5-14 in one possession games during last three regular seasons

[champs99and04]

We ranked 318th in luck in 2015, 269th last year, and 334th so far this year, per KenPom. Basically, we lose a disproportionate amount of close games, to the point that it's too much of an outlier to attribute to just luck (even the hottest takes have to concede that luck contributes some, as it certainly did during our 2011 title run).

Most likely, it's a function of divine forces. In fact, that's almost certainly what it is. But, just for a minute, if a man is allowed to think outside the box, could the current crop of seniors have something to do with it? Because it seems like they have something to do with it.

I'm not sure it's an absence of leadership so much it is the flaws specific to these players - a lack of confidence, poise, and basketball IQ - being illuminated during moments of increased structure & magnitude.

 

[80shusky]

I'm going with divine forces.

 

[pj]

Lack of depth = fatigue in final minute; foul-prone big men = weaker interior in final minutes; low-IQ players = lack of adaptation to the game situation in the final minutes.

I go also with satanic forces testing us. But, like Job, we will rise from adversity if we remain faithful.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Lacking a true pure knock down shooter doesn't help in 1 possession games.

 

[Palatine]

Poise. They simply make way too many mistakes in these situations.

 

[Go_Huskies]

We ranked 318th in luck in 2015, 269th last year, and 334th so far this year, per KenPom. Basically, we lose a disproportionate amount of close games, to the point that it's too much of an outlier to attribute to just luck (even the hottest takes have to concede that luck contributes some, as it certainly did during our 2011 title run).

Most likely, it's a function of divine forces. In fact, that's almost certainly what it is. But, just for a minute, if a man is allowed to think outside the box, could the current crop of seniors have something to do with it? Because it seems like they have something to do with it.

I'm not sure it's an absence of leadership so much it is the flaws specific to these players - a lack of confidence, poise, and basketball IQ - being illuminated during moments of increased structure & magnitude.

Luck in the pomeroy system is not a measure of how much Divine Providence favors a team but a measure of how accurately the Pomeroy ratings system picked a team's games. So the lower the luck score the more Pomeroy overrated the team and the higher the luck score the more Pomeroy underrated the team. So a luck score of Zero means that Pomeroy perfectly picked that team's games. Basically if a team does not do as well or does better than his system predicts Pomeroy attributes that to "luck". Uconn has a luck score because UConn lost a lot of games Pomeroy predicted we would win early in the season, like Wagner.

 

[HuskyFich]

Lack of depth = fatigue in final minute; foul-prone big men = weaker interior in final minutes; low-IQ players = lack of adaptation to the game situation in the final minutes.

I go also with satanic forces testing us. But, like Job, we will rise from adversity if we remain faithful.

Or having your best scoring senior miss wide open layups and try to turn into Vince Carter dunking on 7 footers.

The basketball IQ of our seniors as a whole is just pitiful

 

[Jerry1714]

Ollie has drawn up some good plays to put guys in position to make shots, but they simply have not made them. It hurts that for years we have not had a real shooter on this team.

In last two years we are 1-11 with shots to win or tie the game, the one make was a 70 footer.

This year Larrier is 0-1, Purvis is 0-1, and Adams is 0-3.

Last year Purvis was 0-1, Gibbs 0-2, and Adams 1-3.

 

[champs99and04]

Luck in the pomeroy system is not a measure of how much Divine Providence favors a team but a measure of how accurately the Pomeroy ratings system picked a team's games. So the lower the luck score the more Pomeroy overrated the team and the higher the luck score the more Pomeroy underrated the team. So a luck score of Zero means that Pomeroy perfectly picked that team's games. Basically if a team does not do as well or does better than his system predicts Pomeroy attributes that to "luck". Uconn has a luck score because UConn lost a lot of games Pomeroy predicted we would win early in the season, like Wagner.

Not quite. It is a measure of the difference between expected record based on point differential and actual record. It has little to do with the Wagner game because Pomeroy predicted us to win that game before there was any data to enter into the system.

Duke - the #1 team in the preseason rankings - could have lost every game by 40 and their luck rating would not be effected.

 

[HCope]

Ollie has drawn up some good plays to put guys in position to make shots, but they simply have not made them. It hurts that for years we have not had a real shooter on this team.

In last two years we are 1-11 with shots to win or tie the game, the one make was a 70 footer.

This year Larrier is 0-1, Purvis is 0-1, and Adams is 0-3.

