When did you know?

[TheChamps990411]

I recently made a comment a bit tongue in cheek about nobody thought before the season that a title was realistic. I heard a lot of S16, some E8 predictions and some 2nd round exit expectations. Now once the season started it didnt take long for this team to show that it was a legit title contender but then they went into that horrible January slump and things looked pretty dicey for awhile. I must admit i lost faith in the dream of a title during that time and was simply hoping we could win a game or two which would at least be progress. But the moment that sticks out for me where i said to myself this team is cutting down the nets and there isnt a damn thing any team in this tournament can do about it was the opening of th second half of the Gonzaga blow out. I completely believed then and there it was over not only for the Zags but for everyone else in the tournament. Sure the Zags werent the Zags of previous seasons but that was a really good team that was in the top 10 most of the season and could score with anybody and they were shut down to 59 points. I had the same feeling in 2011 when we beat Arizona and in 2014 when we beat MSU.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

I think it was Arkansas for me.

 

[uconnfan68]

After the first weekend of the tournament. We looked too strong to dismiss. My BE tournament jitters went away.

 

[aburks41]

I think it was Arkansas for me.

Yup. I was terrified of Iona and St Mary’s because I felt like Hurley just had to get the monkey off his back. Once we got past them and blasted Arkansas I knew we were going all the way

 

[John]

After hearing what Pitino said to DH after Iona game.

 

[CL82]

I recently made a comment a bit tongue in cheek about nobody thought before the season that a title was realistic. I heard a lot of S16, some E8 predictions and some 2nd round exit expectations. Now once the season started it didnt take long for this team to show that it was a legit title contender but then they went into that horrible January slump and things looked pretty dicey for awhile. I must admit i lost faith in the dream of a title during that time and was simply hoping we could win a game or two which would at least be progress. But the moment that sticks out for me where i said to myself this team is cutting down the nets and there isnt a damn thing any team in this tournament can do about it was the opening of th second half of the Gonzaga blow out. I completely believed then and there it was over not only for the Zags but for everyone else in the tournament. Sure the Zags werent the Zags of previous seasons but that was a really good team that was in the top 10 most of the season and could score with anybody and they were shut down to 59 points. I had the same feeling in 2011 when we beat Arizona and in 2014 when we beat MSU.

Lol the best part of that realization is that you can't actually say it out loud. You just kind of think it to yourself. [Holy sh.it, we could win this whole thing!]

 

[NJHoops]

When Drew slammed the ball on the court at the end of the San Diego State game.

(I trust nothing and no one and am always at least a little worried that everything could go horribly wrong at any second)

I will say that the team’s overall reaction after beating Miami was pretty sweet… like, sure that was nice but we‘re going to wait to celebrate until Monday.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Lol the best part of that realization is that you can't actually say it out loud. You just kind of think it to yourself. [Holy sh.it, we could win this whole thing!]

Oh no i wouldnt dare say it out loud. I keep that sh#t to myself. Not messing with the mojo. Only other time i was sure was 2004 but then again so was about 90% of the cbb world lol!

 

[HailUConn]

A great question by OP.
For me, it’s at this very moment in the game vs Iona, when our big 3 came out at the 2nd half and set the tone: Hawkins and Sanogo started scoring and Andre started facilitating and renounding…


That’s when I started smiling and nodding, and said to myself, a run like 2014 is coming…

 

[huskyinfl]

Before the season started

 

[Greg]

I recently made a comment a bit tongue in cheek about nobody thought before the season that a title was realistic. I heard a lot of S16, some E8 predictions and some 2nd round exit expectations. Now once the season started it didnt take long for this team to show that it was a legit title contender but then they went into that horrible January slump and things looked pretty dicey for awhile. I must admit i lost faith in the dream of a title during that time and was simply hoping we could win a game or two which would at least be progress. But the moment that sticks out for me where i said to myself this team is cutting down the nets and there isnt a damn thing any team in this tournament can do about it was the opening of th second half of the Gonzaga blow out. I completely believed then and there it was over not only for the Zags but for everyone else in the tournament. Sure the Zags werent the Zags of previous seasons but that was a really good team that was in the top 10 most of the season and could score with anybody and they were shut down to 59 points. I had the same feeling in 2011 when we beat Arizona and in 2014 when we beat MSU.

