to do so.

This babble is up there with you complaining that our OOC schedule only had 2 teams which will make the NCAAT.........

My favorite comment may be "because the AAC is a 2 bid league forever.. That will never change."

UConn, Memphis, and Cincy are all having some of the worst years they have had in a while and the conference is currently projected for 4 teams in.

Never change 999, never change.