Thursday and Saturday - Momentous

[Strummer]

Momentous. Meaning, "of great moment."
We are there. How we came to be there is a story that's been told already.

For the conference, for Ollie, and for the UConn brand, the importance of the next few days is tremendous. If we get beat by St. Joe's, we will confirm the demise of our program for which so many lust. It will, no doubt, affect recruiting, particularly given the negative national attention that SMU's snub and the AAC's poor seeding has spawned.
If we get by SJs, but fall no Nova, we confirm that the NBE took the talent with them when the OBE died.
The WKRP and Memphis games will be just as meaningful in establishing, or debunking, our program's continued elitism through it's current position in the AAC.

Essentially, the gauntlet has been thrown - and it's been thrown in our face. Looking back in 10 years, this may well be seen in the rearview mirror as the critical point at which the UConn brand either raised the bet or folded.

I expect our boys to come out guns blazing, and for the game to be close throughout, with us pulling away and winning by 10 or more.

This moment in time reminds me, in a sporting way, of the scene in Apollo 13 when the capsule is coming back into the atmosphere and it looks like it's not going to make it and some underling at mission control says . . .

This could be the worst disaster [UConn's] ever faced.

And the reply from the leader was exactly how I feel about this weekend:

With all due respect, sir, I believe this is going to be our finest hour.

 

[Lefty2one]

I'm not sure that a Sweet 16 trip (or a loss to Nova) will change things all that much.

Personally I think the next 1-3 years will be more important once Louisville leaves the conference. The AAC will turn into a 2-bid league, maybe 3-bid in some years. I think Cincy will fall back into semi-irrelevance and it'll be us and Memphis until we get out of this hellhole. We're going to need 17-1 and 16-2 conference resumes to go dancing. We'll need a lot of 30-4ish regular seasons.

For now the future is still bright for our program on an island. We have a very good class coming in next year and some good commits for 2015. Brimah looks like he'll be a stud and I really like what I've seen from Samuel this year. We have the pieces in place to develop and make a big run in 2015 or 2016. If we build something in the next few years, reassert our brand as a national powerhouse and continue to recruit well then we'll be okay. But starting next year we're selling just UConn basketball. We aren't selling a great conference or playing at MSG or rivalries or playing for a HOF coach - we'll, we might . It's just UConn across the chest.

What we can't have is Purvis be a bust, Hamilton not work out, Brimah doesn't improve much and we fail to dominate the AAC. We miss the dance or get 8-11 seeds the next few years and fail to get out of the first weekend. Momentum dies, our brand dwindles and new crop of HS kids won't be old enough to remember how relevant and great UConn was. That's what we have to avoid - not a loss a Nova on Saturday.

 

[jibsey]

I don't see this as the critical point in our program, but with the talent we have on board we need the St.Joe's game plain and simple. A win over Nova and we have a great season because frankly we have flaws and they are a #1 seed, but the worst disaster that we ever faced has already happened and continued tourney success buys us some time to sell our brand. This weekend doesn't push us to the bottom of the dumpster if we lose. But you're saying 2 wins this weekend maybe gets us a big time player that saves our program or keeps us from fading into the sunset? jibs (from the bottom of the dumpster)

 

[tcf15]

Have to say, I love the fact that pundits are picking St. Joe's over us right now.

 

[Lefty2one]

^^ I'm guessing that's because most of the pundits saw St. Joe's play for the first time this year on Sunday against VCU.

 

[champs99and04]

I actually think last season may have been the most important in the post-Calhoun era. In Ollie, you have an incredibly relatable, energetic, and credible figure at the head of the program, and if there is one area we were absolutely going to reap the benefits of that, it was on the recruiting trail. We just needed to know if he could coach. And as last season proved, he can - hence Purvis, Jackson, Ali, Hamilton, and everybody else signing up to play here. If you get the players, you can win...big time. He got the players, and it at least seems like he has the coaching intellect to go along with it. The program is in good shape regardless of what happens this week.

 

[Pmurph678]

Kevin Ollie era starts now, this is the beginning, not the end

 

[James]

Have to say, I love the fact that pundits are picking St. Joe's over us right now.

It has to be good mojo . we've been completely written off despite having a formidable team that's competing hard at the right time. Oh we also have an all American.

 

[Dove]

Kevin Ollie era starts now, this is the beginning, not the end

The Kevin Ollie Era began in Germany against Tom Izzo. The first game of a "meaningless" season. He debuted very well.

 

[aceboon]

Have to say, I love the fact that pundits are picking St. Joe's over us right now.

