Lunardi Disses UCONN's 7

[Marat]

Are you saying that Bouk is a better leader and produced better numbers than Bazz - you would trust him leading a team more than Bazz?
That 2014 team would destroy this team
Bazz was a leader - Bouk not so much so far

Bouk is in the mold of Rip and Ray. More or less quiet star guards.

It's hard to make comparisons but sophomore Bazz was not the leader he turned out to be in a year+. Can't compare senior Bazz to sophomore Bouk - just not apples to apples.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Are you saying that Bouk is a better leader and produced better numbers than Bazz - you would trust him leading a team more than Bazz?
That 2014 team would destroy this team
Bazz was a leader - Bouk not so much so far

I'm not saying Bouknight is a better leader than Bazz. I'm saying Bouknight is a better player.
I'm saying if you are asking me to pick a player (2014 Bazz vs 2021 Bouknight) to help me win a championship, prior to the 2014 championship, I'm picking Bouknight. I didn't think Bazz could lead us to a championship.

 

[uconngb]

He actually does that trick extraordinarily well.

Actually, he doesn’t. Waiting until the picks are in and then claiming you got them all right isn’t that hard to do.

 

[tzznandrew]

I'm not saying Bouknight is a better leader than Bazz. I'm saying Bouknight is a better player.
I'm saying if you are asking me to pick a player (2014 Bazz vs 2021 Bouknight) to help me win a championship, prior to the 2014 championship, I'm picking Bouknight. I didn't think Bazz could lead us to a championship.

Before the NCAA tournament Bazz was 1st Team All-American and POY in his conference. Was also All Big East the year before.

He was a better player all year than Bouk was.

 

[tzznandrew]

2014 Bazz: 18ppg, 5,9rpg, 4.9apg, 1.8spg, 43%FG, 40.7%3PT, 51.7eFG%, PER 25.5, WS/40: .226, ORTG 118, DRTG 95

2021 Bouk: 19ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 45.3%FG, 30.4%3PT, 50.5eFG%, PER 24.8, WS/40: .196, ORTG 111, DRTG: 97

 

[Zissou]

I’m just hoping UConn and Nova get to play one more time this year.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

2014 Bazz: 18ppg, 5,9rpg, 4.9apg, 1.8spg, 43%FG, 40.7%3PT, 51.7eFG%, PER 25.5, WS/40: .226, ORTG 118, DRTG 95

2021 Bouk: 19ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 45.3%FG, 30.4%3PT, 50.5eFG%, PER 24.8, WS/40: .196, ORTG 111, DRTG: 97

How do the two schedules compare?

 

[superjohn]

Bouk is in the mold of Rip and Ray. More or less quiet star guards.

It's hard to make comparisons but sophomore Bazz was not the leader he turned out to be in a year+. Can't compare senior Bazz to sophomore Bouk - just not apples to apples.

Shabazz was a bit of a mess as a sophomore as was Kemba, they made plays and showed some of their talent but the leadership wasn't there. Junior year Kemba was the best leader/player in the country and Shabazz was the best as a senior. It's totally unfair to compare Bouknight who has played less than 1.5 seasons to them.

 

[tzznandrew]

How do the two schedules compare?

2014 UConn played multiple games against teams seeded equal to or higher to any team UConn played this year, and these stats included the post-season.

Here are the best 11 games by KenPom, with stars on the postseason games

2014 KenPom

1. Louisville
1. Louisville
1. Louisville
3. Florida
3. Florida*
9. Michigan State*
11. Villanova*
20. Iowa State*
27. Cincy
27. Cincy
27. Cincy

2021 KenPom

12. Villanova
14. USC
19. Creighton
19. Creighton
19. Creighton
52. Seton Hall
52. Seton Hall
55. Georgetown
55. Georgetown
61. Xavier
61. Xavier

Maryland will crack that list at 31. If they win, Alabama would at 8. If they make it to the S16, Texas would crack that list at 26.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He actually does that trick extraordinarily well.

I hope you are joking. His record picking the field is terrible.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Before the NCAA tournament Bazz was 1st Team All-American and POY in his conference. Was also All Big East the year before.

He was a better player all year than Bouk was.

Not in his sophomore year he wasn’t.

 

[jibsey]

Guards bring championships. Bouknight is better than Bazz. Cole is as good as Boatright. We have a great chance to get by Maryland and Alabama. Then who knows. (What will we say when Alterique Gilbert takes Wichita State to the Sweet 16?)

You’re joking.

 

[jibsey]

2014 Bazz: 18ppg, 5,9rpg, 4.9apg, 1.8spg, 43%FG, 40.7%3PT, 51.7eFG%, PER 25.5, WS/40: .226, ORTG 118, DRTG 95

2021 Bouk: 19ppg, 5.7rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 45.3%FG, 30.4%3PT, 50.5eFG%, PER 24.8, WS/40: .196, ORTG 111, DRTG: 97

The 3 point shooting stands out.

 

[tzznandrew]

Not in his sophomore year he wasn’t.

We're comparing 2014 UConn to 2021 UConn.

Better sophomore: Bouknight
Better pro prospect: Bouknight
Better pro: Bouknight (likely)
Better player on the teams under discussion: Bazz

 

[3RingsCT]

Taliek was always pushing the tempo, driving, dishing. He was an assist machine. Of course he played with some of the best finishers but keeping the pressure offensively was a big part of it. We need more of that.

