A few MU game thoughts

[DogMania]

First off I'm very proud how hard this this team fought and even down 10 never gave up.

Bazz was huge. Led the team in points (29) and rbs (8). Boat hit some huge shots. Wolf had a good game. Just needs to cut down on the fouls so that he can stay on the floor longer. DD was very good early, but got banged up. Got to give them a grade of A as far as effort was concerned.

They should have won the game in regulation if they hadn't had so many squanders. Wolf's missed dunk. A few too many missed FTs especially in the first half. They did start banging them down in the 2nd half though. I can't remember them all, but they had a few other squanders and if they just had one less OT never happens.

Again we were out-rebounded badly (by 10) resulting on too many 2nd chance points. MU had a 11-5 edge on the offensive glass. Even getting out-rebounded we almost pulled that one off.

With that said, taking those 2 points away at the beginning of OT was flat out the wrong call based on what I've read in some other posts. BTW, I was wondering why they switched sides when they tipped it up for OT. How that even happened is beyond me. It turned out to be a 4 point swing and who knows how the OT would have gone if UConn had jumped on top right away. The officiating was not very good. It felt a tad one-sided in favor of MU. There were a few calls that went our way though. I thought Boat got away with an out-of-control charge. That one usually goes the other way, but we lucked out on that one. DD got all ball and somehow ended up with a foul and an other cut on his chin.

It was a bummer of an outcome, but this team is competing a whole lot better than I thought they would.

Some think they should have fouled and not let them get off the 3 at the end of regulation. I still think the odds of MU hitting their first 3 of the night and a deep one at that was less likely than them hitting the first FT and then getting a put-back or getting fouled for another 2 shots. With that said, I would not have criticized the coaching either way.

 

[uconnfan68]

First off I'm very proud how hard this this team fought and even down 10 never gave up.

Bazz was huge. Led the team in points (29) and rbs (8). Boat hit some huge shots. Wolf had a good game. Just needs to cut down on the fouls so that he can stay on the floor longer. DD was very good early, but got banged up. Got to give them a grade of A as far as effort was concerned.

They should have won the game in regulation if they hadn't had so many squanders. Wolf's missed dunk. A few too many missed FTs especially in the first half. They did start banging them down in the 2nd half though. I can't remember them all, but they had a few other squanders and if they just had one less OT never happens.

Again we were out-rebounded badly (by 10) resulting on too many 2nd chance points. MU had a 11-5 edge on the offensive glass. Even getting out-rebounded we almost pulled that one off.

With that said, taking those 2 points away at the beginning of OT was flat out the wrong call based on what I've read in some other posts. BTW, I was wondering why they switched sides when they tipped it up for OT. How that even happened is beyond me. It turned out to be a 4 point swing and who knows how the OT would have gone if UConn had jumped on top right away. The officiating was not very good. It felt a tad one-sided in favor of MU. There were a few calls that went our way though. I thought Boat got away with an out-of-control charge. That one usually goes the other way, but we lucked out on that one. DD got all ball and somehow ended up with a foul and an other cut on his chin.

It was a bummer of an outcome, but this team is competing a whole lot better than I thought they would.

Some think they should have fouled and not let them get off the 3 at the end of regulation. I still think the odds of MU hitting their first 3 of the night and a deep one at that was less likely than them hitting the first FT and then getting a put-back or getting fouled for another 2 shots. With that said, I would not have criticized the coaching either way.

You think they got a few more calls? They made more than we shot. An official's mistake took another 2 away. It was a terribly officiated game.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Overall, I was very happy with the play last night. The team played good defense and was getting good shots for the most part. Sometimes it comes down to just hitting shots, and it felt like last night was one of those times. UConn missed too many good looks in the first half, and it came back to bite the Huskies.

A few quibbles around which players are taking which shots.

If Daniels goes 0-4 on the 3's he got, he shouldn't be taking 3's. He was wide open on just about every one. But Daniels was 4 for 5 inside of the arc, because he is very difficult for most big men to cover 1 on 1. Daniels should be working the baseline and the paint, or be pulling defenders out and then blowing by them, rather than lining up for 3's. Daniels is a very good player, but he is not playing to his strengths.

