Bryant Post game thread

[DogMania]

They had some good moments. They seem out of sorts and most of our snipers are simply slumping. They also need to finish around the rim more often.

Hopefully they come around. The FT shooting is a tad concerning. Can't shoot like that in a tight competitive or win-or-go-home game and expect to pull them out.

You have to take into account they have not been able to play much of the season with their expected starting five. Once they have their top five playing as a unit where they can bring in some of their key bench pieces when needed, this team has a chance to be very special. Right now they just seem out of sorts. With that said, they need to play better regardless to who is available since the level of competition is sky high the next few weeks.

It's still way to early to worry. They need to get healthy and need to execute and shoot it more consistently. Let's see what happens over the next few weeks before jumping to conclusions.

 

[uconn_jack]

I swear I've been watching different games than most people here. I don't think intensity was an issue tonight. They had 37 rebounds, 12 steals, and forced 19 turnovers (while only commiting 8). Those aren't stats indicative of low intensity. The only bad thing tonight was shooting and finishing. Important of course, but it happens. Other than a that and a few poor shot selections, I think they generally played well.

 

[Muddler]

They beat a top 10 team. And lost to. Top 4 team by 4 down 2 starters. What on Gods green earth are you talking about?

BYU was missing two starters and playing 3000 miles from home. Arizona was a home game. You conveniently forgot that fact,

Other than UMass Lowell, they’ve failed to cover the spread. Your only proof is a 2 pt win against a team missing 40 percent of their starting lineup. Given the preseason hype, the start has been underwhelming.

 

[Scottobot]

One of my biggest fears with Hurley was giving AK too long a leash

Remember like a week ago when he was 4 for 4 from 3pt and scored 21 to beat #8 BYU?

 

[Scottobot]

BYU was missing two starters and playing 3000 miles from home. Arizona was a home game. You conveniently forgot that fact,

Other than UMass Lowell, they’ve failed to cover the spread. Your only proof is a 2 pt win against a team missing 40 percent of their starting lineup. Given the preseason hype, the start has been underwhelming.

They were missing their 5th starter. Their center got hurt during the game and they were down 10 already at the time. BYU had their 3 best players, and those 3 are by far their best players. Reed is UConn’s best player and most important player as the only place UConn lacks depth is at center/ power forward.

 

[3rdbass]

I fully believe that Jaylin is the rare player who would be doing better outside of our system. He wouldn't be winning as much but he would be putting up numbers and showcasing his game in the right environment which lets him cook and play to his strengths.

He's an awesome kid, a great teammate, and he's from a great family. I love his loyalty but it feels like the staff neutered his game. He's good for a couple of threes early in a game and then he's just off to the side.

In no way am I giving up on him as a UConn player. He still has a valuable role and he can still do more but his talent is better than what he's shown at UConn so far. I think that's a product of fit and how the staff is telling him to play.

Yeah, he can clearly create his own shot and does like he did in the frist half but it just missed going down. It would be nice to see him search for his offense more when we clearly need more players who can score in different ways. Relying on Ball and Karban to always create on offense isn't a reeipe for sucess but it seems that is what our offense relies on.I know Demary has been creating more and I hope he starts doing more with the ball as I rather see other guys step up. Not sure if Stewart has it in personality to do so in the current offensive scheme.

 

[3rdbass]

They were missing their 5th starter. Their center got hurt during the game and they were down 10 already at the time. BYU had their 3 best players, and those 3 are by far their best players. Reed is UConn’s best player and most important player as the only place UConn lacks depth is at center/ power forward.

We are missing 2 starters too and 1 Reed missed most of the pre-season. Give it time I have confidence in this team when all of them are healthy.

 

[UCann]

 

[dalydosehoops]

Many more to come during the week, but here’s one on Reibe:

Reibe making best of circumstances to show vast potential as UConn goes through November

Eric Reibe has led UConn in scoring in each of past two games in absence of Tarris Reed, Jr., a positive and accelerated sign of his develop...

dalydoseofhoops.blogspot.com

 

[Mazhude]

Daniel Hamilton had an 11/11/11 triple double against CCSU in the game before Christmas in 2015

Ah, I had forgotten about that. He gave up his college eligibility after his sophomore season, barely saw the NBA floor over the next 2 years for an average of 2.5 minutes over 26 games, and has been playing overseas ever since.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Also, will AK's minutes go down once we're heathy? I hope so but I kind of have a feeling it's just going to be less minutes for other players.

There's this idea that we only started winning/became a great program again/went back to back once Karaban got here. We hear it from Hurley and it seems like Hurley feels he can't take him off the court. Karaban is an awesome role player but he's just that, a role player. He was the 6th best player on one of those championship teams and the 5th best player on the other. The wheels aren't going to fall off if AK isn't always out there and his great games are mixed in with plenty of stinkers. If he's bricking all his shots or he's putting his head down and driving too much it's okay to plant him on the bench. That's what happens to the other players.

