UConn Coppin State thoughts

[Kitaman]

Are people complaining about the non-conference schedule overall or just the home non-conference games.

Its the home crowd, Man! Use them properly. Just give us at least one top team at home.

Don't waste our Gampel advantage on all cupcakes.

 

[BlueMAB]

You're conflating a few of the objections here.

The home slate this year absolutely sucks, and replacing Coppin State with Howard doesn't make the home slate better for fans.

But replacing Coppin State with their MEAC counterpart Howard is potentially playing a school ranked over 100 slots better, which would really help our SOS.

Aside from the fact that those two games you noted didn't factor into the season tickets (so really didn't hurt the home slate for fans), they also didn't affect our SOS and so had no bearing on our seed line.

Atlantis, St. Bonaventure, and West Virginia are very good OOC games. It's a "Screw you" to fans that none are at home, but fine. But also, you don't need to replace UMES with Duke or Kansas (probably a bad idea to do that entirely). You do want to build a schedule that avoids this many of the worst 10-25 teams though. Unless these schools are better than we thought, it's going to bite us Selection Sunday.

If only we had a coach who knew what he was doing.

 

[tzznandrew]

If only we had a coach who knew what he was doing.

Is your position that Hurley—and by extension the schedule—cannot be criticized? I didn't think that was the case when Calhoun was coach, though I felt he had earned some deference due to his schedule building earning 1 seeds and him winning title and all. Coaches grow and learn. Sometimes they make mistakes. This many cupcakes that are this bad are a mistake on two fronts.

 

[MTBingNinja]

Win the Atlantis Tournament and all this worry about the cupcake schedule goes to rest. Let the team jell and figure out rotations during this early schedule period

 

[Sphinx]

If we lose a squeaker to Auburn on the 24th, we'll be asking ourselves if a little stronger schedule might have better prepared us for Atlantis. Playing a string of marshmallows is certain to foster careless habits and false assumptions as to what works and what doesn't. There's an awakening ahead. By contrast, Auburn will come into Atlantis off a true road game at South Florida. MSU will have played Kansas. Yes, we do have a number of solid opponents pre-conference, but are we prepared to play them?

 

[tzznandrew]

Win the Atlantis Tournament and all this worry about the cupcake schedule goes to rest. Let the team jell and figure out rotations during this early schedule period

Even if we do, having that many sub-300 teams may cost us a seed-line.

 

[Ts5034]

If we lose a squeaker to Auburn on the 24th, we'll be asking ourselves if a little stronger schedule might have better prepared us for Atlantis. Playing a string of marshmallows is certain to foster careless habits and false assumptions as to what works and what doesn't. There's an awakening ahead. By contrast, Auburn will come into Atlantis off a true road game at South Florida. MSU will have played Kansas. Yes, we do have a number of solid opponents pre-conference, but are we prepared to play them?

I see your point, but maybe we tried getting a couple more tough OOC games on the schedule and it just didnt work out? I highly doubt the athletic department and coaching staff were saying “lets not play a marquee OOC game at home this year”. Even though I think It’s wrong that we don’t have a good OOC game in Hartford or Gampel, I don’t think it was intentional.

The season started on Nov 9th. Atlantis starts on the 24th. Our last game before Atlantis is Saturday the 20th. That left only an 11 or 12 day window to play a higher level team before Atlantis.

 

[NJHoops]

If it matters to anyone, the schedule this year is not reflective of their scheduling philosophy. It’s missing the home and home they wanted, and you can certainly criticize the way it turned out, and the possible ramifications, if that helps. The three games in Atlantis should be solid (despite VCU’s injuries and Bobby needing to get it together out there), and Bona and WVU are strong. With the way they practice, I’m not concerned about bad habits being reinforced against lesser opponents.

 

[MTBingNinja]

I mentioned in another thread, wanted to repost here….Can’t imagine what Hawkins will bring to the table. I like how deep the team is. If the chemistry and productive balance runs through when substitutions come in, then that’ll be unbelievable. We’ll have to see who wants the ball and who will step up when the game is on the line.

 

[Chin Diesel]

If we lose a squeaker to Auburn on the 24th, we'll be asking ourselves if a little stronger schedule might have better prepared us for Atlantis. Playing a string of marshmallows is certain to foster careless habits and false assumptions as to what works and what doesn't. There's an awakening ahead. By contrast, Auburn will come into Atlantis off a true road game at South Florida. MSU will have played Kansas. Yes, we do have a number of solid opponents pre-conference, but are we prepared to play them?

You can pull me out of the "we'll be asking ourselves" group.

If this team loses any squeaker in Atlantis I will not be thinking a tougher first or second game will have gotten the team over the hump. Nope.