Rothstein picked UConn to reach the Sweet 16 on Francesa's show earlier today, but yea he seems to be the only one going with us to do anything.

 

[Lefty2one]

Doubt anyone out there paid attention to DeAndre's injury and playing through it/recovering from it. He's been healthy the last four games and it's showed. We're a different team when he's doing his thing.

 

[Palatine]

I'm not sure that a Sweet 16 trip (or a loss to Nova) will change things all that much.

Personally I think the next 1-3 years will be more important once Louisville leaves the conference. The AAC will turn into a 2-bid league, maybe 3-bid in some years. I think Cincy will fall back into semi-irrelevance and it'll be us and Memphis until we get out of this hellhole. We're going to need 17-1 and 16-2 conference resumes to go dancing. We'll need a lot of 30-4ish regular seasons.

For now the future is still bright for our program on an island. We have a very good class coming in next year and some good commits for 2015. Brimah looks like he'll be a stud and I really like what I've seen from Samuel this year. We have the pieces in place to develop and make a big run in 2015 or 2016. If we build something in the next few years, reassert our brand as a national powerhouse and continue to recruit well then we'll be okay. But starting next year we're selling just UConn basketball. We aren't selling a great conference or playing at MSG or rivalries or playing for a HOF coach - we'll, we might . It's just UConn across the chest.

What we can't have is Purvis be a bust, Hamilton not work out, Brimah doesn't improve much and we fail to dominate the AAC. We miss the dance or get 8-11 seeds the next few years and fail to get out of the first weekend. Momentum dies, our brand dwindles and new crop of HS kids won't be old enough to remember how relevant and great UConn was. That's what we have to avoid - not a loss a Nova on Saturday.

There is a huge difference between making the sweet sixteen and getting bounced by St Joe's. Can't believe how many on this board losing in the first round is no big deal and will have no effect on the opinion of Ollie.

 

[UConn17]

Rothstein picked UConn to reach the Sweet 16 on Francesa's show earlier today, but yea he seems to be the only one going with us to do anything.

I think Jay Williams does as well

 

[Tenspro2002]

I'm not sure this particular game (or games) matters as much as you, OP, say it does, but I don't dismiss the premise entirely either.

If we flame out in the first round, or even possibly the second, this will have constituted another season outside the spotlight, with the exception of Bazz's individual accomplishments, at a very tenuous time in our program's history.

String a few more seasons like that together, and we're New Mexico, a program with some name recognition but nobody that top recruits would consider a springboard to national attention and notoriety. String together a decade or more like that (not that I believe this will happen), and we're Houston, noteworthy only in the history books.

 

[Lefty2one]

There is a huge difference between making the sweet sixteen and getting bounced by St Joe's. Can't believe how many on this board losing in the first round is no big deal and will have no effect on the opinion of Ollie.

As long is doesn't hurt the opinion of our commits and targets then I don't really care. Obviously there's a difference but it's not going to kill the program if we lose on Thursday.

 

[Wise2]

I'm not sure this particular game (or games) matters as much as you, OP, say it does, but I don't dismiss the premise entirely either.

If we flame out in the first round, or even possibly the second, this will have constituted another season outside the spotlight, with the exception of Bazz's individual accomplishments, at a very tenuous time in our program's history.

String a few more seasons like that together, and we're New Mexico, a program with some name recognition but nobody that top recruits would consider a springboard to national attention and notoriety. String together a decade or more like that (not that I believe this will happen), and we're Houston, noteworthy only in the history books.

New Mexico has name recognition because they are one of the 50 states. Outside of that, nobody is consider them a current or past basketball power. We would be closer to Indiana prior to their most recent success the past few years. But if we've reached blue blood status, then you can have a down year or two and then bounce back. Dude we won the whole thing less than 3 years ago.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

There is a huge difference between making the sweet sixteen and getting bounced by St Joe's. Can't believe how many on this board losing in the first round is no big deal and will have no effect on the opinion of Ollie.

Do you think that no one heard you the first dozen times you said the exact same thing?

It's a 7/10 game. Ollie's not on the hot seat if he loses a 7/10 game. The person who's saying otherwise sounds like the crazy one.

 

[Tenspro2002]

New Mexico has name recognition because they are one of the 50 states. Outside of that, nobody is consider them a current or past basketball power. We would be closer to Indiana prior to their most recent success the past few years. But if we've reached blue blood status, then you can have a down year or two and then bounce back. Dude we won the whole thing less than 3 years ago.

Actually, the NM example was not totally out of my ass: they've made the Tournament 4 of 5 years, with seeds of 3, 5, 3, and now 7. In fact, NM might have been too good for my example.

