So Who's Ready For Another Streak?

[Sonny44]

Is 100 possible?

 

[alexrgct]

It really depends on team chemistry and continuity- I.E., as these kids leave and others come aboard, how smooth is the transition. Uconn is going to be in hunt as long as Stewie is here and healthy, and pretty significant favorites as long as both she and KML are on campus. Not dropping a game? That's another matter, but the six-game tourney run was the stuff of juggernauts. I mean, how does Maryland, Kentucky, Notre Dame, or Louisville, all of whom figure to be in the top 10 next season, come away from their tournament experience thinking, "We can beat these guys in 2014"? Notre Dame has the best basis for thinking it, but after what Breanna did to them in the semis?

Here's the scary part- Louisville's game plan was to stop Breanna and KML. They failed miserably. So that's one point. That's a sophomore and a freshman. That's another point. A third point- Stef Dolson and Bria Hartley as seniors. Not to mention how good Mo and Tuck are going to be, what happens if Banks is able to come back and play like she was playing this season, if Kiah makes a leap, if Chong assimilates quickly (Pope probably is relegated to post-trey high-fiver and mop up duty, realistically)? Seriously, how on earth do you stop that team?

Uconn is definitely poised to go on a run. What exactly that run consists of remains to be seen, but this team has the horses and the swagger to do serious damage. When you see Baylor drop a couple games this season after going 40-0 the previous one, it puts into perspective how impossibly ridiculous it was for Uconn to win 90 in a row. But barring serious injury, Uconn is bringing the pain for the next few years at least.

 

[meyers7]

Is 100 possible?

Almost anything is "possible". Probable?? hmmm. Really, really tough and very unlikely. And depends a lot on 2014 recruiting class, and even a little probably on the 2015 class (maybe??).

6 (2013 NCAA tourney) +39 (2013-2014)+39 (2014-2015)= 84. So we would need 16 games in 2015-2016 (Stewart/Jefferson/Tuck are seniors). That's a long way off.

 

[meyers7]

It really depends on team chemistry and continuity- I.E., as these kids leave and others come aboard, how smooth is the transition. Uconn is going to be in hunt as long as Stewie is here and healthy, and pretty significant favorites as long as both she and KML are on campus. Not dropping a game? That's another matter, but the six-game tourney run was the stuff of juggernauts. I mean, how does Maryland, Kentucky, Notre Dame, or Louisville, all of whom figure to be in the top 10 next season, come away from their tournament experience thinking, "We can beat these guys in 2014"? Notre Dame has the best basis for thinking it, but after what Breanna did to them in the semis?

Here's the scary part- Louisville's game plan was to stop Breanna and KML. They failed miserably. So that's one point. That's a sophomore and a freshman. That's another point. A third point- Stef Dolson and Bria Hartley as seniors. Not to mention how good Mo and Tuck are going to be, what happens if Banks is able to come back and play like she was playing this season, if Kiah makes a leap, if Chong assimilates quickly (Pope probably is relegated to post-trey high-fiver and mop up duty, realistically)? Seriously, how on earth do you stop that team?

Uconn is definitely poised to go on a run. What exactly that run consists of remains to be seen, but this team has the horses and the swagger to do serious damage. When you see Baylor drop a couple games this season after going 40-0 the previous one, it puts into perspective how impossibly ridiculous it was for Uconn to win 90 in a row. But barring serious injury, Uconn is bringing the pain for the next few years at least.

Agreed, next year barring any major injuries, even with Banks slowly coming back, I think we have a pretty decent chance of running the table.

The following year though with Dolson gone, either Stokes will need to step up or a 2014 recruit will (Wilson??). Otherwise we will lack some muscle/depth in the post. Which could be a problem.

But I guess to answer the OP question, sure I'm ready for another streak.

 

[CL82]

I hate to talk about it, but I have been thinking it. Regardless of the numbers, we are at the start of something pretty special. I'm glad to be along for the ride.

