This is embarrassing

[McLovin]

They play five cupcakes like us. The only difference in their schedule is they are potentially going to play 4 P4 teams and 2 A-10 teams while we are potentially going to play 6 P4. I would not be happy with their schedule as a UConn fan but it’s not terrible for them.

It could be a very weak bunch of P4 schools… the B4A is one of the weakest fields ever with Davidson, Indiana, Louisville and WVU. That leaves Gonzaga, Arizona and Oklahoma being the only guaranteed Q1 opponents, better hope the bracket breaks in their favor and they win their first 2 games.

BYU just lost their coach, who knows how good they will be this year.

St. Bonnie finished outside the Top 100 in KenPom last year, which could make them a borderline Q3 game even on a neutral floor.

All around, a putrid schedule. I do believe in English as a coach, so hopefully they are able to win these cupcake games by the margin necessary to inflate that NET…

 

[Rico444]

UConn will be great this year, but I don't see it as much of a done deal as most.

Last year we returned three starters from a dominant championship team. This year, we return one starter and two quality players with solid minutes.

It's going to take some time.

We returned 2 starters last year, not 3.

 

[ahmed69]

It blows my mind that they are playing a game at mohegan sun lol

 

[temery]

We returned 2 starters last year, not 3.

Clingan was a starter by any real definition. Does this year's team have any comparable returning player ?

 

[navery12]

Clingan was a starter by any real definition. Does this year's team have any comparable returning player ?

If you're counting Clingan then Jaylin Stewart should count as a sophomore ready to make a big leap. Or Hassan Diarra if you're thinking 6th man ready to take on a bigger role

 

[McLovin]

It blows my mind that they are playing a game at mohegan sun lol

Why?

 

[Rico444]

Clingan was a starter by any real definition. Does this year's team have any comparable returning player ?

Clingan was not a starter by the actual definition. I agree that he was more impactful than any non-starter we have returning but he wasn't a returning starter.

 

[Travelman6]

Our schedules have looked very similar recently.

Not at all

 

[CL82]

Clingan was a starter by any real definition.

Absolutely, well except of course the actual definition, since he didn't start.

 

[Storrs South]

PC's track record against cupcakes in recent years is playing down (and sometimes up) to competition so scheduling down seems like a bad path forward for them, especially when they lost their best player to the NBA, the second best player is coming off a serious injury, the other returners are not that good, then added some decent pieces via portal and recruiting. Like most years they probably decide not to show up until later December, which would be bad for the conference.

 

[kobe]

This pisses me off. They move like a mid major program. A bunch of our conference mates do. It’s drags the whole conference down

it spreads.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

If you're counting Clingan then Jaylin Stewart should count as a sophomore ready to make a big leap. Or Hassan Diarra if you're thinking 6th man ready to take on a bigger role

I get your point. But a lot of people thought Clingan was going to be one of the best players in the country and lottery pick coming in (and were right to think so).

Diarra and Stewart aren’t being talked about to make THAT big of a leap. He also had a much bigger impact freshman year than Stewart.

 

[connVA]

The Big 12 laid down the template to get teams in the tournament. Win by 30-40 against cupcakes and manipulate the NET. Sucks but it is what it is.

Sampson is the Mozart of playing the NET

 

[BlueMAB]

Clingan was a starter by any real definition. Does this year's team have any comparable returning player ?

Clingan was not a starter by the definition of the word starter, and he didn't play starter's minutes as a freshman (13 minutes/game).

 

[BlueMAB]

it spreads.

I love that you love it here. Where else can you gaslight fans of a far better program than your own?

Well, I guess there's the Kansas board.

Or Houston's.

WVU, Texas, Kansas St, Iowa St, Baylor, and maybe even Oklahoma St. too. Pretty much the rest of your conference peers I suppose.

Anyway, you picked us, and I love that for you.

 

[How Sway?!]

it spreads.

Cincinnati Non-cof schedule for 23-24

UIC
Detroit Mercy
Eastern Washington
Northern KY
Georgia Tech
Howard
Florida Gulf coast
Xavier
Bryant
Dayton
Merrimack
Stetson
Evansville

 

[REB1094]

PC's strategy needs to be to beat the absolute life out of cupcakes and then win a couple in Atlantis. This is a good schedule for them

Unfortunately in the current ranking systems It's much better to absolutely destroy low major schools than to take a risk on a good mid major and only win by 10-15. They're not yet in a position where they should be or could be scheduling high majors. They need to stockpile wins and big wins OOC so 10-12 wins in the BE should have them in the tournament

The hard part for them is to actually roll those cupcake games. They haven't been getting those 25+ point wins against cupcakes in the last few years. Not sure how good BYU and the Bonnies are supposed to be next year, but those are decent games

 

[UConnSwag11]

Cincinnati Non-cof schedule for 23-24

UIC
Detroit Mercy
Eastern Washington
Northern KY
Georgia Tech
Howard
Florida Gulf coast
Xavier
Bryant
Dayton
Merrimack
Stetson
Evansville

I wonder how many Cinci will be favored in. Not looking good

 

[Fairfield_1st]

It can affect UConn’s seeding in the tournament

Don't be silly. It won't affect us when we have an undefeated regular season

 

[champs99and04]

This pisses me off. They move like a mid major program. A bunch of our conference mates do. It’s drags the whole conference down

I don't think most fans realize how big the gap is between their perception of what a non-conference schedule should look like and reality. This is actually pretty standard for a top 50-75 program, especially in the age of expanded conference schedules. You get one tournament, one home & home, and then maybe one showcase/challenge of some sort if you're lucky. That's it. Everything else is buy games. The marquee programs like UConn, Duke, Kentucky, etc. are always going to have sexier schedules because they draw ratings & sell tickets. It has nothing to do with desire.

I'd also encourage people not to fall for the BS narratives about non-conference scheduling keeping teams out of the dance or dragging down the seeding of other members. The committee is always going to favor certain conferences and certain schools to the extent that it can be justified, as evidenced by Providence, St. John's, and Seton Hall all missing the tournament for far different reasons. There is no objective basis for anything it does, and any school that attempts to jump through hoops in accordance with its flawed and incoherent reasoning is buying a bridge from the wrong broker.

 

[Hamms30]

Isn't this what English called out last year before the tournament with the NET rankings? Basically a .. fine if that's what we have to do, we'll do it.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

This pisses me off. They move like a mid major program. A bunch of our conference mates do. It’s drags the whole conference down

How much change do you have in your pocket?

 

[freescooter]

This pisses me off. They move like a mid major program. A bunch of our conference mates do. It’s drags the whole conference down

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, and schedules non-conference games like a duck…