On a scale of 0-10, how nervous are you for UCONN vs. SC?

[Golden Husky]

Those of us who came of age in the sixties don't have to be nervous to indulge in alcohol or pharmaceuticals.

 

[GoUconn7961]

Mildly nervous as I always am before a big game on the road. I will most likely do the following:
- Pace
- Yell at players as if they could hear me
- Scare my dogs
- Record the game in case it ever gets too close and I have to turn the channel
- Eat popcorn mindlessly.

 

[OneTrickPony]

I'm in at mildly nervous, and mostly excited...until the referees start calling fouls, that is...

 

[bizarro aj]

You wouldn't be nervous if you watched ND manhandle SC earlier in the season. Uconn wins this game easily, there will be no texas repeat in this one.

 

[winlots]

Calm as a clam (zero) ever since the reassuring TONYC post yesterday . No WAIT - I'll register as a two at this point because time has passed since Tony calmed me and I dislike SC as much as I dislike ND's team and am already beginning to feel fired up. NO wait, I'll take a 6: SC is so dirty, and as Robert "Chief" Parish would say, "I take this personally and am gettin really pissed OFF!!"

 

[Ozimoto]

Mildly nervous, but that is usually my state of mind for any game. Not so much because of the opponent or the venue but simply because you can always have an off game or an injury to a key player at any time.

 

[UConnNick]

Not nervous at all. I'm trying to decide if I should press a bet with my two first cousins that are Gamecock alums. One of the two is hopelessly deranged. He's more of a UNC fan. That is so wrong on so many levels I really don't know where to begin.

I once exchanged headgear with the other one. He has a husky and I have Cocky the Gamecock. I'll start sticking voodoo pins in Cocky pretty soon.

 

[phil sampieri]

I actually feel good about the game dispute the obstacles. I believe (and hope) this is the stepping stone / statement game to head into March. I see where MW again proves she part of the rotation, Z is impactful against an AA big, and the rest of the starters show their AA caliber play.

I could be off and why they play the game. I may picking the wrong game considering on road, hiwtime crowd, players not 100%, etc... but I just think they may also be super focused against the national champions and want to make a statement.

I feel much better since Vegas has Uconn favored 14.5

 

[bags27]

If UConn were to lose--and I certainly don't think they will--it shouldn't affect their #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. And a loss might put more fire in their belly. Not that I expect it. Just saying you never know what's best until it's over and you can look back. Even then....

 

[geneticrex]

'47'

But don't go by me. I got nervous when they played the Ashland Eagles.

 

[TitleTown]

It will be very interesting to see how UConn responds playing a really tough and physical team like South Carolina. Against Texas, Uconn got punched in the mouth the first half and was getting beat on the boards and to every 50/50 ball. The second half was a different story and UConn played with an "edge" and ultimately won the game. It would be nice to see UConn come out from the start and play tough, hard nosed basketball. Jeff Jacobs also addressed this in his article today. “It’s one of the things we talk to our players about,” Auriemma said. “Sometimes I worry about this team, that we’re just a bunch of nice kids from down the street.”

 

[Orangutan]

Fun fact, I checked my heart rate during the ND-Tennessee game using the heart rate monitor on my phone. 120 bpm.

So if I were a UConn fan, I would probably be at least an 8. As an ND fan, I think you should all be at 2 at most. But it's always easier to assume that someone else's team will win.

 

[BigBird]

Very anxious in chez BigBird. I am more worried about this one than the Louisville game. And UL is a better team.

 

[Big Mick]

This is an easy one:

UCONN 79
SC 56

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Zero - zip - nada. Never nervous.
Only game anyone should be even slightly nervous is the last game of the season.
But when the tourney starts you may not know when the last game will be.

 

[chrissaran]

Katie Lou, Gabby, Napheesa and Kia are much improved from two years ago. Crystal is on a whole different level than last year. Z adds an inside and outside dimension, Megan Walker is becoming what we all thought she'd be, and USC is not the same team they were two years ago. Go UConn.

 

[huskyd]

Recently, Scoop mentioned that wcbb games were not a “matter of life and death.” My first reaction was that poor Scoop had lost it. NOT a matter of life and death? Then I gave the idea, rad as it was, some thought. I concluded that, yes, life would go on after a UConn loss. I'd wake up on Friday and have three meals plus a healthy snack. Everything would go on as before. Sure I'd have to re-live the game in the morning papers but, as they're mostly “fake,” how would I know the results were accurate? I didn't know when the awful truth would fully wash over me or how I'd react when I realized that, indeed, the unthinkable had arrived. Man up, I told myself. What's the worse thing that can come of this? Isn't this what life is all about? The good PLUS the bad?

