Twitter Post Game Thread

[superjohn]

Agree. Purdue looked real good in a game I watched. Edey was alright but

agreed. I’ve seen 3 or 4 Purdue games and only in one of them did I think they looked unbeatable on that day. Loyer and one other guy couldn’t miss 3s and Edey was good but not dominate. They don’t have a quarter of our athleticism or defensive ability. If we stay healthy like the past couple games, we are better than anyone. I’ve watched NC, Kentucky and Duke struggle of late and Kansas lost again yesterday.

Yep, they need Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer to make shots and they usually do. Those guys would struggle with our bigger guards.

 

[Irvine]

Chances two number 1 seeds will play in the Final Four are pretty low. No need to contemplate about Purdue.

 

[RichCTBB]

I’m not making this judgement off of one game.

Most of what makes Purdue dangerous is you have to double Edey. We won’t have to do that. We’re better at every other spot. And the gap between Edey and Clingan ain’t big.

I think Edey would be sucking wind after 25 minutes and the the game would slow down. Our activity on defense will fluster him.

 

[ucp990411]

Rewatching the game and I missed that one of the announcers said "Danny Hurley is not just a great coach, he's the best coach in the Big East".

I get that comment may seem to be a no brainer, but when you consider the top notch coaches in the BE including Pitino and SJU, that's a high compliment.

And that comment came from Tarik Turner. St Johns grad

 

[WeAreUCONN]

One of the best games we've ever played. If healthy these guys have a chance to be our best team ever.

NBA scouts at the game drooling over Clingan, Castle too.

Not sure they would be our best team ever but they would give any other UConn team a run for their money. They don’t really have the size to deal with the 04 team, in my opinion.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

I haven’t watched Purdue all year. Are they really on the same level as us when we’re healthy?

If Clingan could stay on the court and out of foul trouble, we would be okay. If not, Edey might score 40.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Team looked pretty good today. Had to watch on delay. Best all around game Clingan has played. Controlled the paint and boards and didn’t rush on the offensive end. Castle forced a bunch of things when he was the only starter out there late, wish he’d have tried to pump his assist numbers. Shooting was off the charts, and not much of it from Cam. AK just money out there. Newton just couldn’t be contained.

Really huge to see Solo playing well again. He’s been in a funk since Castle took his spot. We need this version of Solo and a solid Stewart, because our depth can just Destroy teams. Xavier was outmatched as it was, but we could have won by more because they were out of gas and our guys were fresh. Fitting tribute to 2004 team.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Always cracked me up that they also have a song called Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is? They liked answering their own questions.

Mind blown. Never occurred to me.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Someone is using the women’s team health as a sacrifice to the basketball gods for the men’s team’s dominance.

By example, and probably a casual conversation or two, Danny got close access to how a team reimagines itself after an injury forces it to do so. MBB small ball came after WBB's.

And today, Clingan was 8-9, with 8 boards in 18 minutes, and a team that was 10-17 from 3, with Johnson & Singare adding 6 pts and 7 boards at the 5.

Idk what the hell I just watched. But it was fun

We all just watched the season's casually-repeated, "If everybody's healthy and Castle can just make some shots, look out!" fantasy game, in reality.

Still gotta stay healthy.
Still gotta play the games.
But, "We're the best team in the country if healthy" cannot be in serious doubt.

What an utter delight.




...except for Xavier out rebounding UConn on the offensive glass. /s

 

[superjohn]

Meanwhile Purdue is only up 2 on Rutgers with 5 minutes left.

 

[drayenob]

Went from 6 to 3 in Kenpom.

 

[jojipoji]

The only issue with Purdue vs UConn would be if DC got in foul trouble. SJ can’t slow down edey

 

[Mister P]

An outstanding played and coached game.

I’m thinking Luke must have been the scout coach for this game. On many occasions, especially the first half, he was looking away from the ball at Miller when Xavier gained possession looking to see what play Miller was calling. Luke would then quickly turn and give the UConn defenders some coaching on where they should be positioned and what to look out for. I’ve seen him do this in other games too.

 

[UCann]

Andrew Hurley scored more points than two of Xavier’s starters!

