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Message: [QUOTE="Longtime fan, post: 2668765, member: 7093"] It is so true. And they are there because UCONN football is such a joke. Let's face it, there are no " world class " football players or women basketball players in Connecticut so, unless we can compete with teams recruiting in Florida, Texas and California, we are doomed. Our women's team is successful doing that, but the mens' teams are not. In fact, the men's BB team at UCONN is now a national scandal, with the coach fired, a new guy coming in, and all the committed players de-committing. There was a time when both the UCONN BB men and the UConn women won a national championship. But they did not play in " puff" conferences against Division II or Division III talent. Remember when games against Rutgers used to be a big deal? Now we get Tulsa. UCONN women's BB is in an impossible position. Geno schedules as many OOC games against top teams, as is humanly possible But, due to conference obligations, most of those games come early in the season. As such, they are useful, but their competitive benefit does not sustain. Rather, UCONN gets forced to play 20 or so games ( including the tournament ) agains 8th graders. And idiotic, lazy commentators, get to say, " UCONN has not lost an AAC conference game ever! They are 172 -0 ( don't focus on accuracy here )! Who cares? We beat no one. We could have done it with 3 against 5. I would like to break the thumbs of the next sports marketing commentator who references that AAC winning streak, as though they are revealing some meaningful insight. The AAC wins are more like a long trail of garbage down main street, than a winning streak. And no matter how hard the coaches and try to keep the players in focus for these games, nothing is gained and much, it seems, can be lost. So while other teams are battling and growing, UCONN is stuck in neutral, pretty much waiting for the time to pass and the real games to begin. And all it takes is to be " not game tough" by one point, to lose it all. And that has now happened in back to back seasons. And don't tell me it doesn't hurt the players in some way. Overconfidence, boredom, dis-interest? At some point , those emotions are like a "weight jacket" during a workout. A toll is taken. Something diminishes. And in today's ( thankfully ) highly competitive women game, at the NCAA tournament level, that imperceptible damage can surface at the worst possible moment. Give Notre Dame 20 end-of-season games against SMU, or St. Mary's of the Mountains HS, and tell me how tournament tough they will be by the final four. But there is nothing UCONN can do about it. That is the devils bargain. And, in my view, it makes it much harder to win championships. No one gets a lot of pleasure , nor attains any real growth or development, playing against others who just can't do anything. That's why 8th graders play 8th graders, not high school seniors. And that is why UCONN is trapped in hell. And it does hurt them. I am sure of it. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach