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National Perception

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nyhusky89 said:
This is not a huge deal at all, but its one of those thing that you notice and then can't shake. Tonight during this Washington-Stanford game, the announcers had two conversations that stuck out. Naturally, during a PAC-12 game, UConn was not the focus of the conversations, but I believe that the way the were dicussed/ignored is a reflection of how people around the country see the program.

During the first instance, the two commentators were discussing last years Stanford's team, listing off the good wins they had. They spent a solid 2+ minutes of game time on the Kansas game they won in the tournament (their biggest win of the year), mentioned their wins over ranked UCLA and Oregon squads and their 3 point loss to Arizona, yet failed to mention the time they beat the eventual national champions, which might not have meant much at the time, but ended up second to Kansas in terms of how impressive it was. I know this is not the worst thing anyone has ever said about UConn, but I cannot understand how you spend so much time talking about big wins without ever mentioning your win over the champs on the road.

A few minutes later, they were talking about future opponents this year. The color guy raved about Arizona (rightly so) and how good they were, their upcoming SoCal swing, @ UCLA, @ USC & @Cal and then of course "a solid UConn program at home". The defending champs, who have won four national championships since 1999 and are tied for the 5th most titles all time, are a "solid program". Which, yes is true, but would be similar to calling the patriots the same thing.

I know it isn't much and is a west coast game that started at 10 pm eastern, but i believe it is indicative of the perception UConn has nationally. Maybe I am grasping for straws here, but would he ever refer to Duke, or Louisville, or even Michigan State as "solid program's". I did not expect the guy to stop the conversation, ignore the game and rave about how incredible uconn is, but at the same time, better branding/media presence would help alleviate this issue and raise our profile from maine to texas to oregon. Again, I know that this is a very minor thing and is not a pertinent issue in the slightest way, but it was noticeable (maybe more to me than the average viewer) and I wanted to put this out there to see if any of you saw or understand why this type of thing would be annoying.

Sorry this is so long.
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In the description of upcoming games, I thought the announcer was inferring that they better win some of the California games, because they will have to play UConn and Arizona after that. I agree that the UConn as a solid program comment was less than stellar, but...these guys were desperately trying to build up the PAC12 all game. I agree with everything else here and I do believe that being out of the P5 is making all the difference.
 
nyhusky89 said:
This is not a huge deal at all, but its one of those thing that you notice and then can't shake. Tonight during this Washington-Stanford game, the announcers had two conversations that stuck out. Naturally, during a PAC-12 game, UConn was not the focus of the conversations, but I believe that the way the were dicussed/ignored is a reflection of how people around the country see the program.

During the first instance, the two commentators were discussing last years Stanford's team, listing off the good wins they had. They spent a solid 2+ minutes of game time on the Kansas game they won in the tournament (their biggest win of the year), mentioned their wins over ranked UCLA and Oregon squads and their 3 point loss to Arizona, yet failed to mention the time they beat the eventual national champions, which might not have meant much at the time, but ended up second to Kansas in terms of how impressive it was. ...

A few minutes later, they were talking about future opponents this year. The color guy raved about Arizona (rightly so) and how good they were, their upcoming SoCal swing, @ UCLA, @ USC & @Cal and then of course "a solid UConn program at home". The defending champs, who have won four national championships since 1999 and are tied for the 5th most titles all time, are a "solid program". Which, yes is true, but would be similar to calling the patriots the same thing.

I know it isn't much and is a west coast game that started at 10 pm eastern, but i believe it is indicative of the perception UConn has nationally.
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Late to this thread, but as a former California resident, I think you most of you are over-reacting.

The focus of West Coast college basketball fans is (a) Pac12 teams from Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona, and (b) Kansas. Kansas has historically recruited California heavily and has mindshare there. No other eastern team is liked.

Think of the classic New Yorker map of Manhattanites view of the world, where everything shrinks as you get away from the city. That's how it is.

These are west coast announcers speaking for a west coast audience. They say what comes into their mind. What comes into their mind are the west coast programs and Kansas.

