UConn picked 4th in preseason BE poll | The Boneyard

UConn picked 4th in preseason BE poll

It's been discussed, but it's wild how much Providence and Seton Hall are being overrated. I can't believe Duke made the league first team over Bouknight, who was clearly better than him last year as a freshman. It's Jamel Thomas over Rip all over again.
 
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Chef Adrien said:
Coaches must think a lot of Ed Cooley. Providence being that high is definitely not consensus.
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I'm sure you saw the Willard thread. That sentiment must have influenced a few placings.
 
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I love being overlooked in preseason polls (I’m really referring to the Bouknight 2nd team selection). Best thing to happen for a team led by Dan Hurley.

Having said that, 4th is quite generous for a team in its first year in the league coming off a 19-12 season. I think we can get there, but it’s still generous.
 
I think Uconn turned the corner but we still need to show more results on the floor. When we do then we'll officially "be back". I still feel all the accolades are a but early until results are shown.
PC guy is just saying that PC has earned some respect cuz they have had good results these past 5 years and have some good talent on roster. Thus they're getting a benefit of the doubt over Uconn which still needs to show more results. That's all.
I think we will have a really good season and then next year we'll get the respect and get the benefit of the doubt.
 
RayIsTheGOAT said:
I love being overlooked in preseason polls (I’m really referring to the Bouknight 2nd team selection). Best thing to happen for a team led by Dan Hurley.

Having said that, 4th is quite generous for a team in its first year in the league coming off a 19-12 season. I think we can get there, but it’s still generous.
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This sort of reductive reasoning is pointless. That 19-12 team no longer exists, and we've added multiple D1 starters since last season. Providence has worse players than UConn now. They didn't last year.
 
CallMeBruce said:
This sort of reductive reasoning is pointless. That 19-12 team no longer exists, and we've added multiple D1 starters since last season. Providence has worse players than UConn now. They didn't last year.
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That’s a fair point. I still am not quite as high on this team as others. I think there will be a learning/growth period in arguably the toughest league in the country. We also lost CV who was by far our best player in that last stretch of games.

I still think this will be a VERY good team by the end of the season. But getting 4th in the BE is a grind. I’m not sold on our defensive backcourt yet. AG and CV were big time defenders for us. It will take some time for this years crop I think, but we’ll get there. We have depth and scoring going for us though, that’s for sure.
 
MuchoDogYears said:
Seeing Georgetown in last is the shocking takeaway for me. How did that happen?
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Basically all of their talent leaving last season with the off-court mess. I guess Ewing didn’t handle it well either
 
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RayIsTheGOAT said:
That’s a fair point. I still am not quite as high on this team as others. I think there will be a learning/growth period in arguably the toughest league in the country. We also lost CV who was by far our best player in that last stretch of games.

I still think this will be a VERY good team by the end of the season. But getting 4th in the BE is a grind. I’m not sold on our defensive backcourt yet. AG and CV were big time defenders for us. It will take some time for this years crop I think, but we’ll get there. We have depth and scoring going for us though, that’s for sure.
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AG was not a big time defender, I love the kid but this gets parroted a lot here and it's just not true.
 
superjohn said:
AG was not a big time defender, I love the kid but this gets parroted a lot here and it's just not true.
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Maybe my eyes deceived me from the 30+ games I watched of him, but he seemed like an above average on ball defender. And at the very least, better than Cole and Gaffney and Bouknight.

Would you agree that AG and CV were our best backcourt defenders last season?

And again, I think Gaffney and Bouknight will get there, but they still seemed to be at that freshman level defense (albeit improved by the end of the season)
 
RayIsTheGOAT said:
Maybe my eyes deceived me from the 60+ games I watched of him, but he seemed like an above average on ball defender. And at the very least, better than Cole and Gaffney and Bouknight.

Would you agree that AG and CV were our best backcourt defenders last season?

And again, I think Gaffney and Bouknight will get there, but they still seemed to be at that freshman level defense (albeit improved by the end of the season)
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Gilbert was probably a little better than them last season because they were freshmen, I expect them to be better defenders this year than he was. Gilbert applied great ball pressure at times but he also got beat a lot and bigger guards just destroyed him in the lane.
 
Magruber said:
I think Uconn turned the corner but we still need to show more results on the floor. When we do then we'll officially "be back". I still feel all the accolades are a but early until results are shown.
PC guy is just saying that PC has earned some respect cuz they have had good results these past 5 years and have some good talent on roster. Thus they're getting a benefit of the doubt over Uconn which still needs to show more results. That's all.
I think we will have a really good season and then next year we'll get the respect and get the benefit of the doubt.
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All of those coaches that voted have all played PC and it's players twice every single year for 7 years now. They have all not played UConn. PC has the 2nd best conference record since the BE was reconstituted. If UConn plays better than PC they will finish above them if they don't they won't. This coaches poll means nothing.
 
