We’re going to be fine.

[Yankees32123]

Like most of you, I’ve been “hair on fire” since the game ended. I’ve now come down to earth, and I feel strongly that the program is heading in the right direction and that we are going to be fine.

Great teams and great programs lose early in this tournament all the time. Since 1976, UConn has advanced to at least the 2nd round in 20 of its 23 NCAA tournament appearances. Our fanbase is just not used to these jarring, first-round exits.

The program is trending decidedly upward. We have three great recruits coming in, and even though they played like poo tonight, a nucleus of returning players that we know are capable of playing at a high level (Cole, Martin, Sanogo, Jackson, Gaffney and Akok).

The team played like garbage tonight, and Hurley, the staff and the players have to reflect and get better. But we’re a program that is undoubtedly trending in the right direction.

We’re going to be fine.

 

[UCTitleTown]

I see a drop off next season. We need a vocal leader and there are none on this roster.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

What a quote. Just wave a white flag next time.

 

[LIuconn]

^ had an entire week to figure it out

 

[auror]

What a quote. Just wave a white flag next time.

 

[That Guy]

I see a drop off next season. We need a vocal leader and there are none on this roster.

I do as well. I still think we'll be a very good defensive team, especially if Akok is back to full health, but we're going to severely deficient on the offensive end. Not enough shot makers. Outside of Gaffney I don't see any of our guys capable of making significant strides offensively next season, including Jackson. Have to hope that Diggins and Hawkins are able to develop into great scorers during the season for us to even have a chance at getting to the dance.

 

[navery12]

What a quote. Just wave a white flag next time.

This is a really misleading quote from Borges. His answer comes across way less as a waving of a white flag and more that they just failed to exploit the matchups they wanted

I just watched the Hurley press conference, this question was at 42:20. The full answer is we play defense with 2 conventional bigs to control the rebounds and if a few of the offensive rebounds are converted it's a different conversation being had

 

[djct1999]

Personally, I don't think the problem was coaching, it was execution. Its ok sometimes to admit the players played poorly. Because they did. From our best player to our worst, no one played well. Still, as bad as we played, as poorly as we shot the ball, the game was almost always within reach. Thats on the players. If Martin and Whaley made some layups, if Bouk made some FTS, if anyone could hit an outside shot, the outcome could have easily been different.

The expectations for Hurley on this board are unreal to me. This is year 3 of a rebuild. Not just a simple rebuild but one in which a storied program was reduced to shambles. By year 3, our coach had us in the top 20 kenpom, finished 3rd in the Big East, and back dancing. He is still coaching with a patchwork roster consisting of players he inherited and some players who have transfered in as a quick fix. He has monster recruiting classes coming in and everything suggests he will continue to dominate the recruitng trail in the Northeast. Yet, to some on here, that is still not enough. Stop being so entitled and remember this is year 3. There are few coaches, if any, who at this stage in the program rebuild would have us further along. There is no coach, with where UConn is located coupled with his coaching ties, who currently is better suited to take us back to the promiseland. Give him full cycle. My guess is by year 5 he will have us in the top 5. These things take time. Its unrealistic to think there is a fast track to the dominance we enjoyed with Calhoun. I know its comparing apples to oranges, but it even took Coach Calhoun some time. It takes every coach some time. It took Jay Wright time at Nova. It took Mark Few time at Gonzaga. Yet, here in year 3, with obvious signs of improvement, its not enough. Please. Give Hurley time. He will build a champion.