 

[Umami Zen]

Enjoyed the game at XL today. A lot to like about this dominant performance. Clingan looked really good on offensive end-light on his feet. On defense he just wreaks havoc in the paint. The shots he alters and/or affects is really impressive.

Was great to see the second unit getting some run and having Solo get his confidence back on his outside shot.

Don't know if it was captured on TV or not but as the halftime celebration broke up and guys were returning to their seats. I noticed JC and Ben G with their arms around each other's shoulders having a private conversation. Could tell it was meaningful to both of them and they were both pretty emotional. JC always had Ben's back. Ben has been through a lot of stuff lately and it was good to see him back in town with his BB Family

Xavier is a decent team that's well-coached. Ran into a buzz saw today.

 

[Fore!]

I’m not making this judgement off of one game.

Most of what makes Purdue dangerous is you have to double Edey. We won’t have to do that. We’re better at every other spot. And the gap between Edey and Clingan ain’t big.

Agreed, however, I will be concerned about Clingan and Samson getting into foul trouble guarding him.

 

[jibsey]

Just wondering if the consensus here is that our defense is the trigger for all the great offense lately? Something has changed defensively and let's face it, that's how we got our title last season.

 

[superjohn]

Just wondering if the consensus here is that our defense is the trigger for all the great offense lately? Something has changed defensively and let's face it, that's how we got our title last season.

Yes and the change is Clingan is back and in shape. Everyone is rotating and doing their job but it all revolves around Clingan.

 

[AntG168]

The only issue with Purdue vs UConn would be if DC got in foul trouble. SJ can’t slow down edey

What if Edey gets in foul trouble? It’d be a massacre

 

[SubbaBub]

Need Clingan and Samson to stay out of foul trouble. We are still susceptible to teams with a brute low post scorer with a guard who can drive the ball and hit open threes, just like every other team but we are not invincible. Seton Hall isn't that good and blew us out (comparatively)

We also don't always finish strong at the end of games. It could be fatigue or boredom, but these are the warning signs to keep in mind.

I think we still have more ceiling that we haven't seen yet. Castle, Ball have more in them even after today and today was a great day.

 

[dennismenace]

What can you say really? I am pleasantly surprised at how they dismantled Xavier. This was an all around complete performance on both ends of the court and I like what I saw from the bench players in the last 10 minutes.

The biggest thing I liked about this game was they didn't let up with their focus and intensity after going into the locker room at halftime with a 26-point lead. They had a penchant for doing that last year and this year as well.

I just wish we could put some of this performance in a bottle to go and use it in other games this year when needed starting with Providence.

In addition to the coaching staff we seem to have a lot of leadership on the floor both vocally and with fire (Cam and Karaban) or by example (Castle, Clingan and Tristan).

Everyone is feeling it now and the unselfishness (assists) is something to behold. What an enjoyable team to watch.

 

[Dove]

Folks...

Back to back. And, belly to belly!!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Yes and the change is Clingan is back and in shape. Everyone is rotating and doing their job but it all revolves around Clingan.

He definitely had the quickness and bounce that got everyone so excited last year. Healthy and shedding some of the weight must have helped.

 

[giddyup]

Through 30 minutes -- i.e., before garbage time -- this is what we posted:

42-point lead
31-48 (64.6%) FG
12-19 (63.2%) 3FG
23 assists to 8 turnovers
32-20 rebounding advantage
11 combined steals & blocks
12 turnovers forced
14-47 (29.8%) FG allowed
12 personal fouls committed

Xavier's a decent team -- 34th in Kempom.

I've been watching UConn basketball for 40 years. This is as dominant a 30 minutes as I can remember us ever having. Ever.

I don’t know there were some pretty devastating performances down the stretch last year again exceptionally good squads. But, it was pretty sick.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Rewatching the game and I missed that one of the announcers said "Danny Hurley is not just a great coach, he's the best coach in the Big East".

I get that comment may seem to be a no brainer, but when you consider the top notch coaches in the BE including Pitino and SJU, that's a high compliment.

He began the season only having my not beaten Miller, and not having yet faced English.
One game at a time