Pre season I told all within earshot that team could win it all.

 

[superjohn]

I was extremely confident after we blasted Arkansas. When we were in the process of pasting Gonzaga and the guy next to me at the bar who put a ton of money on the Zags turned to me and said he had no idea how good we were and walked out it felt pretty damn good. Didn't know for certain but I didn't really feel any nerves for the final 4 games like I normally do...

The only other times I felt like that were in 2004 after getting through Duke (I've never been that nervous for a game in my entire life and I had every emotion from despair to ecstacy during that game.) That was the title game and there was no way we were losing to Georgia Tech again. I felt that same way in 2014 when we easily beat Florida in the semis. Had zero nerves playing Kentucky and treated the Florida win like it was the national championship.

 

[Scott2Tate]

Before the season started

Cmon, seriously?

 

[kemba]

Lol the best part of that realization is that you can't actually say it out loud. You just kind of think it to yourself. [Holy sh.it, we could win this whole thing!]

Right. Deep down I knew we weren’t losing after watching us dismantle Arkansas. Verbally, I talked myself into every single tournament game being an incredible new challenge

 

[TheHorde]

Early January. I literally jinxed them right before the rough stretch. I told a fellow UConn fan that I thought they might run the table and go undefeated because I thought they were that good and deep. Now I joke about it with him just saying I was early by a couple of months. Haha

 

[Scottzer]

Early in the season, after seeing them dismantle Alabama and Iowa State, I knew I was watching every game this year. I never felt that way in 2014, but I certainly did during every other title run.

 

[spudzj6]

Early January. I literally jinxed them right before the rough stretch. I told a fellow UConn fan that I thought they might run the table and go undefeated because I thought they were that good and deep. Now I joke about it with him just saying I was early by a couple of months. Haha

Same. Told a Purdue fan in early January that I have no idea what their flaw would be that would make them lose. Then Jan happened. End of year and tourney they played the way they did early on.

 

[gtcam]

Pre season I told all within earshot that team could win it all.

You got that on tape and camera?

 

[TheHorde]

Same. Told a Purdue fan in early January that I have no idea what their flaw would be that would make them lose. Then Jan happened. End of year and tourney they played the way they did early on.

We saw what they were capable of. The guards hit a rough patch all at the same time during the rough patch, and teams adjusted to how to defend Andre. Credit to Hurley for adjusting to that and having Andre play on the baseline much more in the half court.

 

[gtcam]

Early in the season, after seeing them dismantle Alabama and Iowa State, I knew I was watching every game this year. I never felt that way in 2014, but I certainly did during every other title run.

In 2013-2014 they started 12-1 with only loss by 2 to Stanford and only had 8 losses total. Yet you never felt it - even during the NCAAs? Must be KO hate syndrome

 

[TheHorde]

In 2013-2014 they started 12-1 with only loss by 2 to Stanford and only had 8 losses total. Yet you never felt it - even during the NCAAs? Must be KO hate syndrome

When I saw the regionals were in MSG, I thought we could make a run. Maybe not a championship, but a Final Four.

 

[navery12]

After the Iowa State game for me, going into the year even the most optimistic people were thinking the Sweet 16 was a good goal

 

[Horatio]

When we started the season undefeated with the out of conference schedule. The Big East schedule was just a marinade process in which we had a bunch of guys, that never played a Big East regular season, get initiated into tougher coaching, players, physicality. I knew once the team was unleashed back into a national tournament schedule, they’d be tougher defensively and battle tested.

 

[UofCT]

Once Creighton got eliminated

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think it was Arkansas for me.

Yes. About ten minutes into the Arkansas game I was convinced nobody would stop us.

By the end of the Gonzaga game I was afraid we'd break the damned tournament.