FriarJ said:
All of those coaches that voted have all played PC and it's players twice every single year for 7 years now. They have all not played UConn. PC has the 2nd best conference record since the BE was reconstituted. If UConn plays better than PC they will finish above them if they don't they won't. This coaches poll means nothing.
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Can't argue with that.
 
Bobol said:
preseason polls are irrelevant.
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I mean preseason polls are better predictors of tournament success than the final pre-tournament polls so I think you're underestimating their usefulness.
 
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superjohn said:
Gilbert was probably a little better than them last season because they were freshmen, I expect them to be better defenders this year than he was. Gilbert applied great ball pressure at times but he also got beat a lot and bigger guards just destroyed him in the lane.
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A LITTLE better? Lol, come on. Relative to our team last season, he was a big time defender for us, despite the flaws. You’re right he didn’t match up well to much bigger guards.

Either way, my only point is that I think AG and CV’s void will be felt a little bigger towards the beginning of the season (particularly the Big East slate) as we try to get players to settle into roles they haven’t had before.
Cole was not known for his defense and will have a different role offensively compared to Howard 2 years ago.
Gaffney looked poised offensively as the season grew on, but he takes on a bigger role this season.
Bouknight has a lot of weight on his shoulders this season. I don’t see any reason why he won’t live up to the hype offensively, but he was very shaky defensively (but was improved quite a bit towards the end of the season).
BAdams will have a bigger role this year too. I think he and Tyrese will be our most reliable defensive backcourt players at the start.

Still, a lot of players are adjusting to new roles on a new team in a new league. 4th would be great, but I’m not convinced that will happen. 5-7 feels more realistic, which is still good enough for an NCAA spot probably.
 
I would also like to add that Bouknight should have been 1st team, no argument from me but not at the expense of Duke. He is the best two way player in the conference. Imagine similar defense to Kris Dunn but a significantly better offensive game. Opposing guards have a problem getting their offense against somebody that is an athletic 6'5" and built like a NFL player. Coaches know this and that is why he is a 1st team player.
 
FriarJ said:
All of those coaches that voted have all played PC and it's players twice every single year for 7 years now. They have all not played UConn. PC has the 2nd best conference record since the BE was reconstituted. If UConn plays better than PC they will finish above them if they don't they won't. This coaches poll means nothing.
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You graduated 5 of your 8 rotation guys (guys that played 33+% of minutes) from a fringe NCAA tournament team. Your recruiting class is non-existent, and you added a solid transfer PG, a guy who couldn't get minutes over Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard, and a mid major stretch 4 who shot 30% from 3.
 
RayIsTheGOAT said:
A LITTLE better? Lol, come on. Relative to our team last season, he was a big time defender for us, despite the flaws. You’re right he didn’t match up well to much bigger guards.

Either way, my only point is that I think AG and CV’s void will be felt a little bigger towards the beginning of the season (particularly the Big East slate) as we try to get players to settle into roles they haven’t had before.
Cole was not known for his defense and will have a different role offensively compared to Howard 2 years ago.
Gaffney looked poised offensively as the season grew on, but he takes on a bigger role this season.
Bouknight has a lot of weight on his shoulders this season. I don’t see any reason why he won’t live up to the hype offensively, but he was very shaky defensively (but was improved quite a bit towards the end of the season).
BAdams will have a bigger role this year too. I think he and Tyrese will be our most reliable defensive backcourt players at the start.

Still, a lot of players are adjusting to new roles on a new team in a new league. 4th would be great, but I’m not convinced that will happen. 5-7 feels more realistic, which is still good enough for an NCAA spot probably.
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We may not have any individual player who is as good defensively as Vital, but we have a full team of players who fit Hurley's defensive philosophy now. I'm not worried about the defense at all to be honest. I get the skepticism after being burned the past few years, but I think you're being way too pessimistic about this team. A 5th-7th place finish would be a pretty big disappointment
 
navery12 said:
We may not have any individual player who is as good defensively as Vital, but we have a full team of players who fit Hurley's defensive philosophy now. I'm not worried about the defense at all to be honest. I get the skepticism after being burned the past few years, but I think you're being way too pessimistic about this team. A 5th-7th place finish would be a pretty big disappointment
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Freshman typically struggle on defense. Gaffney and Bouknight aren't freshmen anymore. Not to mention Akok and Whaley might be the best defensive front court in the conference.
 
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