Have a feeling Hurley sees him and needs him out there as the vocal leader, at least on defense.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Also nice that Reibe went 4/4 from the line

 

[Stinger92860]

Hey guys, what about Reibe, back to back solid games. He is earning extended minutes even with Reed coming back. It will be interesting to see how the staff does this. Not sure Tariq’s and Eric can be on the floor at the same time, plus you don’t want both in trouble. On a side note, can’t shoot 1 for 14 from 3 in 2nd half, this performance better be an outlier.

 

[dennismenace]

I still haven't seen Mullins play a minute of college basketball. I hope is all everything. He will probably have strengths and weakness.

Time to get Solo a psychiatrist. You could see it in his face at this point.

Alex shooting a bunch of really deep threes made no sense.

One thing that goes pretty unnoticed is how well Reibe blocks out. He get his man behind him and gets his arms out. So he is also getting rebounds for others when he is in the game.

This.

 

[DRBackup]

Hey guys, what about Reibe, back to back solid games. He is earning extended minutes even with Reed coming back. It will be interesting to see how the staff does this. Not sure Tariq’s and Eric can be on the floor at the same time, plus you don’t want both in trouble. On a side note, can’t shoot 1 for 14 from 3 in 2nd half, this performance better be an outlier.

Uh, no, he is not "earning extended minutes" because to do so would be at the expense of Reed Jr. and that isn't happening unless he's in foul trouble.

 

[CTBasketball]

I still haven't seen Mullins play a minute of college basketball. I hope is all everything. He will probably have strengths and weakness.

Time to get Solo a psychiatrist. You could see it in his face at this point.

Alex shooting a bunch of really deep threes made no sense.

One thing that goes pretty unnoticed is how well Reibe blocks out. He get his man behind him and gets his arms out. So he is also getting rebounds for others when he is in the game.

A lot is riding on Mullins to produce when he gets back, I do agree we need to limit expectations.

Ball is a very emotional player so slumps will affect him more. I’d expect this to linger until Mullins and Reed come back to take pressure off him.

 

[Tyler2Rings]

Karaban took a bunch of early shot clock threes in the second half. Would have liked to see the team run a bit more offense and get into some sets. Even if he goes 4-7 instead of 1-7, what are we learning with that shot selection? Just didn't seem like productive possessions

 

[mauconnfan]

We don’t need Alex to be the top, or even top 4 player on this team. That’s Silas, Reed, Mullins, Ball, then Alex.

If those 4 are playing well, Stewart, Ross, Alex, one of them will be enough

Every year, Karaban slander. It was all 2023-2024 as well then he showed up when it mattered most. Jesus the board seems toxic

Toxic my butt. He’s right about Alex why the problem with the truth. He’s a good complimentary college basketball player. When he puts the ball on the floor from the perimeter there’s a very good chance nothing positive is happening, he hasn’t improved there in 4 years. He’s a guy we want, a kid we like but he’s not much better since his freshman year and we need kids who improve. Ball is right there in his junior year after a few games but we will see. This team will not likely get to a FF without Ball getting back to that 40% plus 3 point shooter because again, you expect improvement. To go into the season not having Solo and Alex in your top 4 players in order to be successful is ridiculous.

 

[freshler40]

Also, will AK's minutes go down once we're heathy? I hope so but I kind of have a feeling it's just going to be less minutes for other players.

There's this idea that we only started winning/became a great program again/went back to back once Karaban got here. We hear it from Hurley and it seems like Hurley feels he can't take him off the court. Karaban is an awesome role player but he's just that, a role player. He was the 6th best player on one of those championship teams and the 5th best player on the other. The wheels aren't going to fall off if AK isn't always out there and his great games are mixed in with plenty of stinkers. If he's bricking all his shots or he's putting his head down and driving too much it's okay to plant him on the bench. That's what happens to the other players.

Karaban's game may be better when the other two starters arrive soon. He may revert to being a top 4-5 team player rather than a led when they are off the court.

 

[CL82]

2nd person to have a triple double is what they said

That's what they should've said, but I heard "second triple double for the school in the last 10 years."

 

[cp176]

Reibe is proving his worth out there. His development is going to be fun to watch. He isn’t Clingan just yet on the defensive end but he has attributes that other 7 footers just dream about. I would like to see the ball go into the post more often whether it’s Reed or Reibe on the floor but I think Hurley knows exactly what he wants to accomplish by the way he plays his bigs. I don’t know how he’ll figure out the playing time but I think that he will.

 

[UCan3]

Reibe showing he can be a legit backup and he can give us a two headed monster at center once again is by far the most positive takeaway. Who had him as our leading scorer the past two games on their bingo card?

I would go a step further. If our passes inside to him would have been better / like when he was cutting to the hoop, vs 3 seconds later when he’s guarded, he would have been the leading scorer.

He is a an incredible bright spot who is just getting started….

 

[my2cents]

Just remember, under Ollie we would have lost this game.
We need two things, better three-point shooting and a new Orthopedic doctor.