Giffey, on the other hand, strokes a great 3 early, then the next time down the court, he rolls off a pick into a double team and misses a tough, long 2. Stuff happens, but rather than shake it off, Giffey didn't shoot again for the next 36 minutes of regulation and 5 of OT, with the exception of a very tough inside shot off a rebound (I think). Giffey has to keep playing his game. He is probably our second best 3 point shooter, so only taking 1 in a close game is unacceptable.

I don't see any single thing that Olander does better than Wolf. Wolf shoots and basses much better, and is quicker than Olander. Olander is physically stronger, but Wolf is killing Olander in rebounds per minute. With the way these two rack up fouls, there are plenty of minutes for both of them, but Wolf should be playing 25 and Olander should be playing 15.

 

[SubbaBub]

I am preparing myself for a lot of losses.that look just like this. Not enough interior scoring/rebounding, too many contested 3's (though SN did a good job in this game, I only counted 2) and big guys in foul trouble.

If the D is there we will win a few, if the opponent gets too many ORebs or shoots over 40%, we lose.

I don't see 20 wins out of this team, which is unfortunate because the backcourt rotation is at least E8 caliber.

I know KO can't play Wolf and TO together because of depth issues. (Nolan isn't ready for big minutes in conf.) SN, RB, DD, TO, EW is the best 5 with NG spelling DD and TO and RJ spelling SN and OC spelling DD and RB.

They are short 1 and a half big men.

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[aceboon]

The reason they're not playing together has nothing to do with depth and an emphatic NO to that being the best lineup. I almost want KO to play TO and EW together so TO can get destroyed by quicker 4s just so you guys who adhere to this big/big lineup can realize with this personel it just won't work and is not the best lineup.

I am preparing myself for a lot of losses.that look just like this. Not enough interior scoring/rebounding, too many contested 3's (though SN did a good job in this game, I only counted 2) and big guys in foul trouble.

If the D is there we will win a few, if the opponent gets too many ORebs or shoots over 40%, we lose.

I don't see 20 wins out of this team, which is unfortunate because the backcourt rotation is at least E8 caliber.

I know KO can't play Wolf and TO together because of depth issues. (Nolan isn't ready for big minutes in conf.) SN, RB, DD, TO, EW is the best 5 with NG spelling DD and TO and RJ spelling SN and OC spelling DD and RB.

They are short 1 and a half big men.

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[Palatine]

This may turn out to be a bad loss to a bad team.

What was really disappointing is how many loose balls they got. We would deflect a ball or cause a loose ball, they would pick it up and dunk or lay it in. I don't think it's lack of hustle, it's lack of awareness or failure to secure the ball. They need to secure the ball before starting to dribble or make a play.

68% foul shooting sounds okay but Evans 0-2 and Boat 1-3, in close games, it hurts.

M'quette is one of the worse shooting teams on the planet. They shot 45% against us.
So excuse me for not celebrating a gritty loss. Or talking about energy or heart.

 

[IMind]

The fubar'd start to the OT just sucked...

This was the first game all year that I felt the should have won, but didn't. They had a ton of opportunities at the end of regulation to put the thing away. I'm more disappointed than anything else simply because road wins against a quality opponent in the Big East are hard things to come by.

I'm not dissappointed in the team though. They are fun to watch and they overcame a lot to have as many chances as they did to win.

 

[caw]

UConn will be in trouble if Wolf can't stay out of foul trouble. MU made huge runs with him on the bench.

I like what I see for next year, assuming everyone is back, but this year is going to be rough.

 

[mauconnfan]

This may turn out to be a bad loss to a bad team.

What was really disappointing is how many loose balls they got. We would deflect a ball or cause a loose ball, they would pick it up and dunk or lay it in. I don't think it's lack of hustle, it's lack of awareness or failure to secure the ball. They need to secure the ball before starting to dribble or make a play.

68% foul shooting sounds okay but Evans 0-2 and Boat 1-3, in close games, it hurts.

M'quette is one of the worse shooting teams on the planet. They shot 45% against us.
So excuse me for not celebrating a gritty loss. Or talking about energy or heart.

Agreed on the loose balls, some were pure bounce others were will on their end.........We shouldn't be "celebrating" this loss what so ever as this is UConn and those standards are unacceptable but reality is we're not any better than that Marquette team, although I would like Gardner on this team. Not happy but energy and heart is something they do have like it or not......continue to grow and work for next year, add some pieces and they'll be ready for next year. growing pains as a team and a staff!!

 

[huskymagic]

First off I'm very proud how hard this this team fought and even down 10 never gave up.

