Chief’s Briefs - AZ Edition | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Chief’s Briefs - AZ Edition

RuffRuff said:
Very much why we needs Mullins back. With him back, we have options/insurance as it comes to the three point shooting until Ball hopefully figures this out. Solo's mid range game is nice, but it was supposed to be as compliment to his 3s, which are more valuable. We could also put our best defensive roster out there while not losing the shooting.

Swing Mullins to the 2, Ross to the 3, and we have a really interesting rotation.
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I hate depending on a player that has never suited up in college game. Hope is not a strategy. But I really hope this kid is the goods.
 
The difference in this one was Arizona simply dominated inside. Reibe played well on offense but just got bullied on defense. He is like a lot of bigs who have talent but aren’t big enough or strong enough to be a full time 5 at this level yet. The other thing that stood out to me was that we are not that big. Arizona looked like a bunch of draft horses compared to race horses. When the game got physical the Clydesdales had a huge advantage. We made a spirited comeback to make the game exciting for sure but I don’t know why but it never felt like we were going to win. I guess because to win we’d have needed to be perfect over the final 2 minutes and we were’t all night.
 
JB75 said:
Still can’t believe Reed was ruled out last minute yesterday, especially since you can rest him Sunday’s game and he won’t have to play again till a week from tomorrow. Even some spot minutes would’ve greatly helped.
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Yeah! Play him on an injury to risk getting more injured and kill the entire season. Cmon, man. Dude could barely move at the end of the BYU game.
 
I thought we were going to win. We came all the way back to take the lead and we were in the driver's seat. I am not surprised we lost because we played poorly throughout the game and that is what happened at the end. I think Solo wanted to hit the dagger but it was a gamble and not necessary. The shot chart shows just how different the two teams played and perhaps mostly due to Reed being out.

uconn az.jpg
 
Kolumbo said:
I thought we were going to win. We came all the way back to take the lead and we were in the driver's seat. I am not surprised we lost because we played poorly throughout the game and that is what happened at the end. I think Solo wanted to hit the dagger but it was a gamble and not necessary. The shot chart shows just how different the two teams played and perhaps mostly due to Reed being out.

View attachment 113426
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Totally agree with the Solo shot. We were up one, and he tried to put it away. We needed a better shot at that moment.
 
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Waquoit said:
That's a lotta pressure on a kid who hasn't played yet.
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Not asking him to be rim attacker, major defender, aggressive rebounder. Asking him to be the thing that he has been and continue to be, a damn good shooter. If you asked him if he's up to the task, what do you think he would say?

Actually all he has to do is better the play of Stewart because that's the current starter in his place.
 
NJHusky said:
Is there an issue with our training staff?
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I think it comes down to the fact that even though these freshmen come into a program as highly touted, they are not physically prepared for the prospect of going against grown men 4 or 5 years older than them on a daily basis and get beaten up in practice sessions like that of Dan Hurley's.
 
shizzle787 said:
Totally agree with the Solo shot. We were up one, and he tried to put it away. We needed a better shot at that moment.
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Yep. It wasn't that best decision, but I like the fact that with the game on the line he wanted to take the shot.
 
Three-point shooting always fluctuates. Always.
Niels Giffey had one of our best three-point shooting years in our history in 2014 at 48 percent. Six games in the NCAA tournament that year? 26 percent.
For all the talk of Solo bulking up or foul baiting or what, there is always variance in three-point shooting, and we as a board forget that fact every single year.
 
freescooter said:
The difference in this one was Arizona simply dominated inside. Reibe played well on offense but just got bullied on defense. He is like a lot of bigs who have talent but aren’t big enough or strong enough to be a full time 5 at this level yet. The other thing that stood out to me was that we are not that big. Arizona looked like a bunch of draft horses compared to race horses. When the game got physical the Clydesdales had a huge advantage. We made a spirited comeback to make the game exciting for sure but I don’t know why but it never felt like we were going to win. I guess because to win we’d have needed to be perfect over the final 2 minutes and we were’t all night.
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You are correct. This is a "donut" team. They way to beat this team is to keep pounding it inside or driving the lane with penetration. They opposition seems to blow by and usually get an and one. One the other hand, foul the UConn players as much as possible as they will more likely than not miss the front end of a one and one and the opposition will get the ball back because UConn can't rebound. This is likely going to be a pattern for the entire season. Even New Haven was able to penetrate and get close or midrange shots uncontested. The BYU win, it appears now, was very lucky, and would have been a loss if the game was one minute longer. I only saw the last 5 minutes of the Illinois game. Their large size point guard I fear is going to eat the UConn defenders for lunch. They did get punked. Hurley was right.
 
