I'll keep it short, sweet, and impactful.
1) Officially, the most meaningless 30-win season in college basketball history. Vintage Virginia.
2) Malcolm Brogdon, I still love you, but you cost us this game. Let that sad fact guide you for the next 12 months. Maybe study a little less and work on your jumper a little more? Just spitballing here.
3) My 38-year old, fat, sad, sack of shit self is more NBA-ready than is Justin Anderson. He needs to come back for his senior season. (I'll bite my tongue before I say something I'll regret.)
4) Nice tears, Tom Izzo. Go die in a fire.
5) Brilliant officiating in this one. Good to know that it's not just the ACC with the crooked refs, they're everywhere in the NCAA.
6) Hey Tony, how about recruiting some shooters? How about recruiting some clutch scorers? How about beating a good coach when it matters? I love you, but you gotta do better, breh.
7) I am so fucking frustrated and disappointed, I can't even see straight.
8) Fuck this, I'm going outside to play with the kids. Good luck stopping Kentucky, 22 other remaining teams. I hope the Cats just steamroll the field from here on out. In fact, I might even jump on that bandwagon for the next two weeks. Would be cool to see perfection.
9) Fuck you, Virginia sports. You've done it to me yet again. 25+ years, you'd think I'd learn my lesson and stop giving so much of a shit. Now let me go check the baseball score in game 3 against FSU...
Overreaction at its finest.
ReplyDeleteBad idea. Don't check the baseball score.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnderson is gone. His dodging of the question about it in the postgame was very telling.
ReplyDeleteOnly chance he returns is if he thinks he can match his shooting from beyond the arc next year. If he thinks it was a fluke, like I do, he bolts. Think about it, his average dropped severely when the competition improved and people realized he wasn't the same role player he was last year and keyed defenses on him. We're talking a swing from 60% in non-conference to mid 30s in conference.
NBA teams won't judge based on the injury this year, but would frown on declining numbers next year. He's a tremendous athlete, but without the deep threat, he's not NBA talent. I believe another year of college would expose him.
Of course, I'd be ecstatic if he proved me wrong.
10) Tobey is softer than baby shit and cant play against real competition. I hope to hell Jack Salt can step in next year.
ReplyDeleteThe fact Deeken's comment was removed (I saw it before it was taken down) says a lot about you. It was very respectful and thoughtful. Just disagreed with your own. That's just petty.
ReplyDeleteI didn't remove any posts.
DeleteAgreed. I saw it too and agreed.
DeleteNot that the authors care about a sole reader, but this bitter attitude has really made me consider not continuing to read.
Hey, sorry about that. Kendall definitely did not remove it. Posting on blog's just isn't my thing and so it was therapeutic to write it to help me come to grips with the loss but then I removed it. However, so people won't think it was something special, I will put it below this.
DeleteSide note, I've known Kendall for twenty years and couldn't love the guy any more than I already do. Whatever you do, don't stop reading, the guy is extremely smart, a fantastic writer, and a die hard UVA fan that cares as much or more than any of us.
Post from earlier******************************************
I love the blog and I love Big K but I can't agree with this one. There is certainly a part of me that agrees with you and a huge part of me that is heartbroken. I hate it for the school, the program, the fans, the style of basketball, but even more I hate it for the players. These guys bust their butts and give it everything they have with countless hours in the gym working on their game while still trying to be a student, have a life, and deal with normal stress. They aren't super human and they have to play the game at near perfection and most of the time they come close.
I couldn't be more proud of the way they play, the way they carry themselves on and off the court and the way they represent my University. These guys weren't the elite players coming out of high school, they have worked together and sacrificed individual glory to play the best team basketball in the country. They went 30 and 4 this year. We lost to Duke by 6, Louisville by 1, UNC by 4 and Michigan State by 6. To have followed UVA sports for as long as we have, you are out of your mind if you aren't blown away by that. We weren't good this year, we were GREAT and we do it the right way. The NCAA tournament or ACC tournament isn't about who is the best or most consistent team for the year, it is about who gets hot at the right time. An off night (2-17 from 3 point range) to a team that matches up almost identical to us was a recipe for a loss. Nothing more, nothing less. We didn't get out coached, out hustled, or out classed. We had an off game, the ball literally didn't bounce our way, but it will. This team has been the best in the ACC for two years and with the high class leaders that we should have coming back and the pillars that the team is built on, I see no reason it won't compete again next year and for years to come.
Don't take this year for granted, it wasn't that long ago that we were lucky to make the NIT. Don't take the fun out of the ride, try to savor the beauty that we witnessed for much of this season and be excited about what Bennet and the players have done for the program. The kids give it their all every single game and they give me reason for hope.
Keep up the great work on the blog, don't let the sting of defeat wear on you too much. It is better to have love and to have lost than never to have loved at all.
Am I soft? Maybe but I'm a realist and as I can't let myself believe that 30 and 4, all the accolades (coach of the year, 6th man, all ACC, defensive players of the year, regular season champs) are for nothing. We are a legit basketball power house. The chips will fall in our favor.
-C
Thanks man, thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it.
DeleteI take back my comment then. It said the author removed the comment, but I took it to mean the author of the post. My bad. I do however stand by this post being an overreaction. A fan should not throw the whole team, coach and school under the bus because of a bad game.
DeleteI was venting.
DeleteBut do me a favor -- don't tell me how I should or should not conduct my fanhood. Overreaction or not.
Two of three officials were ACC regulars. Just opinion, but Bryan Kersey has made questionable calls against us all season.
ReplyDeletehttp://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2015/03/22/michigan-state-60-virginia-54
Keep your head up, champ. This loss was hard, but it was an honor to watch these guys all season.
Would you be upset if the football team (say in 3-4 years) made the playoff and got beat? Did you rail on coach and players when the baseball team got o-so close to a WS? I know if you were cut open (I'm considering it) you would bleed orange and blue...but you lost it here GODBOY! They played great this year-with Anderson hurt and Brogdan choking (he did) UVA's fate was decided. Can you think of anything sweeter in sport than being a Red Sox fan all these years and finally winning the series? The sweetness is made greater through the pain. Life is tough-wear a cup!
ReplyDeleteWith the 19-0 start and #2 ranking, expectations were raised. We were playing so well, like the one true challenger to Kentucky. So when we fell apart down the stretch and then failed to make the Sweet Sixteen, yeah, it hurt. And yeah, I was pissed. I'm over it now, and back in love with the program... but it was a dicey first 48 hours after the loss.
DeleteWinning 30 games is great but not winning a National Championship makes it another wasted season.
ReplyDeleteI 35% agree. Validation would have been an Elite Eight appearance. (I hate it when people call it the "Great 8," by the way.) We fell short of validation.
DeleteYou caught way too much shit in the comments here, K-Man. Ppl need to know that venting is part of healing. And everything you said is shit that most of us thought at some point on Sunday. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paulie! I still want Izzo to die in a fire.
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