No Concerns

[oldude]

Close and Gottlieb always strike me as coaches who are "good enough" to bring talent to their team and get them pretty far, and even win some big games, but they lack the ability to take that next step.

Close and Gottlieb both have big checkbooks.

 

[BobbyJ]

Close and Gottlieb always strike me as coaches who are "good enough" to bring talent to their team and get them pretty far, and even win some big games, but they lack the ability to take that next step.

Agree. And next time you watch USC on tv, see how many times Gottlieb engages the much older asst. coach Beth Burns for advice etc. It's not like Auriemma venting or making comments to CD or the other coaches, many times Burns is doing most of the talking. I'm not sure who's calling the shots and I'm not impressed with her at all.

 

[meyers7]

What a bunch of nonsense. First, please replace the "we" with "I, meyers7". Simply put, I do not share your Doubting Thomas position of "I gotta see wins against the Top Five teams" to know how well UConn can play against them this year.

Having followed this program from the first year Geno and CD stepped in and took the reins, I can say without a doubt that I know we will do well against the "top 5 or so" teams out there. Just like I know "if we play well we can easily beat most mid-ranked to unranked teams". Just like I know that if any of the Top 16 seeded teams in our bracket get crazy hot and their entire team plays out of their minds (like Syla Swords did against us in Q4 this year) they can beat us even if we are playing well.

I know this from watching the Huskies play and evaluating the development of individual players, as well as the integration of players with each other in various rotations that Geno and staff put out on the floor this season. I know this from watching 1000+ WCBB games since the 1970s.

I do not need the Huskies to have played any of the top five teams this year to know this.

This year's team is special. With 11 games left, they are on course to be in future Boneyard debates on where they rank in the pantheon of great UConn teams. Will they win a National Championship? I believe so, but maybe not - a lot can still happen, especially in the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5? I would disagree with either posture.

I suspect this will be a helluva NCAA tournament. I am hoping that Huskies continue to play like they did throughout last year's tournament. No reason to think they won't.

Go UConn!

Well you are lying because you don't "know". You can speculate and guess and even believe (and that's really what it is). But you don't know.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5?

Neither, and that's the point. I don't have a evidence for that (and neither do you). But you're speculating, guessing, not "knowing".

Sorry, you're just out to lunch on this. You'd think after following this team for as long as you say, you'd know better. But I guess it just never clicks for some people.

 

[Inthepaint]

They’ll just have to play the games against whomever takes the court with them.
And do the best they can.
What their “best” is on that date will determine the outcome and whether #13 is in the cards.
IMHO, no one can beat UCONN this season. They can only beat themselves.
We know that Azzi & Sarah are the premier 1-2 punch in D1. We know Ash,KK,K9 & Jana have been in the pressure cooker & not wilted.
Let’s see what Blanca, Allie, Caroline , Serah, Ayanna & Kellis do when and if their moment comes.
No doubt we have the deepest pool of talent.
As for intangibles, don’t know anyone who got rich betting against Geno & crew.
I’m looking forward to dining on something other than crow Easter Sunday

 

[Skeets]

I don't know what Geno knows, but I do know this, Geno knows more than what we (the entire BY) knows.

 

[YKCornelius]

Well you are lying because you don't "know". You can speculate and guess and even believe (and that's really what it is). But you don't know.

Are you of the opinion that if the Huskies do not win the NC it is due to them not playing well? Or, are you embracing the inverse corollary to that: the only way the Huskies win the NC is by playing well against the Top 5?

Neither, and that's the point. I don't have a evidence for that (and neither do you). But you're speculating, guessing, not "knowing".

Sorry, you're just out to lunch on this. You'd think after following this team for as long as you say, you'd know better. But I guess it just never clicks for some people.

This latest post of yours underscores why your previous post was nonsense.

On one hand, you state: that "we know IF we play well we can easily beat most mid ranked to unranked teams easily." The premise behind your statement was: you know because you have seen it. On the other hand, you state in another post that "Geno knows, but we don't".

You didn't you use the term "speculate" in either of those statements pertaining to you and Geno, did you? Of course not, you used the term "know".

Nor did you take the undeniable position that nobody can see the future - not you, not Geno, not anyone else. If you would have, I'm guessing you probably would have eliminated any pushback. Certainly from me.

Instead, you ridiculously opted to base your contention of not knowing if we can play well against Top 5 teams simply on the premise that the world hasn't seen it happen yet this year.

The definition of speculating is forming a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm or conclusive evidence.

What is my firm evidence for knowing that this team can and will play well against Top Five opponents? Simple: past history of this program under Geno, coupled with this team's exceptional talent, resilience, depth, and development as the season has progressed. Every time UConn has had a team close to this year's caliber, they have played well against Top Five opponents in the NCAA tournament.

Visual and historical evidence is all I need to take the posture that "I know". Your "knowledge", on the other hand, is limited to what you have seen thus far. What a pity.

 

[BBallF]

You point to a level of schizophrenia here on the BY, lamenting the “lack of competition in the BE” only to “sound the alarm” about UConn whenever a BE team actually plays UConn competitively. There’s no winning that discussion.

Or the other psychotic side of the coin which is lamenting the "poor" competition in the BE and its projected catastrophic effect on us in March, and then being thankful that we have an "easy" schedule near the end of the BE regular schedule and in the BE tourney so we can rest and retool.

 

[BBallF]

I don't know what Geno knows, but I do know this, Geno knows more than what we (the entire BY) knows.

How do you know he is not a poster here or doesn't read what we have to say? Some of the comments here are pretty astute. Don't you find it odd that sometimes there are suggestions made here and the next game you see them? Brilliant ideas like "play good defense" or "box out" or "no illegal screens" - well, maybe not the last one. 😉