Two Types of UConn Fans

[Convert2016]

I have been on this board for two years, posted a few times last year, this is my first time this season.

So many people posting are concerned with backlash or offending other fans. UConn fans are no different than other fans of successful programs (i.e-Alabama-football).
There are two types of fans: Those that just try to enjoy the journey and each game, and those that see each game as a prelude to winning the national championship. Like it or not, the bar was set a long time ago. Anything short of a national title will be a disappointment.
Think back to last year. That team exceeded everyone's preseason's expectations. Yet, losing to MSU in the semi's felt like a disappointing season. They were 36-1 and yet it was a disappointment because that's what happens when you are UConn.
Same thing this year. Many may see the game w/ Louisville as a double-digit victory. Others will see that UConn was outscored the final 3 quarters and worry about what may happen "down the road".
If this was a NC State forum, the journey would be easy and whatever happens is gravy. Fans are used to national titles at UConn so forgive those that see "chinks in the armor".

I fall in this category and here are my concerns:

* Despite a strong 4th quarter, Z has to finish better
* Gabby, despite being the most gifted player in the game, has to take and hit the shot from the free throw line extended, teams are giving her wide open looks and if she misses one or two, she stops shooting it entirely allowing defenses to double-team
* Megan has to get some swagger and play like a starter. She looks tentative
It seemed like Louisville had a number of offensive boards in the 2nd half. Gabby and Lou need some bench time in the first half to be fresh late..

 

[LoTrader]

I am a west coast UCONN fan. Hi, my name is LOTRADER, and I am a UCONN WBB Fanboy. I became a UCONN WBB Fanboy the year UCONN ended Oregon State University's 1st trip to the final 4. I am also a OSU Sports Junkie. I didn't know where to post this comment, but after watching the UCONN vs Louisville game (only watched 2nd half), I did notice that on whole, UCONN is not as dangerous of a 3-point shooting team as in previous years. Now I realize that KLS, Dangerfield, and Kia Nurse are sharp shooters from 3-point range, but I remember how past UCONN teams could hit 3's from all 5 positions (players). Having said that, I also watched some beautiful cutting, and passing for layups last night, which negated the need for 3-point shooting. I still believe a team like MSU, that is athletic, and can play both straight up man defense, and also plays great team defense has the best chance to upset UCONN. That leads me to believe that besides MSU........Notre Dame, and one of the PAC12 defensive minded programs would have the best shot of beating UCONN, if UCONN were to have an off night. Should you respond, please note, I am not predicting UCONN is going to lose, I am stating what type of program would have the best shot at upsetting UCONN.

 

[Bronxjeff]

I am a west coast UCONN fan. Hi, my name is LOTRADER, and I am a UCONN WBB Fanboy. I became a UCONN WBB Fanboy the year UCONN ended Oregon State University's 1st trip to the final 4. I am also a OSU Sports Junkie. I didn't know where to post this comment, but after watching the UCONN vs Louisville game (only watched 2nd half), I did notice that on whole, UCONN is not as dangerous of a 3-point shooting team as in previous years. Now I realize that KLS, Dangerfield, and Kia Nurse are sharp shooters from 3-point range, but I remember how past UCONN teams could hit 3's from all 5 positions (players). Having said that, I also watched some beautiful cutting, and passing for layups last night, which negated the need for 3-point shooting. I still believe a team like MSU, that is athletic, and can play both straight up man defense, and also plays great team defense has the best chance to upset UCONN. That leads me to believe that besides MSU...Notre Dame, and one of the PAC12 defensive minded programs would have the best shot of beating UCONN, if UCONN were to have an off night. Should you respond, please note, I am not predicting UCONN is going to lose, I am stating what type of program would have the best shot at upsetting UCONN.

You should rewatch the first half.

 

[Frenchy]

I have been on this board for two years, posted a few times last year, this is my first time this season.