Bazz was huge. Led the team in points (29) and rbs (8). Boat hit some huge shots. Wolf had a good game. Just needs to cut down on the fouls so that he can stay on the floor longer. DD was very good early, but got banged up. Got to give them a grade of A as far as effort was concerned.

They should have won the game in regulation if they hadn't had so many squanders. Wolf's missed dunk. A few too many missed FTs especially in the first half. They did start banging them down in the 2nd half though. I can't remember them all, but they had a few other squanders and if they just had one less OT never happens.

Again we were out-rebounded badly (by 10) resulting on too many 2nd chance points. MU had a 11-5 edge on the offensive glass. Even getting out-rebounded we almost pulled that one off.

With that said, taking those 2 points away at the beginning of OT was flat out the wrong call based on what I've read in some other posts. BTW, I was wondering why they switched sides when they tipped it up for OT. How that even happened is beyond me. It turned out to be a 4 point swing and who knows how the OT would have gone if UConn had jumped on top right away. The officiating was not very good. It felt a tad one-sided in favor of MU. There were a few calls that went our way though. I thought Boat got away with an out-of-control charge. That one usually goes the other way, but we lucked out on that one. DD got all ball and somehow ended up with a foul and an other cut on his chin.

It was a bummer of an outcome, but this team is competing a whole lot better than I thought they would.

Some think they should have fouled and not let them get off the 3 at the end of regulation. I still think the odds of MU hitting their first 3 of the night and a deep one at that was less likely than them hitting the first FT and then getting a put-back or getting fouled for another 2 shots. With that said, I would not have criticized the coaching either way.

You know who should get criticism: Tyler Olander. He is abysmal on the court he can never get a strong rebound and cannot score on the perimeter or in the post. Compare his stats to Wolf's from last night.

Olander: played 26 minutes and had a grand total of 3 points and 3 rebounds.

Wolf: played only 17 minutes and had 6 points and 7 rebounds.

​

Wolf had double the points and double the rebounds in almost 10 minutes less playing time. Unless Wolf gets 3 fouls in the first half he needs to play the majority of the minutes in the first and the entire second half for this team to really hit their potential and win big east games. Even though we should have won last night, and Wolf missed an easy dunk that just cannot happen, he plays well and has star potential at the college level. Having Wolf out there instead of Olander makes a big difference for this team.

 

[Waquoit]

Games like this is the sole upside with being banned from the post-season. If it actually counted, I might be looking for a new job by the end of the day.

 

[caw]

You know who should get criticism: Tyler Olander. He is abysmal on the court he can never get a strong rebound and cannot score on the perimeter or in the post. Compare his stats to Wolf's from last night.

Olander: played 26 minutes and had a grand total of 3 points and 3 rebounds.

Wolf: played only 17 minutes and had 6 points and 7 rebounds.


Wolf had double the points and double the rebounds in almost 10 minutes less playing time. Unless Wolf gets 3 fouls in the first half he needs to play the majority of the minutes in the first and the entire second half for this team to really hit their potential and win big east games. Even though we should have won last night, and Wolf missed an easy dunk that just cannot happen, he plays well and has star potential at the college level. Having Wolf out there instead of Olander makes a big difference for this team.

I agree, Wolf's foul issues hurt a lot. They need to get Nolan/Daniels/Facey in the weight room this off season.

Other thoughts from the MU game:

Boatright: he isn't quite there as the player I think he can be, but he's getting better. He looks a lot like he is in-between sophomore and junior Kemba right now. He needs to get stronger and play stronger with the ball. His 3-pt shot is really off and yet he is still shooting close to 50% from the floor. He played solid defense but got caught on screens a few times (see Olander). Offensively his three point looks good but he doesn't get any respect from the refs when the defender hits his hands.

Napier: it really looks like things have slowed down for him. I only remember one possession where he had a bad possession, he promptly made up for it by stealing the ball and feeding Daniels for a layup. I assume he will stay and if he does he could be an All-American player next year as a senior. It really seems like everything he does is with purpose on offense.

Giffey: one of the few guys on the team to go after the ball on the glass. His rebounding/boxing out was really good this game. He loses confidence on offense easily though.

Calhoun: hit some good shots, missed some others. Played decent defense. I think he could be good next year, but he plays like a freshman sometimes. No shame in that. I expect more ups and downs this year.