If UConn were currently ranked, it would probably be a different story, but an unranked east coast team is not going to stick in the minds of west coast people as a big upcoming game. It may be important for NCAA selection, but it's not emotional for them.
 
tcf15 said:
Seth Davis likes us: http://www.si.com/college-basketbal...er-year-jahlil-okafor-coach-year-mark-turgeon

5. Which of the bluebloods will miss out on the NCAA tournament? It has been a down cycle for several of the game’s best brands -- Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, UConn, UCLA, Syracuse, Memphis, to name a few. Some of them will be in the tournament, but not all of them.
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If I were Bobby Huggins I'd wonder about the national disrespect. Here's a team full of upperclassmen with one loss on the season. They are in a P5 conference, and they have some nice wins under their belt. Their G Staten is one of the best player's in the nation. They just beat a ranked team without him. And for Seth Davis they are an afterthought. Weren't even ranked by him until this week.

The disrespect comes from being a small market school playing in a small market conference.
 
Gampeltiles said:
A negative. No network affiliate should be switching from the UCONN game with a minute to go and the outcome very much in doubt to show the tip-off of a women's basketball game.
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So if they switched for a men's game it would be OK?
 
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pj said:
Late to this thread, but as a former California resident, I think you most of you are over-reacting.

The focus of West Coast college basketball fans is (a) Pac12 teams from Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona, and (b) Kansas. Kansas has historically recruited California heavily and has mindshare there. No other eastern team is liked.

Think of the classic New Yorker map of Manhattanites view of the world, where everything shrinks as you get away from the city. That's how it is.

These are west coast announcers speaking for a west coast audience. They say what comes into their mind. What comes into their mind are the west coast programs and Kansas.

If UConn were currently ranked, it would probably be a different story, but an unranked east coast team is not going to stick in the minds of west coast people as a big upcoming game. It may be important for NCAA selection, but it's not emotional for them.
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Let's get serious what UConn fan gets emotional over Stanford. Even losing to them last year. In the ugly game of the year.
They didn't beat us ,we beat ourselves, Stanford tried desperately to choke that game away but we would have none of it. We were gracious hosts . Hopefully they return the favor (we probably helped a good deal in their NCAA ranking)so they owe us a return gift.
 
tcf15 said:
Seth Davis likes us: http://www.si.com/college-basketbal...er-year-jahlil-okafor-coach-year-mark-turgeon

5. Which of the bluebloods will miss out on the NCAA tournament? It has been a down cycle for several of the game’s best brands -- Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, UConn, UCLA, Syracuse, Memphis, to name a few. Some of them will be in the tournament, but not all of them.
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Kentucky plays the best defense in the last decade??????

They better not lose the rest of the way!:rolleyes:
 
Scoe said:
Like you said 4 National Championships would signify a very solid program. We are not a very good team right now hope the Florida win is a sign of things to come and not an aberration. I don't wanna say who we lost to. I think with the last 2 improbable title runs the national media knows not to count us out. The fact is we are a very good program but not a very good team at the moment.
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Uconn is not a "solid program". 4 National titles does not "signify a very solid program". UCONN IS ONE OF THE ELITE PROGRAMS! ELITE! Gonzaga is a solid program. Wisconsin is a solid program. Butler is a solid program. The announcers are typical espn unimformed biased morons. Im offended by the stupidity of the comment.
 
TheChamps990411 said:
Uconn is not a "solid program". 4 National titles does not "signify a very solid program". UCONN IS ONE OF THE ELITE PROGRAMS! ELITE! Gonzaga is a solid program. Wisconsin is a solid program. Butler is a solid program. The announcers are typical espn unimformed biased morons. Im offended by the stupidity of the comment.
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It's a duck*ing adjective. Cool your jets.

Honestly, people here would be just as upset at ESPN/the media/the rest of the CBB world even if this comment hadn't been made.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
If we were in a major conference, including the Big East, we would absolutely be part of the club. Unfortunately, with our conference affiliation we are in the same "little engine that could" bucket with VCU and Gonzaga.
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No we are not.

I have always heard that UConn has the most insecure fan base, and it is true.

People who know what they are talking would never mention UConn in any group with VCU or Gonzaga. Never.