So many people posting are concerned with backlash or offending other fans. UConn fans are no different than other fans of successful programs (i.e-Alabama-football).
There are two types of fans: Those that just try to enjoy the journey and each game, and those that see each game as a prelude to winning the national championship. Like it or not, the bar was set a long time ago. Anything short of a national title will be a disappointment.
Think back to last year. That team exceeded everyone's preseason's expectations. Yet, losing to MSU in the semi's felt like a disappointing season. They were 36-1 and yet it was a disappointment because that's what happens when you are UConn.
Same thing this year. Many may see the game w/ Louisville as a double-digit victory. Others will see that UConn was outscored the final 3 quarters and worry about what may happen "down the road".
If this was a NC State forum, the journey would be easy and whatever happens is gravy. Fans are used to national titles at UConn so forgive those that see "chinks in the armor".

I fall in this category and here are my concerns:

* Despite a strong 4th quarter, Z has to finish better
* Gabby, despite being the most gifted player in the game, has to take and hit the shot from the free throw line extended, teams are giving her wide open looks and if she misses one or two, she stops shooting it entirely allowing defenses to double-team
* Megan has to get some swagger and play like a starter. She looks tentative
It seemed like Louisville had a number of offensive boards in the 2nd half. Gabby and Lou need some bench time in the first half to be fresh late..

I am 100% with you. It is possible to enjoy this team great work and still point out some area of concern without taking taking a shot at the greatest coaching staff or at the very successful players love by all.

 

[MainefanSC]

I am a west coast UCONN fan. Hi, my name is LOTRADER, and I am a UCONN WBB Fanboy. I became a UCONN WBB Fanboy the year UCONN ended Oregon State University's 1st trip to the final 4. I am also a OSU Sports Junkie. I didn't know where to post this comment, but after watching the UCONN vs Louisville game (only watched 2nd half), I did notice that on whole, UCONN is not as dangerous of a 3-point shooting team as in previous years. Now I realize that KLS, Dangerfield, and Kia Nurse are sharp shooters from 3-point range, but I remember how past UCONN teams could hit 3's from all 5 positions (players). Having said that, I also watched some beautiful cutting, and passing for layups last night, which negated the need for 3-point shooting. I still believe a team like MSU, that is athletic, and can play both straight up man defense, and also plays great team defense has the best chance to upset UCONN. That leads me to believe that besides MSU...Notre Dame, and one of the PAC12 defensive minded programs would have the best shot of beating UCONN, if UCONN were to have an off night. Should you respond, please note, I am not predicting UCONN is going to lose, I am stating what type of program would have the best shot at upsetting UCONN.

Appreciate your observations. Our problem (UConn fans) is that we expect our kids to "woman handle" everyone. We have the 3 pt shooters from 4 of our starters and they just did not hit the other night. I am most excited about the game with LV because even though our kids weren't hitting (except for Lou) they played with great energy and still won. I know, it was the first quarter that won it. You can all say that and it's true, to a point. That 1st quarter gave GA the opportunity to get Crystal out and rest her nagging injury. When Danger was in there, we played our game. She may not have had her shot but imagine if she did. So, we had no offense from Kia (too busy with Durr), no 3's from Danger, Z not stellar offensively and Gabby too reluctant to take that open shot and we did just fine. I can't imagine such an anemic offensive team happening on a regular basis. So, our young ladies did what was required with the weapons they had and won the game. End of it, it's behind, let's move on to the next and tweak those small faults, in preparation for the "dance". I'm loving these kids and totally enjoy the entertainment they provide. I have no reluctance to say they give us everything they have, every game. Who could ask for more? Enjoy the ride!!!!

 

[paisan]

The team has consistently run out of gas in the second half. Anyone have the stats on this in the nonconference games.

 

[HuskyNan]

There is criticism, which is pointing out mistakes or flaws, and there is complaining, which, here in the ‘Yard means repeating the same personal beef a poster has with a particular player. The criticism is a valid sports topic; the complaining is annoying. I, personally, am tired of reading the same complaints over and over again.

 

[tomcat]

Nan's observation is understandable. Yet, if I may, you're an administrator. It says so right there under the photo. As a result, you read everything. The rest of us lucky ones pick and choose. So while you may pick up on patterns of complaints, others among us may not really see many (not all, certainly, but many) of them. It is one of the disadvantages of the job you folks do so well for us.

 

[Papa33]

Nan's observation is understandable. Yet, if I may, you're an administrator. It says so right there under the photo. As a result, you read everything. The rest of us lucky ones pick and choose. So while you may pick up on patterns of complaints, others among us may not really see many (not all, certainly, but many) of them. It is one of the disadvantages of the job you folks do so well for us.

