The Good/Bad/Unknown

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Our biggest opponent in this game is who it is against every team, ourselves

As a show of properly respecting your comment, would it be asking too much for the fans to back off from some of the ways they oppose the best interests of the team?

 

[businesslawyer]

We deserved a 3 seed over Kansas State. I think we deserved it over Xavier, but others were right and I was wrong. They beat us twice, finished better in the BE, and advanced further in the BET.

The good:

We got Albany.
The 5/12 matchup isn't terrible. I think we match up well with St. Mary's, and VCU actually might be a tougher matchup as a 12. Hurley knows VCU well, and we played them last year.
Playing Kansas potentially in Vegas is MUCH DIFFERENT than having to play them in Kansas City.

The bad:

4 versus 3 is huge.
Iona is a tough matchup because let's face it...Pitino is an excellent X and O guy. Plus Taliek knows our team.
Iona also plays in Albany every year playing Siena, so they may be more comfortable than us.

The unknown:

We have always had more success going out West.
MSG may have been a blessing, but also a curse. Lots of bad tournament memories.

Bottom line. Get past Iona. As good as Pitino is, he doesn't have an ACC/SEC roster. The MAAC is not a great league. And to me St. Mary's/VCU is a better matchup than the other 5/12 matchups.

Our seed isn’t unfair, and it gives us as good a shot as we deserve to get through the first weekend. Yes, it would be great if we played KU in the regional finals and not the sweet 16, but you have to be ready to beat a #1 to get to the Final Four, so just get them earlier.

But we need to get out of the first weekend, and we were given a fair draw to do it.

 

[Vuce]

exactly. Hurley and the staff have to set up and practice their press breakers. This could actually unleash Hawkins and Karaban as they could get some nice wide open looks when UConn breaks their press.

This is it here. Hawk will not have a 6 foot 9 player as good as Marquette had guarding him. MU shut him down 2 out of 3 games we played. He will get OPEN looks versus Iona and hopefully he will be able to be as hot as he was in the recent stretch to end the season. Both Iona and UConn shoot 3's at about 36% as a team. We have done that facing much tougher defenses. If we limit turnovers, we will have very good looks inside and outside.

 

[MTBingNinja]

The good.
We may only have to beat a 13 and 12 seed to reach sweet 16

The bad
If we don’t make it we clearly suck and have no excuse.

Unknown
How quickly the basketball board will shut down if they lose to Iona

Shutdown? I don’t know which would bring more traffic, a loss or a win.

 

[80shusky]

Team needs to win two. Get that cleared up. Get to the sweet 16 and Kansas if they are still around is beatable. I like this regional. Go west, kick ass.
I kind of think Providence got jobbed with the 11 seed. They're a better team than that. Sucking wind a little lately but still better than an 11.

 

[gsmooth]

Shutdown? I don’t know which would bring more traffic, a loss or a win.

a loss and it's not just the BoneYard but every sports blog specific to a certain team.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don’t care about the four seed or three seed or east or west.

There were some teams that I preferred that we not see and two of them were UCLA and Kansas….and here they are.

But, honestly, the bracket changes after every game, so just win two and then let’s see where we‘re at. We’re in a mini-bracket with Iona, St. Mary’s and VCU. Good programs, but we should scorch them.

Win the mini-bracket and then we can look at the next mini-bracket.

This

 

[runner11]

Not the best road to the F4 but a good road to the 2nd weekend, which should be DH’s goal. We need at least 1 win or it will get real annoying.

 

[Palatine]

But, honestly, the bracket changes after every game, so just win two and then let’s see where we‘re at. We’re in a mini-bracket with Iona, St. Mary’s and VCU. Good programs, but we should scorch them.

Win the mini-bracket and then we can look at the next mini-bracket.

Someone once said, I don't know who, that the NCAA is really three two game tournaments. I think that is absolutely correct.

 

[YearoftheHusky]

Taliek hasn’t been part of the program for years. Why are we acting like he has some inside scoop?

 

[wheelerdog]

Croswell vs Oscar. Providence doesn't match up badly.

PC advances

 

[auror]

Taliek hasn’t been part of the program for years. Why are we acting like he has some inside scoop?

He was on the staff last year and the 3 previous years as director of player development. He knows everyone aside from the freshmen quite well.

