UConn Outside AP Top 25

[shizzle787]

It is a little disappointing that the Big East didn't get a lot of love. Xavier is not ranked either, and nobody else is even receiving votes (to be fair-nobody else is probably deserving).

 

[SouthBayHusky]

looks like typical big conference bias to me.

mid major conferences (like the Big East) have to work so much harder to get respect.

Big East- 2
Atlantic 10- 1
AAC- 1
MWC- 1

what a sham! we need to see more of these little guys represented in the top 25!

Time for you to leave. we know you hang around because Uconn high brand value and it’s nice to rub elbows with the big boys. But it’s time for you to get lost

 

[superjohn]

We hate to admit it, but polls are a perception thing this early on. Losing to a mid major in round one of the tournament hurt our perception badly. Then we lost our two best players. Big year for Hurley to prove UConn is back, so he better have a point guard.

We didn't lose our two best players.

 

[runner11]

Looking at the schedule I think we’ll be around 18-19 come PKI. Stonehill, BU, Buffalo, UNCW, Delaware State. It will be nice to have a number next to our name with all the eyes on the tournament.

 

[freescooter]

Looking at the schedule I think we’ll be around 18-19 come PKI. Stonehill, BU, Buffalo, UNCW, Delaware State. It will be nice to have a number next to our name with all the eyes on the tournament.

Yeah, nobody will be impressed if we beat Stonehill. In fact, it will hurt perceptions if we win by less than 30.

 

[husky429]

We didn't lose our two best players.

I would say we lost our #2 and #3 best players. But Cole was our #1 most important player to winning. Don't go very far without your leader.

 

[runner11]

Yeah, nobody will be impressed if we beat Stonehill. In fact, it will hurt perceptions if we win by less than 30.

Ok, not the point

 

[yungdowork]

We were always going to be sort of a question mark this year just due to the turnover on the roster. Unfortunately, I do think we get dinged for not having won a tournament game in 6 years. Oh well, I'd rather be ranked at the end of the year than the start of it

 

[billybud]

Once there is some consistency in tourney wins, the respect will carry over from season to season...Voters give a program more leeway for personnel losses.

Example....Duke lost 5 to the draft (4 in first round), lost Coach K, have seven on roster who are true freshmen, and still get a Top 10 ranking....and, I think that voters voted them because they have won three or more tourney games in the last three NCAA tornaments.

 

[NJHoops]

This year in college basketball has the chance to be wild. We’re now two season removed from the post-season being cancelled. The players from the recruiting class who was arguably most impacted by restrictions and least seen by their future coaches have found their place, with a significant number moving on. Opportunities to make money have kept a number of talented players in college. Immediate transfer eligibility is in full swing. I plan on enjoying the heck out of it, hope you can do the same.

 

[tennmike]

I prefer being ranked than not, but it is easily fixable. Just win games.

 

[PlayItLeo]

People forget that UConn was ranked #17 and #15, respectively, in the Preseason AP and Coaches' Polls after winning the 2014 championship... and that 2014-2015 roster also relied heavily on one returning talent (Boatright), a heralded freshman (DHam), and an impact transfer (Purvis). To me, that says you definitely get a preseason ranking bump based on the "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?" metric. Until we've earned it, we're not gonna get it, which is also why preseason rankings do not matter.

 

[REB1094]

I prefer being ranked than not, but it is easily fixable. Just win games.

As complicated as we all can make it, THIS is the best and most straight forward response!

 

[freescooter]

Ok, not the point

The point is beating Stonehill, BU Del State, etc gets you zero. It just means you didn’t lose to the lowest of the low. And it hurts how you are perceived if, heaven forbid, you lose to one. Especially in light of our history after 2014.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We were always going to be sort of a question mark this year just due to the turnover on the roster. Unfortunately, I do think we get dinged for not having won a tournament game in 6 years. Oh well, I'd rather be ranked at the end of the year than the start of it

Sure, there are question marks. But UConn has more returning talent than Duke does. Probably as much as KU does as well. Duke basketball: Updated look at next season’s growing roster

Why does Duke get the benefit of every doubt?

 

[Kitaman]

Sure, there are question marks. But UConn has more returning talent than Duke does. Probably as much as KU does as well. Duke basketball: Updated look at next season’s growing roster

Why does Duke get the benefit of every doubt?

Rhetorical questions are not allowed.

 

[superjohn]

Sure, there are question marks. But UConn has more returning talent than Duke does. Probably as much as KU does as well. Duke basketball: Updated look at next season’s growing roster

Why does Duke get the benefit of every doubt?

Because they always win. They have the best recruiting but K is gone so we'll see how it goes.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

1) Who cares?

2) We’re replacing a bunch of players and voters are likely not very familiar with the transfers.

3) But seriously who cares? It’s a
preseason poll - win a few games in a row and we will be ranked.

We weren’t top 25 preseason in 2010-2011 or 2014 we finished decently those years
We were in 2011-12 and of course infamously in the disaster of 2016-17
Anyone who looks at a preseason poll and does anything but yawn is really marked as casual with a capital C
When we come back from Oregon we will have a better idea of what we have.

 

[freescooter]

I prefer being ranked than not, but it is easily fixable. Just win games.

I agree but I’d say if you aren’t Top 10, Top 16 at worst, it really doesn’t matter. And 21-25 means you are probably not going anywhere. You are a 6 or 7 seed come tournament time. You probably need to bring a change of socks but odds are against you lasting more than 1 weekend.

 

[PAHusky]

27 in the preseason poll isn't bad at all, and honestly that's about where I'd expect them to end the season as well. I think we have some great pieces, and a really strong front court, but we have major questions at guard again and I think we're a few years away from getting the type of talents like Castle coming in that push us into the upper echelon of teams and a team consistently ranked in or near the top ten. I don't have to tell UConn fans that college bball is a guard dominated game.

Unless Hawkins makes a huge jump and the transfers immediately mesh, I don't see how we do appreciably better than the team did last year. I like Hawkins, but I'm a little worried he won't put it all together again this year and then we're back to where we were - a bunch of pretty good but not great players who play great and gritty D but don't have a go to scorer/fluid offense. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[billybud]

Sure, there are question marks. But UConn has more returning talent than Duke does. Probably as much as KU does as well. Duke basketball: Updated look at next season’s growing roster

Why does Duke get the benefit of every doubt?

Duke gets the "brand vote"..

Since 2000, 3 NC's, 2 Semi Finals...including last tournament....if they fall off, they will drop in rankings...

Duke also, since 2000 has 7 sweet sixteens....

 

[LoyalFanCT]

The whole idea with going to the so-called Big East is how much it would help the men's BB team. So far, I haven't seen it. Is the improving FB team under Mora going to push us into the ACC, with the men's BB team tailing along?

 

[Waquoit]

We were preseason ranked #1 in 2000 after our first Natty and promptly lost the first game to Iowa.

 

[Incursio007]

Remember in 2010 when we were ranked like 80th preseason? Yeah...these rankings mean nothing.

 

[freescooter]

The whole idea with going to the so-called Big East is how much it would help the men's BB team. So far, I haven't seen it. Is the improving FB team under Mora going to push us into the ACC, with the men's BB team tailing along?

Be still my heart!

I’ve been saying since the move was made that the NEWBIE wasn’t going to give us what folks think. Why? The NEWBIE ain’t even close to the original. You know, the one that had 3 different teams win national championships between 1999 and 2013. Once had 3 of the final four, had something like 7 different teams make the final four. Had 2 of the final four multiple times. The NEWBIE is a nice league. But it isn’t the ACC by any stretch. And it doesn’t hold a candle to the original Big East.