Yahoo: Ugly title game won't be the lasting memory of this NCAA men's tournament

[Chin Diesel]

Just realize Armour is like Jim Boeheim. A curmudgeon who has to find something to be aggrieved about in every event.

 

[traitor71]

San Diego State plays like the 1990's Knicks. They bump you all the way up the floor, bump and grab on every cut, screen, and drive, and go all out at the glass. It's almost impossible to have a pretty game against those guys. I admire their toughness and dedication to their style, but it can be pretty ugly.

 

[temery]

I don't know a lot about basketball, but isn't this what would be expected of a game between two of the top defensive teams in the country?

 

[Austin316]

People will remember the title more than the game. SDSU played a very choppy game intentionally. UConn was just a way better team.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I thought the refs called a really good game. They were blowing their whistles because SDSU was fouling the hell out of us.

This. There were a couple of misses going both ways, but nothing egregious to my eyes. This was a game between two physical teams and the refs needed to toe the fine line between letting them play and letting it get out of hand. It was a bit of a slog for that stretch in the second half, but given how blatant SDSUs fouls were, they had to call it or the whole thing would gotten out of hand.

All things considered with these two teams, I thought they did a great job of letting the teams play for the vast majority of the game.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't know a lot about basketball, but isn't this what would be expected of a game between two of the top defensive teams in the country?

Yes. It's how SDSU forces you to play because their offense is ugly. Our offense is probably one the most aesthetically pleasing and assist focused you'll see, along with Xavier and Marquette.

 

[ctchamps]

Yes. It's how SDSU forces you to play because their offense is ugly. Our offense is probably one the most aesthetically pleasing and assist focused you'll see, along with Xavier and Marquette.

Only reason I wanted to play FAU rather than SDSU was because that game would have showcased our superior offense and defense as opposed to just our superior defense.

I felt we could have beaten either team but playing SDSU was going to be ugly allowing for the predictable detractors to criticize the NC game.

Doesn’t matter for the program. Potential recruits or transfers who really understand what it takes to win these games will be attracted by our program. Sports writers need stories.

The adjustments made after the losses in January proved to me we had a championship caliber team that was as good as any team in the nation.

Winning it all is another matter. A real dream come true for me. It doesn’t matter what others think. Most programs don’t have one NC. We now have five and hopefully more to come.

 

[wingsfan055]

Its all about matchups. Any Title game with SDSU in it was not going to be "aesthetic". UConn played and shot fairly well and was the dominant team. They had the right game plan for the opponent. End of story. Yes, most fans would have preferred a UConn vs Alabama or Houston Final, but thats what happens with the Tourney format and there is more parity.

 

[upstater]

Only reason I wanted to play FAU rather than SDSU was because that game would have showcased our superior offense and defense as opposed to just our superior defense.

I felt we could have beaten either team but playing SDSU was going to be ugly allowing for the predictable detractors to criticize the NC game.

Doesn’t matter for the program. Potential recruits or transfers who really understand what it takes to win these games will be attracted by our program. Sports writers need stories.

The adjustments made after the losses in January proved to me we had a championship caliber team that was as good as any team in the nation.

Winning it all is another matter. A real dream come true for me. It doesn’t matter what others think. Most programs don’t have one NC. We now have five and hopefully more to come.

UConn could've really made it look like an absolute blowout if they just hit some very easy layups (so many missed, even on the break) and one incredible dunk attempt.

 

[uconnfan68]

"It was the lowest-scoring title game since 2015, and UConn wouldn’t have cracked 70 points if not for that flurry of free throws in the final 90 seconds."

UConn made 5 free throws in the final 90 seconds. They scored 76 points...

It’s Yahoo. They cater to simpletons.

 

[my2cents]

There is no way when your team is "slaughtering " the opposition, can you make it look pretty.

 

[huskyinfl]

Is anyone talking about how wild the NCAA rep was when he was crawling all overJim nantz

 

[Henry]

If the writer thought this game was ugly, how would he characterize the 2011 game? I don't care what he thinks. We won this tournament in dominating fashion.

 

[BugsyCT]

I love winning butt-ugly national championship games. They count as much as the pretty ones.

 

[Shamon30]

Let her have fun watching TikTok and giggling at all the shiny jiggling keys.

 

[Chin Diesel]

It’s Yahoo. They cater to simpletons.

USA Today but same crowd.

 

[REB1094]

It’s Yahoo. They cater to simpletons.

Also objectively a weird take. Locking down SDSU wasn't "ugly". It was a defensive masterclass from UConn for pretty much the entire game. They blew up every single action and forced SDSU to iso on the perimeter (knowing they aren't great shooters), or iso in the post against bulldozer Sanogo and elite rim protector Clingan. It was objectively great basketball.

SDSU scored more against UConn than Saint Mary's and Gonzaga did, and scored the same amount as Miami did. It wasn't a circumstantial "ugly" game, it was UConn's defensive strategy demolishing their opponent like they have done to everybody in March

UConn themselves scored 76, which is:

• More than Kansas in 2022
• More than Virginia and Texas Tech in regulation in 2019 (they went to OT)
• 3 less than Villanova in 2018
• More than UNC in 2017
• 1 less than Villanova in 2016
• More than Duke in 2015
• More than UConn in 2014

 

[uconn_jack]

"It was the lowest-scoring title game since 2015, and UConn wouldn’t have cracked 70 points if not for that flurry of free throws in the final 90 seconds."

UConn made 5 free throws in the final 90 seconds. They scored 76 points...

 

[imno1]

 

[Improviser]

There's no asterisk in the win column for ugly.

We won. Who cares if it was ugly or not.

In fact, a NC is beautiful, ipso facto and not de facto. Res ipsa loquitur.

Latin words from way back when and still in the dictionary.

On to #6 next year. There is no ugly. Winning is beautiful.

 

[uconnric]

Everyone: SDSU wins by making you play ugly. SDSU bball is physical, deliberate, boring.

Yahoo: Gasp, the National Championship was ugly.

He must not have watched the San Diego State - Creighton game. That was a rock fight that the refs let get out of hand.

 

[uconnric]

Is anyone talking about how wild the NCAA rep was when he was crawling all overJim nantz

I think they got entangled in the microphone cord and were stuck together.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Some people don't understand defensive basketball. A game that is not all high flying dunks and a shower of 30 foot 3's is all they can appreciate. Pressure on the line and guarding the rim are a foreign language to these people. The brilliance of Adama goes unnoticed in their search for an NBA all star game.

 

[dennismenace]

Funnily enough I looked up the author on LinkedIn and she’s a Marquette alum lol

I’m unbothered by all the talk, though. Let’s assume that all the worst things everyone is saying is true. Let’s UConn did have a lucky road to the finals, didn’t have to play any good teams (lol), played a boring game, etc etc….at the end of the day UConn is the national champions. That’s all I care about

Yes and now tied with DOOOOOOK (or shall we say DOOOOOK is tied with us) and Indiana for NC's (5) and only one behind North Carolina (6). Only Kentucky with (8) (now in reach) and UCLA with 11. DH is only 50 and we are the Beast of the Big East which is undoubtedly the best conference at this time.