This board has the terrible tendency of seeing or hearing one thing and jumping to the conclusion that "so and so hates us" or "no one gives us respect". Just so odd to me that this board is so insecure after all of the success or quite frankly cares about what others think.

Just look up at those banners and forget about it.
 
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Jerry1714 said:
No we are not.

I have always heard that UConn has the most insecure fan base, and it is true.

People who know what they are talking would never mention UConn in any group with VCU or Gonzaga. Never.

This board has the terrible tendency of seeing or hearing one thing and jumping to the conclusion that "so and so hates us" or "no one gives us respect". Just so odd to me that this board is so insecure after all of the success or quite frankly cares about what others think.

Just look up at those banners and forget about it.
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Nothing like that good old New England piss and vinegar. Only slightly kidding...I think if we were located elsewhere there wouldn't be this much agitation amongst the fans.
 
pj said:
Late to this thread, but as a former California resident, I think you most of you are over-reacting.

The focus of West Coast college basketball fans is (a) Pac12 teams from Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona, and (b) Kansas. Kansas has historically recruited California heavily and has mindshare there. No other eastern team is liked.
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That makes sense. I really wasn't freaking out about it like some people on here have posited. It was just something I noticed while watching the game, which was actually noticed by 2 other people on here who were watching. It definitely stuck out but the west coast thing is probably it. I get that we have been up and down, but with how high the ups are you would expect a bit more excitement. Again though, i defer to you, west coast late night trying to fill time equals not terribly concerned about a school 3k miles away and a game that is 2 weeks away.

I dont expect anyone to drool over us, but i am confident anyone on here who watched the game noticed the same thing. I guess what I was trying to point out is how the comments/lack thereof are evidence of the poor job the administration at uconn has done branding the school. Of course Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and UNC are going to be treated with reverence no matter what happens; even Louisville, who has been in 4 conferences in about 10 years and 3 in 3 years, is often put in that group which i don't love, but can accept. It is very frustrating however, to see Syracuse and MSU and Florida consistently mentioned in that group, by media and fans alike while UConn is ignored. It doesn't mean anything and I certainly prefer the titles, but it is annoying.
 
Stairmaster said:
It's a duck*ing adjective. Cool your jets.

Honestly, people here would be just as upset at ESPN/the media/the rest of the CBB world even if this comment hadn't been made.
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with all do respect...blow me!
 
nyhusky89 said:
That makes sense. I really wasn't freaking out about it like some people on here have posited. It was just something I noticed while watching the game, which was actually noticed by 2 other people on here who were watching. It definitely stuck out but the west coast thing is probably it. I get that we have been up and down, but with how high the ups are you would expect a bit more excitement. Again though, i defer to you, west coast late night trying to fill time equals not terribly concerned about a school 3k miles away and a game that is 2 weeks away.

I dont expect anyone to drool over us, but i am confident anyone on here who watched the game noticed the same thing. I guess what I was trying to point out is how the comments/lack thereof are evidence of the poor job the administration at uconn has done branding the school. Of course Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and UNC are going to be treated with reverence no matter what happens; even Louisville, who has been in 4 conferences in about 10 years and 3 in 3 years, is often put in that group which i don't love, but can accept. It is very frustrating however, to see Syracuse and MSU and Florida consistently mentioned in that group, by media and fans alike while UConn is ignored. It doesn't mean anything and I certainly prefer the titles, but it is annoying.
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I'm not sure about the Louisville trash talk. They have about as good a claim to being a blueblood as we do, and they're definitely the stronger, more relevant program at the moment.
 
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I can't comment on all broadcasts around the country, but living in Florida, I've met fans of many different programs and I think the respect level from knowledgeable fans is very high.
 
After reading even a little of this thread it only reinforces that Connecticut is really the Nutbag state. You have 4 RECENT National Championships in Men's BB you ultra-sensitive knuckleheads!
 
CallMeBruce said:
I'm not sure about the Louisville trash talk. They have about as good a claim to being a blueblood as we do, and they're definitely the stronger, more relevant program at the moment.
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Why?
 
