UConn Coppin State thoughts

[olehead]

They sold tickets and kept score. They counted in that regard. (Fans paid to go watch the team play. They were opportunities to try things and get young guys minutes.

We’ve made a business decision. Cupcakes over exhibitions.

And it eventually led to the signing of Rudy

 

[NJHoops]

I think it's more of an AD issue than a coaching one, no? I don't actually know who does the scheduling at this level.

Short answer is everyone? Sometimes there are conference requirements, like when UConn was going to have to play some AAC teams for leaving. ADs and coaches have relationships that they use to schedule (it’s why they’re playing Binghamton and LIU, for example, rather than other similar teams), and ADs sometimes have other requirements involving their other sports programs.

Guys on the staff like Eric are responsible for a lot of the logistics- letting other teams know what they’re looking for, making and responding to contacts, etc. I think it’s one of the most thankless low-profile but time consuming staff tasks there is. Staffs like conference challenges and multi-game quality tournaments that eat up a lot of those openings. I don’t think the staff thinks this is a perfect schedule but that part’s done now, just go out and play who’s next.

 

[Tampahusky]

Can we please retire the "this team is young" charade?

We have 5 guys who are already 22 years old, including 3 5th-year seniors.

Coming into this season we had no go to guy, no set rotation, no real BE road games, and very few big games for our 22 yr olds. Games against cupcakes are helping more than hurting until we find our stride, go ask Gaffney. It’s a game go enjoy it, on to the next.

 

[August_West]

Contrast to 2002-2003

Quinnipiac: 229/327
George Washington: 110/327
Sacred Heart: 303/327
Wagner: 179/327
UMass: 195/327
UNC Asheville: 283/327
CCSU: 238/327
St. Bonaventure: 84/327

I didn't include the St. Bonaventure game this year because I'm only including home games against non-p5 schools.

But you can see, while there's an occasion disaster, these schedules didn't have nearly the same drain on our SOS.

AND, That BE year had all but two teams in the Top 101, 10 Top 75 teams, 7 Top 50, 4 Top 25, and 2 Top 10.
The current BE is below that on every measure (except only 1/11 is outside Top 100).

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

 

[HooperScooper]

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

That was the year before when Caron was a sophomore. UConn won the one in 2002-2003.

 

[Umami Zen]

If Gaff can keep the pedal to the metal with minimal TOs.. We're good

 

[tzznandrew]

Didn’t we lose that st Bonnie’s game…. At home?

Nope. whomp whomp.

Also, I'd wager that team is much better, and that this year's team at best matches their post season performance.

 

[F101Voodoo]

Short answer is everyone? Sometimes there are conference requirements, like when UConn was going to have to play some AAC teams for leaving. ADs and coaches have relationships that they use to schedule (it’s why they’re playing Binghamton and LIU, for example, rather than other similar teams), and ADs sometimes have other requirements involving their other sports programs.

Guys on the staff like Eric are responsible for a lot of the logistics- letting other teams know what they’re looking for, making and responding to contacts, etc. I think it’s one of the most thankless low-profile but time consuming staff tasks there is. Staffs like conference challenges and multi-game quality tournaments that eat up a lot of those openings. I don’t think the staff thinks this is a perfect schedule but that part’s done now, just go out and play who’s next.

We play at least ONE in state "rival". In the olden days of Calhoun we added CCSU after Howie Dickenman started there. Some years we play U of H other years Quine , Yale. I honestly do not recall "us" playing Fairfield since the last ice age. Having said that we should not too many East Petticoat Junction University to the schedule. PS for you non Boomers it was a TV show many moons ago.

 

[CL82]

Can we please retire the "this team is young" charade?

We have 5 guys who are already 22 years old, including 3 5th-year seniors.

But they are a very young 22

 

[HooperScooper]

I honestly do not recall "us" playing Fairfield since the last ice age.

2011 was the last time UConn played Fairfield.

