Chief’s Briefs - St John’s Edition

[mauconnfan]

A continuing problem seems to be inbounding the ball under pressure. We looked horrible in recent games.
This needs to get fixed.

You mean it’s not good to always get stuck in the corner?? Agree major issue and it’s been that way all year,

 

[Vancat]

Gampel is better than XL but the home crowd was embarrassing tonight. Sat down and filled the gym with nervous energy the very moment St John's brought it close and until the

I was there. People were very loud and engaged when we went up at the beginning. As we started to lose the cushion and they went ahead, people became deflated. I know I did. ‘Oh no, here we go again.’ It was an exhausting game. Not a fun one.

 

[CL82]

Karaban's refusal to take open looks is a big parr of why we end up forcing a shot at the end of the shot clock. Alex needs to get his mind right. He's a liability for us right now.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Karaban's refusal to take open looks is a big post of why we end up forcing a shot at the end of the shot clock. Alex needs to get his mind right. He's a liability for us right now.

Hate to get on him but those three wide open threes he missed in the first half not only impacted how he played the rest of the game but it impacted the whole team. When you are the leader of the team and continue not to show up it will impact wins and losses against good teams.

Clearly this is now Liam’s team. AK cannot be counted on for now to be a major contributor and his lack of confidence bleeds in the overall team confidence. Now he knows how Tristen felt when he had bad games. AK May not be cut out for this much responsibility with his skill set.

 

[imno1]

Has any past UConn team had as many shot clock violations as this year's team?

 

[freescooter]

Has any past UConn team had as many shot clock violations as this year's team?

I have not seen any team have this many. Mostly I think it is on the lack of guard play. And the book on how to beat UConn has to start with press, and press some more. We struggle to get the ball in, struggle to bring it up, then have to run plays with a short clock. Time and time again we struggle with those things. Creighton did it, Marquette did it, Butler did it, even Georgetown did it in the 2nd half and got back in the game.

Hurleys offense is a thing of beauty when you have the players to run it. When you’re small, and slow and injured on top of that, it isn’t nearly as impressive.

 

[Vancat]

What’s up with Karaban & Bueckers. Geez.

 

[ConnEd]

A continuing problem seems to be inbounding the ball under pressure. We looked horrible in recent games.
This needs to get fixed.

Yes. How many 5 second calls and TOs have they had to take on inbounds? It seems like they barely ever set a screen. The whole inbounds depends entirely on an individual beating their defender to a spot. And, usually, that spot is in a corner. We’re often fortunate that our opponents don’t trap those corners very often. Add in that they’ve been using the same actions for a while and scouting catches up.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

Yes. How many 5 second calls and TOs have they had to take on inbounds? It seems like they barely ever set a screen. The whole inbounds depends entirely on an individual beating their defender to a spot. And, usually, that spot is in a corner. We’re often fortunate that our opponents don’t trap those corners very often. Add in that they’ve been using the same actions for a while and scouting catches up.

We needed Ross and Diarra, and maybe also Mahaney to get the ball up and not eat 8-9 seconds to cross half court. How many times did we see Hurley or McNeeley screaming to get help to the ball? All these shot clock violations (turnovers) are the direct result of too little time left to properly run our O indeed.

And the Johnson starting experiment has to end.

Johnson - 8 min, 4 fouls, 4 pts, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 rebound (1 D), 1-2 FG, 2-2 FT
Reed, Jr. - 32 min, 3 fouls, 12 pts, 3 blocks, 0 assists, 15 rebounds (7 O), 5-7 FG, 2-4 FT

I get Johnson gives some offensive prowess to make teams guard against slip screen dunks, but that's really it. He is almost always out of position for a proper pass to him, and he has no idea what to do offensively if he's not 2 ft from the rim.

Reed, Jr. can muscle up a shot, back down a player, or draw a double-team - he needs to work on getting the ball back out vs a double-team, but he is a sure-handed rebounding machine that can score and has the body to box out.