CallMeBruce said:
I'm not sure about the Louisville trash talk. They have about as good a claim to being a blueblood as we do, and they're definitely the stronger, more relevant program at the moment.
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what louisville trash talk? I dont want to be snarky but did you read what i wrote? they were one of the teams i said i could live with in that elite group.

I don't know what i wrote that made anything think this was typical uconn insecure paranoia. I didn't even complain in the original post, I just described what context the announcers made their comments in, what the comments were, why they might be strange and whether anyone else noticed the comments. It was just something I found interesting and may have provided insight into the way some analysts see the program.

Last, please don't tear me apart for condescending or patronizing-I know I am new here and maybe don't have enough seniority to make a comment like this-but we are all uconn fans (except the guy from memphis and the guy from st johns). Some people certainly put forth some rather asinine ideas/proposals, but even those comments are generally people who want the best for this program. Sometimes a good sarcastic comment will shut someone up and plea's like this don't really mean in an online message forum about college basketball, but in my naivete I thought it was worth a try.
 
nyhusky89 said:
what louisville trash talk? I dont want to be snarky but did you read what i wrote? they were one of the teams i said i could live with in that elite group.

I don't know what i wrote that made anything think this was typical uconn insecure paranoia. I didn't even complain in the original post, I just described what context the announcers made their comments in, what the comments were, why they might be strange and whether anyone else noticed the comments. It was just something I found interesting and may have provided insight into the way some analysts see the program.

Last, please don't tear me apart for condescending or patronizing-I know I am new here and maybe don't have enough seniority to make a comment like this-but we are all uconn fans (except the guy from memphis and the guy from st johns). Some people certainly put forth some rather asinine ideas/proposals, but even those comments are generally people who want the best for this program. Sometimes a good sarcastic comment will shut someone up and plea's like this don't really mean in an online message forum about college basketball, but in my naivete I thought it was worth a try.
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Louisville is often talked down about like they're beneath us on this site, and I don't agree with it. I didn't mean to make it seem like I was calling you out. I just thought a thing and then wrote it.
 
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The perception may be real for the UConn brand, but our basketball teams ( M&W) are not a contributor to that. The specific incident the OP mentions is insignificant but we fans group the entire state of our athletic program/affiliation with such incidents and over-react.

Outside of Kentucky, and assuming we make the tourney, UConn has to be one of the handful of teams most fans do not want to see in their bracket. Talking heads know this and you will see them mention this in March. That will tell you what they really think of UConn basketball.
 
As a side note, during the Florida game, one of the announcers noted that between those two teams they had won 5 of the past 11 NCs. Not super relevant to this thread but ...
 
I was in Douville , France; the site of this nation's only Las Vegas style gambling venue which we call a casino (but in Francaise, the way we pronounce casino it means whore house in French, the correct pronunciation is "cazzz id know" when referring to gambling joint) outside of going to Monte Carlo. This is also the place where many USA movie stars romp and at the local famous horse track said movie stars owns horseees to compete. Also, this site has a yearly actor awards presentation that rivals Cannes. I met up with a couple of high rollers from Dallas and they were SMU grads. Started talking hoops and she said huskies are a powerhouse in gals hoops. Before I could comment, her long horn ranch owner husband corrected her and said the UCONN men are very serious hoopsters too. I guess the message was reinforced that hubby delivered because world title #4 and #9 respectively were registered several months later.

Generalization: gals around planet think UCONN is known for gals hoops, but hubby knows better and sometimes father knows best depending on her fetish.
 
uconndoit said:
As a side note, during the Florida game, one of the announcers noted that between those two teams they had won 5 of the past 11 NCs. Not super relevant to this thread but ...
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....but freakin' amazing!!

I agree with the OP. Not a huge slight but we aren't in THE club. We are known as a top team to anyone that knows college ball but we our held in lesser esteem than the top 4. Seems to me that Arizona has come closer to that status than we were allowed. And I think the same was true when we were the best team in the best basketball conference in the nation.
Sure, we've had some tough issues with sanctions and the American. But there have been bumps in the road for Kansas, KY, Duke and especially NC.
 
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