Last year Purvis was 0-1, Gibbs 0-2, and Adams 1-3.

iirc didn't Gilbert go 0-1 as well during the Northeastern game?

 

[Jerry1714]

iirc didn't Gilbert go 0-1 as well during the Northeastern game?

Yes you are correct. It was Gilbert, not Larrier, that game, I misread the play by play.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Luck in the pomeroy system is not a measure of how much Divine Providence favors a team but a measure of how accurately the Pomeroy ratings system picked a team's games. So the lower the luck score the more Pomeroy overrated the team and the higher the luck score the more Pomeroy underrated the team. So a luck score of Zero means that Pomeroy perfectly picked that team's games. Basically if a team does not do as well or does better than his system predicts Pomeroy attributes that to "luck". Uconn has a luck score because UConn lost a lot of games Pomeroy predicted we would win early in the season, like Wagner.

So our being ~300th in KenPom luck is really an indicator that we've underachieved in games for each of the last 3 years. I don't think we need advanced stats to say that.

 

[gtcam]

Or having your best scoring senior miss wide open layups and try to turn into Vince Carter dunking on 7 footers.

The basketball IQ of our seniors as a whole is just pitiful

OK - another entry to start a lets dump on RP thread
So tired of this
Only the seniors have crappy BB IQs
I remember RP making some huge clutch shots to keep UConn in the game vs Cuse this season
And what about his clutch play late last season?
Dolts on this board love to lament about the bad but forget about the good
But in reality, he's our albatross, our weight chained around the neck, can't wait til he walks off campus for the last time.................................
And to many, KO can leave right after

I will agree with those that it does hurt not having a pure shooter to take those last shots. Maybe VJ will become that man but would like to get another one in soon

 

[intlzncster]

We ranked 318th in luck in 2015, 269th last year, and 334th so far this year, per KenPom. Basically, we lose a disproportionate amount of close games, to the point that it's too much of an outlier to attribute to just luck (even the hottest takes have to concede that luck contributes some, as it certainly did during our 2011 title run).

Most likely, it's a function of divine forces. In fact, that's almost certainly what it is. But, just for a minute, if a man is allowed to think outside the box, could the current crop of seniors have something to do with it? Because it seems like they have something to do with it.

I'm not sure it's an absence of leadership so much it is the flaws specific to these players - a lack of confidence, poise, and basketball IQ - being illuminated during moments of increased structure & magnitude.

Most likely of all, this is a result of not having a dynamic, go-to player on the team to drive the bus in those situations. A Boat, Bazz, Kemba, etc

If JA is back next year, provided his expected improvement occurs, I'd like our chances in those situations .

 

[ctchamps]

OK - another entry to start a lets dump on RP thread
So tired of this
Only the seniors have crappy BB IQs
I remember RP making some huge clutch shots to keep UConn in the game vs Cuse this season
And what about his clutch play late last season?
Dolts on this board love to lament about the bad but forget about the good
But in reality, he's our albatross, our weight chained around the neck, can't wait til he walks off campus for the last time........
And to many, KO can leave right after

I will agree with those that it does hurt not having a pure shooter to take those last shots. Maybe VJ will become that man but would like to get another one in soon

The irony is most of these people misuse the term bb IQ. They confuse execution with understanding the game. A lot of the best coaches in the business couldn't play at a high level, but they understand the game.

Amida came in with low level bb IQ. He still struggles with understanding the game even when he gets six blocks. He misses out on a lot of the other facets important for a center on defense such as how to defend the pick and roll or when to block and when to adjust for a rebound. His best bb IQ games came in the UCF and Temple game.

It's what @mauconnfan has been trying to inform people. They probably lack bb IQ or deliberately underweigh AB's weaknesses. AB's bb IQ has improved since first arriving and we need him to play to his maximum potential. But he still has a ways to go before he understands the game at the level of Emeka.

Rodney understands the game really well. He's the main defender against opposing teams best perimeter players. And he's very successful against them. You can't defend that well unless you have great bb IQ.

On offense he's constantly moving trying to get open. (I wish VJ would run more, similar to RP or Rip, but it appears he lacks stamina.) Unfortunately RP's fg% has gone from 434% to 336% and 3pt shooting went from 385% ( the numbers were significantly better at the end of last season) to 288% this season. His FT% has improved from .667 to .771. His assist/to ratio has dropped from 2.1/1.5 to 2.4/2.4. But this season he's the second ball handler and even first ball handler when Jalen suffered the concussion while last season he was usually the 3rd ball handler. His rebounding has improved from 3.0 to 4.8. Last season he was playing 28.8 minutes a game and this season he's playing 37.1.

