Comparison?

[Deleted member 3149]

A fan on the Minnesota board tried comparing their team this year to our team in 2011. Kinda ridiculous comparison, but nonetheless it's B1G schools acknowledging the beasts from the east.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/bo...Parrish-s-Big-Ten-Preview&p=772542#post772542

 

[Rico444]

To be fair, pretty much everyone else called the guy nuts, and gave our team tons of props rather than saying we got lucky and Butler played like crap, like most say.

 

[Kitaman]

If he was describing our regular season performance fine, but during tournaments we got hot. We were not that great of a team, just great performances at the right time.

Anyway I take any UConn discussion by other fans a compliment. Don't see that happening with any other former BE teams.

 

[Deleted member 3149]

To be fair, pretty much everyone else called the guy nuts, and gave our team tons of props rather than saying we got lucky and Butler played like crap, like most say.

True! Gotta love the respect

 

[Ts5034]

Speaking of comparisons, does anyone remember when a lot of people including Digger Phelps was comparing 2005 Arizona to our 2004 National Championship team?? They tried to say Channing Frye was Okafor and Salim Stoudamire was Gordon. That Arizona team did make it to the Elite 8 but our 2004 team dominated that tournament outside of the Duke game and is possibly the most talented team in UConn basketball history.

 

[upstater]

If he was describing our regular season performance fine, but during tournaments we got hot. We were not that great of a team, just great performances at the right time.

Anyway I take any UConn discussion by other fans a compliment. Don't see that happening with any other former BE teams.

I always chime into disagree with this. What I saw was Kemba as an unstoppable force who could only be stopped by BE referees. Hack-a-Kemba defanged the UConn beast. Outside the BE regular season, the team went 23-0. In other words, 23-0 when playing with refs who did not allow Kemba to be annihilated. That's saying something.

 

[Gurleyman]

We downplay that team a lot here. To do the 11-0 they did in March/April, you have to be great. You can win a game or two by playing over your heads (or by drawing Georgetown in the NCAAs), but not 11. Or 14 if you count Maui as another tournament win.

 

[champs99and04]

I agree with the previous two posters. I get tired of hearing about how "2011 UConn wasn't a great team, they just got hot". You don't simply "get hot" and rip off eleven in a row, eight of them against ranked competition and one against a Butler team on a tear. They weren't as good as our 99 or 04 teams, but they were a damn good team that gets overlooked from a national perspective (and even by some on here) mostly because of Jeremy Lamb's late emergence.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Speaking of comparisons, does anyone remember when a lot of people including Digger Phelps was comparing 2005 Arizona to our 2004 National Championship team?? They tried to say Channing Frye was Okafor and Salim Stoudamire was Gordon. That Arizona team did make it to the Elite 8 but our 2004 team dominated that tournament outside of the Duke game and is possibly the most talented team in UConn basketball history.

To be fair, 2005 Arizona had a 15 point lead with 4 minutes to go against the eventual champs. If they don't choke epically, they probably at least make the championship game. (I should know, since I picked them to win it all that year.)

 

[SouleMan]

We downplay that team a lot here. To do the 11-0 they did in March/April, you have to be great. You can win a game or two by playing over your heads (or by drawing Georgetown in the NCAAs), but not 11. Or 14 if you count Maui as another tournament win.

Anyone else still get goosebumps thinking about that run? Pure magic.

 

[Mike Honcho]

We downplay that team a lot here. To do the 11-0 they did in March/April, you have to be great. You can win a game or two by playing over your heads (or by drawing Georgetown in the NCAAs), but not 11. Or 14 if you count Maui as another tournament win.

Amen.

Five games in five days with four of those against top 20 teams in a neutral arena... that takes more than just dumb luck.

 

[selles]

To be fair, 2005 Arizona had a 15 point lead with 4 minutes to go against the eventual champs. If they don't choke epically, they probably at least make the championship game. (I should know, since I picked them to win it all that year.)

To be fair, UConn 2004 wasn't remotely challenged until they got to the Final Four while that Arizona team needed a buzzer beater to get out of the Sweet Sixteen and lost in the Final Eight. So...you know, not remotely comparable at the end of the day.

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

To be fair, 2005 Arizona had a 15 point lead with 4 minutes to go against the eventual champs. If they don't choke epically, they probably at least make the championship game. (I should know, since I picked them to win it all that year.)

I always pick UConn to win the tournament every year they're in it.

 

[Fishy]

That UConn team had two things that Minnesota doesn't -

1) They loved to fight. When it was win or go home, they put 14 different teams on the bus and sent 'em off. (Well, 13 teams...they packed Kentucky up twice.)

2) Kemba.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

That UConn team had two things that Minnesota doesn't -

1) They loved to fight. When it was win or go home, they put 14 different teams on the bus and sent 'em off. (Well, 13 teams...they packed Kentucky up twice.)

2) Kemba.

3) A coach old enough to drink.

 

[aceboon]

To be fair, 2005 Arizona had a 15 point lead with 4 minutes to go against the eventual champs. If they don't choke epically, they probably at least make the championship game. (I should know, since I picked them to win it all that year.)

'eventual runner-ups'

 

[Tenspro2002]

'eventual runner-ups'

Yes, my bad. I had it right in the second sentence but not the first.

My point was that it wasn't absurd to compare 2005 Arizona to 2004 UConn -- teams with strong inside-out games who kind of stumbled through the regular season but appeared to come together at the end of the year.

 

[Pudge]

A. No one within 100 miles of the Twin Cities has what Jim Calhoun brings to each game. And that translated into a tight tough team.

B. Unbelievable year by Kemba Walker. And, I don't think you ever would have forecast that after his first 2.

 

[Palatine]

We also had an athletic 7-foot defensive presence come off the bench. Our "D" was really long that year. And deep.