Uconn to face UCLA Non-Conference complete [merged thread] | The Boneyard

Uconn to face UCLA Non-Conference complete [merged thread]

The Non-conference is complete

Home- Arkansas (Nov 14) Notre Dame (Dec 5) and Tennessee

Away- Georgia Tech (Dec 9) Oregon (TBA) and South Carolina (TBA)

Battle 4 Atlantis- Minnesota (Nov 20) USF/Syracuse(Nov 21) South Carolina/Oregon/Oklahoma/Buffalo (Nov 22)

Never Forget Tribute Classic -UCLA (Dec 11)

Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase- Louisville (Dec 19 ESPN 3:30pm)

Overall very pleased.
 
Fairfield Fan said:
Yikes! That's a big tough non-conference schedule for our young team. But that's how Coach Geno rolls!!
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Young? Our starting lineup is 3 seniors/super-seniors and 2 sophomores that played a ton of minutes last season, all with Final Four experience. First two off the bench are a sophomore that plays with Team Canada and another that is a junior. Then you have Dorka who is a senior. Then you have Azzi Miss All Universe Basketball who has spent her life preparing for a pro basketball career. This is about as seasoned a team as you'll find in today's college game. If they can't win it this year with how loaded they are, the problem isn't the players.
 
Fairfield Fan said:
Yikes! That's a big tough non-conference schedule for our young team. But that's how Coach Geno rolls!!
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Not young team.
And overall schedule is not terrible. 1/2 of the teams wont be top 100.
 
hoopsfan22 said:
Young? Our starting lineup is 3 seniors/super-seniors and 2 sophomores that played a ton of minutes last season, all with Final Four experience. First two off the bench are a sophomore that plays with Team Canada and another that is a junior. Then you have Dorka who is a senior. Then you have Azzi Miss All Universe Basketball who has spent her life preparing for a pro basketball career. This is about as seasoned a team as you'll find in today's college game. If they can't win it this year with how loaded they are, the problem isn't the players.
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I was with you, and ready to give you a Like, until your last sentence. You are absolutely right that this 2021-22 UConn team is not young or inexperienced.

But the last sentence strongly suggests that you are setting up a basis to say, if UConn fails to win an NC next April, that "bad coaching" must be the problem. I can hear it now: "Geno and the coaches just don't know how to get past the semifinal game! The game has changed since they won those 11 NC's."

There are at least two other teams this year (Stanford and South Carolina) who are just as seasoned, and probably just as talented (or nearly so) as UConn. They too have capable coaches. At this point, I would say that each of those teams has about a 1-in-3 chance of winning an NC. The final game (and maybe the semifinal game) could come down to overtime and/or a last-second buzzer beater.

Basketball is a sport that contains a lot of potential for randomness in its outcomes. In theory, one could reduce the randomness by having a 5-game or 7-game series instead of single-game Final Four contests, but that isn't going to happen, so we all have to live with the fact that the best team may not win the NC (as well as with the fact that the best team may turn out not to be UConn).
 
"good chance for Ucla to stack up against the best" I think they already do that they play twice Stanford. I get that we want to be biased but fair is fair, Stanford is the best right now until someone takes the title from them.
 
Vowelguy said:
SC & Stanford are equally loaded.
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UConn has 3 of the country's 4 #1 recruits, two of which could be the best since Stewie, to go along with ONO, Evina, and Aaliyah. South Carolina and Stanford have plenty of talent as well, but not like that. Geno could put a lineup on the floor of 4 guards ranked #1 or #2 in their respective classes, plus whatever ONO was ranked coming out of high school (#6?).
 
hoopsfan22 said:
UConn has 3 of the country's 4 #1 recruits, two of which could be the best since Stewie, to go along with ONO, Evina, and Aaliyah. South Carolina and Stanford have plenty of talent as well, but not like that. Geno could put a lineup on the floor of 4 guards ranked #1 or #2 in their respective classes, plus whatever ONO was ranked coming out of high school (#6?).
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HS rankings are irrelevant after frosh year.
Unless you’re arguing that you’d rather have Isabella Nicolette (WHO?) on your roster instead of Rhyne Howard, Taylor Mikiesell, Rae Burrell, Elissa Cunane….

SC was a missed put back away from making the final (and likely being NC). They added 3 top 5 recruits and Cardoso. No question they are loaded and added about as much as UConn.
 
jchuskie said:
"good chance for Ucla to stack up against the best" I think they already do that they play twice Stanford. I get that we want to be biased but fair is fair, Stanford is the best right now until someone takes the title from them.
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Nobody can take last year's title from Stanford. They won.
 
eebmg said:
Cori cant see Azzi enough. ;)
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Cori Close continues to impress me. After dealing with the loss of her father while coaching the U19 team to a championship, she gets back to the US and agrees to travel across country to face UConn in what amounts to a home game for the Huskies in NJ.

There are very few coaches in the country that want that game with UConn. Props to Cory Close.
 
Nice!! Love this matchup!! UCLA is a program that has been pretty steady for the last several years. Great test for our beloved UConn squad and this helps UCLA and Coach Close get a chance to see how they measure up. Love this matchup!!
 
Vowelguy said:
HS rankings are irrelevant after frosh year.
Unless you’re arguing that you’d rather have Isabella Nicolette (WHO?) on your roster instead of Rhyne Howard, Taylor Mikiesell, Rae Burrell, Elissa Cunane….

SC was a missed put back away from making the final (and likely being NC). They added 3 top 5 recruits and Cardoso. No question they are loaded and added about as much as UConn.
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If anything, I think SC is more loaded next year.
 
Right now I’d say SC and Stanford top UConn unless a true big emerges by March.
 
oldude said:
Cori Close continues to impress me. After dealing with the loss of her father while coaching the U19 team to a championship, she gets back to the US and agrees to travel across country to face UConn in what amounts to a home game for the Huskies in NJ.

There are very few coaches in the country that want that game with UConn. Props to Cory Close.
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I believe Cori is taking the game because she wants what UCONN has. She is trying to put her team on a trajectory to be a national powerhouse, and she is trying to take her path through the Husky's. Second factor is recruiting, getting national coverage in a huge game with UCONN may just help her sway the next Azzi type player to come along plus other blue chip players she is after. UCLA doesn't even have to win the game, all they have to do is preform well. Hats off to Cori, she knows where she wants her team to be. It's a win for her unless the Bruins stink up the court.
 
MooseJaw said:
I believe Cori is taking the game because she wants what UCONN has. She is trying to put her team on a trajectory to be a national powerhouse, and she is trying to take her path through the Husky's. Second factor is recruiting, getting national coverage in a huge game with UCONN may just help her sway the next Azzi type player to come along plus other blue chip players she is after. UCLA doesn't even have to win the game, all they have to do is preform well. Hats off to Cori, she knows where she wants her team to be. It's a win for her unless the Bruins stink up the court.
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Probably first game UCLA plays which is not locked behind the PAC12 Network iron curtain.
 
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