“We’ll happily get on the bus back to Storrs if Slater & Samuels beat us from 3”

[McLovin]

I’m sure most of y’all were at the game last night, so you didn’t hear this.

But Gus was saying that Hurley said pregame that he’d happily get on the bus back to Storrs is Slater & Samuel beat them from 3.

They went 6/14 from 3. And scored 36 total points.

I don’t think it was a terrible plan. We held them to 63 points as a team.

Our offense got really tight with about 14 minutes left after we missed a few simple layups.

I know this is obvious, but if we make a few more of those shots we should have, we win that game and Dan’s plan plays off.

We need to get blue Connecticut jerseys ordered for the team ASAP.

P.S. Doubt it was a happy bus ride home…

 

[navery12]

It's a good strategy and for the most part we executed it to perfection. Hit a couple more open layups or FTs and we're having a whole different conversation today. I can probably point to 8-10 shots off the top of my head that could have flipped the game

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It wasn't a bad strategy at all. I remember earlier in the year, when we played them in Philly, there were quite a few cuts into an open lane for an easy layup. If we get too aggressive and stretch ourselves too much on defense an intelligent team can take advantage.

There was a stretch from about five minutes left to about two minutes left when we threw away a couple offensive possessions. We can't do that against a team like Villanova in a game like last night's game.

 

[ThabeetDown]

It wasn't a bad strategy at all. I remember earlier in the year, when we played them in Philly, there were quite a few cuts into an open lane for an easy layup. If we get too aggressive and stretch ourselves too much on defense an intelligent team can take advantage.

There was a stretch from about five minutes left to about two minutes left when we threw away a couple offensive possessions. We can't do that against a team like Villanova in a game like last night's game.

You are spot on. We beat every other team in the conference but Nova if we execute/perform like we did last night. At the end of the day, Nova does not beat themselves. YOU have to beat them.

 

[BGesus4]

We need to get blue Connecticut jerseys ordered for the team ASAP.

This ^

 

[UChusky916]

Just needed to make some bunnies, hit our free throws, or get one more call to go our way (Polley 3-pt called out of bounds, end of half block and-1 instead of bull charge call, or Gillespie travel not called resulting in bucket).
The strategy was a good one.

 

[superjohn]

It's a good strategy and for the most part we executed it to perfection. Hit a couple more open layups or FTs and we're having a whole different conversation today. I can probably point to 8-10 shots off the top of my head that could have flipped the game

The stretch around the 15 minute mark of the second half where Sanogo missed 2 uncontested layups in a row 2 ft's and a missed little uncontested 2 foot hook shot killed us. We would've been up by 5 and had all the momentum and crowd behind us. We trailed by 2-7 points the entire game after that and it was the game.

Our gameplan was the correct plan even though Samuels and Slater killed us. You don't expect your star center to miss a bunch of layups and for Cole to be off with his jumper.

 

[Palatine]

Cole was 1-6 from the arc. Sanogo was 6-15 from close range. Still a winnable game if we tighten the D just a hair.

 

[August_West]

The stretch around the 15 minute mark of the second half where Sanogo missed 2 uncontested layups in a row 2 ft's and a missed little uncontested 2 foot hook shot killed us. We would've been up by 5 and had all the momentum and crowd behind us. We trailed by 2-7 points the entire game after that and it was the game.

Our gameplan was the correct plan even though Samuels and Slater killed us. You don't expect your star center to miss a bunch of layups and for Cole to be off with his jumper.

Agreed on all counts.
That Sanogo stretch was the game. If those go down nova was on their heels. Instead nova dodged a bullet and we were knocked back a little and frustrated. Games always have stretches that have outsized effects on overall game, that was the stretch in this instance.

Dans defensive game plan was very solid.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Cole was 1-6 from the arc. Sanogo was 6-15 from close range. Still a winnable game if we tighten the D just a hair.

It's difficult to play better D against a team like Villanova's than we did last night. Your comment is like if a baseball team lost 2-1 someone says "we would have won if our pitcher threw a shutout".

The game would have been a W if Cole made one additional three pointer, Sanogo makes an additional layup and free throw. With that, our shooting numbers would still be below expectation.

 

[Kolumbo]

It's difficult to play better D against a team like Villanova's than we did last night. Your comment is like if a baseball team lost 2-1 someone says "we would have won if our pitcher threw a shutout".

The game would have been a W if Cole made one additional three pointer, Sanogo makes an additional layup and free throw. With that, our shooting numbers would still be below expectation.

The thing with these kinds of comments is, yes, UCONN lost by 3, 63-60. But had UCONN not missed so many easy buckets or had Cole shot slightly better, the whole game changes. Nova's strategy changes. With UCONN ahead Nova would be playing entirely different, perhaps pushing the ball instead of slowing the game down. We just never know how the game would have gone had other scenarios played out.

 

[Hamms30]

Welp, they went 1-7 combined from three tonight, so the strategy is sound. Sometimes when you dare someone to rise to the occasion, they do. And last night, they did.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The thing with these kinds of comments is, yes, UCONN lost by 3, 63-60. But had UCONN not missed so many easy buckets or had Cole shot slightly better, the whole game changes. Nova's strategy changes. With UCONN ahead Nova would be playing entirely different, perhaps pushing the ball instead of slowing the game down. We just never know how the game would have gone had other scenarios played out.

True but the comment I was replying to claimed that we needed the defense to be a little better than it was. Also, I wasn't proposing a scenario where we would have been lighting it up, merely one additional make from three points, two points and one point. I doubt that would have had any noticeable impact in Nova's approach.

