Why was Ace so scared of UConn?
After watching the mgoblog podcast where they revealed their reactions to the brackets, I was struck scared Ace was that we would be stuck with facing UConn in the 2nd round. I know nothing about this year's UConn team. What is about them, exactly, that would be so scary for Michigan?
We aren't playing them, does it matter?
We can’t face them in the second round so...
I think as a Pet Detective he is worried about how stubborn a Husky can be.
James Bouknight. He's been mocked as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Highlights when he dropped 40 on Creighton.
Also, it's not just that Bouknight is an extremely good player, UConn is #16 in Kenpom with a top 25 AdjOE and AdjDE. UConn is only 7-7 when playing Quad 1/2 opponents, but Bouknight was hurt for a significant portion of the season. They are most definitely the scariest 7-seed in the field of 68.
Edit: just realized you asked about a potential matchup between Michigan and UConn in the second round. I can 100% guarantee to you that won’t happen.
It's this. UConn is a secret 3-seed that lost a bunch of games this year when Bouknight was out. Michigan would have been in tough against him even before we lost Livers, and now...I don't like the thought of matching Eli on him, and Chaundee for a whole game has been...well you know.
I guess my counter is that Bouknight played a bunch of games against the two best teams in the BE (Creighton and Nova, two 5 seeds) and had an average ORtg of around 100 and he didn't really get anyone else on his team into the flow offensively. I caught him in the conference tournament and thought he looked a little too feast-or-famine for my liking; when he's on he can take over a game but UM has defenders they can throw at him and he really doesn't facilitate anything else they do. They're better than a 7 seed but their ceiling feels like a 5 seed.
It's mostly James Bouknight being yet another in the long tradition of UConn guards that turn it on toward tournament time and can carry a team deep. He's not a great outside shooter but he attacks the rim relentlessly and draws a ton of fouls. UConn also rebounds like a monster on the offensive boards and plays solid defense at both the rim and outside. Per KenPom they finished a spot behind FSU and that was with Bouknight out for about half the year. So the fact they're a 7 seed feels low and so they're a trendy upset pick because of it.
That said, they're also a team that has one KenPom top 50 win (a 2 pointer vs. USC last year) and they absolutely looked a step behind Crieghton and Nova in a BE that somewhat underwhelmed this year. So it's a lot of projection about them being dangerous based on their recent upswing and history.
The analytic sites think really highly of them. They're a top-20 team for both Kenpom and Torvik, among others, which would be much more appropriate of a 4 or 5 seed than 7 seed.
Their best player, James Bouknight, first round NBA draft pick, all-conference performer, etc etc you get the deal, missed 1/3 of their season, so that top-20 rating is actually probably underestimating them as they look right now.
It's pretty easy to make an argument the team right now is a top-4 seeded team that we just avoided playing in the second round.
Go blue and hope UConn crushes Alabama!
#5 team in the country according to Torvik since February 12: https://barttorvik.com/?year=2021&sort=&lastx=0&firstx=0&hteam=&t2value=&conlimit=All&state=All&begin=20210212&end=20210501&top=0&quad=5&venue=All&type=All&mingames=0#
They're #4 since February 15 which is significant because it's when James Bouknight, their best player and projected lottery pick returned from an injury.
They would be a VERY scary 7 or 8 or 9 seed sort of like Michigan in 2016 when they were red hot and beat 2 seeded Louisville (and should have beaten eventual final four team Oregon) so Ace didn't want to see them as the 8 or 9 in our region.
That was 2017.
2016 was when we played in the First Four and then lost to ND.
Is this a laffy taffy riddle?!
He was afraid of becoming a little too husky
Could have been the scary pep band?
March 17th, 2021 at 12:38 AM ^
He's not the hero we deserve, but he's the hero we need right now.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:06 PM ^
I'm a lot more afraid of making past the second round vs LSU. Trendon Watford played like a top 10 NBA prospect vs Alabama. If this dumbass team is really putting it together just in time, it might actually come down to us not having enough talent to beat them.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:17 PM ^
LSU is a poorly coached team. We'll beat them by double digits with or without Livers.
Plus St Bonaventure probably beats Captain Moneybags in the first round
Maybe you're right, I'm just worrying too much about them. I guess I'll move on to shitting my pants about FSU and UCONN.
March 17th, 2021 at 12:01 AM ^
There's what everyone else has said, and that you don't want to play good teams early.
I mean, you don't want to ever play good teams but when you get to the Elite Eight or Final Four you kind of expect to.
March 17th, 2021 at 12:09 AM ^
Bouknight is a high quality player and will go to the NBA as a top 10 pick but he is also a bit fragile mentally and physically. UConn runs through him but Maryland has a good chance to beat them in the first round because of Morsell.
They will put him on Bouk and make life harder than he has had it all year. This will be a great matchup to watch. It will probably depend on how the refs call it.
I am taking Maryland by a nose in that game. Probably best game on paper of the first (second) round.
Ace was right on to say UConn a little heavy in the 2nd round, but a great draw in the elite 8.
March 17th, 2021 at 12:36 AM ^
Have you been to Storrs? <shudders>
Have you been to Storrs? <udders>
That is a milky comment.
Listen bub, you didn’t hear it from me, but you’re asking all the wrong questions. Ask yourself . . . Who benefits from Ace’s fear? Who else has expressed overwhelming “fear” about “UConn,” and then follow the money. It’s that simple. Delete this after you’ve read it. We never had this conversation you got it?
March 17th, 2021 at 10:58 AM ^
To me UConn seems to always have that one NBA caliber guard during its tourney runs that just takes over games and can win them for you by himself. They had it with Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, and now they’ve got it with James Bouknight.
My understanding is he was injured and out for part of the year otherwise UConn would be seeded a lot higher than it is now.
Don't forget Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon...