How would an opposing coach game-plan to beat UConn?

[Husky25]

The style of play, as well as the quality of players, of a Syracuse or Georgetown from 20-25 years ago would give this team a run.

Modest pressure on the guards coming up the floor may aggravate and tire them out as the game goes on. Then drop into a 2-3 match up zone. UConn still seems prone to going cold from range.

 

[Chin Diesel]

 

[RayRay19]

Gotta make us switch our game from playing big.

Need to play warriors style on offense which would make us shift away from Sanogo / Clingan but our "weakness" is ball handling. If they play tight on us we will turn the ball over.

They also need to box out consistently.

When we aren't able to score on the half court we go down to Sanogo. Double him consistently.

 

[UConnRock]

Sanogos get in foul trouble, both Karaban and Clingnan play like freshmen. Hawk is cold or injured, and Newton, Allene, and Diarra play like they did against Florida.

 

[The Yakk]

Have not posted on here in a while, man you are guys good......let's see, I think Cooley switches to a defensive lineup in this one. Don't know if you guys seen Carter yet, but he's on Hawkins and he will get about 2 steals, that's a given....your handle better be tight. Play off of Jackson, if he's hitting, then we got a live with it. Croswell is a big boy, Sanogo will get his but all Croswell will make it tough. For Clingan, I thinking you have to put him in pick and roll situations and try to get him in foul trouble. On offense I don't see anyone on Uconn that can stop Hopkins. I think we can attack karaban hopefully the 3 ball is falling......that's what I got

The OP meant "How would an opposing coach with a team that has a better than 0% chance to be competitive game-plan to beat UConn?"

Sorry that wasn't clear.

 

[Minicoop69]

It is nice to talk about how another team would beat us, but what I am seeing around college bball right now and what I am reading on this thread is that it would take a team effort and guys with the necessary skills to do the work. I just don't see the amount of players that will be able to do the job of shutting down all the weapons that we currently have on our team this year.

Other teams might have a Big and a Guard that can take their player out of the game, but they don't have 3 guards and 2 bigs that can do that every night and do it consistently. There are good defensive teams out there, but can they do it on a night where they play us? That is the question that we will run into.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

(You joke, but last night in the woman’s game without Paige Bueckers, Nika Muhl, Lou Lopez, and Azzi Fudd, the best guard option appeared to be center Aaliyah Edwards, who ended up bringing the ball up after we had been turned over a number of times.)

Surely a tense ending.

View attachment 81704

Interestingly, BB-related.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I’m not the biggest X & O guy but I’m lost, no glaring weaknesses or constant problems at this juncture. Good to self-evaluate, would make us even stronger. How would you game plan against UConn?

Your hypothetical is missing quite a lot. For example, if you gave me the Celtics, I could beat UConn. Handily too.
If you gave Popovich the CCSU roster, he would have no chance.

McDermott will give you the closest thing to an answer when we face Creighton. My guess is he'll leave Jackson somewhat alone, and probably Alleyne, Newton and Diarra as well. He'd cover the paint and Hawkins and dare others to beat him. We haven't show we can do much damage from outside other than Hawk and Joey (and sometimes Alex). But the bigger problem is scoring against UConn. A lot of our offense comes from our defense, and there are few answers to that other than "don't miss shots". We are vulnerable to a Teddy (NM State) type of unconscious shooting performance.

 

[JakeTheDog]

 

[ucp990411]

Make Adama play defense. Attack the interior and crash the boards like crazy. Bully ball. Sounds like the way Houston plays.

 

[bmayuc]

Ball pressure the guards. That’s been our one issue i’ve noticed.

Interestingly the two tactics that I could see being effective - massive ball pressure on shaky handling guards(diarra, newton, cali, Alleyne) is at direct odds with the other tactical opportunity - play way off our shooters and pack in a zone/man to clog up the middle

I think the best approach over all is to use whoever is guarding AJax/Diarra/Newton aggressively double/rake the post WITH NO ROTATIONS. In other words, stick on the ID'd shooters but just concede that a certain number of players will be permitted to shoot and hopefully miss 3's. It solidifies the paint, it hopefully locks up the knockdown guys(hawk,karaban, cali), and it can stifle our motion and passing and you live with the open shots and hope the odds are in your favor

 

[REB1094]

1. Trap the life out of Newton the second he crosses halfcourt
2. If we high hedge, do what Creighton did where you hit the wing and then immediately hit the big before the help can rotate
3. Pray that Hawkins misses his shots and pray that Clingan misses some layups
4. Attack Karaban on defense

I honestly don’t know. No team has come within single digits against us. I don’t know how to beat this team because nobody has come close. But those seem like they would be a good start

 

[Palatine]

 

[Conndog]

Well, if UConn loses in the tourney, my guess it would be to a team with good outside shooters who just have a great night. Of course, UConn is a great team defensively, but if an opposing squad can make their outside shots, then that negates the Sanogo/Clingan clogging the middle on defense. But for the loss to happen, we'd have to have a cold shooting night too, which could happen to anyone.