The point is that there was considerably less room for improvement with last night's defensive performance than there was with last night's offensive performance. Pal's claim was that we could have won if we had tightened the defense a little. The reality is there was only a little room where the defense could have been tightened.

 

[gsmooth]

Agreed on all counts.
That Sanogo stretch was the game. If those go down nova was on their heels. Instead nova dodged a bullet and we were knocked back a little and frustrated. Games always have stretches that have outsized effects on overall game, that was the stretch in this instance.

Dans defensive game plan was very solid.

exactly on point. It’s what made Ray Allen, Rip, Gordon, Kemba, and Bazz so good. It was not just that they scored efficiently, but they would have personal 6-10 point spurts that got UConn a sizeable lead that they wouldn’t relinquish

unfortunately the opposite occurred with Sanogo last night. Like you said if he converts those chippies and the FTs, which isn’t asking for too much, UConn has a 7 pt lead with a raucous crowd behind them.

here is hoping that is out of UConn’s system. Similar thing happened against Maryland in the first round last year unfortunately

 

[Chief00]

To Chief a good strategy is one that actually wins a game. This one didn’t.
There’s a difference between doubling Elton Brand with two Bigs in the paint with one guy having a long career as a back-up center in the NBA (Jake) as opposed to having our center double a point guard 25 feet from the basket and appear to be on a non-productive treadmill all night rushing back and forth to the paint.

It’s nearly impossible to recover when you double so far from the basket and Villanova’s offense is so spread out with good shooters.

They are the best foul shooting team in college history or something like that and you can’t compare a guy’s shooting % covered vs wide open. Good foul shooters usually hit wide open shots.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I’m sure most of y’all were at the game last night, so you didn’t hear this.

But Gus was saying that Hurley said pregame that he’d happily get on the bus back to Storrs is Slater & Samuel beat them from 3.

They went 6/14 from 3. And scored 36 total points.

I don’t think it was a terrible plan. We held them to 63 points as a team.

Our offense got really tight with about 14 minutes left after we missed a few simple layups.

I know this is obvious, but if we make a few more of those shots we should have, we win that game and Dan’s plan plays off.

We need to get blue Connecticut jerseys ordered for the team ASAP.

P.S. Doubt it was a happy bus ride home…

Its a good strategy and even better bulletin board material. How about he keep is trap shut next time?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

To Chief a good strategy is one that actually wins a game. This one didn’t.
There’s a difference between doubling Elton Brand with two Bigs in the paint with one guy having a long career as a back-up center in the NBA (Jake) as opposed to having our center double a point guard 25 feet from the basket and appear to be on a non-productive treadmill all night rushing back and forth to the paint.

It’s nearly impossible to recover when you double so far from the basket and Villanova’s offense is so spread out with good shooters.

They are the best foul shooting team in college history or something like that and you can’t compare a guy’s shooting % covered vs wide open. Good foul shooters usually hit wide open shots.

So to be clear, does this mean that every season that we did not win the BET from 1987-2012 JC did not employ a good strategy?

 

[navery12]

Its a good strategy and even better bulletin board material. How about he keep is trap shut next time?

What? Do you think the Villanova players were listening to the broadcast on the bench to get fired up?

 

[brihman]

Hurley had a game plan and didn’t get tossed at the half. That is growth to me. Within 5 vs a top 10 team, we are right where we want to be all things considered.

It's difficult to play better D against a team like Villanova's than we did last night. Your comment is like if a baseball team lost 2-1 someone says "we would have won if our pitcher threw a shutout".

The game would have been a W if Cole made one additional three pointer, Sanogo makes an additional layup and free throw. With that, our shooting numbers would still be below expectation.

 

[elmcityboy]

Welp, they went 1-7 combined from three tonight, so the strategy is sound. Sometimes when you dare someone to rise to the occasion, they do. And last night, they did.

for sure.

also want to put this here for the "sanogo should play drop coverage crowd" -- game on the line and gillespie gets a wide open look at three over the conference dpoy in drop coverage. how many open threes did we give up to gillespie and moore in our game? not many iirc.

 

[navery12]

for sure.

also want to put this here for the "sanogo should play drop coverage crowd" -- game on the line and gillespie gets a wide open look at three over the conference dpoy in drop coverage. how many open threes did we give up to gillespie and moore in our game? not many iirc.

Moore and Gillespie shot 0-7 from 3, we did a great job defending them on the perimeter

 

[Slappy]

What? Do you think the Villanova players were listening to the broadcast on the bench to get fired up?

This is good.

 

[CheshireCat]

Slater is a beast that can score on all levels. Terrible plan. I’m sure the plan was also used as fuel. How bout just shut your pie hole and simply say if we don’t beat ourselves we can win the game. McDermott said it best after beating PC. If it’s UCONN we will game plan as much as we can in the short time we have. If it’s Nova, nothing you need to know, stay grounded on all the ball fakes and head fakes - Nova is Nova. ANY of those guys can shoot the 3 and heat up out there, including Dixon.

 

[awfuldan]

We used the exact same defensive strategy at XL and won. Slater and Samuels took 14 of Nova's 27 three's that game while we sold out to stop Moore, Gillespie, and Dixon. I would imagine everyone at Villanova was expecting the same defense tonight, and it still almost worked.

 

[GotNets?]

for sure.

also want to put this here for the "sanogo should play drop coverage crowd" -- game on the line and gillespie gets a wide open look at three over the conference dpoy in drop coverage. how many open threes did we give up to gillespie and moore in our game? not many iirc.

Well said!! I was thinking the same thing about the high hedge and our perimeter defense vs. Nova.

Creighton got annihilated on those two shots!