The Game No One Wants to See

[bballnut90]

I'm rooting for Arizona to pull off the Cinderella finish out of nowhere. I think the matchup doesn't bode well for them but if McDonald continues to shoot well and they clamp down defensively, they can beat anyone.

It isn't the most exciting matchup from a WBB fan perspective considering both teams have played twice and neither game was good, but both 100% deserve to be there and earned their spots.

 

[LoboDays]

On January 1st, Arizona was soundly beaten by Stanford 81-54. On February 22, the Cardinal won 62-48. Now America has the opportunity to see these two teams meet a third time with the the NC on the line. April Fool's joke? Nope.
It appears that Stanford will get its first NC in 29 years. That's expected. If, by some miracle, Arizona wins, the trophy will not mean much (except to them). Bad for basketball? Especially bad for ESPN?
Yup and yup. Only one of the country's best teams should be declared NC.
I wish we could have seen two really good and worthy teams in the Final.

Blatantly absurd. Arizona’s appearance is good for the sport. Having a team that wasn’t a 1 or 2 seed in the NC is a positive step for the sport. It may not be a competitive game. It may not generate the viewership that a UCONN/Stanford would but the sport grows, parity expands when we see a team who no one expected play in the championship game.

It is exceptionally good for the PAC-12. it shows west coast recruits looking for a program with championship potential that they don’t have to look eastward if they don’t go to Stanford.

I think Arizona emptied their tank with their effort against UCONN. I don’t expect a competitive game. The on-floor celebration after their win looked like they have already played their championship game. But, the fact that they played their way into it, is only a positive for the growth and parity of the sport.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Adia Barnes is one of the few WCBB coaches whose charisma and intensity is a near match for Geno's. And Aari McDonald is made for TV, on and off the court. There is no reason why they can't put on a good show and expand the audience for the game. With Notre Dame lost in the woods for the past few seasons and Muffet put out to pasture, I think it's great to have a new high-profile, high-charisma, highly outspoken coach to add to the mix among the WCBB fixtures.

 

[bbsamjj]

I think it's safe to say Arizona is not the same team they were the last two times they played Stanford. They are hot, brimming with confidence, and still don't have the pressure of being the favorites. I'm hoping for an exciting, well played game that will feature what will likely be the top two PGs picked in the upcoming WNBA draft (not counting Evans as a PG).

 

[and one]

Let's end this pernicious practice of allowing lowered ranked teams play and even beat higher ranked teams before it ruins sports as we know it! It is common knowledge that David whupping up on Goliath stories are just a downer that no one is interested in. True sports fans know that underdogs have no business beating their betters and should be banned from having the audacity of even trying to. Of course every game has a favorite and the ban will eliminate sports entirely, but hey, it's the principle of the thing.

 

[UConniki]

On January 1st, Arizona was soundly beaten by Stanford 81-54. On February 22, the Cardinal won 62-48. Now America has the opportunity to see these two teams meet a third time with the the NC on the line. April Fool's joke? Nope.
It appears that Stanford will get its first NC in 29 years. That's expected. If, by some miracle, Arizona wins, the trophy will not mean much (except to them). Bad for basketball? Especially bad for ESPN?
Yup and yup. Only one of the country's best teams should be declared NC.
I wish we could have seen two really good and worthy teams in the Final.

I think the term is " sour grapes ".Arizona is there because they beat one of the " best " teams pretty convincingly ( us unfortunately). Maybe they don't match up well with Stanford but they definitely deserve to be there..... and besides who cares about ESPN? Seriously. I'll be watching because i'm a college basketball fan and i'll be hoping for a competitive game and an upset. Have a nice day and Happy Easter.

 

[Woof 101]

The Game No One Wants to See​

Very inappropriate title for this thread. Long time fan looking forward to the game as is the better half. Two good worthy teams and coaches that beat the teams they had to to get there. Rooting for the Cats to take down the Trees.

 

[Vowelguy]

TV Ratings depend on 2 things — the attractiveness of the matchup snd how close the game .

the first determines the starting rating and the latter determines whether the audience grows or shrinks over 2 hours.
The average of the 8 segments of 15 minutes is the final Tv rating for the event

I suspect the starting point will be a bit lower than normal (though the tourney has brought some good attention) but it can recover if th game is good. Unfortunately I don’t think it will be.

 

[todbo]

Despite our bitter disappointment at the outcome of the semifinal game, we will be watching tonight's championship match. Arizona being in it is a sign of the growing parity in our favorite spectator sport, and we salute them and their feisty, expressively-fingered coach.

 

[Zanzman]

On January 1st, Arizona was soundly beaten by Stanford 81-54. On February 22, the Cardinal won 62-48. Now America has the opportunity to see these two teams meet a third time with the the NC on the line. April Fool's joke? Nope.
It appears that Stanford will get its first NC in 29 years. That's expected. If, by some miracle, Arizona wins, the trophy will not mean much (except to them). Bad for basketball? Especially bad for ESPN?
Yup and yup. Only one of the country's best teams should be declared NC.
I wish we could have seen two really good and worthy teams in the Final.