Alas, I'm guessing that the adminsitrators cannot enjoy the numerous advantages of the *ignore* option. That feature has made my own reading much more pleasurable.

 

[scubadog]

I hope I speak for most true huskie fans on this board. A life long BB fan and a Huskie fan since high school which is a long time ago. Because I am so passionate toward the huskies , I refuse to miss any game and will schedule my life around basketball season. So, I watch every game , then rewatch the next day, then go back and watch individual plays. All of this has a natural tendency to provide criticisms. All of that said the huskies played a very solid game against Louisville . From around the 4 :00 mark left in the game , huskies missed 4 layups, and committed 1 or 2 turnovers. ( excuse me if I'm off by one ). At the same time Cardinals made shots, causing the end of the game to look worse than it was. Yes, we nit pick. But, we watch a coaching staff that aims for perfection, a team that aims for perfection. So, we are also looking for perfection. All of that said, I still believe the UConn is the most talented and team oriented team in WCBB.

 

[MainefanSC]

The team has consistently run out of gas in the second half. Anyone have the stats on this in the nonconference games.

If you're that concerned and want to see stats, go find them. The ND game showed that they were as good or better than the opponent, late in the game. I think the Texas game will also verify that they are no more gassed, late in that game, than the opponent. Now, as far as conference games, the bench does a lot of "mop up" minutes. Therefore the stats do not show starters being gassed, they will show less talented player stats. If I'm way off base here, it wouldn't be the first time.

 

[diggerfoot]

While your Journey v Destination dichotomy is real and applies to virtually everything in life, your follow-up defense hints at a different type of dichotomy. HuskyNan brings up a more pertinent dichotomy in citing criticism v complaining. What gets me is humility v certainty in the criticisms.

No one is perfect, no coaching staff is perfect, no program is perfect, no team is perfect, no player is perfect; no criticism should be dismissed based on the premise that nothing could be done better. However, we have beyond dispute the best coaching staff in all of wcbb, if not all of sports, and no fan is privy to all the pertinent information. That should inject a degree of humility rather than certainty in the criticisms. It also should call for evidence rather than hypotheticals when making the case for any criticism.

Hypothetically, being behind to a good team in the fourth quarter could spell doom for this team. However, the only evidence we have, being down to Notre Dame in the fourth, with both Stevens and Walker needed to save the day, suggests things play out differently depending on the situation. Notre Dame might not be as good as Louisville this year, but no team knows better how to play us.

 

[Wbbfan1]

I think the expectations for this years team was raised due to the addition of Stevens and Camara and the incoming freshmen. Many including me thought that Stevens and Camara would provide needed size to offset a weakness that last years team had. Yes, last years team had Natalie Butler but one never knew how she would perform in a game. I doubt many saw that the team would have the same issue with Stevens and Camara as both performed well for good P5 Teams. In addition many thought Megan would come in and provide significant contributions most games. So now we're close to tournament time and Geno can only rely on the 5 starters and sometimes Azura'. I see Baylor and Miss St on the horizon and wonder how this team beats them unless Geno gets significant contribution from Stevens, Camara and Megan. The starting five have last years disappointment to motivate them, will it be enough? Only time will tell.

 

[paisan]

If you're that concerned and want to see stats, go find them. The ND game showed that they were as good or better than the opponent, late in the game. I think the Texas game will also verify that they are no more gassed, late in that game, than the opponent. Now, as far as conference games, the bench does a lot of "mop up" minutes. Therefore the stats do not show starters being gassed, they will show less talented player stats. If I'm way off base here, it wouldn't be the first time.

The point your missing is the starters are playing too many minutes ...if Lou gets gassed or injured due to overuse they are in deep trouble..

 

[veryolddog]

I really like sports. I played football in high school and baseball in college for UConn. I graduated in 1964. Yes, 1964, when people played sports because they really loved the game. When the UConn women play, you can really see that these young people really love the game. That is one of the reasons why I enjoy watching them because they provide really great Sports Entertainment.

 

[Centerstream]

The point your missing is the starters are playing too many minutes ...if Lou gets gassed or injured due to overuse they are in deep trouble..

