MullinMayhem wrote:Bill, I'm comparing UConn in 2017 to UConn Big East version standards.
You're exaggerating just how good or consistent they were. Let's not forget that they finished 9th in the BE during their NC run in 2011 and barely squeaked by Arizona in the Elite 8. A wrong bounce of the ball in that game and no one even remembers them in that season.
They set the bar very high but they are clearly fading quite rapidly as a brand and are no longer a blue blood. Programs have golden eras and theirs was with Calhoun. They are on their way down now...not rock bottom but they are having trouble standing out in a pretty bad conference. You made lots of excuses to explain their mediocrity
I made no excuses for UConn. I have no need to defend them. I stated facts. Attention to the facts is sorely missing in these discussions of UConn.
although all programs miss out on players, have injuries, transfers, coaching changes, etc. UConn is still a decent program but they are undoubtedly on a downward trend. As I said, UConn Big East version was a blue blood...the current version is a decent but nothing special program. Again, this was not 1 bad year but several by their standards.
Where are the "several bad seasons by their standards"? They're a year off a conference championship and a win in the tournament, 3 years off a national championship.
UConn making the conference tourney finals without winning is a failure for them. I know Cincy is good but other than them they were supposed to manhandle the Tulsa's, Houston's, etc. of the world and are not. Again, compare UConn to UConn standards. The 2017 version is still good by Niagra standards but not their own.
2017 was a bad season for UConn. There's no other way to describe it. But it's still one year. Syracuse was bad this year. Are they in a downward spiral? They have not changed coaches nor have they moved to an inferior conference. Like UConn, they have a great history. Great programs fluctuate from year to year. But you're treating UConn like they've become BC or DePaul.
Let's try to be objective about this. I'm going to list the final RPI ranks of UConn and Syracuse, going back 10 years to 2007. I've skipped a line at the break between Calhoun and Ollie
YEAR - UConn - SU
2017 -- 108 --- 85
2016 -- 33 ---- 42
2015 -- 73 ---- 67
2014 -- 5 ----- 19
2013 -- 48 ---- 10
2012 -- 33 ---- 2
2011 -- 6 ----- 20
2010 -- 66 ---- 6
2009 -- 5 ---- 12
2008 -- 22 --- 52
2007 -- 109 -- 46
We see with both great programs a wide range of fluctuation. We see under both Ollie and Calhoun a wide range of fluctuation. Your conclusions about UConn's finishes outside the top 50 in 2 of the past 3 years doesn't hold up when we see the identical pattern mirrored by Syracuse over the past 3 years despite no change of conference or coach.
We saw UConn finish outside the top 100 ten years ago under Calhoun and outside the top 50 seven years ago also under Calhoun.
I have no idea what the future holds for UConn. But I do know that it is premature to declare the program dead and without a pulse based on 2017 or on a nonexistent pattern of failure. I think that you and some others are seeing what you want to see.