Now I have to root for Az just because of this silly post

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Regardless of who wins tonight..Lets see what Arizona does in the next few years...OMO...but I think Arizona could be a one and done team...they will be watched in the coming years because of 2021 but the team needs to reload, learn to play together, this could take a few years. Not sure they will ever be at the top of they’re game in the PAC12...time will tell.

For as long as Adia is here, there will certainly be the potential for good things. She can recruit, but has shown some preference for players from over-seas, where of course she and her husband have "connections".

They do need to reload. Ware is expected to be playing volleyball next year and not available to mid-season. We played over some of the folks that showed promise last year using newly eligible transfers. We lose not only Aari the best player, but presumably Sam Thomas, who really, really was a major factor, sometimes in ways that don't show up in the box score.

But, as I say, continued good recruiting and good coaching will go a long way. Adia has used Tara as a mentor, and isn't afraid to learn new things. Although I certainly didn't know it before a recent article, her husband is considered something of a defensive guru.

So I expect things to "slide" a bit, but I expect Arizona to NOT be one and done from the national scene. For many of us, not named UConn, that doesn't mean that we have expectations of the Final Four in the immediate future.

 

[baggerbob]

Now I have to root for Az just because of this silly post

Villanova was an 8 seed in 1985, beat Michigan a 1 seed, North Carolina a 2 seed, Memphis State in semifinal, and Georgetown a 1 seed. Everyone felt the winner of Georgetown, and St John's also a 1 seed would win the Championship.

 

[nwhoopfan]

So the OP speaks for everybody? Hardly. You can ignore the game and pout, many of us will be tuned in and hoping to see an entertaining game.

 

[DeeHusky]

So the OP speaks for everybody? Hardly. You can ignore the game and pout, many of us will be tuned in and hoping to see an entertaining game.

And will be the main one watching.

 

[donalddoowop]

Its really hard to beat a team 3 times in a season. Az will use every disrespect card in their deck. Aari playing for WNBA draft position and all kids 5' 7" . And I do not think they will be emotionally spent like Miss. St.

So I give them an outside chance

It's hard to beat a team three times in a season. Not this Stanford team.

 

[donalddoowop]

In reading some posts of nwhoopfan and some KnightBridgeAZ earlier this season, sometimes McDonald would shoot Arizona out of games and just have a terrible shooting night. Other times they would talk about how sensational she was. Which McDonald will show up today? Also, I wonder how much posing she will do today if Arizona loses.

 

[nwhoopfan]

In reading some posts of nwhoopfan and some KnightBridgeAZ earlier this season, sometimes McDonald would shoot Arizona out of games and just have a terrible shooting night. Other times they would talk about how sensational she was. Which McDonald will show up today? Also, I wonder how much posing she will do today if Arizona loses.

Absolutely true. She's been on fire all during the Tourney, can she do it one more game? This is the McDonald I expected to see all year, I was mystified by her shooting woes most of the season.

 

[schmendrick]

For my part I'm really looking forward to this game. Diehard UConn fan, but also a basketball fan, and Aari and her band of disrupters are oh so fun to watch. Also, unlike Friday, I'll be able to breathe.

 

[Charliebball]

Am I missing something? Not sure what the op means..........the two teams that won all of their games through the tournament against some pretty stiff competition are meeting in the finals as they always do.................just because Stanford has defeated Arizona twice during the season doesn't disqualify them from playing in the finals......... they earned it...............

 

[hoopsfan22]

Remember when ND beat us 3 times in one season and on their 4th try they got Stewie'd?

 

[Cuango]

Regardless of who wins tonight..Lets see what Arizona does in the next few years...OMO...but I think Arizona could be a one and done team...they will be watched in the coming years because of 2021 but the team needs to reload, learn to play together, this could take a few years. Not sure they will ever be at the top of they’re game in the PAC12...time will tell.

I think it is fair to say they will not be nearly as good next season but I don’t think they will fall back into obscurity for the long haul. Barnes has already demonstrated the ability to recruit at a high level and will likely see a major boost from this Final Four run. I believe Arizona will probably be a top 30-15 team for the foreseeable future.

 

[Cuango]

I think the term is " sour grapes ".Arizona is there because they beat one of the " best " teams pretty convincingly ( us unfortunately). Maybe they don't match up well with Stanford but they definitely deserve to be there..... and besides who cares about ESPN? Seriously. I'll be watching because i'm a college basketball fan and i'll be hoping for a competitive game and an upset. Have a nice day and Happy Easter.

Agreed! I will say that I would enjoy the game a lot more if ESPN were not involved!

 

[JellyBean]

Even though our beloved UConn squad isn't playing tonight. I will be watching the title game. Arizona has made this a must see TV event. One team trying for their 1st title. Another team trying to win a title after a 30 year drought! Going to be fun to watch.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Agreed! I will say that I would enjoy the game a lot more if ESPN were not involved!

If ESPN were not involved in WBB who else would be? All of us WBB fans should be glad that ESPN gives the sport the visibility that it does, both on TV and website.

 

[GoUconn7961]

I’m looking forward to it. With no dog in the fight I don’t have to pace my way through it.