 

[Bestiarius]

I don't care how good UConn is, reaching 100 is highly unlikely. There will be a lot of good teams out there, and the odds of some team going unconscious like Louisville did against Baylor is too great. The games are not long enough to overcome a run of luck. When we reach 84 in a row, I'll start thinking about it.

 

[rjuconn]

Will this help? From the New York Times article about UConn's 8th title (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/s...connecticut-louisville.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0):

Next season, UConn will probably be ranked No. 1 while playing in a rump league called the American Athletic Conference.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Well, we all got to get working on it. I wore my UConn sweatshirt to work today to get the mojo working for 2014. Huskies are not going to get to the century mark without a lot of help from the fans.

 

[ochoopsfan]

The only question for the next few years is which teams name gets engraved on the runner up trophy.

 

[Suebird10fan]

It’s a little tough to speculate on 100 because that takes you pretty deep into 2015-2016 when the only knowns will be Stewie, MoJeff and Tuck. On the other hand 91 would only take you seven games into the 2015-2016 season assuming things get that far. Most years that would involve only one competitive game, so winning the first seven with those three seniors would not be a huge ask.
So, how likely is it that the team goes undefeated the next two seasons? I’d say they’ve got a very good shot. Obviously injuries are a crucial factor. But this team figures to be reasonably deep the next couple of years. The key players to stay healthy will be Stewart and KML for sure, plus a point guard (Bria or MoJeff next year, MoJeff the year after), and a center (i.e., Dolson staying healthy next year or Kiah emerging, followed by Kiah or one of the bigs in the 2014 recruiting class). No guarantee all that happens but it’s more likely than not.
If we’re healthy as defined above, we should be heavy favorites every game over the next two years, at least until the Final FOUR. Duke on the road next year could be tough if the Dookies can bring their A game but they never seem to do that. Other than that, it’s just really hard to see a lot of games that figure to be difficult prior to April.
Assuming we’re healthy, I think a lot will come down to two things. First, can we kick things up a notch on defense? Our D has been very good but not, in my opinion, close to the absolute lights out defense from the 90 game streak. Second, does the team have the mentality of performing at a peak level every game. That was what was so amazing about Maya’s team. Through sheer force of will, they brought peak or near-peak performance to every game. Great defense and a will to excel help insure that even on a night against a top 10 opponent when no shots are falling you come away with a W.
Another way to come at this is as follows. Assuming health, we will be at a level of ability matched in only four times in my opinion: 2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10. You could argue for this year, but obviously the freshmen and Stewie in particular didn’t gel until late in the year. Out of those four years, we ended up with three undefeated seasons. So we’re not talking remote possibilities here.
Bottom line on 91? I can’t say that it’s probable. But assuming we’re healthy … I can’t say that it’s not.

 

[meyers7]

Will this help? From the New York Times article about UConn's 8th title (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/s...connecticut-louisville.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0):
Next season, UConn will probably be ranked No. 1 while playing in a rump league called the American Athletic Conference.

Albut, a rump league with the NC and Runner-up in it. Not too shabby.

 

[UcMiami]

The team that probably impressed me the most (besides Uconn) this year was Maryland with the string of injuries they suffered at the start of the year. If those players come back strong and with the experience the other players gained this year, they could be a very serious challenge. We will play 4 or 5 really strong OOC teams and probably Louisville three times in conference. So I would say there are 8 games that could be competitive on paper and any one of them could be a loss. I do think Kelly will be missed as well. As Geno said - she puts your team in a position to win - someone will have to step up to fill her role.

 

[Sonny44]

Agree that Maryland will be better than .

 

[Suebird10fan]

The team that probably impressed me the most (besides Uconn) this year was Maryland with the string of injuries they suffered at the start of the year. If those players come back strong and with the experience the other players gained this year, they could be a very serious challenge. We will play 4 or 5 really strong OOC teams and probably Louisville three times in conference. So I would say there are 8 games that could be competitive on paper and any one of them could be a loss. I do think Kelly will be missed as well. As Geno said - she puts your team in a position to win - someone will have to step up to fill her role.

