So after last night's game ... POLL | Page 2 | The Boneyard

So after last night's game ... POLL

So after last nights game do you feel better or worse about our prospects this year

  • Better, they played hard against a ranked team and came up short

  • Worse, a loss is a loss

  • Same, the team did not show anything new (or at least not enough)

Results are only viewable after voting.
SubbaBub said:
That was a winnable game, they choked it in the last 6 minutes.
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They didn't choke. Arizona has a lot more quality talent than us. Put Deandre Ayton on UCONN and we wil be undefeated right now and final four bound.
 
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Huskybass said:
I feel better because they played a ranked team pretty tough.

But 5 assists isn't good. Need to get more guys involved in the offense, which would likely carry over to defensive intensity as well. Too many hero plays by Adams and Larrier and not enough ball movement and easy baskets, in my opinion.
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And for that reason my feelings remain unchanged because I know the hero ball and lack of assists isn’t changing anytime soon.
 
Javjudah said:
They didn't choke. Arizona has a lot more quality talent than us. Put Deandre Ayton on UCONN and we wil be undefeated right now and final four bound.
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We lose by double digits and you have us one player away from the Final Four. And people wonder why some feel compelled to add some reality to the board. There is still lots to work on to even become a tourney team. Some quality wins would be nice as a first step.
 
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Huskybass said:
We lose by double digits and you have us one player away from the Final Four. And people wonder why some feel compelled to add some reality to the board. There is still lots to work on to even become a tourney team. Some quality wins would be nice as a first step.
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That 1 player is the best talent and is a very skilled College player. I am not a NBA scout but he will be the first player I will take in the upcoming draft. The kid demands a double team around the basket, can rebound from out of his area, shoot the midrange shot, block shots... yes UCONN would be undefeated and final four bound if they had him. Could you imagine the wide open shots we would get, the spacing would be much better, Gilbert and Adams would have a field day driving to the lane. Defensively he would be the eraser if someone gets beat....
You must still be learning the game Baby bass...
 
willie99 said:
Looks like the dumpster fire crowd is waking up this morning, the numbers are closing

:cool:
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They probably drink more during the game.
 
wow...what a departure for UCONN , 4 National titles in 18 Years, Final 4's, Elite 8's, discussions on whether we would be a #1 or #2 seed.
Have our expectations been lowered that much?
Now we are excited because we saw stretches of effort last night.....we are happy with "Moral" victories because we kept it close for 35 minutes..only to lose by 15 points in 5 minutes. I didn't really see good basketball.
 
my2cents said:
wow...what a departure for UCONN , 4 National titles in 18 Years, Final 4's, Elite 8's, discussions on whether we would be a #1 or #2 seed.
Have our expectations been lowered that much?
Now we are excited because we saw stretches of effort last night.....we are happy with "Moral" victories because we kept it close for 35 minutes..only to lose by 15 points in 5 minutes. I didn't really see good basketball.
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Mmm, interesting take. Of course others might simply say that we are open to seeing a relatively young team beginning to find themselves.

Appreciate your two cents worth though.
 
Bottom line for me is, without Gilbert out, this is not a tourney team and is in fact less talented than less year's team (Larrier, Cobb, and Diarra do not make up for Purvis, Facey, and Brimah). So I know they won't make the tourney, but want to see 40 minutes of intense effort, player development, and growing team chemistry. In the Arizona game, we seemed to see those coming along, so I'm happy.

If Gilbert comes back and Wilson is eligible, they should be NCAA tourney bubble material. So growth right now, especially by the interior players and Larrier, is crucial.
 
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my2cents said:
wow...what a departure for UCONN , 4 National titles in 18 Years, Final 4's, Elite 8's, discussions on whether we would be a #1 or #2 seed.
Have our expectations been lowered that much?
Now we are excited because we saw stretches of effort last night.....we are happy with "Moral" victories because we kept it close for 35 minutes..only to lose by 15 points in 5 minutes. I didn't really see good basketball.
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Have you seen our other games this year? This was their best effort of the season against a top 20 team on the road. Sorry we're not the same Championship team of yesteryear.