 

[dennismenace]

Never thought I hear so many UConn fans say they were scared to play the aac or a10

Playing the AAC usually means reciprocal games so why would we want to get back into cross country games again with the conference that stunk and our recruits could care less about. We are trying to go forward not backward. If we want to travel let's do the games again with Texas, Florida, Oklahoma etc. that get national attention. From a recruiting position we have so much talent in the regional area (that we are currently hitting out of the park) and with a lot of that young talent we need to sort out the rotation and start seeing how the pieces work together. OOC is one year at a time. I think we are good for this year. There's a lot to get straightened out and so far the intensity of play has been just what we thought it would be. So far so good. Much much better than previous years. Nice blend of veterans and youth.

 

[CTBasketball]

The scheduling is a problem - it shouldn’t have happened this year. Outside of likely Auburn and Villanova, we’ll only play 3 games vs. Top 25 KenPom teams.

And you know we’re going to lay a few clunkers in Big East play. If we roll into Selection Sunday with a 22-7 record and no marquee win, expect to be disappointed in our seeding.

 

[freescooter]

Confidence and momentum is a thing. Beating up on a couple of cupcakes has its benefits. Playing a bunch of AAC and A-10 teams does little for us imo. They’re big risk low reward games

I don’t know. These games are like playing the walk ons in a scrimmage. I know it is different, but the son of a friend played football at a d1 school. His sophomore year they started 3-0 playing an FCS game, a horrible Army team and another really bad MAC team. Then they started their conference games…and got absolutely clobbered by North Carolina or somebody. They eventually settled down and had a decent season, but his view was that the first 3 games did nothing but make them over confident and sloppy. Throws they got away with playing Army suddenly the better teams turned into interceptions, with the qb saying where did he come from? Guys that went down on a not great tackle against Maine, are going for an extra 4-5 yards w hen they played league teams, 15 when they played Florida State who was still a power then.
It is fine to play 1-2 cupcakes to work out the kinks early, but when that’s all you play, it is bad for the team, bad for the fans who shell out cash for tickets, and in the event that the regular season goes south, it hurts you for the tournament.

And pal, no problem playing CCSU. We should do it every year to open the season. And no problem playing an HBCU, but for heaven’s sake spread them out and add some A10, American, maybe a mid-level B10 or ACC even to the mix.

 

[CTBasketball]

I don’t know. These games are like playing the walk ons in a scrimmage. I know it is different, but the son of a friend played football at a d1 school. His sophomore year they started 3-0 playing an FCS game, a horrible Army team and another really bad MAC team. Then they started their conference games…and got absolutely clobbered by North Carolina or somebody. They eventually settled down and had a decent season, but his view was that the first 3 games did nothing but make them over confident and sloppy. Throws they got away with playing Army suddenly the better teams turned into interceptions, with the qb saying where did he come from? Guys that went down on a not great tackle against Maine, are going for an extra 4-5 yards w hen they played league teams, 15 when they played Florida State who was still a power then.
It is fine to play 1-2 cupcakes to work out the kinks early, but when that’s all you play, it is bad for the team, bad for the fans who shell out cash for tickets, and in the event that the regular season goes south, it hurts you for the tournament.

And pal, no problem playing CCSU. We should do it every year to open the season. And no problem playing an HBCU, but for heaven’s sake spread them out and add some A10, American, maybe a mid-level B10 or ACC even to the mix.

I don’t care if the school is from the WAC, Big12, and I don’t care if they are HBCU or not.

Just schedule quality opponents. We’re trying to reestablish ourselves as a Top 10 program - schedule like it. It’s not hard, people actually want to play us.

 

[imno1]

Just curious @RichZ Is the thread title a copyright infringement?

 

[August_West]

Nope. whomp whomp.

Also, I'd wager that team is much better, and that this year's team at best matches their post season performance.

Which year did we lose to St Bonnies at home.

 

[RichZ]

Just curious @RichZ Is the thread title a copyright infringement?

I'm 75. The expression was in frequent use among my peers when I was like 11 or 12. So I kinda think it predates the songs. movies and other such nonsense.

 

[tzznandrew]

Which year did we lose to St Bonnies at home.

01-02 with Caron. They lost by 18. lol.

 

[BlueMAB]

Does the coach make the schedule? I always wonder how the schedule is constructed. I have to imagine Hurley has some say in that but I don't think he's responsible for making the schedule.

That wasn't my point.

