oldude
bamboo lover
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
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Getting through the season was never a given this year. Back in November when WBB made its first tentative steps toward a season fraught with uncertainty, I must confess that I never really believed we would make it to this point. I am absolutely delighted that we are here. The coaches, players and support staff deserve enormous credit for overcoming the many obstacles they faced throughout this incredibly challenging season. With that said, I have a few thoughts on the Big Dance.
The pandemic is not over yet – It is my sincere hope that we get through the Big Dance without a single team reporting a positive covid test. But just this past week the Men’s ACC tournament was thrown into disarray when both Duke and #1 Seed UVA forfeited due to positive covid tests. Closer to home, Geno’s positive test on Sunday, after receiving both vaccinations, and Shea’s departure from TX after a family member tested positive were both extremely unsettling. 64 teams are in TX to compete in a semi-bubble environment. It only takes one positive test for a team to be out of the tournament.
Staying focused for 3 weeks – The teams that make it to the FF will not only have to play great basketball and get a few breaks along the way, but they will also need to maintain their focus over a 3-week period, living out of a suitcase in their hotel rooms, attending classes remotely and avoiding anyone outside of Tier 1 team members and personnel. This will require some serious discipline and emotional strength. Teams will need to rely on each other more than ever. For UConn, spending the first week of the tournament without their HC and an AC will be yet another hurdle to overcome.
There will be upsets – There is anywhere from 8-10 teams capable of winning the tournament this year, unlike previous years when you could typically point to a couple teams that were head and shoulders above everyone else. In addition, there are another 10-15 teams capable of pulling 1 or 2 upsets along the way. The biggest single advantage for the top 16 seeds is gone: no home court advantage in front of cheering fans for the first 2 rounds of the tournament. There are no regional locations close to home, unless you’re from TX. UConn will not play in either of their two homes away from home: Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport or the Times-Union Center in Albany.
One team will make it through this gauntlet of unprecedented challenges to win six games and carry home the national championship trophy. I got my money on the team with 7 freshmen, no seniors and a HC who is quarantining until the 3rd round of the tournament.
The pandemic is not over yet – It is my sincere hope that we get through the Big Dance without a single team reporting a positive covid test. But just this past week the Men’s ACC tournament was thrown into disarray when both Duke and #1 Seed UVA forfeited due to positive covid tests. Closer to home, Geno’s positive test on Sunday, after receiving both vaccinations, and Shea’s departure from TX after a family member tested positive were both extremely unsettling. 64 teams are in TX to compete in a semi-bubble environment. It only takes one positive test for a team to be out of the tournament.
Staying focused for 3 weeks – The teams that make it to the FF will not only have to play great basketball and get a few breaks along the way, but they will also need to maintain their focus over a 3-week period, living out of a suitcase in their hotel rooms, attending classes remotely and avoiding anyone outside of Tier 1 team members and personnel. This will require some serious discipline and emotional strength. Teams will need to rely on each other more than ever. For UConn, spending the first week of the tournament without their HC and an AC will be yet another hurdle to overcome.
There will be upsets – There is anywhere from 8-10 teams capable of winning the tournament this year, unlike previous years when you could typically point to a couple teams that were head and shoulders above everyone else. In addition, there are another 10-15 teams capable of pulling 1 or 2 upsets along the way. The biggest single advantage for the top 16 seeds is gone: no home court advantage in front of cheering fans for the first 2 rounds of the tournament. There are no regional locations close to home, unless you’re from TX. UConn will not play in either of their two homes away from home: Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport or the Times-Union Center in Albany.
One team will make it through this gauntlet of unprecedented challenges to win six games and carry home the national championship trophy. I got my money on the team with 7 freshmen, no seniors and a HC who is quarantining until the 3rd round of the tournament.
