Butler Post Game Thread | Page 10 | The Boneyard

Butler Post Game Thread

We were an offensive juggernaut last year, but the defense was also a juggernaut. A 7'2" monster manning the paint, a freshman take-your-best-guy-out defender, a 6'5" worldly point guard, and oh, the smartest grad transfer defender ever. This team with McNeeley can be very good on offense - we've shown that. He adds a 3rd deadeye from 3 and the ability to drive that opens the floor for everyone. But it's the defense that has to improve to compete at the top. Kentucky failed to nail down multiple championships under Cal because, as talented as their offensive recruits every year were - and they were very talented - the defense was always less than the sum of the parts.

It starts with defense. The guys need to get better at cutting off drives, help D, defensive rotations, and boxing and rebounding. Would it help if we trapped more off the screens? Maybe. Right now we show, and try to recover, and the dribbler continues around beating everyone to the hoop.
 
This team just can't handle prosperity. Almost no lead is safe and we find different ways (as an entire team) to cough up leads. No killer instinct at all.
 
Good things: Solo, we didn't lose, and we still are in it for the BE title hunt.
That's all I'm gonna say.
Edit: oh, and 1 game closer to McNeeley's return.
 
Also, Hurley's struggles with drawing up effective last shots (or near last shots) continues. I wish his Dad would pass him a note with the play to call. It always seems to end with a desperation heave or out of control drive. I know it's impossible to look up, but I'd love to know our shooting percentage on last shots under Hurley. Maybe AI could pull that up. Hurley has back to back titles and can't be criticized for lack of overall success, but end of game play calling is his weak point.
 
UCTitleTown said:
Also, Hurley's struggles with drawing up effective last shots (or near last shots) continues. I wish his Dad would pass him a note with the play to call. It always seems to end with a desperation heave or out of control drive. I know it's impossible to look up, but I'd love to know our shooting percentage on last shots under Hurley. Maybe AI could pull that up. Hurley has back to back titles and can't be criticized for lack of overall success, but end of game play calling is his weak point.
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I think Solo only touched the ball like once the last 10 minutes of the 2nd half. Simply couldn't free him up for a shot. And he's probably our best guy at creating a 1 on 1 shot while McNeeley's out.
We just don't have the shot creators we had the last 2 years... McNeeley is really the only guy that can get a shot by himself, then Solo to a lesser extent. I don't think that can be fixed this year.
 
DogMania said:
Why can't they run more stuff for Ball. He should be running around screens till his feet blister and taking twice the number of 3s he's jacking up,at least till McNeeley returns.
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I watched the off-ball action and the number of clutches, grabs and hits on Solo was unreal. In the big east those are not fouls I guess. Hopefully in a tourney that allows freedom of movement, that helps us.
 
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I guess when you do everything you can to lose but you still win, you just take the W and move on

Nothing constructive to be said that hasn’t already been said after every single game this year so I’ll just focus on the parts that I liked instead

Karaban took last game personally. Honestly I’d rather have him go 8-17 than 4-6. Need him to take every possession personally instead of every other game. Watching him get cooked by Telfort over and over again was hard, but watching him cook himself was fun!

Watching Solo off ball is really looking more and more like Hawkins. This kid is getting mugged off ball every possession and still lit up for 5 threes

Idk why Andre Screen turns into Hakeem Olajuwon against us but I thought our Cs did well overall. Lots of points, lots of blocks

Gauntlet part of the BE is coming up soon, hopefully with Liam back. Survive without him and let’s see what happens with him?
 
It's easy to forget for the first 15 minutes of the game we played some of the best basketball of the season. We went up 15 points. Scored 37, that's a 98 point pace. Our tempo was great. We were blowing them out of the building. We are capable of playing great basketball. We just need to play more of it.
 
People... We won. It wasn't pretty. Our flaws were again exposed. But we won. We know what this team is. The staff knows what this team is. We have the ability to look really good. We have the ability to play down to teams and lose our composure.

But man, this thread is a total dumpster fire. We've won back-to-back nattys. And we're criticizing the coaching staff and their ability to coach and develop? We're arguing about an all-american from last year? Constant "we're playing 8 on 5" bs. The refs suck. We get away and have gotten away with ENDLESS bad calls. It goes both ways. It's embarrassing. There are worthy criticisms out there but this (and the chat) just denigrates into some whiny, entitled, we suck narrative. We're 14-5 and ranked. We have more or less stayed the course without our best player. We're going to be an NCAA team who will be a dangerous out.

Remember that thread in the summer about "toxic fanbases" that you all denied?
 
UC15 said:
What’s game day Conor’s job, thought he was suppose to get the crowd rowdy. Place was a morgue last night, building had 0 energy. Probnaly because its Butler on a Tuesday but come on
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I watched the game on FS1 and it looked like many open seats. What was the crowd size in Hartford?
 
boog204 said:
People... We won. It wasn't pretty. Our flaws were again exposed. But we won. We know what this team is. The staff knows what this team is. We have the ability to look really good. We have the ability to play down to teams and lose our composure.

