One more reminder in case we forgot...

[Jaydumo20]

We were in the same place, only worse, in 23. Our January was bad. Very very bad.

In retrospect, we can say that we all knew we had the players we saw in march. But We wanted our best current pro and uconn legend AJax Jr. Relegated to the end of the bench.
We compared Hurley to the same old AAC scenario.
We were either missing the tourney completely or going out again in the first round.
Hurley himself thought he was gonna be fired.
Don't pat yourself on the back claiming that you knew what we had.
Rob Dausters top dogs and Andy Katz both had us really struggling with Iona.
At the end of H1 we thought we were cooked.
We ALL did.

If you thought we were gonna end up winning every game by 13+ you should've made a bet and retired early.

Like the proverbial walls of the cave: you gotta look beyond what you see in front of you.

 

[80shusky]

You are right. The same number of games in we were 16-5 overall and 5-5 in conference. About the same place though 1 fewer loss would be better. However, we had Donovan Clingan.

 

[Jaydumo20]

You are right. The same number of games in we were 16-5 overall and 5-5 in conference. About the same place though 1 fewer loss would be better. However, we had Donovan Clingan.

We didn't sing Clingan's praises in that stretch. We had an issue with Sanogo too, but I can't remember what it was. I recall that we rode Hawk for not being able to score in the 1st half. Basically, we didnt like anybody.
We saw less of joey c and thought he was a one game wonder who couldn't ever learn D.
There was no belief.

 

[80shusky]

Agree, we didn't realize it yet.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

That 23 team was undefeated in the non-conference and beat Bama and Iowa State. The signs were definitely there before Big East play. I just don’t think we’re that same caliber team this year - and that’s okay!

 

[yungdowork]

That 23 team was undefeated in the non-conference and beat Bama and Iowa State. The signs were definitely there before Big East play. I just don’t think we’re that same caliber team this year - and that’s okay!

Unfortunately, all our good non-conference wins look worse now than when we played the games. Gonzaga is ranked #10 in KenPom but didn't make the AP top 25 this week because they had back to back losses to Oregon St and Santa Clara earlier in the month. Baylor (KenPom 26) and Texas (KenPom 35) both got a few top 25 votes but missed it as well.

 

[Jaydumo20]

That 23 team was undefeated in the non-conference and beat Bama and Iowa State. The signs were definitely there before Big East play. I just don’t think we’re that same caliber team this year - and that’s okay!

This is true... In retrospect.
We didn't think we had a very good team then. I don't remember anybody, after January 23 saying "but we beat Bama and iowa state". I DO remember, tix being released and prices getting slashed. Most of the fans were in AAC redux mode. Me included.

I dont hear enough people saying "but we were 7-0 before liam got hurt" either. Me included.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Aidan Mahaney was absolutely cooking us in the second round.

 

[UCFan1513]

I think that team was still like top 10/15 in Kenpom at this point and didn't have nearly the defensive problems this team has. As others said - that's okay - they don't have to be what they were either of the last two years. That's an unsustainable standard

 

[UCFan1513]

That is a fair assessment. However, This team was #2 in kenpom in offensive efficency after xmas. It doesnt matter now nor did it then. If 10-15 kenpom in January '23 mattered then why did we write that team off anyway?

There is a chance that this team can win it all again, and if we do all we have to do is say "yeah cuz the 23 and 24 teams didn't have a 5 star scorer offensive Alpha dog lottery pick like McNeeley. It all seems so clear after the dust has cleared.

I think the major difference is that each of those two teams were at or near the top 10 in both offense and defense all year. This team is likely too far gone defensively to compete deep into March I fear

 

[Jaydumo20]

I think the major difference is that each of those two teams were at or near the top 10 in both offense and defense all year. This team is likely too far gone defensively to compete deep into March I fear

I won't argue that. They are the weakest D team of the 3 by far.
But so many things about that 23 team turned around from feb-april that I think a vast defensive improvement over a 2 month span for this team is feasible. Though i will stand by you in saying it definitely hasn't been seen yet.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We didn't sing Clingan's praises in that stretch. We had an issue with Sanogo too, but I can't remember what it was. I recall that we rode Hawk for not being able to score in the 1st half. Basically, we didnt like anybody.
We saw less of joey c and thought he was a one game wonder who couldn't ever learn D.
There was no belief.

The issue with Sanogo is Hurley would have him up high 20' from the hoop with the ball and no team would put a defender anywhere near Sanogo. Sanogo's defender would clog the lane making it tougher for UConn's off the ball movement through the lane. The staff solved this by having Sanogo flash up high and then dive to the post where he'd catch the ball. And then surprise of all surprises, Sanogo also started taking and making a few 3's. Wild times.

 

[ToolzieFan]

I love the optimism, but even at our worst, we never dropped below #6 in KenPom that year. I will definitely admit that the struggles were real, and that our coaching staff made some adjustments that turned us into the unstoppable machine we became.