The haters are going to hate. They will ignore the warrior RP has been and how much he contributes. It doesn't fit into their narrative. There are reasonable posters in this forum who see the performance of players in their entirety. They are rooting for Rodney and will always appreciate that he chose UConn. The detractors will always be around. Nothing we can do about it.

The thing that bothers me the most is that this emotional need to find a scapegoat is one of the underlying factors for so much damage in history. It's a factor behind the poor whites in the south lynching blacks or German's gassing Jews or Hutu's killing Tutsi's with machetes.

It's anger that doesn't recognize it's irrationality. When this anger gets reinforced by a group it can lead to violence. OBVIOUSLY this is not the case with Rodney, as it wasn't the case with Jerome or Taliek. But it is something I wish these people would recognize.

It might mean they lack the ability to control their emotions. I'm not saying we should be pc. That's bs just as much as it's bs to automatically dismiss a negative trait by playing the pc card. Anger can be a valuable tool to move someone who otherwise won't act. But it needs to be harnessed and not out of control. It's far more damaging than someone stepping out of bounds, or traveling or dropping arms on players resulting in a foul. All those are physical manifestations of lack of control. The incessant harangue against Rodney are primarily (yes there are exceptions) an emotional lack of control, particularly when you see it needing to be expressed ad nauseam.

 

[uconngb]

OK - another entry to start a lets dump on RP thread
So tired of this
Only the seniors have crappy BB IQs
I remember RP making some huge clutch shots to keep UConn in the game vs Cuse this season
And what about his clutch play late last season?
Dolts on this board love to lament about the bad but forget about the good
But in reality, he's our albatross, our weight chained around the neck, can't wait til he walks off campus for the last time........
And to many, KO can leave right after

I will agree with those that it does hurt not having a pure shooter to take those last shots. Maybe VJ will become that man but would like to get another one in soon

Do you think it was a SMART play by RP to attempt that dunk?? If you read most of the criticisms, they actually all said he should have taken the wide open 3 or pulled up for the wide open 10 footer. Not sure why you feel compelled to defend him, but it's undeniable he makes more dumb plays than anyone on this team. Are others guilty of mistakes? Of course, no one is perfect. But his body of work is undeniable.......he just makes more bad plays than anyone on the team. But keep in mind.....on the one play in particular, most of us wanted him shooting the open shot. That's the one thing he does reasonably well. That he continues to give up the easy play for the dumb play is what frustrates people.

Likening this to Nazi Germany or lynching Blacks in the South?? You and the other RP apologist fleud need to chill out a little. No one wants to kill RP......this isn't life or death, Jeez.

 

[husky429]

The irony is most of these people misuse the term bb IQ. They confuse execution with understanding the game. A lot of the best coaches in the business couldn't play at a high level, but they understand the game.

Amida came in with low level bb IQ. He still struggles with understanding the game even when he gets six blocks. He misses out on a lot of the other facets important for a center on defense such as how to defend the pick and roll or when to block and when to adjust for a rebound. His best bb IQ games came in the UCF and Temple game.

It's what @mauconnfan has been trying to inform people. They probably lack bb IQ or deliberately underweigh AB's weaknesses. AB's bb IQ has improved since first arriving and we need him to play to his maximum potential. But he still has a ways to go before he understands the game at the level of Emeka.

Rodney understands the game really well. He's the main defender against opposing teams best perimeter players. And he's very successful against them. You can't defend that well unless you have great bb IQ.

On offense he's constantly moving trying to get open. (I wish VJ would run more, similar to RP or Rip, but it appears he lacks stamina.) Unfortunately RP's fg% has gone from 434% to 336% and 3pt shooting went from 385% ( the numbers were significantly better at the end of last season) to 288% this season. His FT% has improved from .667 to .771. His assist/to ratio has dropped from 2.1/1.5 to 2.4/2.4. But this season he's the second ball handler and even first ball handler when Jalen suffered the concussion while last season he was usually the 3rd ball handler. His rebounding has improved from 3.0 to 4.8. Last season he was playing 28.8 minutes a game and this season he's playing 37.1.

The haters are going to hate. They will ignore the warrior RP has been and how much he contributes. It doesn't fit into their narrative. There are reasonable posters in this forum who see the performance of players in their entirety. They are rooting for Rodney and will always appreciate that he chose UConn. The detractors will always be around. Nothing we can do about it.