Daniels: He looks better in every game I see him in. The question is whether he can gain muscle and still be effective next year. He gets his hands on the ball a lot on rebounds, but doesn't have the strength to secure it and gets pushed out of position a ton. It's not a lack of technique or effort, he's just thin for the four spot. I still think he has a ton of potential. If I were him I wouldn't shoot outside of 15 feet. He should be at the foul line against a zone.

Evans: He will be missed next year, not fantastic but he is solid in all aspects. Wish he was on the team last year or had one more year left for next year. He didn't do much statistically but he settles this team when it needs it. Hope Samuel's can replicate what Evans gives to this team at a minimum. Love him.

Wolf: What is not to like? Fouls, I guess. He is really solid, but man he picks up a ton of cheap fouls. Oh, I guess the missed dunk also. Should have had 8 and 7 in 17 minutes against a good frontcourt. I hope he continues to grow. Give him PT until he fouls out or can't walk. Solid screener, good hedger on defense. Rebounded well. Hustles.

Olander: I don't know what happened to his confidence, but it's not there. He is out of position on rebounds and can't hit a jumper on offense. He isn't hedging well on defense. I don't know why he starts, unless Ollie is scared Wolf will get too many fouls too quickly.

Nolan: I think he has good potential, but he's a project at this point. He bobbled a ball that should have been a layup but he was active in limited minutes. He needs some muscle.

 

[aceboon]

I think KO still starts Tyler over Wolf because he's worried about what benching TO will do to his confidence but it seems to be pretty much shot as it is so I don't see the downside of going with Wolf. If Wolf could just eliminate these silly off the ball fouls he could be really good. Most of the time when challenging shots or helping on penetration he does a good job of keeping his hands straight up(even though not always getting the respect of the refs), its the silly fouls that are killing him. With an increased role and another offseason of now adding muscle to his frame to replace the fat he lost, I'm really excited about his ability at C next year.

 

[Waquoit]

You know who should get criticism: Tyler Olander.

Pile on why don't you? It's a team game and the guy was busting his ass.

 

[upstater]

Overall, I was very happy with the play last night. The team played good defense and was getting good shots for the most part. Sometimes it comes down to just hitting shots, and it felt like last night was one of those times. UConn missed too many good looks in the first half, and it came back to bite the Huskies.

A few quibbles around which players are taking which shots.

If Daniels goes 0-4 on the 3's he got, he shouldn't be taking 3's. He was wide open on just about every one. But Daniels was 4 for 5 inside of the arc, because he is very difficult for most big men to cover 1 on 1. Daniels should be working the baseline and the paint, or be pulling defenders out and then blowing by them, rather than lining up for 3's. Daniels is a very good player, but he is not playing to his strengths.

Giffey, on the other hand, strokes a great 3 early, then the next time down the court, he rolls off a pick into a double team and misses a tough, long 2. Stuff happens, but rather than shake it off, Giffey didn't shoot again for the next 36 minutes of regulation and 5 of OT, with the exception of a very tough inside shot off a rebound (I think). Giffey has to keep playing his game. He is probably our second best 3 point shooter, so only taking 1 in a close game is unacceptable.

I don't see any single thing that Olander does better than Wolf. Wolf shoots and basses much better, and is quicker than Olander. Olander is physically stronger, but Wolf is killing Olander in rebounds per minute. With the way these two rack up fouls, there are plenty of minutes for both of them, but Wolf should be playing 25 and Olander should be playing 15.

Quite honestly, I don't think Giffey is very good at all from 3 point land.

1. Napier
2. Boatright
x. Tolksdorf (I know we haven't seen much of him, but he has great form out there)
3. Calhoun
4. Daniels
5. Giffey

Wolf is definitely looking strong. I've been saying for a long while now that Daniels looks so good from inside the arc he should stick there, especially the mid-range. If he's wide open for 3, take it. He can make those.

 

[SubbaBub]

The reason they're not playing together has nothing to do with depth and an emphatic NO to that being the best lineup. I almost want KO to play TO and EW together so TO can get destroyed by quicker 4s just so you guys who adhere to this big/big lineup can realize with this personel it just won't work and is not the best lineup.

Every UConn NC has had strong interior defending and rebounding. Playing DD, NG or OC at the 4/3 spots puts a very short team on the floor. TO hasn't bulked up like I hoped he would and we can't put a dangerous 4-guard lineup out there, but having only one below average rebounder out there at a time is a recipe for disaster. Or did everyone miss the last meaningful round of free throws.