The hand-wringing on this board over the schedule is tiresome. It's not ideal, as we've heard from one of the few who would know, this season was a blip. There's nothing we can do about it. There's nothing the players or staff can do about it. We haven't hit Thanksgiving yet, and people are setting themselves up for the "I told you so"s on Selection Sunday.

 

[Get a Job]

I don’t know. These games are like playing the walk ons in a scrimmage. I know it is different, but the son of a friend played football at a d1 school. His sophomore year they started 3-0 playing an FCS game, a horrible Army team and another really bad MAC team. Then they started their conference games…and got absolutely clobbered by North Carolina or somebody. They eventually settled down and had a decent season, but his view was that the first 3 games did nothing but make them over confident and sloppy. Throws they got away with playing Army suddenly the better teams turned into interceptions, with the qb saying where did he come from? Guys that went down on a not great tackle against Maine, are going for an extra 4-5 yards w hen they played league teams, 15 when they played Florida State who was still a power then.
It is fine to play 1-2 cupcakes to work out the kinks early, but when that’s all you play, it is bad for the team, bad for the fans who shell out cash for tickets, and in the event that the regular season goes south, it hurts you for the tournament.

And pal, no problem playing CCSU. We should do it every year to open the season. And no problem playing an HBCU, but for heaven’s sake spread them out and add some A10, American, maybe a mid-level B10 or ACC even to the mix.

Well said. It's fine to play 2 or 3 terrible teams, but anyone defending having 6 opponents ranked 275+ on the schedule is either crazy or has some other agenda (most likely just being contrarian).

 

[AntG168]

A10 and AAC teams aren't just going to take "buy" games against us. They'll want H/H, and no not worth it. If your all talking a HIGH quality opponent that doesn't damage our tournament chances but provides a litmus test, then yes im all for it(ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac 12, Gonzaga). But if you think Dartmouth or New Hampshire, or Yale who Seton hall just destroyed will prepare us that much better for Auburn then the cupcakes we've played I think you are reaching just to reach. These H/H with power programs are scheduled years out. With our return to prominence and our now prestigious conference affiliation, we'll have our big time game OOC in the very near future. UConn not being apart of the Champions Classic has always been a joke. But we're headed back that way

 

[Get a Job]

A10 and AAC teams aren't just going to take "buy" games against us. They'll want H/H, and no not worth it. If your all talking a HIGH quality opponent that doesn't damage our tournament chances but provides a litmus test, then yes im all for it(ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac 12, Gonzaga). But if you think Dartmouth or New Hampshire, or Yale who Seton hall just destroyed will prepare us that much better for Auburn then the cupcakes we've played I think you are reaching just to reach. These H/H with power programs are scheduled years out. With our return to prominence and our now prestigious conference affiliation, we'll have our big time game OOC in the very near future. UConn not being apart of the Champions Classic has always been a joke. But we're headed back that way

If you could choose between this year's schedule, and one with 6 cupcakes against teams ranked 200-250, which would you choose?

 

[AntG168]

If you could choose between this year's schedule, and one with 6 cupcakes against teams ranked 200-250, which would you choose?

I wouldn't care. It's splitting hairs. I don't think a teams season and/or potential is affected by playing slightly better cupcakes. If the argument is playing AAC or A10 teams then cool, as long as it isn't a H/H. The only part of this argument that makes any sense to me is the desire to play some of the other big boys around the country. That benefits our experience and our profile. Arguing between Dartmouth and Coppin State is hilarious to me, and I think we're just bored

 

[bendm]

Playing the AAC usually means reciprocal games

outside of memphis i disagree. those schools are in no position to be demanding anything and if they do, screw em their loss.

i was also specifically responding to someone who brought up the aac/a 10. i'm not being that picky i just want warn ups ranked between ~150-225 not bottom 300. read the rest of the thread

 

[bendm]

Arguing between Dartmouth and Coppin State is hilarious to me, and I think we're just bored

laugh it up but the fans sitting at home not buying tickets dont think it's funny. guaranteed better turnout against yale or vermont or GW etc then coppin state or binghampton etc. and the games themselves wouldnt be absolute jokes. you seem to have forgotten ticket sales are important to BE schools.