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since a post has brought up the "Geno needs to rest the starters/needs to use the bench more" barrage. I think they make up their own type of fan.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Appreciate your observations. Our problem (UConn fans) is that we expect our kids to "woman handle" everyone. We have the 3 pt shooters from 4 of our starters and they just did not hit the other night. I am most excited about the game with LV because even though our kids weren't hitting (except for Lou) they played with great energy and still won. I know, it was the first quarter that won it. You can all say that and it's true, to a point. That 1st quarter gave GA the opportunity to get Crystal out and rest her nagging injury. When Danger was in there, we played our game. She may not have had her shot but imagine if she did. So, we had no offense from Kia (too busy with Durr), no 3's from Danger, Z not stellar offensively and Gabby too reluctant to take that open shot and we did just fine. I can't imagine such an anemic offensive team happening on a regular basis. So, our young ladies did what was required with the weapons they had and won the game. End of it, it's behind, let's move on to the next and tweak those small faults, in preparation for the "dance". I'm loving these kids and totally enjoy the entertainment they provide. I have no reluctance to say they give us everything they have, every game. Who could ask for more? Enjoy the ride!!!!

When a team (LV in this case) playes tough defense it isn't uncommon for Uconn or other teams to not shoot their normal 50 percent from the 3 or even 2's. Fatigue combined with better than good defense MAY have been factors. But I agree--Enjoy the ride.

 

[BobbyJ]

Alas, I'm guessing that the adminsitrators cannot enjoy the numerous advantages of the *ignore* option. That feature has made my own reading much more pleasurable.

You and me both. The chronic complainers that won't stop beating the dead horse are easy to identify and then they're gone.

 

[Bigpetunia]

It is an over-simplification, and, frankly, kind of silly to subscribe to the belief that all, or even most fans on The Boneyard can be pigeonholed into one or the other of these categories, as originally posited. Those of us, myself included, who believe that we all should be reveling in the ongoing magic carpet ride to which UConn WBB is treating us are not blind to the fact that the team exhibits certain flaws, that it is not perfect. Some of those flaws have been accurately inventoried here. So what? Is the implication that these flaws leave the team especially vulnerable because potential opponents out there are not characterized by their own flaws? Because of superior overall talent and superior coaching, UConn, though clearly not perfect, exhibits significantly fewer flaws than other teams, all of them, which is why, while nothing is ever guaranteed, another National Championship is probably in the cards for this April. There is a name for this phenomenon...it's called SPORTS!

 

[HuskyNan]

I really like sports. I played football in high school and baseball in college for UConn. I graduated in 1964. Yes, 1964, when people played sports because they really loved the game. When the UConn women play, you can really see that these young people really love the game. That is one of the reasons why I enjoy watching them because they provide really great Sports Entertainment.

You aren’t our most senior Boneyarder by a long shot.

 

[paisan]

Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since a post has brought up the "Geno needs to rest the starters/needs to use the bench more" barrage. I think they make up their own type of fan.

We will see nextmonth

 

[tomcat]

If you're that concerned and want to see stats, go find them. The ND game showed that they were as good or better than the opponent, late in the game. I think the Texas game will also verify that they are no more gassed, late in that game, than the opponent. Now, as far as conference games, the bench does a lot of "mop up" minutes. Therefore the stats do not show starters being gassed, they will show less talented player stats. If I'm way off base here, it wouldn't be the first time.

I'm sorry: "Go find them?" Really?

If anyone of you wants to know why some people complain about snark and attitude of people on this board, posts like this are a great reason. Let's review: A BYer asked if anyone had statistics. Other BYers often have or find stats for people on here all the time. Then this person tells the poster to go do it himself.

This person is totally entitled to his/her opinion about the stats. We all are. It's the attitude I have a problem with.

 

[JustinesGuy]

There is criticism, which is pointing out mistakes or flaws, and there is complaining, which, here in the ‘Yard means repeating the same personal beef a poster has with a particular player. The criticism is a valid sports topic; the complaining is annoying. I, personally, am tired of reading the same complaints over and over again.

Can you bring 11 back? Every time I see that avatar it makes me happy.

 

[JustinesGuy]

Lou is the best player in the country.

 

[bags27]

Lou is the best player in the country.

I''m not playing, I'm not playing, I'm not.... oh heck, I can't help myself
A'ja, Sabrina, Lou, in that order.