 

[UCan3]

My takes
1. Silas D triple double was the highlight of the game.
2. Reibe getting quality time early in the season is a plus. We need Kodiak healthy.
3. J Ross brings energy.
4. J Stew starts strong and then fades away as the game progresses.
5. Congrats to Furphy on his first collegiate points. He reminded me of Chri Mullins on that drive.
6. Let's hope MSG is rocking on Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

My only comment is Ross brings energy yes but that’s not enough to describe contributions… his defense was next level - setting an example for the rest of the team. His attitude, I’d throw him as starter next game.

Stew looking more like role player then starter due unexplainable mistakes that stick out like a sore thumb - think him fouling a 3 pt shot because he was frustrated last night got him some more pine time than he was expecting. He has to get mentally tougher.

The shooting was atrocious last night. These guys are running all over on Offense to get open but no one is getting open.

I also think they don’t deliver ball to guys who are open / who are cutting / that gives them the best opportunity to score. Reiba as wide open for windows of time but hestiation and ball never comes/ he gets it when he’s guarded.

They have to start trusting each other / let the rock go.

The shooting I think is guys putting pressure on themselves - they need to start worrying more about letting shots fly / chip on shoulder / and work the boards!

 

[RuffRuff]

Toxic my butt. He’s right about Alex why the problem with the truth. He’s a good complimentary college basketball player. When he puts the ball on the floor from the perimeter there’s a very good chance nothing positive is happening, he hasn’t improved there in 4 years. He’s a guy we want, a kid we like but he’s not much better since his freshman year and we need kids who improve. Ball is right there in his junior year after a few games but we will see. This team will not likely get to a FF without Ball getting back to that 40% plus 3 point shooter because again, you expect improvement. To go into the season not having Solo and Alex in your top 4 players in order to be successful is ridiculous.

This team could get to a final 4 without Solo shooting 40% from three. We may not even need him on the floor.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Uh, no, he is not "earning extended minutes" because to do so would be at the expense of Reed Jr. and that isn't happening unless he's in foul trouble.

Have a feeling the real point being made was that, if Reed is in foul trouble or our opponent’s starting 5 takes a seat, we don’t need to be biting our nails and rushing Reed back onto the floor with foul trouble, or maxing out his minutes respectively; and we can let Reibe do his thing against the opponent’s second unit. AND, the offensive looks change significantly when he’s in. Just like when we went back to back (Sanogo to Clingan; Clingan to Samson). We didn’t know how serviceable he would be outside of overt emergencies until these last couple games.

So if they split their minutes 28/12 at the 5, that’s something we don’t have to cringe at.

 

[Waquoit]

We won. I should know better but hopefully we're not going to get the massive overreactions since we've already seen what it looks like against top competition

So no concerns for you, this team is good to go?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Toxic my butt. He’s right about Alex why the problem with the truth. He’s a good complimentary college basketball player. When he puts the ball on the floor from the perimeter there’s a very good chance nothing positive is happening, he hasn’t improved there in 4 years. He’s a guy we want, a kid we like but he’s not much better since his freshman year and we need kids who improve. Ball is right there in his junior year after a few games but we will see. This team will not likely get to a FF without Ball getting back to that 40% plus 3 point shooter because again, you expect improvement. To go into the season not having Solo and Alex in your top 4 players in order to be successful is ridiculous.

I think we saw this last year. Alex is a very nice college player, but if the defense is keying on him they can take him away. He doesn't get his own shot. Neither does Solo. Both guys need the system or other players to get them open looks. That's why this team needs Mullins, he will attract defensive attention. So will Reed of course, but I don't know how that helps Solo and AK.

It's not gloom and doom. This team can win another title. But what becomes really evident is that our motion, screening and passing system breaks down when it doesn't have all the parts it needs. I also think our new guards are still adjusting to it. When it breaks down two of our expected top scorers are guys the defense can effectively take away.

 

[mauconnfan]

Just remember, under Ollie we would have lost this game.
We need two things, better three-point shooting and a new Orthopedic doctor.

Under Ollie we won a national title. To even say that or bring that up at this point is beyond stupid!

 

[Rocktheworld]

I think we saw this last year. Alex is a very nice college player, but if the defense is keying on him they can take him away. He doesn't get his own shot. Neither does Solo. Both guys need the system or other players to get them open looks. That's why this team needs Mullins, he will attract defensive attention. So will Reed of course, but I don't know how that helps Solo and AK.

It's not gloom and doom. This team can win another title. But what becomes really evident is that our motion, screening and passing system breaks down when it doesn't have all the parts it needs. I also think our new guards are still adjusting to it. When it breaks down two of our expected top scorers are guys the defense can effectively take away.

Alex has always been a wealthy man’s Niels Giffey and frankly I don’t think he ever gave us a reason to expect him to progress much beyond that. I’m not disappointed in his production or his taking it upon himself to initiate offense; he’s doing the best he can in the context of where the team is right now with injuries. We know Hurley obviously trusts him very much; I imagine he’s not doing anything Hurley is telling him to avoid, or else he wouldn’t be so trusted.