After a few sedatives, I loaded my banana

 

[Twolf]

Katie Lou, Gabby, Napheesa and Kia are much improved from two years ago. Crystal is on a whole different level than last year. Z adds an inside and outside dimension, Megan Walker is becoming what we all thought she'd be, and USC is not the same team they were two years ago. Go UConn.

While one shouldn’t be nervous since UConn has the advantage at 4 of the 5 matchups in the starting lineups, and both matchups off the bench of the top seven, when you add in nagging injuries of the players nicked up, a tough road environment, or possible foul trouble defending the post it’s impossible not to have a few butterflies. But, as a college coach once told me, as long as the butterflies all fly in the same direction it will be okay. It’s when they start flying in opposite directions you should start being concerned.

 

[Bronx23]

Pretty relaxed. Obviously I want UCONN to win but I learned long ago that, win or lose, the course of my life was not going to be altered in any significant way. There really isn't too much riding on this game IMHO. Should UCONN lose, it will be learning tool to better ensure their success in the tournament. I wouldn't want a repeat of last year, when the bubble burst at the most inopportune time. In other words, if there were to be a loss, I'd rather it happen sooner than later. That being said, Go UCONN!

This was an excellent post! Life will go on regardless. And yes, if they lose it will bring a lot of teachable moments and help prepare them for the tournament and eliminate any possible complacency.
I expect they will win comfortably unless SC shoots the lights out!
Bronx23

 

[Zanzman]

Zero shut down Sadie Edwards and beating usc is easy

 

[cbraarj]

Not sure if nervous is the right description, but I certainly am as excited as I’ve been all season about a game, similar to last season before Baylor, ND, MD & SC, when there was some doubt about the outcome.

Not sure if nervous is the right description, but I certainly am as excited as I’ve been all season about a game, similar to last season before Baylor, ND, MD & SC, when there was some doubt about the outcome.

Always used that translation as a Coach for 30 years, Old Dude! I asked them if they worked hard in practice? Yes... Do you love the game? Yes... Are you confident in your abilities? Yes... Do you love playing the game? Yes... That means you are excited to play the game! No such thing as nerves!

 

[CPD016]

Hopefully this game will give me the "rush" that has been missing lately. Looking forward to seeing how the team is rounding into form.

 

[JordyG]

A few things are of interest to me this game.

1) Z has been flying up and down the court these last 3 to 4 games. I really didn't know she had that type of speed. Her ability to finish at the rim during transition is a thing to behold. If this continues it may be a real problem for SCar. Contrarily,

2) How will Z fare on defense. Can she stay out of foul trouble, can she keep her man in front of her, can she make timely switches, and can she alter SCar's shots in the paint. Geno may play a lot of sagging 2/3 and match up zones tonight so we'll see how that goes.

3) Can Gabby be the force in the lane she was last year against SCar. Can she pull her mark out of the lane by hitting something outside and by making good passes from the high post. Can she stay out of foul trouble as well.

4) I don't know if many noticed but Pheese's footwork on offense and defense was, in my eyes, the best it has been all year against Tulane. Her outside shot had the best arc and rotation I've seen all year as well. She is really starting to come on the last 3 or 4 games. Will this be another good one or a step backwards?

5) Crystal could be a real X factor for UCONN this game. If she can penetrate off the dribble AND hit her outside shot tonight UCONN could have an easy night.

6) Lou.

If these things happen it won't matter what Dawn's team does, it won't be close.

 

[mrmojack]

For those who care, Uconn is a 15 1/2 point favorite tonight against South Carolina.

 

[Blue Huskie]

More concerned about injuries than the outcome.

 

[BigBird]

Perhaps my concerns about this game were not well founded.

 

[GoingPostal]

I must admit I was in the mildly nervous category. It was half time before I could check on the score. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. This years team, as well as last year's, seems to handle whatever is put in front of them with poise and maturity. After tonight I think the Huskues are going to be the #1 seed going into the tournament no matter what happens against Louisville.

 

[Twolf]

Always used that translation as a Coach for 30 years, Old Dude! I asked them if they worked hard in practice? Yes... Do you love the game? Yes... Are you confident in your abilities? Yes... Do you love playing the game? Yes... That means you are excited to play the game! No such thing as nerves!

If you sense your team is feeling pressure your translation means basketball is fun, & treat it as such. I always tried to instill in them that basketball is not pressure & that real pressure is having 5 kids and you can’t feed them. You would then feel real pressure.