Newsflash....Nobody gives a crap if you think games are "boring, pathetic, embarrassing"...

[msf22b]

Really?

You were doing so well,but this is just dumb. No other way to put it.

Geno didn't appreciate her enough? He needed to nurture her more?

Comical.

This remains my view

 

[pinotbear]

y'know, there's a certain poetic quality to the resumption of this topic, so...

"Beaten it to death
not rising from the waters,
there ready to blossom"

and,

"You were doing well
Not enough nuture and care?
Dumbly comical"

 

[doggydaddy]

This remains my view

I don't think there is anyone that doesn't know that is your view. You were fortunate that everyone forgot.

Until you brought it up again.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The problem is you are implying that the effort wasn't wasn't put in.


That's what we've been trying to tell you, NO, it's not that easy to get a schedule like that. What's so difficult to understand about that??

And besides you don't want to play 4 teams from the same league.

UConn beat Kentucky's proverbial brains out in the last 2 NCAA regionals, LSU has slipped beneath the waters of excellence, CAL is not there yet and there are about 100 teams who plan and scheme not to get challenged but to eek out another win and get into the NCAAS or get in as a 7 rather than a 9 or a 14 and not a 16. And God forbid a team that might be very good and would play UConn but two other teams really close to them in rankings year in and yea r out are on UConn's schedule and if they lose by more than those two other teams what will the NCAA committee do (lions and tigers and bears Oh My.).

 

[calpedaler]

I don't think there is anyone that doesn't know that is your view. You were fortunate that everyone forgot.

Until you brought it up again.

I didn't forget. The voluminous repetition imprinted it on my brain...however the brainwashing was unsuccessful.

 

[Wonkster]

... still wished and so stated that every effort should be made find potentially more viable opponents.
We don't choose all our opposing teams.

We should be mindful of the potential for an imbalance so severe that the media will speak of nothing else.
What a peculiar perspective - why don't we just throw some games to give the media something else to talk about?

But it would be more palatable if the opponent was ND, UTenn, Cal, Kentucky, Nebraska, LSU, Duke, Georgia, the big state U's and all so-called woman's basketball powers; even some of our long-time foes in the Big East that in the past were known in the past to give us a game.

Surely such a schedule should be able to be accomplished.
Shirley, the cross-eyed bear.

Do I think the results will be significantly different? No.
But Shirley will be a happier bear.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

UConn beat Kentucky's proverbial brains out in the last 2 NCAA regionals, LSU has slipped beneath the waters of excellence, CAL is not there yet and there are about 100 teams who plan and scheme not to get challenged but to eek out another win and get into the NCAAS or get in as a 7 rather than a 9 or a 14 and not a 16. And God forbid a team that might be very good and would play UConn but two other teams really close to them in rankings year in and yea r out are on UConn's schedule and if they lose by more than those two other teams what will the NCAA committee do (lions and tigers and bears Oh My.).

There is no NCAA downside to playing UConn. None. And no coach thinks there is. It is a "good" loss and boosts the RPI.

That said, there are reasons for not playing UConn, of which 2 stand out. For many weak teams, including some you get stuck playing, the talent just isn't there to beat a really decent team (never mind UConn). So the benefit of playing a good team (faster, crisper, better execution and better players which can prepare you for facing teams like that later on) isn't there, because it won't help.

Likewise, for a team that hopes to challenge UConn, there are some who feel that there can be a benefit if you haven't played each other before. Whether that is always true of not is arguable, but it is a belief.

And there can be a psychological downside to getting pasted by UConn. It has even been known to throw teams off their next game.

OTH, you have coaches like Vivian that, in general, believe that "to be the best you have to play the best". But even she has adjusted the schedule, probably for a variety of reasons, but one probably encompasses trying to develop her team and not lose a lot of games doing so. For Viv's teams, even in the more outstanding seasons, they never played well early and there were always losses to tough teams.

 

[meyers7]

And there can be a psychological downside to getting pasted by UConn. It has even been known to throw teams off their next game.

But those are normally teams that think they can play with UCONN. They find out differently.

 

[semper]

Oh, yeah, the Dixon classic. I see it now. Thanks. Got my classics mixed up there...which wasn't very classy.

 

[Icebear]

It is really very simple.

Learn from the best, play the best, beat the best, be the best.

Very simple but very hard to do.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm very happy to be "bored" watching a game in which the outcome is never in doubt. We had 6 exciting games with ND over 2 seasons. And lost 5 of those. I don't miss that at all.