I think the key to enjoying this season is adjusting expectations without losing hope. I’d like to think that’s where I’m at. We will be better with McNeeley, we have a few players who have shown flashes who might develop consistency, and we have a top-notch coaching staff. I’m not as confident that we will go on a run, but I truly believe the talent is there to make some noise in March. I just find the low spots a little less soul-crushing given all that we have accomplished the past few years.

 

[Jaydumo20]

The issue with Sanogo is Hurley would have him up high 20' from the hoop with the ball and no team would put a defender anywhere near Sanogo. Sanogo's defender would clog the lane making it tougher for UConn's off the ball movement through the lane. The staff solved this by having Sanogo flash up high and then dive to the post where he'd catch the ball. And then surprise of all surprises, Sanogo also started taking and making a few 3's. Wild times.

Ah. That's right. I remember a ton of discussions on here about that. Good call.
If I remember correctly it was after January when the staff decided to change this. I recall a Hurley press conference where, after the 6 game skid, they went in and changed a lot.
They always experiment. And to my surprise, sometimes the BY does suggest the actual thing that ends up working, games before the staff implements the change.

 

[uh-no]

I love the optimism, but even at our worst, we never dropped below #6 in KenPom that year. I will definitely admit that the struggles were real, and that our coaching staff made some adjustments that turned us into the unstoppable machine we became.

Beat me to it.

I'm still optimistic on Liam's return, but this is nowhere near the 2023 team.

 

[mihusky]

We were in the same place, only worse, in 23. Our January was bad. Very very bad.

In retrospect, we can say that we all knew we had the players we saw in march. But We wanted our best current pro and uconn legend AJax Jr. Relegated to the end of the bench.
We compared Hurley to the same old AAC scenario.
We were either missing the tourney completely or going out again in the first round.
Hurley himself thought he was gonna be fired.
Don't pat yourself on the back claiming that you knew what we had.
Rob Dausters top dogs and Andy Katz both had us really struggling with Iona.
At the end of H1 we thought we were cooked.
We ALL did.

If you thought we were gonna end up winning every game by 13+ you should've made a bet and retired early.

Like the proverbial walls of the cave: you gotta look beyond what you see in front of you.

Hurley was asked about the comparison to Jan 2023 in a presser, ie, whether he can take comfort in the turnaround that happened. Paraphrasing he said it wasn't a great comparison as the 2023 team was so dominant offensively and defensively in the non-conference period.

 

[Deepster]

I would say that a better comparison is the 2014 team.

Ranked #21
Ranked in the top 10 for a total of 1 week (Week 6)
24-7 record
12-6 in the crummy AAC
Smacked 81-48 by Louisville in the regular season finale
Came into the tourney as a 7th seed

Napier averaged 18 per game followed by DeAndre Daniels at 13 and Boatright at 12. No other player averaged more than 8 ppg.

Napier's last 10 regular season pts per game: 16-17-7-34-17-15-17-18-26-9, so he wasn't lighting it up down the stretch and had 2 games in single digits.

No inside presence at all. Daniels and Napier were the top 2 rebounders at 6.0 and 5.9 rpg.

And that was with Ollie as HC who, we would all agree, is not near the coach we have now.

If that team can pull it off? We absolutely can.

 

[BGesus4]

Hurley’s already won twice with the best team in the country. That’s old. Time to try new things

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It would be nice if the fan base of program that has experienced far more success than any reasonable person could dream about would stop whining every ten minutes over a season that while it hasn't yet turned out as well as we expected, still is far from over.

 

[Hoophound]

Don’t forget, we also had the issue where no one guarded Andre Jackson and just let him try and make 3’s.

 

[UConnSwag11]

That 23 team was undefeated in the non-conference and beat Bama and Iowa State. The signs were definitely there before Big East play. I just don’t think we’re that same caliber team this year - and that’s okay!

Agreed. Idk why people compare this year to any of the last two years. The talent levels aren’t even close

 

[Scoe]

With the current team feel we’re more like the 91-92 team that is without McNeeley with him we shall see.

 

[freescooter]

It would be nice if the fan base of program that has experienced far more success than any reasonable person could dream about would stop whining every ten minutes over a season that while it hasn't yet turned out as well as we expected, still is far from over.

Oh grow up. This a what have you done for me lately business. You start saying “we so happy we won in 2023 and 24” and next thing you know you’re Florida. Won back to back in 06 and 07. Have only 1 Final 4 7 years later, 11 years ago. No titles. 1 Elite 8 in 2017, 8 years ago. Big whoop.

 

[Umami Zen]

Oh grow up. This a what have you done for me lately business. You start saying “we so happy we won in 2023 and 24” and next thing you know you’re Florida. Won back to back in 06 and 07. Have only 1 Final 4 7 years later, 11 years ago. No titles. 1 Elite 8 in 2017, 8 years ago. Big whoop.

Your comments suggest to me you have either never played sports or coached. Amirite?