But man, this thread is a total dumpster fire. We've won back-to-back nattys. And we're criticizing the coaching staff and their ability to coach and develop? We're arguing about an all-american from last year? Constant "we're playing 8 on 5" bs. The refs suck. We get away and have gotten away with ENDLESS bad calls. It goes both ways. It's embarrassing. There are worthy criticisms out there but this (and the chat) just denigrates into some whiny, entitled, we suck narrative. We're 14-5 and ranked. We have more or less stayed the course without our best player. We're going to be an NCAA team who will be a dangerous out.

Remember that thread in the summer about "toxic fanbases" that you all denied?
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It's sorta sad to see that kind of stuff get posted after nearly every game. It's one thing to blow off some steam, but to constantly be a curmudgeon and post all the toxic fan stuff is ridiculous.

If all of us were proposed 3 years ago "Your team will win the national championship 2 out of the next 3 years in dominating fashion" all of us would have been sprinting like Usain Bolt to take it, no further questions asked. To expect to have the best team in the country year after year is unrealistic in any sport, let alone college basketball. We should be glad that a chance at a 3-peat is still even remotely possible.
 
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uconngb said:
One of the least satisfying wins I can ever recall. From the coaches down to the last player, this whole program is clueless right now. And everyone thinks getting Liam back is going to change everything?? Not bloody likely
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Two years ago around this time of year Dan Hurley had some kind of epiphany after losing 4 of 6.

Think he should have a heart to heart and open minded sitdown with his staff. Granted we don't have the team we had that year, injuries etc. but there is something wrong with this team and it just doesn't look together (mental mistakes) at all.

We have enough talent and superior coaching pedigree to be a lot better than this. No head scratching and excuses. Change the tactics and call timeouts when you don't like what you see. Stop the slides before they really going into a spiral.

It's not too late to turn the season around and at least be respectable and perhaps much more.

Fingers crossed.
 
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boog204 said:
People... We won. It wasn't pretty. Our flaws were again exposed. But we won. We know what this team is. The staff knows what this team is. We have the ability to look really good. We have the ability to play down to teams and lose our composure.

But man, this thread is a total dumpster fire. We've won back-to-back nattys. And we're criticizing the coaching staff and their ability to coach and develop? We're arguing about an all-american from last year? It's embarrassing. There are worthy criticisms out there but this (and the chat) just denigrates into some whiny, entitled, we suck narrative. Remember that thread in the summer about "toxic fanbases" that you all denied?
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Eh, this is how fans react, cope, whatever you want to call it. Let the good people of the Yard flesh it out, air out of their system. It’s not always rationale. It’s a fanbase with high hopes with their message board adrenals firing, ironing out some disappointment. Go take a look at Rupp after a loss if you want to see dumpster fire. This is like your wife pissed off at you when you forgot to take out the trash, but you know she loves you. No one is putting Hurley on a stake.

UCTitleTown said:
Also, Hurley's struggles with drawing up effective last shots (or near last shots) continues. I wish his Dad would pass him a note with the play to call. It always seems to end with a desperation heave or out of control drive. I know it's impossible to look up, but I'd love to know our shooting percentage on last shots under Hurley. Maybe AI could pull that up. Hurley has back to back titles and can't be criticized for lack of overall success, but end of game play calling is his weak point.
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There have definitely been some really “interesting” strategic moves by this staff late in close games. Between the inbounds plays, the offensive sets, and most notably giving Steven Ashworth a free release to the inbounder (inbounder being guarded by our best perimeter defender???), it’s been head scratching.

I know there’s a lot of in Dan Hurley we trust, and it’s been earned, but clear they’re not “bulletproof” either and that’s ok. Part of the journey.
 
Ultimately this is a W and that is truly all that matters.

We are 14-5 now.

3 of the 5 losses were by 1 or 2 pts - very little chatter about this.

This was our first win by "only" 2 pts or less. - a lot of chatter about this.

I think we are a little spoiled then if we complain about Wins more than on Losses.
 
JMick said:
I was worried he'd actually said something bad.

Dude has to feel like he's being gaslit by the entire world sometimes. He isn't wrong when he talks about not getting enough respect considering his accomplishments and status in the sport. He just dares to say it out loud.
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Are you saying Dan Hurley is a victim? Poor Danny
Is it true his wife used to remind him he was just a little above a gym teacher or was that a joke.

Sorry but to me his appeals look like they are designed to mock and show up the refs.

 
We're fine. Part of being a back-to-back champion is everyone brings their A game when they play you. It will make us stronger as the season progresses. Two things matter: 1) we get an invitation to the dance and 2) we peak in March.
 
AntG168 said:
I mean I don’t actually think the defense was bad tonight. The 4+ minute offensive droughts were the issue. Giving up 76 on OT isn’t bad
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No the defense was bad and the 4 minute drought was bad
 
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Conndog said:
Hassan needs to learn how to make pull-up jump shots too instead of driving to basket and attempting shots against centers. He often gets clear of his defender and then typically stops even though he has space- this is when he could take a nice 8-10 foot jumper, but instead he stays outside & waits for teammates to try getting open instead of shooting. I guess he sees himself as assist maker instead of shot maker, but team could use his offense more especially now.
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Good point. He had on of these opportunities clearly in the first half and I was yelling at Diarra for not doing that. He either under or overdrives a lot and never looks for the pull-up when there.
 
