Upward Trajectory

[MTBingNinja]

The best thing I've seen from Hurley this season is that he's shown he can adapt. We aren't winning these games now and looking so much better just because we're playing better, there's a reason for it...

Teams figured us out by Big East play and we were trying to force things that weren't there. Instead of keep forcing things he changed the offense. He changed the way he uses Sanogo, he changed the way he uses Jackson, he put the ball in Newton's hands. Our coach and the team seem to be growing. Even the substitution patterns seem to be better. Now it's time to make a statement in these tournaments.

Coaching adjustments and the players adjusting are good ingredients to increase meeting success. Feel confident that he’ll be ready to adjust more in the future and not be hellbent on squeezing a square peg in a round hole.

 

[Dove]

Not only in terms of our performance now versus 2 months ago, but for the program as a whole under Hurley.

Two years ago we had a 13-6 regular season and earned a #7 seed.
Last year we had a 22-8 regular season and earned a #5 seed.
This year we had a 24-7 regular season and are in line for no worse than a #4 seed.

We have to get it done the rest of this month, but it's undeniable that, in the big picture, we're going in the right direction.

And you didn't even mention recruiting prowess.

 

[ctchamps]

Coaching adjustments and the players adjusting are good ingredients to increase meeting success. Feel confident that he’ll be ready to adjust more in the future and not be hellbent on squeezing a square peg in a round hole.

Chicken or egg? An argument can me made this is the first team he's had that has enough players with skill sets and flexibility to not have to force players to do what they can't do well.

We see it in Andre because of his recent turn around. I'd argue Tristen has been asked to go through two changes. He was asked to be less a scorer and more an assist guard. Which he ultimately became. Then when we were forced to alter schemes they asked him to be more assertive again while still looking for assists. And he's accomplished that as well. Adama is a rock physically as well as mentally. He couldn't pass a ball if his life depended on it his freshman season. Nor make threes or shoot free throws at a good percentage. Now he's playing at the top of a key and making entry passes to players under the basket.

Point is you need players who are skilled, flexible, adaptive and willing to learn. We were depleted when Hurley first came to UConn. He chose to keep players in Whaley and Polley that had limitations and delayed how rapidly the program could turn around. I applaud him for doing that because that type of loyalty should pay dividends long term. Arguably he maximized their development beyond what most of us expected.

Trends are the best indicator of program development. We focus on end of season tournaments and rightfully so. But the more salient indicator are developmental trends. Each progression is a predicator of a greater chance of success. We want the wins in tournaments to prove it to us. I feel that's the cart pulling the horse. I want the coaches to construct and develop teams to put us in the position to win. I feel Hurley has been doing this over time. It's what I expect out of a good coaching staff.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Maybe it's recency and homer bias, but in the tournament, I like teams who have achieved success following adversity.

This year, UConn is a prime example:

• 14-0 start
• 2-6 in a 30 day stretch
• 8-1 since then

 

[tzznandrew]

Maybe it's recency and homer bias, but in the tournament, I like teams who have achieved success following adversity.

This year, UConn is a prime example:

• 14-0 start
• 2-6 in a 30 day stretch
• 8-1 since then

A lot of the best UConn teams of the JC era had a January/early February swoon followed by a turnaround and a run in March.

2002 lost 3 of 4 to start the month and played some mediocre teams poorly before turning it on for a BET Championship and E8 run.

2003 when 4-5 with some bad losses and mediocre wins from 1/7-2/15, and ended up making a run to the BET Finals and the S16.

2004 lost 4 of the 6 games it lost all season from 1/17-1/15, a 5-4 stretch for a team that should have lost like 2 games all season at most.

2005 went 4-4 in January before turning it on and getting a 2-seed. That season ended poorly, with Rashad missing a lot of time from that staph infection, otherwise that could have been a good run.

There are more, too, but the point is JC had the team peaking at the right time and working through mid-season struggles. This team looks to be following that model. Probably doesn't end in a title, but should at least not end before the second weekend.

 

[uconnfan68]

More than that. It showed the committee we can play well on the road. We have been pretty weak on the road. This was a complete performance in a tough environment that was sold out. Our road record was probably the reason they left of out of the top 16 to begin with. We have responded. They know it. They should reward us.

On a related note, this game was very good prep for the NCAA. We have shown well on neutral courts. But lots of NCAA courts are less than neutral. And this was in a large NBA type venue that is typical of the courts we will see in March.

Only in-conference. In neutral sites we win.

 

[ctchamps]

A lot of the best UConn teams of the JC era had a January/early February swoon followed by a turnaround and a run in March.

2002 lost 3 of 4 to start the month and played some mediocre teams poorly before turning it on for a BET Championship and E8 run.

2003 when 4-5 with some bad losses and mediocre wins from 1/7-2/15, and ended up making a run to the BET Finals and the S16.

2004 lost 4 of the 6 games it lost all season from 1/17-1/15, a 5-4 stretch for a team that should have lost like 2 games all season at most.

2005 went 4-4 in January before turning it on and getting a 2-seed. That season ended poorly, with Rashad missing a lot of time from that staph infection, otherwise that could have been a good run.

There are more, too, but the point is JC had the team peaking at the right time and working through mid-season struggles. This team looks to be following that model. Probably doesn't end in a title, but should at least not end before the second weekend.

I took issue with a statement someone made that we control our destiny. Our 2011 and 2014 teams proved that teams with the higher probability of winning did not succeed in that outcome. Heck an argument could be made for 1999 otherwise "Shock the World" would not have taken off. Stated differently we removed the control of those higher seeds destiny.

The only thing a team can do is influence its potential to have a positive or negative outcome. Outcomes are never a guaranteed and yet fans continuously behave as if it should be.

We are set up to be in as good a position to go far as any team in the country. Part of that position is the result that there is no team overwhelmingly better than the next 10 or even 30 teams. That was not in our control. What is in our control is we have figured out ways to minimize our vulnerabilities that were exposed during that January slump. It's far better we became aware of them in January than to have someone expose them during tournament time.