 

[jayteeman]

We've seen the same pattern almost every game.
Game starts with a feel out and the usual initial back and forth exchanges where we fall behind by up to double digits or so.
Late first qtr there is a subtle adjustment run that widens the gap in our favor....it involves every option including transition, low post domination, alley oops, 3-point daggers in a discrete short amount of time with different personnel combinations and demoralizing athleticism.
2nd half starts and it is rinse and repeat much like the 1st half......however the opponent begins to wilt entering the 4th qtr and ends up turning into non team oriented, individualized disaster attempts to close the gap....but it's too late. There is just too many cases to solve.

 

[PNolanFan]

Definitely play Sanogo straight up and let hawkins shoot the ball to keep him from driving

 

[Husky25]

We've seen the same pattern almost every game.
Game starts with a feel out and the usual initial back and forth exchanges where we fall behind by up to double digits or so.
Late first qtr there is a subtle adjustment run that widens the gap in our favor....it involves every option including transition, low post domination, alley oops, 3-point daggers in a discrete short amount of time with different personnel combinations and demoralizing athleticism.
2nd half starts and it is rinse and repeat much like the 1st half......however the opponent begins to wilt entering the 4th qtr and ends up turning into non team oriented, individualized disaster attempts to close the gap....but it's too late. There is just too many cases to solve.

Fall behind by double digits? 1st quarter? 4th quarter? Me thinks you are on the wrong board.

 

[SubbaBub]

Pressure the guards full court.
Pack the interior.
Deny Hawkins/Joey C the ball outside.

Make the PG's beat you and encourage Hawk and AJ to dribble into traffic (something AJ has done an outstanding job avoiding so far, kudos to him if he keeps that up, his handle has visibly improved too but no one has pressed him yet.)

Do that and hope that a free roaming Karaban doesn't kill you is the best bet.

 

[dennismenace]

Jake and the double down on Elton Brand with Sanogo. Make him pass the ball, he can't do that very well. Make him put the ball on the floor, more than once or twice for him leads to trouble for us.

And as noted many times, pressure the ball when its away from Andre. Our guards are crumbling the last couple when guarded tightly. #2 for the Gators gave Newton and Diarra absolute fits.

Another reason to take a longer look at Alleyne. He is a more proven commodity from his ACC past. Cool under pressure; 39% three point shooter and excellent defender. 6-4 physical guard.

 

[Sphinx]

They think they can win, but they don’t have a chance. — Adama Sanogo

I like the actual quote a little better -- "They thought they had a chance to win. They didn't."

 

[Scrutiner]

Have not posted on here in a while, man you are guys good......let's see, I think Cooley switches to a defensive lineup in this one. Don't know if you guys seen Carter yet, but he's on Hawkins and he will get about 2 steals, that's a given....your handle better be tight. Play off of Jackson, if he's hitting, then we got a live with it. Croswell is a big boy, Sanogo will get his but all Croswell will make it tough. For Clingan, I thinking you have to put him in pick and roll situations and try to get him in foul trouble. On offense I don't see anyone on Uconn that can stop Hopkins. I think we can attack karaban hopefully the 3 ball is falling......that's what I got

Well, I hate to throw the towel in so early in the season, but I guess we can live with two losses as long as we can beat the rest of the Big East.....

 

[navery12]

We've seen the same pattern almost every game.
Game starts with a feel out and the usual initial back and forth exchanges where we fall behind by up to double digits or so.
Late first qtr there is a subtle adjustment run that widens the gap in our favor....it involves every option including transition, low post domination, alley oops, 3-point daggers in a discrete short amount of time with different personnel combinations and demoralizing athleticism.
2nd half starts and it is rinse and repeat much like the 1st half......however the opponent begins to wilt entering the 4th qtr and ends up turning into non team oriented, individualized disaster attempts to close the gap....but it's too late. There is just too many cases to solve.

Have you turned on the TV yet this season for a UConn game? Our largest deficit all season has been 5 against UNCW and Oregon and that barely lasted

 

[Scrutiner]

They think they can win, but they don’t have a chance. — Adama Sanogo

Quote of the decade.........I want to see it on a shirt with 21 on the back!

 

[prankster]

Most effective game plan? Buy the refs.

 

[jibsey]

We have 10 center fouls to give and if Johnson gets back he defends. We have 5 shooters that would have to be off but BE teams are scrappy and play with intensity, so if they get the refs on their side and it can easily happen.