UConn 11/22 - HUGE game in Maui

[Nightwatchman]

UCONN will be down next year. Honestly, I don't think WSU will have a problem with them at all.

[Snapshot9]

UCONN will be down next year. Honestly, I don't think WSU will have a problem with them at all.

If we don't, then I will eat my words, but overlooking Walker could be a mistake for us, after all, look at what Luke Babbit did to us.

And it doesn't make that much difference about how deep you are, if the players coming off the bench don't have talent too. A lot of the time the first line jives good, and the second line does not. It is a positive to be deep, I am just saying it is not the only answer to winning the game.

(too illustrate my points above, Ellis was really a liability last year for us on Offense - he had many opportunities to score last year, or to create a scoring opportunity, but just did not perform - He is 6'9" tall, for Pete's sakes, and that, in my opinion, is the best all around height to be to dominate a game, rebounding and scoring wise). I really do not want to see Ellis at the 3, relieving Hatch, this year, I feel that Ben Smith would be a lot better at the 3. Ellis might be better at the 4 where he is closer to the basket, and for rebounding purposes.

[another shocker]

I've read all the talk about being a down year for UCONN, but Calhoun is a good coach, and he will whip his team into shape. I am sure that a couple of freshmen will prove to be good players, or otherwise they wouldn't have been recruited, right?

No matter how you look at it, it will not be an easy game for us. Is it winnable, yes, I think so, but we have to play good, and it only being the 2nd game of the season will also play into it. If we aren't ready for this game, I don't think we will win.

Another thing, the Shockers do not have the best track record for playing 2-3 games in a row in a short time span. They seem to drop the ball in one of the games almost everytime, or we would have won the tourney in St. Louis last year.

Calhoun is a good coach. As a matter of fact, he is a Hall of Fame coach. The Shockers need to sieze THIS game, unlike they did against Michigan State in '08 and Pittsburgh last year. It is doable, though, I agree.. Wichita State has got the goods. :-x

[vbird53]

Calhoun is a good coach. As a matter of fact, he is a Hall of Fame coach. The Shockers need to sieze THIS game, unlike they did against Michigan State in '08 and Pittsburgh last year. It is doable, though, I agree.. Wichita State has got the goods. :-x

Pittsburgh of last year is a great example. Jamie Dixon willed his youthful team to a victory over the Shocks. Great coaches find a way. Calhoun is a great coach. We had better be ready for a war, which is going to be difficult considering the tropical, laid-back setting.

I'm with bunck, the original poster (who I thought put together a great post, and was then ripped for really no reason, regardless of starting a new topic). It's true that we don't get this kind of opportunity very often. We're playing in the premier early season tournament. As he stated, it's not a must-win, but could be a very important piece of our resume.

[Aargh]

Focusing on basketball is not easy on a trip like that.

I used to be friends of a lot of players. One pretty well-known and respected player came back from a tournament where the Shox came up with a goose egg in the W column. When asked how the trip went, his comments indicated he had done most of his scoring with an Arizona State cheerleader.

There are a lot of distractions on trips like these.

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

[SB Shock]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

[notquiteBWing]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

[AndShock]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

I don't think anyone was too upset with losses to New Mexico and USC, and I don't think those losses ruined the season. It's the thing that stuck with the team the rest of the season and played a part in them undergoing a ridiculous collapse.

[shockerofandover0943]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

Taj Gibson

[SB Shock]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

It was the off the court issues that killed this team.

I think it really showed how much the program missed the contributions and leadership that Cameron Ledford and Nick R. provided to this team that wouldn't show up in a box score.

[DUShock]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

It was the off the court issues that killed this team.

I think it really showed how much the program missed the contributions and leadership that Cameron Ledford and Nick R. provided to this team that wouldn't show up in a box score.

:cry:

It was a glorious run.

[shock]

I think we've got a pretty focused group of players who should be able to shut out the distractions, but I felt that way a couple of years ago before a trip to Las Vegas that ended poorly.

just goes to show you "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas" is not necessarily true and can rip apart a team.

you guys very well may know something I do not, BUT i felt we lost because:

PJ had food poisoning and couldn't play against new mexico.
new mexico saw our #8 ranking and got pumped.
6'5" JR Giddens had to be defended by 5'10" Karon Bradley instead of PJ (6'4").
:shock:
so, we didn't have our best player. we lost by 3.
then USC, i only listened to that game on the radio, but it seemed like we were always close. but, eventually their talent beat out our team. (they had ...3? maybe more future NBA players, Gabe Pruitt, Nick Young, and last years starting PF for the bulls whose name evades me at this time).

at the time, I felt that the new mexico loss was due to an inability to defend JR Giddens.
and the USC game was simply an understandable loss due to our lack of post scoring.

but, as i alluded too at the beginning, there easily could have been off-the-court issues..

It was the off the court issues that killed this team.

I think it really showed how much the program missed the contributions and leadership that Cameron Ledford and Nick R. provided to this team that wouldn't show up in a box score.

Thats right about CL and NR, but the good thing about this year is that they have several of those types of men on the team.

:wsu_posters: :posterwsu:

[martymoose]

UCONN will be down next year. Honestly, I don't think WSU will have a problem with them at all.

I'm going to have to agree, if WSU doesn't win this game, we're in for a disappointing season. We will be favored and we will have more fans there, we better win. In looking at it from a preseason standpoint, all they are is a name team this coming season…stick “Drake” on their jerseys and let’s beat the crap out of them.

[another shocker]

I remember just a few years ago when KU took a top-10 team to Storrs(?) to play a Connecticut team that was full of freshman and supposed to be really down. KU left with a thirty point loss. Do you remember that, Nightwatchman? Don't jinx the Shockers. :-x