On the eve of the biggest game of the year, what is your state of mind?

[EricLA]

So i was thinking - as fans, what is our state of mind going into tonight? Totally relaxed? Totally nervous?

 

[RadyLady]

I have had distractions today, and I set a few goals that I need to reach. If I had the time, I would probably be a little nervous and somewhat relaxed. Afraid of the mojo, though. I want to leave nothing to chance.

 

[meyers7]

It's my birthday. So I am expecting a good birthday present tonight around 11:00 or so.

 

[EricLA]

It's my birthday. So I am expecting a good birthday present tonight around 11:00 or so.

Hope you get a great present!! (meaning NC #8...)

 

[semper]

I'm going to leave work early and actually find and bar and actually watch the game....if one has it on....I live in (shhhh) South Bend.

 

[Kait14]

I'm so beyond nervous. I feel like if Michigan had won last night it would have all but guaranteed a win for us. I know talent wise we are head and shoulders above them, and the way we are playing right now is head and shoulders above them. I'm just so freaking nervous

 

[ChicagoGG]

I'm with Rady - afraid to mess with the mojo. As for my state of mind, here
is a song from Mel Brooks that sums it up pretty well - "High Anxiety"

"High anxiety whenever you're near -
High anxiety - it's you that I fear.
My heart's afraid to fly - it's crashed before ...
But then you take my hand;
My heart starts to soar once more.

High anxiety ... it's always the same;
High anxiety ... it's you that I blame.
It's very clear to me I've got to give in.
High anxiety: you win."

So, I'll be on the couch, watching with one eye and cocking both ears while I do a cross word puzzle and I'll also be alert to my husband's reactions. Fretting. It's what I do on night's like this. Hmmm, just made myself sound like a nervous puppy with that ear thing, didn't I...

 

[alexrgct]

A little relaxed and a little nervous- probably equally so.

I know UConn should win this game. I know we have the talent advantage. We have a coach who lives for these opportunities and prepares his teams to have this goal on their RADAR from the first practice. And other than that amazing Baylor win, Louisville has NOT been playing at a level (not against Purdue, Tennessee, or Cal) that would be good enough to beat UConn.

Still, you have to go out and do it. Anyone can lose a game at any time. We have a bit of walking wounded going on here. Geno may have never lost a national final, but there's a first time for everything. So I'll be nervous until the final buzzer goes off.

On top of that, I really want this for those kids. They sacrifice a lot to play for as demanding a program as UConn is. The program is rigorous, the media and fan scrutiny intense, and really, one could get a free college education playing ball somewhere else and be left alone. WBB matters in this state. It matters because Geno built a program based on those demands. The payoff for those sacrifices is meeting those demands and getting to this level, being part of a continuum of greatness, having the banner go up next to Maya's and Tina's championships, next to D's, Sue's, Shea/Svet's, Rebecca's. How much has Kelly sacrificed? Caroline? Those kids deserve to go out on top. Think about the pressure Bria and Stef have had on them from Day 1. How much of a joy has it been to watch KML these past two years after she chose to go cross country to the great white north because she believed she could carry on the tradition of the program? Sure, she'll have other shots at it, but I want her to cement her legacy alongside those great players. A championship this year helps. Breanna came in with impossible expectations, suffered for it, and then, at a time when most freshmen wilt, she wiped the floor with Notre Dame in the national semis with a smile on her face. How large a shadow will her legacy cast on the program by the time she's done? The answer to that starts to come into focus tonight.

This is a great group of kids. I thought they were a year away. They have a chance to prove me wrong, to bring the title home where it belongs, to make every woman who came through the program before proud, to add to their coach's legacy, and to affirm that their sacrifices have been worth it, that when they signed that LOI, what they hoped for actually came to pass.

Godspeed, girls.

 

[CL82]

I just want to skip ahead to the tip off. Curse you time!

 

[Kait14]

I'm so nervous I don't even want to go to the gym, even though I'd be going 3 hours before tip. Terrible

 

[Icebear]

At peace.

 

[EricLA]

LOL. I'm curious to the people who picked "none of the above" would have liked as an option? the only one i neglected was exactly equal nervous and relaxed!

 

[UConnChapette]

At the risk of offending the mojo gods, I honestly can say that as of right now, I am TOTALLY relaxed. Was pretty much this way on Sunday, but Sunday I was completely focused on a work assignment that had to get done so I wasn't thinking about the game. Today, I have thought about the game, and talked to people about the game. And I am still not nervous.

Of course, that may change after I leave work and as game time approaches.

 

[VivaLsVgs]

I'm a nervous wreck!! Sitting in the airport in the Cayman Islands right now.....have a connection back to CT in Charlotte that leaves at 8:00 and doesn't touch down at Bradley until 9:54. Can't believe I'll be in the air for the majority of the game. I'm just afraid about a possible letdown after the ND game. I want this so much for this team! Go Uconn!!

 

[VAMike23]

At peace.

A true Zen master.....

 

[EricLA]

I'm a nervous wreck!! Sitting in the airport in the Cayman Islands right now.....have a connection back to CT in Charlotte that leaves at 8:00 and doesn't touch down at Bradley until 9:54. Can't believe I'll be in the air for the majority of the game. I'm just afraid about a possible letdown after the ND game. I want this so much for this team! Go Uconn!!

Get someone at your house to DVR it for you!!!

 

[CTHUSKY74]

Much less nervous than before ND. Since then having seen how well we could play against top level competition I have renewed confidence that not only can we do it but that we will do it. Hope our best is on display once again!

 

[Shenandoah]

cautiously optimistic...I'm one of the "none of the above"s...

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Let's just say unsettled, leaning to nervous. Mostly has to do with having had so little faith that I did not see a finals game until next year, so I can't find the war paint! A little bit because Louisville is brash and feels it has nothing to lose.

 

[meyers7]

At peace.

Yea well you're a pastor, you should be.

 

[meyers7]

I'm so beyond nervous. I feel like if Michigan had won last night it would have all but guaranteed a win for us. I know talent wise we are head and shoulders above them, and the way we are playing right now is head and shoulders above them. I'm just so freaking nervous

I wanted Michigan to win last night, BUT, really the better team won. Which should make you feel better. UCONN is the better team. All things should work out just fine.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

It's my birthday. So I am expecting a good birthday present tonight around 11:00 or so.

Happy birthday, Smarty Pants! I hope you get a great birthday gift.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

I'm going to leave work early and actually find and bar and actually watch the game....if one has it on....I live in (shhhh) South Bend.

Good luck with that. I can't imagine a South Bend bar having the game on.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Much less nervous than before ND.

Me, too, but still nervous. If I'd seen this poll at 1:30 I would have checked "More relaxed than nervous." But as game time approaches, the balance is tipping.

 

[triaddukefan]

Im totally relaxed. I actually wont be able to see the game tonight, but I'll keep track of the score on my phone.