When we play poorly, I don't like to see it. I just love when we have our A game, whether it's for 4 minutes or 40. I know we don't always have our A game, but it's a beautiful thing, whether we beat Duke by 30 or lesser competition by 60.

If we beat the crap out of everyone else, that's on them. They need to recruit better, coach better, and play harder.

 

[tomcat]

There's a difference between whining about the boring games (I don't share that opinion) and thinking that if possible, UConn should increase the level of competition, which I happen to believe. I know, it's not easily done, but when possible, they should go for something more challenging than Monmouth. I think that at least some of us who are perceived as complaining about runaway victories are merely hoping to see UConn be challenged just a little bit more in some of these games. And yes, I know UConn plays a very strong schedule and not every team it plays can be a Stanford or a Duke.

This will become even more important going forward as UConn settles into its existence in a mid-major league.

 

[Tonyc]

Great post.. I record every game and watch them a million times. I at most of the games except during tax season. Many times I don't know the score I just watch how UConn executes. Geno is the conductor and the team plays the music.

 

[doggydaddy]

There's a difference between whining about the boring games (I don't share that opinion) and thinking that if possible, UConn should increase the level of competition, which I happen to believe. I know, it's not easily done, but when possible, they should go for something more challenging than Monmouth. I think that at least some of us who are perceived as complaining about runaway victories are merely hoping to see UConn be challenged just a little bit more in some of these games. And yes, I know UConn plays a very strong schedule and not every team it plays can be a Stanford or a Duke.

This will become even more important going forward as UConn settles into its existence in a mid-major league.

Once more, Uconn didn't pick Monmouth. Have you not read that the 20 other times this was posted?

 

[calpedaler]

Once more, Uconn didn't pick Monmouth. Have you not read that the 20 other times this was posted?

I think for some people complaining is their default position.

 

[Joe6cats]

I'm sorry if this comes out too harsh, but I think it is sad to witness UConn fans writing in to say this weekend's games were "boring, embarrassing, pathetic and counter productive." How many UConn players do you think feel that way? UConn players LOVE games. Games, against ANY opponent, are the reward for hours and hours of practice, lifting weights and pushing their bodies to the limit. The idea that any player would prefer practice, in an empty gym, against themselves, over a real game in front of 6,000 fans is laughable. Players LIVE for games. They live to put on the uniform, play a real opponent and hear the cheers from 6,000 fans, regardless of the margin of victory.

UConn players don't make the schedule. Even if every good team could be scheduled, there would still be blowouts. UConn is that good and works that hard. Their effort is never boring, pathetic or embarrassing. Most UConn players would probably prefer a hard fought close victory over a quality opponent. Some players might prefer a one-sided romp so they could embellish their statistics. But, those players don't go to UConn.

Next time you are "bored" at a game, watch the enthusiasm and joy on the UConn bench with every basket or blocked shot. Look at how excited the veterans get when TLaw nails 3. Learn to enjoy the players getting rewarded for all the hours of hard work, sweat and sometimes tears. If that doesn't work, go watch NASCAR. There is bound to be a wreck that will ease your boredom. Go Huskies..!!

Great post! Far from being boring, Geno's comments after the Bonnie game point up what a real challenge going against an inferior opponent is to the team. Not winning, that's a given, but playing with focus and intensity in respect for the opponent and the game of basketball. To play down to an opponent would be insulting, and this team is too well coached, has too much pride, to do that. It is hard. No wonder overmatched teams like to play the Huskies, before fans who can appreciate their efforts. As David said, these contests have their own rewards.

 

[tomcat]

Once more, Uconn didn't pick Monmouth. Have you not read that the 20 other times this was posted?

Would it have mattered if I'd said, "UConn should have tried to enter a tournament whose other entrants were likely to offer more of a challenge?" Granted, that is literally the case, but as it turned out, it amounted to the same thing as what I wrote. Of course they didn't pick Monmouth. I don't know if it was posted 20 times, but I personally saw it at least a half-dozen, and while my aging mind may be failing a little, I generally can remember something after I see it two, three times.

Just seems that if all you can find to bellyache about in the post is my characterization of how UConn came to play Monmouth (which, by the way, is still better than playing Fairleigh for-cryin'-out-loud Dickinson), well, I'm not going to worry about it much.

 

[tomcat]

Great post.. I record every game and watch them a million times. I at most of the games except during tax season. Many times I don't know the score I just watch how UConn executes. Geno is the conductor and the team plays the music.