You just never wanted to see him shoot it...unless it was the 2002 BE Tournament. That shot was amazing.

 

[uconngb]

How do the two schedules compare?

Part of me wants this season to end just so you will STFU about schedules.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

I can find evidence again and again of this just not being true. It's not hard.

What I noticed over the past 8 years "religiously" watching and following this re-configured Big East is that ESPN most of the time won't hype it up - that is - It won't put a top 5 or Top 10 match up on their NCAAM homepage, doesn't cover it as much on the sidebar of top articles either. In the first couple of years I noticed they weren't even posting the channel were the Big East matchups were to be aired in their schedule/score section (FS1/FS2/FOX). I started noticing the pattern early but didn't make much of it until someone called ESPN out on it on twitter and made an article about it. ESPN attributed it to some "interface" or accidental error. It hasn't happened ever since.

But I do still notice that ESPN is somewhat indifferent to the league on its coverage. Even last year when the league was the Top league under any popular metric ESPN would go out of its way to say the B12 or B1G were the best conference in the nation.

With that said, once the NCAA tournament starts they tend to fairly cover all the teams. Another observation is that any recognition by ESPN related in anyway to the Big East is usually limited to individual programs. They won't hype the league as a whole or say the "Big East is this or that". You may quickly find isolated google searches to prove otherwise, but the truth is that they simply don't do it at the same frequency that they do for the other top 6 leagues.

But in a way. Why would they? are they going to shoot themselves? Why spend time hyping something up they are not affiliated with? It's like asking ESPN to spend a significnant time on the NHL when they don't profit from it

 

[billybud]

The #7 seed is 85-55 against the #10 seed...(.607)

 

[Get a Job]

The #7 seed is 85-55 against the #10 seed...(.607)

Post/signature

 

[Smp7598]

Guards bring championships. Bouknight is better than Bazz. Cole is as good as Boatright. We have a great chance to get by Maryland and Alabama. Then who knows. (What will we say when Alterique Gilbert takes Wichita State to the Sweet 16?)

Boat right doesn’t miss those free throws against Crieghton! Bazz had very few bad nights! Get real!

 

[billybud]

Post/signature

post/signature...

 

[HuskyHawk]

When I say "Lunardi" you know exactly who I mean and you know exactly what he does.
When I link something from Lunardi, there's a good chance you click.

The same is not true for most basketball fans if I say Palm, Decourcy, Gasaway, Brennan, etc.

Sure. And he’s still terrible. You know who else is among the absolute worst at his job? Mel Kiper. Being the lead on ESPN provides visibility. It doesn’t mean you are any good.

 

[freescooter]

What I noticed over the past 8 years "religiously" watching and following this re-configured Big East is that ESPN most of the time won't hype it up - that is - It won't put a top 5 or Top 10 match up on their NCAAM homepage, doesn't cover it as much on the sidebar of top articles either. In the first couple of years I noticed they weren't even posting the channel were the Big East matchups were to be aired in their schedule/score section (FS1/FS2/FOX). I started noticing the pattern early but didn't make much of it until someone called ESPN out on it on twitter and made an article about it. ESPN attributed it to some "interface" or accidental error. It hasn't happened ever since.

But I do still notice that ESPN is somewhat indifferent to the league on its coverage. Even last year when the league was the Top league under any popular metric ESPN would go out of its way to say the B12 or B1G were the best conference in the nation.

With that said, once the NCAA tournament starts they tend to fairly cover all the teams. Another observation is that any recognition by ESPN related in anyway to the Big East is usually limited to individual programs. They won't hype the league as a whole or say the "Big East is this or that". You may quickly find isolated google searches to prove otherwise, but the truth is that they simply don't do it at the same frequency that they do for the other top 6 leagues.

But in a way. Why would they? are they going to shoot themselves? Why spend time hyping something up they are not affiliated with? It's like asking ESPN to spend a significnant time on the NHL when they don't profit from it

You are right. But 2 points. 1. ESPN is going to plug ESPN products mostly. Sure if Georgetown gets to the championship game they will plug it of course. But otherwise no

2. The NBE is neither as good nor as deep of the old one and it doesn’t have the same household names. It’s way harder to plug unranked Seton Hall vs #13 Creighton than Ohio Star-Michigan or Even unranked Duke vs#15 Carolina.

 

[tzznandrew]

You are right. But 2 points. 1. ESPN is going to plug ESPN products mostly. Sure if Georgetown gets to the championship game they will plug it of course. But otherwise no

2. The NBE is neither as good nor as deep of the old one and it doesn’t have the same household names. It’s way harder to plug unranked Seton Hall vs #13 Creighton than Ohio Star-Michigan or Even unranked Duke vs#15 Carolina.

There are no national rivalries in the BE anymore. Used to have Syracuse-Georgetown and Syracuse-UConn that would draw casual viewers. UConn-Georgetown-Villanova, if they're all good, will draw casual viewers, but in the same way that UConn-Villanova and UConn-Louisville would: if they're both Top 20 teams. This isn't all that different, though, than any conference outside the B10 or ACC.

 

[Dutch Boyd]

As an alum it's nice to have these conversations. That being said, i love Bouk and i hope he brings us on a run, but i'd take "Book Ends Bazz" any day. Bazz made some big shots as a freshman.