 

[Umami Zen]

IMO only 3 BE teams at most are gonna be ranked at any given time this year, including us. No cupcakes obvi but Nova might be the only real big boy.

Anyways, I’ll just agree to disagree on this point until it happens again next season

I probably should have been more precise in my use of the term. Bigger players/more skilled players in the BE.

I'm more optimistic about BE placing teams in this year's Tournament.. Time will tell

 

[Tenspro2002]

Leave it to the Boneyard to be upset about nonsense after a win. Our schedule is our schedule, it’s not like this every year. Should have complained more when we were back in the AAC. This year actually favors the team since we are young and inexperienced in live action.

Can we please retire the "this team is young" charade?

We have 5 guys who are already 22 years old, including 3 5th-year seniors.

 

[HooperScooper]

If only we had a coach who knew what he was doing.

Does the coach make the schedule? I always wonder how the schedule is constructed. I have to imagine Hurley has some say in that but I don't think he's responsible for making the schedule.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Good teams blowout Inferior competition. That was something we did not really do under the last regime. Remember losing to Wagner and Northeastern back to back in Gampel? Or losing to Yale? Remember needing OT to beat Columbia? When that was going on, I missed the days where we would destroy teams like that by 40-50 points. Im OK with blowing out CCSU by 50 and Coppin St by 40 because honestly, thats what we should be doing.

The results against the teams on the schedule are fine.

The complaint is that the schedule should have been better.

 

[husky429]

If it matters to anyone, the schedule this year is not reflective of their scheduling philosophy. It’s missing the home and home they wanted, and you can certainly criticize the way it turned out, and the possible ramifications, if that helps. The three games in Atlantis should be solid (despite VCU’s injuries and Bobby needing to get it together out there), and Bona and WVU are strong. With the way they practice, I’m not concerned about bad habits being reinforced against lesser opponents.

I think it's more of an AD issue than a coaching one, no? I don't actually know who does the scheduling at this level.

 

[olehead]

They sold tickets and kept score. They counted in that regard. (Fans paid to go watch the team play. They were opportunities to try things and get young guys minutes.

We’ve made a business decision. Cupcakes over exhibitions.

And it eventually led to the signing of Rudy

 

[NJHoops]

I think it's more of an AD issue than a coaching one, no? I don't actually know who does the scheduling at this level.

Short answer is everyone? Sometimes there are conference requirements, like when UConn was going to have to play some AAC teams for leaving. ADs and coaches have relationships that they use to schedule (it’s why they’re playing Binghamton and LIU, for example, rather than other similar teams), and ADs sometimes have other requirements involving their other sports programs.

Guys on the staff like Eric are responsible for a lot of the logistics- letting other teams know what they’re looking for, making and responding to contacts, etc. I think it’s one of the most thankless low-profile but time consuming staff tasks there is. Staffs like conference challenges and multi-game quality tournaments that eat up a lot of those openings. I don’t think the staff thinks this is a perfect schedule but that part’s done now, just go out and play who’s next.

 

[Tampahusky]

Can we please retire the "this team is young" charade?

We have 5 guys who are already 22 years old, including 3 5th-year seniors.

Coming into this season we had no go to guy, no set rotation, no real BE road games, and very few big games for our 22 yr olds. Games against cupcakes are helping more than hurting until we find our stride, go ask Gaffney. It’s a game go enjoy it, on to the next.

 

[August_West]

Contrast to 2002-2003

Quinnipiac: 229/327
George Washington: 110/327
Sacred Heart: 303/327
Wagner: 179/327
UMass: 195/327
UNC Asheville: 283/327
CCSU: 238/327
St. Bonaventure: 84/327

I didn't include the St. Bonaventure game this year because I'm only including home games against non-p5 schools.

But you can see, while there's an occasion disaster, these schedules didn't have nearly the same drain on our SOS.

AND, That BE year had all but two teams in the Top 101, 10 Top 75 teams, 7 Top 50, 4 Top 25, and 2 Top 10.
The current BE is below that on every measure (except only 1/11 is outside Top 100).

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

 

[HooperScooper]

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

That was the year before when Caron was a sophomore. UConn won the one in 2002-2003.

 

[Umami Zen]

If Gaff can keep the pedal to the metal with minimal TOs.. We're good

 

[tzznandrew]

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

Nope. whomp whomp.

Also, I'd wager that team is much better, and that this year's team at best matches their post season performance.

 

[F101Voodoo]

Short answer is everyone? Sometimes there are conference requirements, like when UConn was going to have to play some AAC teams for leaving. ADs and coaches have relationships that they use to schedule (it’s why they’re playing Binghamton and LIU, for example, rather than other similar teams), and ADs sometimes have other requirements involving their other sports programs.