The thing that bothers me the most is that this emotional need to find a scapegoat is one of the underlying factors for so much damage in history. It's a factor behind the poor whites in the south lynching blacks or German's gassing Jews or Hutu's killing Tutsi's with machetes.

It's anger that doesn't recognize it's irrationality. When this anger gets reinforced by a group it can lead to violence. OBVIOUSLY this is not the case with Rodney, as it wasn't the case with Jerome or Taliek. But it is something I wish these people would recognize.

It might mean they lack the ability to control their emotions. I'm not saying we should be pc. That's bs just as much as it's bs to automatically dismiss a negative trait by playing the pc card. Anger can be a valuable tool to move someone who otherwise won't act. But it needs to be harnessed and not out of control. It's far more damaging than someone stepping out of bounds, or traveling or dropping arms on players resulting in a foul. All those are physical manifestations of lack of control. The incessant harangue against Rodney are primarily (yes there are exceptions) an emotional lack of control, particularly when you see it needing to be expressed ad nauseam.

For someone as smart as you usually come across, you should know that creating a straw man out of the nazis and genocide is bound to help you lose an argument. No one wants to kill Rodney or Amida. At worst, idiots say we would have a better record without them. When you erroneously bring it to that extreme, you are losing the argument on your own, IMHO.

Now, aside from that, I think you're mischaracterizing some people who have been frustrated with RP. I am not a loud-mouthed country bumpkin that screams and demands he leaves the university immediately, but I certainly am frustrated with his play.

Whether you call it BBIQ or "lack of feel for the game" is debatable, I suppose. Does Rodney have the intelligence to know that he should not step out of bounds..Well duh. But he still does. He has been told by the coaches not to wind up and step back before he drives, but he does it again and again and again. He lifts his pivot foot before dribbling again and again and again. Elevating against a 7 footer in the lane when you had a wide open mid range shot. These are more about "feel for the game" errors, but ultimately, calling it BBIQ is not THAT much of a misnomer.

Rodney's defensive IQ is a plus. That much is obvious. It's not super-elite by any means, but he is able to adequately defend opposing teams best perimeter player, and I bet he holds them to lower-than-season averages.

It is certainly not innapropriate to suggest that some of the minutes Rodney is playing would be better served developing a player such as Vital, who is a close second perimeter-defense wise (Adams is hard to judge... the kid is always gassed), and is basically the same offensive player (ie. zero finishing ability, spot up three point shooter with an okay handle) to a lesser degree. Vital isn't going to explode offensively for 20 like Rodney, but if that Rodney isn't showing up, I would rather see the freshman get some minutes to help him develop.

Amida is also another player who probably has a fine BBIQ but just can't keep his composure in the game. Pushing a guy on the perimeter? Hip checking someone a play later? A basketball player with good footwork hedging does not make those mistakes. His IQ relating to helpside defense is generally excellent, which is where the bulk of his blocking prowess is from.

TL;DR Feel for the game and BBIQ are often confused, but it doesn't make much of a difference. Don't relate a message board armchair warrior complaining to nazis: it makes you an idiot.

 

[uconngb]

For someone as smart as you usually come across, you should know that creating a straw man out of the nazis and genocide is bound to help you lose an argument. No one wants to kill Rodney or Amida. At worst, idiots say we would have a better record without them. When you erroneously bring it to that extreme, you are losing the argument on your own, IMHO.

Now, aside from that, I think you're mischaracterizing some people who have been frustrated with RP. I am not a loud-mouthed country bumpkin that screams and demands he leaves the university immediately, but I certainly am frustrated with his play.

Whether you call it BBIQ or "lack of feel for the game" is debatable, I suppose. Does Rodney have the intelligence to know that he should not step out of bounds..Well duh. But he still does. He has been told by the coaches not to wind up and step back before he drives, but he does it again and again and again. He lifts his pivot foot before dribbling again and again and again. Elevating against a 7 footer in the lane when you had a wide open mid range shot. These are more about "feel for the game" errors, but ultimately, calling it BBIQ is not THAT much of a misnomer.

Rodney's defensive IQ is a plus. That much is obvious. It's not super-elite by any means, but he is able to adequately defend opposing teams best perimeter player, and I bet he holds them to lower-than-season averages.