Az was the worse possible matchup with Reed out. Tall and very physical. Still fouling to much by playing bad defense. Reibe will be better latter in this season for games like this. Will be a big factor next year. Ball is not playing to his ability if he cannot shoot the ball better. Played like champs and to maintain and stay in the game.
 
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Inyatkin said:
Three-point shooting always fluctuates. Always.
Niels Giffey had one of our best three-point shooting years in our history in 2014 at 48 percent. Six games in the NCAA tournament that year? 26 percent.
For all the talk of Solo bulking up or foul baiting or what, there is always variance in three-point shooting, and we as a board forget that fact every single year.
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Unfortunately the antidote to bad 3 Pt shooting was on the bench last night
 
freescooter said:
The difference in this one was Arizona simply dominated inside. Reibe played well on offense but just got bullied on defense. He is like a lot of bigs who have talent but aren’t big enough or strong enough to be a full time 5 at this level yet. The other thing that stood out to me was that we are not that big. Arizona looked like a bunch of draft horses compared to race horses. When the game got physical the Clydesdales had a huge advantage. We made a spirited comeback to make the game exciting for sure but I don’t know why but it never felt like we were going to win. I guess because to win we’d have needed to be perfect over the final 2 minutes and we were’t all night.
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I think only their freshman Koa Peat stood out physically. With Reed, UConn would have looked more physical no doubt.
 
Great briefs as always Chief! Questions for you...how do you feel about UConn charging $30 for parking last night? Last season and the first 2 games at Gampel were up to $20. Thankfully, I brought an extra $10 with me as I usually just bring the $20 for parking in cash. When parking is cheaper in Manhattan something is amiss.
 
CL82 said:
Yep. It wasn't that best decision, but I like the fact that with the game on the line he wanted to take the shot.
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I like the mentality but it was an awful shot. From my seats which were almost directly across from where he took the shot, he was no where near close to being balanced or squared up. From my vantage point it looked like he was trying to draw a foul. Perhaps it was my angle and that wasn't the case, but that shot was way off from the moment it left his hands.
 
mjmoney23 said:
Great briefs as always Chief! Questions for you...how do you feel about UConn charging $30 for parking last night? Last season and the first 2 games at Gampel were up to $20. Thankfully, I brought an extra $10 with me as I usually just bring the $20 for parking in cash. When parking is cheaper in Manhattan something is amiss.
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$30 to park in Storrs, CT is insane. They're getting what the market bears though.
 
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mjmoney23 said:
I like the mentality but it was an awful shot. From my seats which were almost directly across from where he took the shot, he was no where near close to being balanced or squared up. From my vantage point it looked like he was trying to draw a foul. Perhaps it was my angle and that wasn't the case, but that shot was way off from the moment it left his hands.
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Probably a pump fake and then go up would have led to a more squared up balanced shot, or have netted the foul. Or both 😁
 
Would UConn ever play Reibe and Reed together at the same time down low, would that help rebounding and defense against tall teams? Or is it better to have a more mobile 4 like Stewart in there and keep the 4 outside for screens and occasional shooting if left open?
 
Conndog said:
Would UConn ever play Reibe and Reed together at the same time down low, would that help rebounding and defense against tall teams? Or is it better to have a more mobile 4 like Stewart in there and keep the 4 outside for screens and occasional shooting if left open?
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I think if enough BY posters clamor for it, we will without a doubt see #doublebigs in a blowout. Danny is a crowd pleaser.

