Not an after a loss thread, but the sad truth

[sammydabiz]

As one thread read "This is an NIT team unfortunately" I hated to admit, but it really looks that way. Granted our sched hasn't been too hard so far but I can't name one good win we have: FSU? (we barely won that, if it wasn't for Boat) WVU? (went to the wire, could of went either way) Harv (please now were reppin Ivy wins?!?)

This team has not shown to be upper echelon competitive once this season, IMO. Have we beat a team by 20 this season?, like "supposed" blue bloods are suppose to? Um maybe once and i think it was Holy Cross :-/ smh Heck I even bet the 2009-2010 NIT team had atleast a couple 20 point wins vs the cupcakes of their sched. If the team is bad, I would be ok with that b/c they try hard and their ceiling is oh so high, but I really think this may be, when you look at individual talent alone, one of our more talented teams we've ever had in Storrs.

Which is why I think it could be one of the more disappointing seasons I've witnessed as a fan. And it kills me to say it, but lay a lot of the blame I put on the coaching staff. I really really hope I am proven wrong, but ladies and gents I've seen better half court offenses in P.A.L leagues.

 

[Robertelamin]

So you named 3 good wins but they don't count? They do have the #3 strength of schedule in the country.

 

[sammydabiz]

So you named 3 good wins but they don't count? They do have the #3 strength of schedule in the country.

The point was not one of those wins we're comfortably won, (except for Harvard) but I refuse to rep Harvard as a good win, sound like something Providence would do

 

[Huskybass]

ND on the road was a very good win. Nobody else (including Cuse) has beaten them there in a long, long time.

 

[sammydabiz]

ND on the road was a very good win. Nobody else (including Cuse) has beaten them there in a long, long time.

You know what I'll def give you that. IMO our best game played so far. Funny how it was only 3 games ago

 

[RayRipKemba]

but I can't name one good win we have: FSU? (we barely won that, if it wasn't for Boat) WVU? (went to the wire, could of went either way)

This team SUCKS right now, but I don't quite get the point you were trying to make...

Our two Final Four wins over Duke in 99 and 04 went down to the wire and could have gone either way. Heck, last year in the NCAA's our wins over SDSU, Arizona, and Kentucky all went down to the wire and could have gone either way.

This year's team is struggling mightily, but the wins over WVU, FSU, and ND are just as legitimate as our National Championships.

 

[champs99and04]

Still 4-3 in the Big East. If they can win six of their last eleven they'll make the tournament.

 

[rw005]

It's that time of the year again!!!

Everyone's favorite...

Groundhog Day!

 

[wpq4elamin]

oh how quickly people forget all the late game heroics Kemba Walker was responsible for last year... we were in an awful lot of close games last season and were bailed out of "ugly" or "mediocre" games because we had the best player in the country...

not saying it cures all of our ailments, but having bazz certainly changes the complexion of the last two games... you don't take one of your best players out of the lineup for 8 games during his freshman year and expect an already young team not to struggle mightily... add the fact that he handles the ball and we have had 1 primary ballhandler for 2 games in a row and it sounds worse...

not saying we don't have other issues, but that might mask/hide some of them and at least back some people off the ledge

 

[dogpause]

We're all expecting more from this team, but as bad as we played the past two games, we still came close to winning both of them. I haven't given up hope, but we need to have a compete, and and confidence building win over a good team.

 

[Ted Kord]

And it kills me to say it, but lay a lot of the blame I put on the coaching staff. I really really hope I am proven wrong, but ladies and gents I've seen better half court offenses in P.A.L leagues.

I don't think this can be said enough. It's really starting to bother me too. Game after game I watch opposing teams move the ball around for open looks, then watch our team look confused and without direction on offense. It's incredibly frustrating. Even the plays they do run don't seem to involve everybody. Obviously it would help if AO had better hands and if AD would be more aggresive but coach needs to install plays to get the most out of what he has, which is an incredibly talented group of kids.