It's not a "moral victory" but it was good to actually see them competitive against a solid P5 team - wish people would stop chastising others for looking for silver linings in the losses.
 
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2017-18 UConn Men's basketball is a not quite ready for prime time team. But.... it's only December and they fought hard against a good Arizona squad. If the big men keep improving, fighting in the paint, out working their opponents, this team can go places come March. It felt like there was a little more team chemistry Thursday. A very good sign that these guys are starting to believe in each other. I believe they will make the Big Dance. It might be on a wing and a prayer but I see these guys cheering each other on as the season goes. The team you see now isn't the seasoned, hungry, chip on their shoulder, ready to prove themselves team you'll see in the AAC Tourney.

Go Huskies!!
 
Brochacho said:
Felt like a better version of the MSU game. Didn't get dominated from tip to final buzzer like Arkansas and Cuse. Still worried we end up 7-7. Arizona to Alabama is a hell of a turn around for two true road games. Wichita State will be ready to pounce. Ollie's never won in Tulsa. Cautiously optimistic we can pick off Auburn, show up in Tulsa, and maybe give Wichita a game. I think I'm back to the morning of the Arkansas game, as opposed to half time of Coppin State, for how I feel about the outlook of this team.
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The Wichita game is in Hartford not Tulsa
 
CL82 said:
... I'm feeling a little better. The team played hard and completed against a team that ought to have been a very tough match up for us. No one likes a loss, but it seems like we are headed in the right direction. I'm still not convinced that we'll be a tournament team, but I have a little more hope this morning.
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Too many turnovers particularly Adams who was having difficulty creating off the dribble. Same with Larrier. We obviously need a real floor general directing traffic and take charge of this team. Anderson and Vital aren't true point guards either. Gilbert's hurt and was hoping he would be the guy. We need someone who can penetrate and dish the ball. We are lacking leadership.
 
willie99 said:
Looks like the dumpster fire crowd is waking up this morning, the numbers are closing

:cool:
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UConn avoids getting blown out and you start strutting around like a peacock. UConn had 18 turnovers and only five assists. Yes there were some signs of improvement, but there is still a long long way to go to even be a tournament team.
 
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Last night was a step in the right direction. Even the sagarin rating jumped about 10 spots. But it was just a small step. The question is, will they keep taking small steps in the right direction? No one knows the answer to that. I am skeptical. Others are optimistic. Whatever.

I will say this, though, if Gilbert rejoins the team and Wilson is declared eligible, Ollie's seat gets hotter because an NCAA bid becomes the minimum acceptable result. Small steps won't be enough. In that scenario, it shouldn't be enough.
 
my2cents said:
Have our expectations been lowered that much?
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Are you new? "Yes" is the answer. I don't understand this zeal to reaffirm the lowered status of the program all day every day. Superjohn's got that under control. I think people get it by now.

They were down a bucket or so on the road reasonably deep into the second half against a much more talented Arizona team who had a couple guys who we simply did not have the personnel to guard straight up in the post. I don't think anyone's beating off with excitement right now (except maybe Freescooter over the loss) but I don't think it's unreasonable to feel at least marginally better after last night.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
Are you new? "Yes" is the answer. I don't understand this zeal to reaffirm the lowered status of the program all day every day. Superjohn's got that under control. I think people get it by now.

They were down a bucket or so on the road reasonably deep into the second half against a much more talented Arizona team who had a couple guys who we simply did not have the personnel to guard straight up in the post. I don't think anyone's beating off with excitement right now (except maybe Freescooter over the loss) but I don't think it's unreasonable to feel at least marginally better after last night.
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SuperJohn is putting together the basketball equivalent of the Steele Dossier against KO, and calling Izzo's agent.
 
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Walton helped our recruiting and national image last night with his very positive, continuing stream of pro Uconn, pro Ollie commentary.

Arizona I don't think played to their capabilities and kind of let us hang around some. As one announcer stated this was a tricky game because of the scheduling, post finals/ before Christmas break, especially he stated for the home team. The road team has something to prove was his commentary, and I think that this played a role in how the game played out. We did play with heart though and there were signs of improvement in many areas. Turnovers and cohesive team offense surely need work.
 
