ctchamps
We are UConn!! 6 >>>1!
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Which is why I think some of us weigh the value of NC's so heavily. Going undefeated for an entire season is the goal of every coach. But it shouldn't be the goal if it comes at the expense of the biggest prize.The other annoying thing they talk about is not liking the "process" of getting to the National Championship. We lost 8 games, not exactly dominant. The stupid thing about this idea is that KO always preaches about falling in love with the "process" to his players. When KO says it, it means something totally different and makes a lot more sense. KO's version of the process is working hard, learning a tough system, taking your lumps occasionally, and becoming the best team by the end of the year. The "process" is exactly why we became the National Champions that year, and it's the same reason a struggling team last year ended up playing its best basketball by the end of the year (unfortunately it was just too little too late for the tourney). The "process" that these CBS guys talk about entails just winning every regular season games to have superficial stats/rankings/seeds - those seeds proved to mean nothing. The end result is what matters because the "process" is what made us the best team.
There are programs that have had tremendous success during the season year after year and yet some posters rightfully understand it won't translate into success during tournament time. Certainly some luck comes into play. Certainly the construction of the team comes into play. But part of the failure is coaching. And part of that coaching failure is the result of not developing a team with different approaches to their style of play during the regular season.
JC was not only a master at getting the most from his individual players, but getting the most out of his teams. He was a brilliant tactician. He understood what he had and what he had to go against and worked towards that end goal. It has been written extensively that he planned well ahead during that first championship season for Duke. He anticipated correctly who was the opponent that could stop that team. I am strongly convinced KO has this capability and is employing it. The last championship is a perfect example. I think he learned a lot from JC. Plus I think he is ahead of JC in relating to players, fans and the media. I don't care what others write. We are in for a long period of fun.