 

[NOTaDIME]

This team SUCKS right now, but I don't quite get the point you were trying to make...

Our two Final Four wins over Duke in 99 and 04 went down to the wire and could have gone either way. Heck, last year in the NCAA's our wins over SDSU, Arizona, and Kentucky all went down to the wire and could have gone either way.

This year's team is struggling mightily, but the wins over WVU, FSU, and ND are just as legitimate as our National Championships.

Are you serious? You're comparing wins over one of the best Duke teams to wins over Harvard, FSU, and ND? This is the most ludicrous thing I have heard in a long time. Just because all of these games went "down to the wire" doesn't mean they were equally good wins. Unreal post. This team is one of the biggest underachievers this year...lets not compare them to our championship greats. What a disservice to them.

 

[RayRipKemba]

Are you serious? You're comparing wins over one of the best Duke teams to wins over Harvard, FSU, and ND? This is the most ludicrous thing I have heard in a long time. Just because all of these games went "down to the wire" doesn't mean they were equally good wins. Unreal post. This team is one of the biggest underachievers this year...lets not compare them to our championship greats. What a disservice to them.

No, I'm saying a down to the wire win is still a win, and to discount them because we could have lost doesn't make sense.

I was obviously using the NCAA games to put this in perspective, not equating wins in the Final Four to wins in the reg season.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The point was not one of those wins we're comfortably won, (except for Harvard) but I refuse to rep Harvard as a good win, sound like something Providence would do

Stop saying "rep," you sound like a moron.

 

[caw]

Stop saying "rep," you sound like a moron.

This.

This team hasn't been as good as advertised but they have some darn good wins:

FSU just took down UNC and Duke so even a close win is a good win.

ND at ND is a good win as shown by the Cuse win by ND this year (they were missing Melo, UConn was missing Boatright, seems fair to me).

Harvard is a good team, Ivy League or no. Anytime you beat a team that will likely win their conference and make the NCAA's or will likely be a NCAAT team even if they don't win their league, that is a good win.

Arkansas is a quality win (they just beat Michigan).

WVU is a decent win as well.

Of the losses, only Rutgers and UCF were really bad losses and at least Rutgers was on the road.

Seton Hall is a decent club
Cincy is a good club
UT is a better team than their record indicates (Stokes is a huge addition) and they could make some noise down the stretch.

The only one that annoys me is the Seton Hall game because that was the only game this season UConn has had a full squad/coaching staff for and lost. Rutgers is second because I'm not sure how much of a difference Calhoun makes in that game. UCF/Cincy and UT I firmly believe would be different games if Boatright is available for them (not sure UConn would have won, but they would have played out much differently).

Even with Boatright, this team is still not there. Good enough, IMO, to win those three games but not a top 5 team yet. The defense has been solid, but the offense is anemic if Oriakhi and Drummond can't get it done screening/posting up/etc. Boatright being out might have given both Roscoe and Giffey a much needed shot in the arm, which could be nice going forward.

 

[RuffRuff]

We don't beat down/overwhelm teams because we don't do what teams that do that typically do - score points off defense. This team has become a slow, grind it out, half court team whose system is exchanging half court sets, something I never, ever recall a Calhoun coached team to be masterful in. They generate no fast break, push the ball or turn the ball over for easy buckets. For such a talented roster, they are one of the least dynamic Uconn teams on the defensive end that I can recall.

 

[Huskybass]

What bothers me more than anything is the grind it out pace that leads to scoring about 60 points, those games are always a crapshoot... and falling behind by 8-10 points, then playing real well in the final minutes to make it very close. This team needs to play with a sense of energy for prolonged stretches, not just in the final 2 to 3 minutes. Here's to hoping that Boat's return will help in several ways, including depth, ball movement and tempo. This team is at its best when they score at least a dozen points in transition. That gets everyone into the game and the kids actually smile quite a bit.

 

[Waquoit]

This isn't

As one thread read "This is an NIT team unfortunately" I hated to admit, but it really looks that way.

No it doesn't.