anyone want to argue now?

[champs99and04]

We dont have a guy who can just score in the post. They were the mismatch not us. We needed Roscoe to guard Crowder somewhat effectively and he couldn't. Crowder took our big guys outside and killed us we needed to make an adjustment. Shouldnt of played Drummond and Oriakhi together today very much just doesnt work vs Marquette.

It's interesting that so many people have mentioned the fact that Marquette has nobody only 6'7. While logic would tell you to pound it inside, Burnsboro is 100% correct in saying we have nobody on this team who can score in the post. You look at the two 6'10 kids in the starting lineup you think UConn must have mismatches in their favor. As I see it, the mismatches are actually in the other teams favor, because while Drummond and AO are much less effective guarding the perimeter, they do not have the skill to punish other coaches for going small. When you have a kid like AO on somebody like Crowder, that's a major mismatch on the defensive side of the floor, which is fine, if you can return the favor on the other end.

What's the solution to this problem? With the way this team is currently constructed, there may not be one. Until Oriakhi and Drummond learn some basic back to the basket moves, I will continue to believe that there is a fundamental problem with the way this team is constructed. Unfortunately, Lamb, Shabazz, and Boatright are the only guys who can create offense. If we had a four man like Crowder, life would be a lot easier on everybody.

I don't know, maybe UConn goes with an ultra small lineup of Boatright, Lamb, Napier, Giffey, and Roscoe and just tries to create havoc defensively. Probably couldn't hurt, considering our two bigs got seven total rebounds today.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

It's interesting that so many people have mentioned the fact that Marquette has nobody only 6'7. While logic would tell you to pound it inside, Burnsboro is 100% correct in saying we have nobody on this team who can score in the post. You look at the two 6'10 kids in the starting lineup you think UConn must have mismatches in their favor. As I see it, the mismatches are actually in the other teams favor, because while Drummond and AO are much less effective guarding the perimeter, they do not have the skill to punish other coaches for going small. When you have a kid like AO on somebody like Crowder, that's a major mismatch on the defensive side of the floor, which is fine, if you can return the favor on the other end.

What's the solution to this problem? With the way this team is currently constructed, there may not be one. Until Oriakhi and Drummond learn some basic back to the basket moves, I will continue to believe that there is a fundamental problem with the way this team is constructed. Unfortunately, Lamb, Shabazz, and Boatright are the only guys who can create offense. If we had a four man like Crowder, life would be a lot easier on everybody.

I don't know, maybe UConn goes with an ultra small lineup of Boatright, Lamb, Napier, Giffey, and Roscoe and just tries to create havoc defensively. Probably couldn't hurt, considering our two bigs got seven total rebounds today.

I thought of playing that lineup as well, at least in stretches. Maybe when Crowder was pushing them out of bounds, it would have looked more like a foul than against bigger players.

 

[jibsey]

This team can play with the best. Are they going to win the title? Probably not. But that they won the title last year was almost entirely luck. They played the 5 seed in the Elite 8. They were the highest-seeded team in the Final Four.

If they go on a bit of a run, and get in as a 5-6 seed, they can go further in this tournament than we are giving them credit for. Unless they play like they did against Louisville and
parts of today.

Anyone notice that we are 2 games under 500 with Cuse in the schedule? What tournament? There's a CYO title that maybe we can get in on.

 

[huskyharry]

Key stretch was 9 min to go in the first half. UConn is down by only 2, 20-18. Ref rewards an absolutely ridiculous flop by Crowder and tags AD with a foul which he doesn't deserve...end effect a few minutes later is Coach Blaney has to put Wolf in. Next play the dreaded banked-in three (our young team now has the feeling "OMG everyone, including the basketball gods are piling on us again"), then AD has a dunk two feet from the hoop but Crowder hits him lightly on the elbow and he airmails it over the hoop...two missed FTs later it is as good as a turnover. Then AD throws an outlet pass in between DD and JLamb and it hits off JL's shoulder and goes out of bounds. This is sort of a microcosm for the game. the horrendous call started the landslide but was not responsible for most of the poor plays. So, yes the officials did have a lot to do with losing the game but it is also true that the UConn players making really bad plays clearly lost the game