@Chin Diesel

IMG_0430.gif
 
Old Man UConn said:
Az was the worse possible matchup with Reed out. Tall and very physical. Still fouling to much by playing bad defense. Reibe will be better latter in this season for games like this. Will be a big factor next year. Ball is not playing to his ability if he cannot shoot the ball better. Played like champs and to maintain and stay in the game.
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That’s sort of what I was getting at. They were big and physical. We aren’t really built that way.

I’m also a little worried about our depth. Have been since New Haven. Neither our starting 3 nor his backup are really more than middling players. Stewart has some ability to hit the 3 but overall he is limited. Ross doesn’t belong on the floor for a top 10 basketball team. Reibe looks like he will be pretty good, maybe quite good, in 2026-27. He needs to add weight and strength or every decent big will do what Arizona’s guys did last night. I don’t love Smith. A10 player. You can make up for lack of size with exceptional talent. He doesn’t. Fine as a 3rd guard but he has to be more right now. If everyone is healthy we can maybe get away with this group. If not we have holes to fill.
 
Spaceman213J said:
It seems to be an emphasis for Hurley and his staff, but Sanogo and Clingan learned how to do the hard hedge and quick recover. Whaley was also excellent at doing this and SJ became pretty good by the time he left. Reed has become pretty darn good at this, too. He struggle the first third of last season, but really seemed to learn how to do it well.

Watching the game last night, I was really wishing this team had a SJ or Whaley to run their guys down the floor and maybe tire them out some.
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Donovan would be horizontal or an angle to the basket from the hedge so the recovery was easier. When our centers chase guards to half court over the hedge are when things implode and we get in the penalty with 12 minutes left in the first half by a chain reaction to that hedge play. Nothing ever good comes of that.
 
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Arizona was not the team I expected at all. They didn't play as well as I had seen them a few weeks ago and were extremely beatable. IF UConn stays healthy and both Mullens and Read are playing, UConn would beat Arizona comfortably in March. Not even Peat was overpowering the entire game, and he is not as impressive as the BYU freshman stud.
 
JB75 said:
Still can’t believe Reed was ruled out last minute yesterday, especially since you can rest him Sunday’s game and he won’t have to play again till a week from tomorrow. Even some spot minutes would’ve greatly helped.
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That’s Hurley trying to keep his opponent in the dark about the injury, my guess is Hurley knew Reed wasn’t playing long before that.
 
mjmoney23 said:
Great briefs as always Chief! Questions for you...how do you feel about UConn charging $30 for parking last night? Last season and the first 2 games at Gampel were up to $20. Thankfully, I brought an extra $10 with me as I usually just bring the $20 for parking in cash. When parking is cheaper in Manhattan something is amiss.
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That’s a great point, parking should be cheaper in Storrs than Manhattan.
 
This may have been posted in the postgame thread but it is already over 20 pages. Preaching to the choir boys, but preach!

 
Waquoit said:
What market? It's monopoly power.
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You always have the option of parking far away and walking. Can't you park at E.O. Smith for free? Aren't there outdoor lots near the athletic fields where they don't charge to park? Is parking closer worth $30 to you? I guess it is if the lots closer to Gampel are all full. Supply and demand.
 
freescooter said:
That’s sort of what I was getting at. They were big and physical. We aren’t really built that way.

I’m also a little worried about our depth. Have been since New Haven. Neither our starting 3 nor his backup are really more than middling players. Stewart has some ability to hit the 3 but overall he is limited. Ross doesn’t belong on the floor for a top 10 basketball team. Reibe looks like he will be pretty good, maybe quite good, in 2026-27. He needs to add weight and strength or every decent big will do what Arizona’s guys did last night. I don’t love Smith. A10 player. You can make up for lack of size with exceptional talent. He doesn’t. Fine as a 3rd guard but he has to be more right now. If everyone is healthy we can maybe get away with this group. If not we have holes to fill.
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I think Malachi will be a significant contributor by Feb, points, assts, defense, 2-3 reb/game. He was improved from BYU to AZ
Reibe can’t physically mature in a season, but he will learn to use his body more effectively as the season progresses. Watched him try to body up and he was a little late, and a bit timid to go with his overall lack of strength. If he is on time and more aggressive he’ll be ok.
Stewart and Ross, what you see is what you get. Hope and a prayer. Go Huskies
 
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