To exemplify how bad things have gotten, I forgot there was a game tonight(last night) and watched a movie. The fans are getting soft and undisciplined too.
 
HuskyWarrior611 said:
lol at telling a lifelong UConn fan to go root for someone else.

My family used to watch every single UConn game together when my grandparents were alive and we were together. When my aunts/uncle held holiday parties at their place and a game was on we’d watch it together. Man shutup talking about I should go root for someone else when you probably started rooting for them because you got accepted to the school.

The program is bigger than Hurley believe it or not.
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The program is bigger than Hurley believe it or not.

Exactly
No argument here

This was a must win as all home games vs the lower tier NBE teams are this season.
Dan Hurley was crapping last nite and if he were honest, he would agree - looked like he did at Seton Hall vs Gtown as a PG - deer in the headlight. During the last 10 minutes, he coached praying not to lose as did his team play in that mindset.
Critical inbound plays were either nonexistent or poorly designed. He has Luke Murray who designs the offense, who handles the D? Can we change things up with the D so teams don't constantly iso vs UConn?
Everything is great when Dan Hurley has the horses but when things go a bit south the panic that is felt from this team is clearly evident.
He might feel he is the best coach in college basketball, and I am not here to argue that point. He wasn't even the best coach in the building last night or last Saturday.
Liam is a true talent, but he is not the savior that many here think. He is a freshman and will make freshman mistakes. Is he missed? Based on the results since his injury - yeah but he isn't walking around with a S on his chest and a cape on his back. That costume is hanging on Dan Hurley's coat rack this year.

Don't know the issue you and Ant have (he does make some solid readings on basketball in general and I respect much of where you come from.) Just ignore each other.

This team gives us all too much agita to deal with at this point. This is going to be a long remaining schedule.

BTW, I have been watching UConn since I can remember (born in 1955) and family had season tickets since 1965 thru 2022. Father played baseball at UConn until broke his arm and shoulder in 1948 - roommate of Walt Dropo.
 
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Gurleyman said:
He’s also going to miss a month and come back with a bit of a bum wheel. That injury is tough for a shooter. You can’t practice your jump shot because that high ankle mechanism is how you get your lift.

Our next 5 games are at X, at Marquette, at Creighton and home against St. John’s. There’s a home game against DePaul in there as a gimme, but that’s what today was supposed to be.

On the plus side, there are chances for some big road wins there to help our metrics If we step up.
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So how are you calling those 4 games? Going 3-2 seems like a huge success(without McNeeley). Even with Liam, he's going to take a few games to reestablish himself and the team to get reacquainted. I'm afraid Stewart minutes impacted most by his return, and we need Jaylin to continue to progress.
 
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Edward Sargent said:
No the defense was bad and the 4 minute drought was bad
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Then idk what you guys expect defensively. We allowed 63 ppg with a generational defensive big man. 68 in regulation is about what you can expect. Anything more is putting way too much pressure on your defense. We need to stop scoring in the 60's. Our offense is way too good for that. Allowing 68ppg or less is more than adequate. Put the ball in the basket.
 
jostar1 said:
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This is some really good stuff from Dan. I go back to the PC game two years ago, the Adama team, and it was the same then. I was pissed about that game because PC was mauling, clutching, grabbing us off the ball. The Big East simply doesn't see fouls against people who don't have the ball as fouls. That's the style of play. It rewards old school ISO 90s basketball. It penalizes modern offense. It makes for fairly ugly basketball.

Reminds me of the shift in hockey in some ways, you never saw interference calls back in the old days, guys were expected to fight through that stuff if they wanted to get the puck.
 
TheHorde said:
I mean he is. But be humbler, Danny cmon.
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I remember what I said in the first month of Hurley year one. I'm trying to stick to it, but d@m^ . . .
Screenshot 2025-01-22 090014.jpg
 
HuskyHawk said:
This is some really good stuff from Dan. I go back to the PC game two years ago, the Adama team, and it was the same then. I was pissed about that game because PC was mauling, clutching, grabbing us off the ball. The Big East simply doesn't see fouls against people who don't have the ball as fouls. That's the style of play. It rewards old school ISO 90s basketball. It penalizes modern offense. It makes for fairly ugly basketball.

Reminds me of the shift in hockey in some ways, you never saw interference calls back in the old days, guys were expected to fight through that stuff if they wanted to get the puck.
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Really great points and you do wonder how it will be called in March - traditionally have always seem the refs in the tournament let them play.

Like in the NFL, you have to adapt to how rules/refs are working. Danny has a lot of system guys right now, the adaptation offset may be to go grab a couple guys with strong iso skills. Key is having a versatile and balanced roster.
 
Teams are daring us to take mid-range shots. We need someone who can hit (and isn't scared to take) shots in the paint. We can't be exclusively a 3 or drive team. We don't have great finishers and out shooting from 3 is very inconsistent. We really miss Joey C.
 
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