Guys on the staff like Eric are responsible for a lot of the logistics- letting other teams know what they’re looking for, making and responding to contacts, etc. I think it’s one of the most thankless low-profile but time consuming staff tasks there is. Staffs like conference challenges and multi-game quality tournaments that eat up a lot of those openings. I don’t think the staff thinks this is a perfect schedule but that part’s done now, just go out and play who’s next.

We play at least ONE in state "rival". In the olden days of Calhoun we added CCSU after Howie Dickenman started there. Some years we play U of H other years Quine , Yale. I honestly do not recall "us" playing Fairfield since the last ice age. Having said that we should not too many East Petticoat Junction University to the schedule. PS for you non Boomers it was a TV show many moons ago.

 

[CL82]

Can we please retire the "this team is young" charade?

We have 5 guys who are already 22 years old, including 3 5th-year seniors.

But they are a very young 22

 

[HooperScooper]

I honestly do not recall "us" playing Fairfield since the last ice age.

2011 was the last time UConn played Fairfield.

 

[dennismenace]

Never thought I hear so many UConn fans say they were scared to play the aac or a10

Playing the AAC usually means reciprocal games so why would we want to get back into cross country games again with the conference that stunk and our recruits could care less about. We are trying to go forward not backward. If we want to travel let's do the games again with Texas, Florida, Oklahoma etc. that get national attention. From a recruiting position we have so much talent in the regional area (that we are currently hitting out of the park) and with a lot of that young talent we need to sort out the rotation and start seeing how the pieces work together. OOC is one year at a time. I think we are good for this year. There's a lot to get straightened out and so far the intensity of play has been just what we thought it would be. So far so good. Much much better than previous years. Nice blend of veterans and youth.

 

[CTBasketball]

The scheduling is a problem - it shouldn’t have happened this year. Outside of likely Auburn and Villanova, we’ll only play 3 games vs. Top 25 KenPom teams.

And you know we’re going to lay a few clunkers in Big East play. If we roll into Selection Sunday with a 22-7 record and no marquee win, expect to be disappointed in our seeding.

 

[freescooter]

Confidence and momentum is a thing. Beating up on a couple of cupcakes has its benefits. Playing a bunch of AAC and A-10 teams does little for us imo. They’re big risk low reward games

I don’t know. These games are like playing the walk ons in a scrimmage. I know it is different, but the son of a friend played football at a d1 school. His sophomore year they started 3-0 playing an FCS game, a horrible Army team and another really bad MAC team. Then they started their conference games…and got absolutely clobbered by North Carolina or somebody. They eventually settled down and had a decent season, but his view was that the first 3 games did nothing but make them over confident and sloppy. Throws they got away with playing Army suddenly the better teams turned into interceptions, with the qb saying where did he come from? Guys that went down on a not great tackle against Maine, are going for an extra 4-5 yards w hen they played league teams, 15 when they played Florida State who was still a power then.
It is fine to play 1-2 cupcakes to work out the kinks early, but when that’s all you play, it is bad for the team, bad for the fans who shell out cash for tickets, and in the event that the regular season goes south, it hurts you for the tournament.

And pal, no problem playing CCSU. We should do it every year to open the season. And no problem playing an HBCU, but for heaven’s sake spread them out and add some A10, American, maybe a mid-level B10 or ACC even to the mix.

 

[CTBasketball]

I don’t know. These games are like playing the walk ons in a scrimmage. I know it is different, but the son of a friend played football at a d1 school. His sophomore year they started 3-0 playing an FCS game, a horrible Army team and another really bad MAC team. Then they started their conference games…and got absolutely clobbered by North Carolina or somebody. They eventually settled down and had a decent season, but his view was that the first 3 games did nothing but make them over confident and sloppy. Throws they got away with playing Army suddenly the better teams turned into interceptions, with the qb saying where did he come from? Guys that went down on a not great tackle against Maine, are going for an extra 4-5 yards w hen they played league teams, 15 when they played Florida State who was still a power then.
It is fine to play 1-2 cupcakes to work out the kinks early, but when that’s all you play, it is bad for the team, bad for the fans who shell out cash for tickets, and in the event that the regular season goes south, it hurts you for the tournament.

And pal, no problem playing CCSU. We should do it every year to open the season. And no problem playing an HBCU, but for heaven’s sake spread them out and add some A10, American, maybe a mid-level B10 or ACC even to the mix.

I don’t care if the school is from the WAC, Big12, and I don’t care if they are HBCU or not.

Just schedule quality opponents. We’re trying to reestablish ourselves as a Top 10 program - schedule like it. It’s not hard, people actually want to play us.

 

[imno1]

Just curious @RichZ Is the thread title a copyright infringement?