Post Game Thread - Thank You, Alex, Tarris, and Malachi

[JoeyBuckets]

To All the Players, Coaches, and Fans. Thank you for a great season.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Dang so this is what losing a national title game feels like. Gotta say it sucks.

I've experienced every ncaa tournament loss since Corny's freshman year (1979, listened on radio). This one sucked the least.

 

[Kowalski]

This.

I view UConn’s overall grade yesterday as a B minus. They dictated pace, played hard & crashed the boards but also missed a lot of decent looks & made several ill advised attempts to go straight up against their trees down low.
With all that they had to overcome including the officiating, they needed more like a B plus performance.

 

[RuffRuff]

Crucial moment down the stretch, Solo can't finish the layup on the break, turn around and overplays the pass to McKinney and gives up the open three. I know he was banged up this year and gutted it out, but we really need a better Solo next year if Hurley commits to him at the two.

 

[Donyell 360]

I've experienced every ncaa tournament loss since Corny's freshman year (1979, listened on radio). This one sucked the least.

If you've got to lose, this is the way to lose. I think his point was that we hadn't lost a championship game previously. Definitely not as good as winning, but that's obvious. A deft use of understatement.

 

[uconn_jack]

I was complaining last night while watching the game and my wife tried to console me assuring me that all the players were doing their best. In one sense she is right. Of course everyone wants to do well and is trying to do well. No one on that stage says, "I don't really care if I play well." Did you here Yaxel's comments at halftime? He was despondent that despite trying his best it wasn't enough. Sure he could blame his injury but that was no consolation just as it is no consolation for me when I am reminded that they are all trying their best. It is just part of the competitive spirit to be demanding. Look at our coach! He is the most neurotic obsessed critic you will find but it is only because he cares so much. I appreciate the reminder to not be too hard on our guys. As Hurley has learned (or is trying to learn), you have to channel your anger in constructive directions. But let's not be naive and think they did everything they could. That game was winnable which is what makes it so hard to accept. Today is not the day to pass out blame but it is unavoidable to imagine what could have been with a few more made shots or a few less fouls. It was a missed opportunity and it is normal to be upset about that.

Nobody had every done "everything they could", its part of being human. Did they do everything that could be reasonably asked of them, especially by fans? Yes, and loads more.

 

[Mr. French]

Man…that hurt more than I expected. But what hurts most is thinking about what to talk about on here for the next 6 months.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Demary saying he has a decision also has me thinking about next year. If he leaves and Mullins leave we’re going to have quite a bit of turnover.

Hurley had made 6 straight tournaments. Calhoun never did that. But Calhoun usually followed up a transition year with a deep run

That’s apples and oranges
With the portal you can easily replace players lost to graduation in essence reload , specifically by position or who leave early. In those days it was recruiting freshman you had to develop but that takes time .
The portal is brutal for the have not teams it’s impossible to actually be a real good mid major through development.
It’s a different world .
In a way it’s unfair but I ‘d rather be in position to exploit the systems unfairo than be a victim of it .

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Incredibly proud of our team, our players, our coach. We were clearly outclassed, talent-wise, out there. But we still grinded it out and had a chance there at the end. That's all we could do. We missed a few crucial opportunities, and the refs certainly didn't help, but the end of the day, this team should make everyone associated with UConn proud. Well done, lads.

 

[RuffRuff]

Finish the year 2 in the AP poll - not too shabby.

 

[Marat]

Man…that hurt more than I expected. But what hurts most is thinking about what to talk about on here for the next 6 months.

Finding topics to discuss on here has never been a problem ! The Yard never rests.

 

[BugsyCT]

I take back what I said about not being too upset. Couldn't sleep much last night. My stomach hurts right now. We're not used to the Huskies losing in the final. Now I know what it's like to be a Duke fan. Yuck.

Yup, it sucks but all the other bluebloods have lost in NC games too (just consider how many titles they'd all have by now if they hadn't lost, excluding the ones where they played each other). We play in enough of them and it was bound to happen to us too.

It's still better than losing in a regional final IMO. We had a heck of a run considering how the whole season went. And we'll be back. We have the best coach in the nation.

 

[BugsyCT]

Crucial moment down the stretch, Solo can't finish the layup on the break, turn around and overplays the pass to McKinney and gives up the open three. I know he was banged up this year and gutted it out, but we really need a better Solo next year if Hurley commits to him at the two.

McKinney also either got a piece of Solo's layup or diverted his shot. It barely touched rim. Devastating sequence.

 

[Scoe]

Yup, it sucks but all the other bluebloods have lost in NC games too (just consider how many titles they'd all have by now if they hadn't lost, excluding the ones where they played each other). We play in enough of them and it was bound to happen to us too.

It's still better than losing in a regional final IMO. We had a heck of a run considering how the whole season went. And we'll be back. We have the best coach in the nation.

We've been so spoiled other programs including blue bloods get treated like gods for making the FF. Just so happened that our mens and women's teams got overmatched in both their championship losses, both teams wore us down with size and physicality. The ones who wanna nit pick our blue blood status say it's about more then winning championships well here we go.

In the Calhoun years we had a couple off years. Different times of course no more rebuilds with NIL and the portal.