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Paesano said:
Last night was a step in the right direction. Even the sagarin rating jumped about 10 spots.
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And their KenPom rating dropped.
And they're still rated as one of the luckiest teams in the country.
 
Son of Robert said:
Walton helped our recruiting and national image last night with his very positive, continuing stream of pro Uconn, pro Ollie commentary.

Arizona I don't think played to their capabilities and kind of let us hang around some. As one announcer stated this was a tricky game because of the scheduling, post finals/ before Christmas break, especially he stated for the home team. The road team has something to prove was his commentary, and I think that this played a role in how the game played out. We did play with heart though and there were signs of improvement in many areas. Turnovers and cohesive team offense surely need work.
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Yeah he did - multiple times. Which is amazing after he sat through that Arkansas disaster a few weeks ago.
 
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Yes the defensive effort was better and we hung with them for 35 minutes, BUT we had too many empty offensive possessions with bad shots, the wrong guys taking shots, or just dumb turnovers (i.e. trying to drive through 3 people) to win the game.

Defensively WE NEED to start better anticipating guarding open threats from 3 while the ball is in the air, and stop reacting to shooters after the fact once it is too late. At least 4 of the 3s they hit in the 2nd half including the last one fall into this category. Take those 12 points away and we at a minimum have a good away loss for RPI calculations and at best an upset road win vs a Top 25 team, instead we had a teasing disappointment once again. Go back on watch video of those 3s and see how our guys wait until the ball is in the shooters hand to go check them instead of heading that way while the ball is in the air. I had to keep rewinding because I couldn't believe what I was seeing especially on the last one - Jalen Adams totally misplayed that. Also can Diarra put his hands up when Ayton is taking a shot in his face - another costly head scratcher.

Also I would not hold out hope the NCAA will be granting eligibility to Wilson anytime soon. When have they ever ruled for anything in our favor?
 
Javjudah said:
That 1 player is the best talent and is a very skilled College player. I am not a NBA scout but he will be the first player I will take in the upcoming draft. The kid demands a double team around the basket, can rebound from out of his area, shoot the midrange shot, block shots... yes UCONN would be undefeated and final four bound if they had him. Could you imagine the wide open shots we would get, the spacing would be much better, Gilbert and Adams would have a field day driving to the lane. Defensively he would be the eraser if someone gets beat....
You must still be learning the game Baby bass...
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Javjudah said:
That 1 player is the best talent and is a very skilled College player. I am not a NBA scout but he will be the first player I will take in the upcoming draft. The kid demands a double team around the basket, can rebound from out of his area, shoot the midrange shot, block shots... yes UCONN would be undefeated and final four bound if they had him. Could you imagine the wide open shots we would get, the spacing would be much better, Gilbert and Adams would have a field day driving to the lane. Defensively he would be the eraser if someone gets beat....
You must still be learning the game Baby bass...
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Tremendous insight. Add the top player in the upcoming draft to any decent team and they will be better. That's not exactly unique to UConn.
 
Huskybass said:
But 5 assists isn't good. Need to get more guys involved in the offense, which would likely carry over to defensive intensity as well. Too many hero plays by Adams and Larrier and not enough ball movement and easy baskets, in my opinion.
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If we had a player who could make a basket after a feed, the assist numbers would be way up.

This team lacks a money player in the Bazz/Boat/Giffey mold. Not necessarily a once in a lifetime player like Kemba, but a player who can be counted on to make those big baskets that turn games around. It's not Adams and it's not Larrier and it's not Vital. The three of them are so maddeningly erratic - studs one night and duds the next. And so far it's not any of the new guys.

When this team starts to fall behind in a game, when we need to quickly stop the bleeding, I look out on the floor and ask myself in whose hands do I want the ball? At this point, honestly, I have no idea.
 
my2cents said:
wow...what a departure for UCONN , 4 National titles in 18 Years, Final 4's, Elite 8's, discussions on whether we would be a #1 or #2 seed.
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Those days are never coming back. Get used to it.
 
Sadly, the results of this poll some up where we are as a program. People finding positives in a 15 pt loss to a good, not great team. 15 wins and second straight losing season.
 
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