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[aceboon]

The talent on this team is not NC worthy so why compare it to past teams? I could maybe understand your point if TO was rebounding strongly and defending well, but he's doing neither. Plugging him in the lineup with Wolf doesn't solve our problems, it only creates more. I don't even want to make it seem like I'm bashing TO because I recognize he's trying and it's his lack of ability that is his biggest issue, but between the posts the past few days calling him a capable jump shooter and pick and pop guy, and now someone who can fortify our rebounding and interior D when he doesn't even rebound when he plays and got schooled at will on help D last night, I'm baffled at what you guys are seeing when TO plays.

Every UConn NC has had strong interior defending and rebounding. Playing DD, NG or OC at the 4/3 spots puts a very short team on the floor. TO hasn't bulked up like I hoped he would and we can't put a dangerous 4-guard lineup out there, but having only one below average rebounder out there at a time is a recipe for disaster. Or did everyone miss the last meaningful round of free throws.

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[ctchamps]

Can't play TO and EW together. Need their ten fouls for the five. Also their game is so similar on offense it would always be four on five.

 

[joober jones]

Quite honestly, I don't think Giffey is very good at all from 3 point land.

1. Napier
2. Boatright
x. Tolksdorf (I know we haven't seen much of him, but he has great form out there)
3. Calhoun
4. Daniels
5. Giffey

Wolf is definitely looking strong. I've been saying for a long while now that Daniels looks so good from inside the arc he should stick there, especially the mid-range. If he's wide open for 3, take it. He can make those.

Giffey isn't lights out from 3, but he's at minimum efficient.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The talent on this team is not NC worthy so why compare it to past teams?

I recognize this as obviously true, but after every layup by that fat kid last night I found myself thinking "that shot would have been thrown into the seats by Hilton/Okafor/Gay/Boone/Thabeet/Sticks etc. ..."

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Giffey isn't lights out from 3, but he's at minimum efficient.

He is a hair behind Calhoun as the third best shooter from a percentage basis this year (Evans only took 2 3's so he doesn't count), and was #1 last year by a big margin. Giffey is a good 3 point shooter.

 

[8893]

Games like this is the sole upside with being banned from the post-season. If it actually counted, I might be looking for a new job by the end of the day.

Funny, that same thought occurred to me as the frustration mounted. Much easier to let it go when it really doesn't matter. I still want to see growth and improvement, and I want these guys to want to win every game, but at the end of the day the difference between a W and a L was a lucky heave that would have killed me if we were compiling a post-season resume.

 

[housekeys]

UConn will be in trouble if Wolf can't stay out of foul trouble. MU made huge runs with him on the bench.

I like what I see for next year, assuming everyone is back, but this year is going to be rough.

Wolf should get better calls at home, I hope. The road is a tough place to get referees to remain neutral. Agree with you and everyone else that see the potential of this team.

 

[ctchamps]

Wolf should get better calls at home, I hope. The road is a tough place to get referees to remain neutral. Agree with you and everyone else that see the potential of this team.

He's getting the same treatment the freshman HT got. A much taller player who is an unknown rarely gets the benefit of the doubt. Might be a Napoleonic complex? So EW is going through his initiation process and as he becomes more familiar with the refs, hopefully he will get more positive consideration. I know its silly but I would like him to go up to the refs, talk with them in a congenial manner and smile or pat their backs after the call. Kemba was great at this. Refs are human and if they see EW as a nice guy they won't hit him with that bogus type third foul.

 

[housekeys]

He's getting the same treatment the freshman HT got. A much taller player who is an unknown rarely gets the benefit of the doubt. Might be a Napoleonic complex? So EW is going through his initiation process and as he becomes more familiar with the refs, hopefully he will get more positive consideration. I know its silly but I would like him to go up to the refs, talk with them in a congenial manner and smile or pat their backs after the call. Kemba was great at this. Refs are human and if they see EW as a nice guy they won't hit him with that bogus type third foul.

Agree with everything you said. We want to think that ref's are sort of robots that make calls independent of personal bias's, but that is not the case. In that sense, Ollie's approach last night may have won some points with the ref's during the remainder of the season. I am sure the ref's appreciate the fact that Ollie has not gone on the offensive against them. At least I hope so.