Jim Boeheim Comments

[bearcat jeff]

Couple Jim Boeheim comments I thought were interesting after the win over UCONN:

"You could tell we were not used to winning lately..." Losing shakes a team's confidence and makes them doubt themselves, think too much, and play tentative. All things we see in the Bearcats right now.

"But when we had too Scoop made the two ft's and we got a stop at the other end. That's what you have to do in these situations." Someone made a play and the defense dug down and got the stop! Someone on this team needs to be a leader and make plays. Defensively you have to dig down at crunch time, be sound, and get the stop. Especially when you just made a play on the offensive end. You can't put continued pressure on your offense by not getting stops and allowing offensive rebounds. You control your defensive effort. There are variables on offense.

"When you lose 3-4 games which you can do in this league, you can be a great team. A really good team, I won't say a great team, a really good team and you lose 3-4 games and you got to find a way to get that win because you know around the corner the next night in this league. It can be a mugging. Coach Boeheim echos what Mick says and gets crucified for. This league is brutal and full of peaks and valleys. UC currently sits in 8th and one game separates them from 2nd place Villanova. The Bearcats have 4 games against 3 teams in from of them.

Some are painting a pretty dark picture but based on the overall view the Bearcats are in great position. They absolutely control their own destiny. It starts with finding a way to get that first win and back on track.

[Juliepitzer]

I agree. I think we are in decent shape for a bid but am concerned about St. Johns. IMO, the NCAA will not take 9 teams from any one conference. So that leaves 8. Meaning we are in a battle with Marquette, St. Johns, and West Virginia for that final spot. Also, I really havent seen Cronin "crucified" for some of his excuses. Some fans get upset over them, but I dont see those as extreme. IMO.

[catsfan32]

Originally Posted by Juliepitzer

I agree. I think we are in decent shape for a bid but am concerned about St. Johns. IMO, the NCAA will not take 9 teams from any one conference. So that leaves 8. Meaning we are in a battle with Marquette, St. Johns, and West Virginia for that final spot. Also, I really havent seen Cronin "crucified" for some of his excuses. Some fans get upset over them, but I dont see those as extreme. IMO.

The Big East will get at least 9 teams in this year. The bubble is extremely weak and its well known the Beast is the best conference in the land. I mean our #10 team just wiped the floor with the ACC's far and away best team.

[bearcat jeff]

"Ohio State and Pitt, those are the 2 teams I like best right now. Nationally nobody's immune to getting hit on a given night"-- Jim Calhoun

[Kingsley Court]

Originally Posted by catsfan32

The Big East will get at least 9 teams in this year. The bubble is extremely weak and its well known the Beast is the best conference in the land. I mean our #10 team just wiped the floor with the ACC's far and away best team.

That really doesn't mean anything. Unless you also want to note their 11th place team beat West Va (5th) big east team? Or how about the 6th place CAA team beat Louisville (4th?) placed Big East team.

[ucswais]

Originally Posted by Juliepitzer

I agree. I think we are in decent shape for a bid but am concerned about St. Johns. IMO, the NCAA will not take 9 teams from any one conference. So that leaves 8. Meaning we are in a battle with Marquette, St. Johns, and West Virginia for that final spot. Also, I really havent seen Cronin "crucified" for some of his excuses. Some fans get upset over them, but I dont see those as extreme. IMO.

I couldn't disagree with this more. If the season ended today, there is no doubt in my mind the BEast would be getting 11 teams in the tournament. Sure, 1 or 2 of those teams (maybe UC) could fall off between now and then, but their is no reason to believe with the expanded tournament and weak field that the BE won't get 9 or more teams.

[catsfan32]

Originally Posted by Kingsley Court

That really doesn't mean anything. Unless you also want to note their 11th place team beat West Va (5th) big east team? Or how about the 6th place CAA team beat Louisville (4th?) placed Big East team.

It sure does mean something, and it meant a good amount to the national media about the depth and quality of the BEAST. Upsets happen like the one's you described, but those were early in the season when teams are more vulnerable to bad loses from OOC foes. But when your 10th place team beats the hands down best team in the ACC ranked in the top 5, a team many thought might go undefeated, it shows the quality of your league. Not to mention it happened mid-season and not only did they win, they straight took them to the woodshed. Besides the entire argument was how many teams the BEAST will get in. I am certain it will be 9 or more!

[Kingsley Court]

Originally Posted by catsfan32

It sure does mean something, and it meant a good amount to the national media about the depth and quality of the BEAST. Upsets happen like the one's you described, but those were early in the season when teams are more vulnerable to bad loses from OOC foes. But when your 10th place team beats the hands down best team in the ACC ranked in the top 5, a team many thought might go undefeated, it shows the quality of your league. Not to mention it happened mid-season and not only did they win, they straight took them to the woodshed. Besides the entire argument was how many teams the BEAST will get in. I am certain it will be 9 or more!

You are right, upsets happen. Interesting that you say it's an upset when the Big East team goes down, but when a 10th place Big East team beats a top ACC team it shows how deep the Big East is.

[catsfan32]

Originally Posted by Kingsley Court

You are right, upsets happen. Interesting that you say it's an upset when the Big East team goes down, but when a 10th place Big East team beats a top ACC team it shows how deep the Big East is.

You have to first understand the context of the win, which you clearly do not. Second, look at the teams records who were "upset" during the beginning of the year in the OOC, they have all righted the ship and are competing for the top of the BEAST! This leads to the conclusion that they had an off night/lineup discrepancies/overlooked the opponent they expected to beat and probably dominate! Its a bit different when a team plays during the middle of their conference schedule and has 20+ games under their belt opposed to 5-10. I just don't understand what you have against the BEAST? Are they not the best conference? How many teams do you think will get in? Does it mean nothing about the depth of the conference when the 10th best team killed the #1 ACC team ranked in the top 5 at the time? I am seriously confused with your entire argument? Are you trying to tell me that the BEAST dropped some games they shouldn't have and they aren't any good?

This entire argument was about how many teams will get in from the BEAST and how tough the conference is, which you haven't answered at all. My opinion is they will get a minimum of 9 teams and I see 10 or 11 more likely based on the depth, quality of wins OOC (we dominated pretty much every other conference), and weakness of the bubble.

[Juliepitzer]

Originally Posted by ucswais

I couldn't disagree with this more. If the season ended today, there is no doubt in my mind the BEast would be getting 11 teams in the tournament. Sure, 1 or 2 of those teams (maybe UC) could fall off between now and then, but their is no reason to believe with the expanded tournament and weak field that the BE won't get 9 or more teams.

I do hope I am wrong and everyone else is right. Just have a gut feeling it will be 8.