Eight games that could be competitive sounds about right. But I would only expect a couple that would be more than a ten percent chance of a loss. @ Duke, possibly @ L'ville, possibly @ Md. Outside of those games, I think "could be competitive" translates into "may not be a blowout."

 

[Phil]

When you see Baylor drop a couple games this season after going 40-0 the previous one, it puts into perspective how impossibly ridiculous it was for UConn to win 90 in a row. But barring serious injury, Uconn is bringing the pain for the next few years at least.

Well said. I won't pretend that thoughts of a new streak have crept into my thoughts, but, one, it's too early to be thinking about that, and two, when a team potentially poised to be named one of the best in history - which isn't over-selling a team that went 40-0 and bought EVERYONE back - manages to lose two games, how on earth can a team not clearly stronger do far better? In fact they might, but in fact they might not. Back to the point, I agree that Baylor's losses do make the UConn streak even more impressive.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Well said. I won't pretend that thoughts of a new streak have crept into my thoughts, but, one, it's too early to be thinking about that, and two, when a team potentially poised to be named one of the best in history - which isn't over-selling a team that went 40-0 and bought EVERYONE back - manages to lose two games, how on earth can a team not clearly stronger do far better? In fact they might, but in fact they might not. Back to the point, I agree that Baylor's losses do make the UConn streak even more impressive.

HOWEVER ... Baylor lost the first game due to injuries and everyone here agrees that this entire discussion is premised on being healthy. And the lost to Louisville was a total fluke. 16 of 25 on threes is just a freakish thing. Credit to Walz for putting them in that position but still ...

 

[triaddukefan]

Agree that Maryland will be better than .

 

[pap49cba]

I loved Jim Boeheim's comment.... The American Whatever conference.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Streaks are exhausting! A big or two - preferably 2 - better come along as recruits next year in order to keep that thought incubating.

 

[UcMiami]

HOWEVER ... Baylor lost the first game due to injuries and everyone here agrees that this entire discussion is premised on being healthy. And the lost to Louisville was a total fluke. 16 of 25 on threes is just a freakish thing. Credit to Walz for putting them in that position but still ...

But that is the issue ... season ending injuries might be avoided but as we saw this year, bumps, bruises, and illnesses hit every team and cause players to miss one or more games in a row. And flukes occur all the time. At the beginning of one year teams were shooting something like 45% from three against us - we had won all the games (3 or 4) but the teams we had played were just draining threes at a ridiculous clip. And then the doldrums hit every year at some point where focus wains for a week or two. Geno and the coaches do an amazing job of keeping the team focused which is why 4 of 6 undefeated season have been accomplished by Uconn, but it is still really hard to do, and to do it two years in a row is amazing.

 

[jdubct]

As long as Uconn continues with the extremely challenging OOC schedule, long multi-season winning streaks are highly unlikely. This is particularly true for away games. For example, next years away games include Baylor and Maryland. These games like these are challenging but winnable next year, but may not be so in future years.

 

[Sonny44]

So let's be amazing.

 

[alexrgct]

Btw, I knew Baylor would not get to 90, and I knew it even as they were going 40-0. The reason? Too many single digit wins. The enemy of quality is variability. When results vary, a defective result will eventually occur. Uconn won 90 in a row because, for the first 77 of those games, they didn't come close to losing. They were so far away from the the defect threshold that there was virtually no risk of hitting it.

If next year's team ends up being what I think it can be, they will be similarly dominant. It's the depth of talent that makes me believe it. Who do you stop? Breanna, KML, and Stef can all dominate games. Bria, Morgan, and Mo can carry you for periods. So can Banks if she's all the way back. Just too many weapons.

Losing Bria and Stef changes the dynamic a bit in 2014-15. If Mo and Morgan continue to improve, perhaps it doesn't, though. And perhaps, KML and Breanna do their best Maya-Tina impression and become an unbeatable pair of aces. If they do, 91+ becomes possible.

But first things first. I'm going to savor this six-game winning streak a bit more, and then be giddy about just how good the 2013-14 team can be.