Do I ever envy your ability to see most of the games. Back when I lived in New England, sure I wanted to see the ones we all knew would be close, but I went to any for which I could scrounge tickets. I remember taking a friend down from the North Shore of Boston to Storrs for the infamous game against Quinnipiac which UConn won by something like 120-25 and, to make matters worse, Quinnipiac lost one of its players to a serious knee injury. I have a feeling that their coach would be one of the few who, after all was said and done, probably couldn't say it was worth playing UConn. Anyway, going to the easy games is just part of being a fan. There's always something to watch, especially when the team is executing at a level close to perfection (which I've seen only a couple of times).

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Would it have mattered if I'd said, "UConn should have tried to enter a tournament whose other entrants were likely to offer more of a challenge?" Granted, that is literally the case, but as it turned out, it amounted to the same thing as what I wrote. Of course they didn't pick Monmouth. I don't know if it was posted 20 times, but I personally saw it at least a half-dozen, and while my aging mind may be failing a little, I generally can remember something after I see it two, three times.

Just seems that if all you can find to bellyache about in the post is my characterization of how UConn came to play Monmouth (which, by the way, is still better than playing Fairleigh for-cryin'-out-loud Dickinson), well, I'm not going to worry about it much.

Why not just turn the TV off, read a book or do something else, instead of taking the time to keyboard redundant whines that are w/o effect.

 

[reno tony]

A team does not have to be very far down in the standings to be outclassed by UCONN. Do any of you think there are Maryland players that think they seriously stand a chance against UCONN once they get back KML and Tuck? How about Penn State? I know all the games so far haven't been against ranked opponents but I still remember a quote from Geno during the Maya/Tina era. "These teams really aren't as bad as we make them look." Just the price you pay playing UCONN. Same price you pay being a UCONN fan. There are going to be a lot of lopsided victories and they can even be against top notch teams. So if watching your team go on to overwhelming victories bores you, then do what I did..... become a St. Louis Rams fan.

 

[Zorro]

Right, Reno. "Top 25" is relevant in the men's game, but not at all in the women's. Even the top ten, this year at least, doesn't mean squat. Other than Duke, and maybe ND, LVll. and Stanford, (and I say maybe), even with our currently depleted roster no other team has a realistic chance against the UConn juggernaut. Does anyone seriously believe that, even on an outstanding day, Nebraska, say, would be able to stay within 20 points if Geno chose to go full-tilt-boogie for the entire game? To ask the question is to answer it.

UConn is simply, as has been said, in a league of their own. And, since the Huskies show absolutely no signs of getting anything but even stronger, the only solution to the imbalance problem, if there is a solution, is for the handful of other schools that take wcbb seriously to drastically increase their efforts to improve their programs. Since that also seems unlikely, UConn fans had better try to adjust to watching blowouts, for lack of alternatives. Most of us already have.

 

[semper]

Yeah, but when we lose, we go utterly bonkers. At that, we're not so good.

 

[Paul1969]

The Duke game won't be boring!

 

[tomcat]

Why not just turn the TV off, read a book or do something else, instead of taking the time to keyboard redundant whines that are w/o effect.

It's wonderful how some people get an idea stuck in their head (i.e. some other people are just whiners) and decide to just go with whatever misconception crawl into their brains, regardless of what someone else might have written. So, I guess you didn't read what I actually wrote, which was that I enjoyed those games, and, back when I lived in New England, would attend even the ones expected to be lopsided, because UConn was the best women's basketball available.

So suggesting I turn off my television, in addition to being unkind, would not solve the problem, because I specifically said I liked watching these games, regardless of how one-sided they might be. I don't know if it's the influence of Fox News or what, but it seems to me that too many people are anxious to slam somebody else for what they want to have heard them say, rather than what they provably did say. Reminds me of what Einstein once said: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

 

[doggydaddy]

Would it have mattered if I'd said, "UConn should have tried to enter a tournament whose other entrants were likely to offer more of a challenge?" Granted, that is literally the case, but as it turned out, it amounted to the same thing as what I wrote. Of course they didn't pick Monmouth. I don't know if it was posted 20 times, but I personally saw it at least a half-dozen, and while my aging mind may be failing a little, I generally can remember something after I see it two, three times.

Just seems that if all you can find to bellyache about in the post is my characterization of how UConn came to play Monmouth (which, by the way, is still better than playing Fairleigh for-cryin'-out-loud Dickinson), well, I'm not going to worry about it much.

Would it have been better? Maybe. At least it wouldn't have been the same whining.

Point is, you didn't say that. You said the same thing that several other posters said.

You and others seem to not appreciate how tough it is to put together a schedule.