 

[Husky Alien]

This team came together at the right time. Quit your bitchin. Because of Alex, Tarris and Malach, yes, Malachi. What a defensive dog he was during the tournament, and he ran the team perfectly for the time he was given. Just a perfect fit for us.
No need to say much more about what AK and Tarris did to get us to the championship game enough said there.
So thank you for the ups and downs of the season, more up than down, and for another great run. Thank you again, AK, Tarris and Malachi. I’ll be rooting for you guys wherever you play and wishing you the best in whatever comes next.
Bleed Blue!

And quit your bitchin. You know who you are.

 

[jibsey]

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Four years in a row the path to the championship ran through UConn. Either we win it or you need to knock us off along the way. Our future is as bright as it’s ever been.

 

[RuffRuff]

McKinney also either got a piece of Solo's layup or diverted his shot. It barely touched rim. Devastating sequence.

Doesn't look like he blocked it - but he did get his hand up there. There were a couple sequences like that.

 

[CL82]

I've experienced every ncaa tournament loss since Corny's freshman year (1979, listened on radio). This one sucked the least.

Agree. I'm trying to decide why that is. I guess it's because getting to the final four, or to the national championship game doesn't seem like a once in a lifetime event anymore. I'm disappointed, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking "we'll get them next time."

 

[Bigbrad1029]

Michigan’s size really disrupted us but the game was still there for the taking. Damn. Great fight til the end nonetheless

Thank you Alex Karaban, we will miss you more than you know

Yeah fight is the right word to use for the Huskies particularly when you look at the O boards wher3 we compl owned Michigan

 

[Bigbrad1029]

As much as they cou frustrate you at times, I’m gonna miss this team, hope they all have great lives post basketball

 

[TroyHall98]

Great season from our guys!

That said, I rewatched the National Title game and it compares to Big East basketball. The physicality from the guards/pick setters on our guards in addition to the shoving and other extracurriculars is similar to Big East games. I wonder if May studied that approach since his team has the right mix of physicality and athleticism to make it work.

 

[Gregg3g]

I thought the matchup between Demary and Cadeau would be a huge + in our favor and would be the key to victory for UConn. But Cadeau took Demary to school.

Keep your heads up UConn, you had a great year.

You thought that even with Demary being hurt?...

 

[storrsroars]

Man…that hurt more than I expected. But what hurts most is thinking about what to talk about on here for the next 6 months.

C'mon man, there's at least another 3 months of where Castle would end up in this year's draft.

 

[Mr. French]

C'mon man, there's at least another 3 months of where Castle would end up in this year's draft.

and you've made my point clear as day!

 

[Mike Honcho]

As an aside Tommy Lloyd must be feeling a sense of shame watching tonight, no way should they have got their doors blown off the way they did

Agree.

Cadeau did the same thing to Bradley as he did to Silas. Saddled him with early foul trouble. Fortunately, Malachi was able to stabilize the ship in his absence, unlike Arizona.

 

[Gurleyman]

Agree. I'm trying to decide why that is. I guess it's because getting to the final four, or to the national championship game doesn't seem like a once in a lifetime event anymore. I'm disappointed, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking "we'll get them next time."

Michigan wasn’t a hated rival or someone we wouldn’t want to win another title (like a Kansas or UNC). They were the favorites and they had crushed everyone to get there, so it wasn’t embarrassing to lose to them.

The worst level of gut punch is having it in your grasp and letting it slip away by blowing a big lead or stupid mistakes in late game situation or a ridiculous play by the other team (think Duke last week for all of those things … especially if you want to be in a better mood). In some ways the second worst feeling is to suffer a humiliating beat down. You don’t lose sleep over a single play or sequence of plays or a call, but it can tarnish your legacy to be embarrassed. Think Duke against Arizona in 2011 when they got boat-raced and avoided playing us. There’s also the big upset tier to this … like, say, how Duke felt after Lehigh or Mercer.

There haven’t been many times in our history where I’ve been worried about the blowout kind going in. But this was one. I’ll admit Duke 1999 had me anxious and Florida 2014, especially 10 minutes in. Michigan felt like an even bigger, more talented St. John’s and we did go off the rails against them. Plus Michigan has displayed “a step on their throats and don’t let up” instinct. So we avoided that fate, and there isn’t all that much to deeply lament - we were always at least three plays away (a difficult AK three, a missed Michigan FT and a winner, … or a tying 3 if they made both, and overtime). There isn’t much to lose sleep over - just perhaps knowing we were pretty close and not knowing when we’ll get the chance to try again.

 

[Woodson]

Crucial moment down the stretch, Solo can't finish the layup on the break, turn around and overplays the pass to McKinney and gives up the open three. I know he was banged up this year and gutted it out, but we really need a better Solo next year if Hurley commits to him at the two.

“Can’t finish the layup” lmao. He gets f’in fouled!

 

[RuffRuff]

“Can’t finish the layup” lmao. He gets f’in fouled!

Not fouled. Defended, but not fouled. Wasn't that challenging of a make, not sure he even drew rim.

 

[Woodson]

Not fouled. Defended, but not fouled. Wasn't that challenging of a make, not sure he even drew rim.
View attachment 119440

Rewind back further. Take a couple more screenshots. Also, look for the left hand on #1 in white. Then ask yourself, why Ball goes flying and lands on the ground like that when it’s “not that challenging of a make”.