 

[Ripper32]

Look at the way Croswell looks at Hopkins when UK is announced.

 

[ctchamps]

Shutdown? I don’t know which would bring more traffic, a loss or a win.

It’s like you don’t know us.

We win crickets.

We lose the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would be a picnic by comparison.

 

[HooperScooper]

Taliek hasn’t been part of the program for years. Why are we acting like he has some inside scoop?

I guess you didn't pay much attention to the UConn bench last season. Lol

Taliek Brown - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory - Iona University Athletics

Taliek Brown was named an assistant coach for the Gaels' program by head coach Rick Pitino on May 31, 2022. A standout student-athlete at UConn during his collegiate

ionagaels.com

 

[MrSec224]

Chill out. The guy is a good poster and comes here to the board and adds good insight. He also just complimented our team. Don’t be that guy

Im exceptionally chill. You are uptight about what a lot of people laughed at.

Is it a Rival? Can I make a poke at a rival? Are you the police? Do I have to pay a fine now?

But so I can properly pass this check point…

I apologize for making a quick dig at the team you support Friar, I and a few other people thought it was a fun post, but if you were offended in anyway (which I dont think you are, you seem like a cool guy in some prior banter we have had), then I am sorry. I will be sure to take the sensitivity training provided to me to not make a joke in the future.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

As a show of properly respecting your comment, would it be asking too much for the fans to back off from some of the ways they oppose the best interests of the team?

He's just making a very reasonable point, that with the three teams in our mini bracket we should be fine if we don't beat ourselves.

 

[MrSec224]

He's just making a very reasonable point, that with the three teams in our mini bracket we should be fine if we don't beat ourselves.

Correct. I just feel that we would have probably had a large portion of the fan base freaking out about the opponent no matter who it is. And that is possibly more based on our recent history in the Tournament, or just the inconsistencies we have shown over the last 10 weeks or so.

If we are UConn as we know we can be, we will only lose next weekend if we don’t execute what we do. Not real rocket science lol, but just the truth of the matter.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Im exceptionally chill. You are uptight about what a lot of people laughed at.

Is it a Rival? Can I make a poke at a rival? Are you the police? Do I have to pay a fine now?

But so I can properly pass this check point…

I apologize for making a quick dig at the team you support Friar, I and a few other people thought it was a fun post, but if you were offended in anyway (which I dont think you are, you seem like a cool guy in some prior banter we have had), then I am sorry. I will be sure to take the sensitivity training provided to me to not make a joke in the future.

Genuinely thought you were just being kinda a tool, didn’t realize you were poking fun, my bad. Just have had a good amount of back and forth with friar and he’s seemed like a good guy, and it’s hard to seem like that on a rivals online forum. All good though I misunderstood

 

[MrSec224]

Genuinely thought you were just being kinda a tool, didn’t realize you were poking fun, my bad. Just have had a good amount of back and forth with friar and he’s seemed like a good guy, and it’s hard to seem like that on a rivals online forum. All good though I misunderstood

No problem I enjoy reading his posts here too. But he gave me a layup there.

 

[prankster]

He was on the staff last year and the 3 previous years as director of player development. He knows everyone aside from the freshmen quite well.

Well.....

In truth, he is less familiar with our portal players, too.

So, Hawkins, Sanogo and Jackson, pretty much, and that's about it.

 

[ctchamps]

No problem I enjoy reading his posts here too. But he gave me a layup there.

More like a slam dunk. Laughed for several minutes on that one.

Providence has a very good team with a lot of good players so your statement was pure humor smack talk. Best thing about the northeast is we sharpen our wit creating this type of humor.

When I employ it here in the southeast it’s like they don’t think I’m from this planet.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I’m relieved the MSG pressure is off the table. Slightly worried about AJ playing essentially in his hometown. How will he handle that? I’ve been joking about losing this game but I’m not super confident. Round of 32 is interesting. Shaka’s fingerprints still on VCU program so how would we handle the pressure D? Will St Mary’s be hot from 3 like Marquette was? Very interesting storylines.

 

[gsmooth]

Well.....

In truth, he is less familiar with our portal players, too.

So, Hawkins, Sanogo and Jackson, pretty much, and that's about it.

and Hawkins and Sanogo have vastly improved and have shown skills that they couldn't last year.