I agree that one or two down years is not a big deal. I was saying that if we flame out this year and follow it up with a few ho-hum campaigns (never in the top 10, seed 5 or lower, no buzz), that would make ~5 years without being in the national picture. That's a problem. UCLA and Indiana could bounce back from that, but they have a lot longer history than we do and play in a major conference. We have no idea what the shelf life is for the "blue blood status" that we picked up over the previous 20 years with a new coach and (as yesterday shows) readily dismissed conference.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Actually, the NM example was not totally out of my ass: they've made the Tournament 4 of 5 years, with seeds of 3, 5, 3, and now 7. In fact, NM might have been too good for my example.

I agree that one or two down years is not a big deal. I was saying that if we flame out this year and follow it up with a few ho-hum campaigns (never in the top 10, seed 5 or lower, no buzz), that would make ~5 years without being in the national picture. That's a problem. UCLA and Indiana could bounce back from that, but they have a lot longer history than we do and play in a major conference. We have no idea what the shelf life is for the "blue blood status" that we picked up over the previous 20 years with a new coach and (as yesterday shows) readily dismissed conference.

I can't read this crap anymore. So if some theoretical thing happens for the next half a decade then we run the risk of some other completely theoretical thing happening? God, what would you if you didn't have any doom and gloom to predict?

 

[Steve85]

I think Jay Williams does as well

former Villanova coach Steve Lappas did as well believe it or not.

 

[Steve85]

Momentous. Meaning, "of great moment."
We are there. How we came to be there is a story that's been told already.

For the conference, for Ollie, and for the UConn brand, the importance of the next few days is tremendous. If we get beat by St. Joe's, we will confirm the demise of our program for which so many lust. It will, no doubt, affect recruiting, particularly given the negative national attention that SMU's snub and the AAC's poor seeding has spawned.
If we get by SJs, but fall no Nova, we confirm that the NBE took the talent with them when the OBE died.
The WKRP and Memphis games will be just as meaningful in establishing, or debunking, our program's continued elitism through it's current position in the AAC.

Essentially, the gauntlet has been thrown - and it's been thrown in our face. Looking back in 10 years, this may well be seen in the rearview mirror as the critical point at which the UConn brand either raised the bet or folded.

I expect our boys to come out guns blazing, and for the game to be close throughout, with us pulling away and winning by 10 or more.

This moment in time reminds me, in a sporting way, of the scene in Apollo 13 when the capsule is coming back into the atmosphere and it looks like it's not going to make it and some underling at mission control says . . .

This could be the worst disaster [UConn's] ever faced.

And the reply from the leader was exactly how I feel about this weekend:

did you happen to call Francesa on WFAN today with this opinion?

 

[Kitaman]

There is a huge difference between making the sweet sixteen and getting bounced by St Joe's. Can't believe how many on this board losing in the first round is no big deal and will have no effect on the opinion of Ollie.

Come on quit this crap! He took this team to the Conference Championship game which is where we belong. Furthermore he's got us in the NCAA Tourney the first year he was eligible as a Coach.

Your credibility is diminishing with each Ollie better win post! The only ones you need to preach this 'better win' crap to is Bazz, Olander, Kromah and Giffey.

Stop with the negativity, this team needs positive vibes from every source, we are not a great team.

 

[Danpisco12]

Rothstein picked UConn to reach the Sweet 16 on Francesa's show earlier today, but yea he seems to be the only one going with us to do anything.

Andy Katz had us to the Sweet 16 on his podcast as well.

 

[Tenspro2002]

I can't read this crap anymore. So if some theoretical thing happens for the next half a decade then we run the risk of some other completely theoretical thing happening? God, what would you if you didn't have any doom and gloom to predict?

I'd probably f{}ck your mother.

By the way, if you cared to read my post, I didn't "predict" anything. I'm laying out a scenario for what could happen. There's also a scenario where we storm back to national relevance next year and in 2016, we bring in stud recruiting classes and set up a sustainable cycle of success under Ollie. Alongside that, football becomes respectable, and the B1G reaches out to us. I hope like hell all that actually happens.

But I believe firmly in "plan for the worst, hope for the best". For what it's worth, I hope those in power in the AD's office do too.

 

[tzznandrew]

I can't read this crap anymore. So if some theoretical thing happens for the next half a decade then we run the risk of some other completely theoretical thing happening? God, what would you if you didn't have any doom and gloom to predict?

Right. If UConn is consistently in the 7-10 game, and consistently losing, sure, let's talk. But right now, we are years away from this being a concern.