It is certainly not innapropriate to suggest that some of the minutes Rodney is playing would be better served developing a player such as Vital, who is a close second perimeter-defense wise (Adams is hard to judge... the kid is always gassed), and is basically the same offensive player (ie. zero finishing ability, spot up three point shooter with an okay handle) to a lesser degree. Vital isn't going to explode offensively for 20 like Rodney, but if that Rodney isn't showing up, I would rather see the freshman get some minutes to help him develop.

Amida is also another player who probably has a fine BBIQ but just can't keep his composure in the game. Pushing a guy on the perimeter? Hip checking someone a play later? A basketball player with good footwork hedging does not make those mistakes. His IQ relating to helpside defense is generally excellent, which is where the bulk of his blocking prowess is from.

TL;DR Feel for the game and BBIQ are often confused, but it doesn't make much of a difference. Don't relate a message board armchair warrior complaining to nazis: it makes you an idiot.

Well said

The fact that this has been compared to Nazi Germany is a new low for this board. Rodney drives me nuts with dumb play. I don't hate him as a person. I don't want him dead. I just want him to be a better basketball player.

 

[champs99and04]

Pretty sure Fleud's reference to history was simply underscoring how the derivatives of human emotion can be extrapolated into something much bigger - an urge to scapegoat and eliminate rather than facilitate a measured reform.

It's really the whole point of psychology - breaking things down to their core so that we can see when our emotions are blinding us to logic. Probably wasn't a great idea to invoke Nazi Germany in the context of a thread like this, but in a setting where critical thinking is being encouraged it isn't much more than an observation, and an astute one at that.

Sometimes elimination is the answer. When elimination means "you no longer work here" that means something different than "genocide." I'm not sure elimination is the answer in this case. You'd like to think with Purvis that you could find a way to keep the good while ridding yourself of the bad. Same with Brimah. But you get the whole thing and you win and lose with the whole thing. Nobody's fault, it's just the way it goes.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Pretty sure Fleud's reference to history was simply underscoring how the derivatives of human emotion can be extrapolated into something much bigger - an urge to scapegoat and eliminate rather than facilitate a measured reform.

It's really the whole point of psychology - breaking things down to their core so that we can see when our emotions are blinding us to logic. Probably wasn't a great idea to invoke Nazi Germany in the context of a thread like this, but in a setting where critical thinking is being encouraged it isn't much more than an observation, and an astute one at that.

Sometimes elimination is the answer. When elimination means "you no longer work here" that means something different than "genocide." I'm not sure elimination is the answer in this case. You'd like to think with Purvis that you could find a way to keep the good while ridding yourself of the bad. Same with Brimah. But you get the whole thing and you win and lose with the whole thing. Nobody's fault, it's just the way it goes.

All things considered, I line up with this take & Fleud's more than the dissent, which gains some measure of advantage by seizing on the dubious inclusion of Nazi Germany. Fwiw, the Likes with the dissent include folks I Ignore, and that's surely not a coincidence.

This much I can say w/certainty: @tcf15 could put together a Rodney Purvis: The Good and the Bad mixtape that might be better than any other such ever.

My fondest wish is that we see a lot more of the good in the next 2 months to make such a video all the more wonderful. With a strong finish, he could permanently redefine the term "one man wrecking crew" to include the full spectrum of highlights.

 

[ctchamps]

All things considered, I line up with this take & Fleud's more than the dissent, which gains some measure of advantage by seizing on the dubious inclusion of Nazi Germany. Fwiw, the Likes with the dissent include folks I Ignore, and that's surely not a coincidence.

This much I can say w/certainty: @tcf15 could put together a Rodney Purvis: The Good and the Bad mixtape that might be better than any other such ever.

My fondest wish is that we see a lot more of the good in the next 2 months to make such a video all the more wonderful. With a strong finish, he could permanently redefine the term "one man wrecking crew" to include the full spectrum of highlights.

C'mon. The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. There's a tie in after all. We came out of Maui as if a bomb hit us directly.

 

[Huskybass]

I'm going with divine forces.

I'm going with a coaching staff that is lacking in experience and skill.

 

[David 76]

Fleud never said posters are like Nazi's. He was discussing how unhealthy anger works. Fleud looks at his own life and behavior and thinks others should
Chill out. You can use Nazi in a sentence w/o necessarily calling people one.

 

[sdhusky]

C'mon. The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. There's a tie in after all. We came out of Maui as if a bomb hit us directly.

It was the Japanese. Good lord, how stupid are people???

 

[ctchamps]

It was the Japanese. Good lord, how stupid are people???

"Aminal House" my friend.