 

[Chief00]

It's not just the amount of turnovers. It is that half of them are from poor... very poor decision making and would drive a middle school coach nuts, let alone a coach of a division I college team.

When the offense is clicking, their are 4 guys active and moving off the ball. They were like that tonight early and it looked a bit like the offense of the last two years. Then it disappears and it looks like one guy runs through the offense and then the next goes and so on until they have to huck up a prayer at the end of the shot clock.

I don't know if it is the matchups, but Ball has better defensively the past few games. Again, if he becomes even an average defender for his position, with that shot of his, he could be an All-American next season.

Diarra looked to be moving a little better, but still isn't the same guy as last year. It's night and day with him between being a fast break PG and half court PG. The problem is they have no one else. I agree that Hurley & staff will be looking hard at the portal for a PG.

The team needs Karaban to break out of the slump. That could cure some of the problems with the offense.

I agree with the fact I don't know how the grabs of Ball are not called. It's right in front of the refs. It should be called and at least one of them should have been an intentional foul. It's one thing when you reach out and a finger or part of the hand gets tangled up in the jersey, but when you have a literal fistful of jersey, that has to be called.

Good points.

 

[Chief00]

Yes. How many 5 second calls and TOs have they had to take on inbounds? It seems like they barely ever set a screen. The whole inbounds depends entirely on an individual beating their defender to a spot. And, usually, that spot is in a corner. We’re often fortunate that our opponents don’t trap those corners very often. Add in that they’ve been using the same actions for a while and scouting catches up.

That’s one thing we tend to under appreciated was Donovan’s screens. Karaban issues are not unrelated to losing those great screens. Guys also need to get the ball when they are open.

 

[DMIL]

Gampel is better than XL but the home crowd was embarrassing tonight. Sat down and filled the gym with nervous energy the very moment St John's brought it close and until the very end.

I wouldn't put this on the home crowd. They were there until the end and absorbed the collapse in real time. They absorbed the utter lack of execution and 20 plus turnovers, poor free throw shooting, horrible shot selection and the inability of this team to seize the moment against a top conference opponent at home, supporting the team until the end.

 

[Chief00]

Gampel is better than XL but the home crowd was embarrassing tonight. Sat down and filled the gym with nervous energy the very moment St John's brought it close and until the very end.

I have seats at both but to be honest, I think XL is better for a big game. I know that’s not the popular answer but xL can get louder on its best days and we win.

 

[Chief00]

If Stewart had been in the game at crunch time we might’ve pulled out the win for several reasons, but being that three pt threat could’ve taken pressure off of Ball and McNeeley. I was disappointed with Mahaney, he’s usually a decent penetrator and 3pt threat, although St John’s tough D might’ve taken him off his game. I hope Karaban wakes up soon.

Mahaney needs to enter the game as the shooting guard with either Diarra or Ball at PG. McNeeley helps being in there too.

 

[Chief00]

Karaban's refusal to take open looks is a big post of why we end up forcing a shot at the end of the shot clock. Alex needs to get his mind right. He's a liability for us right now.

He needs to diversify his offense more to get going with drives and midrange. Right now he both passes on open 3’s and takes rushed ones from 3-5 feet behind the 3 line. He always had an unorthodox shot form - now one wonders if we would have been better off to break it all down and rebuilt it?

 

[Chief00]

I have not seen any team have this many. Mostly I think it is on the lack of guard play. And the book on how to beat UConn has to start with press, and press some more. We struggle to get the ball in, struggle to bring it up, then have to run plays with a short clock. Time and time again we struggle with those things. Creighton did it, Marquette did it, Butler did it, even Georgetown did it in the 2nd half and got back in the game.

Hurleys offense is a thing of beauty when you have the players to run it. When you’re small, and slow and injured on top of that, it isn’t nearly as impressive.

A press sometimes is best beat by 3 passes - why we don’t do that often enough indicates a lack of preparation.

 

[alphasigko]

McNeeley tried to win the game for us tonight, but a 22 to 7 turnover deficit could not be overcome.

It is very difficult to overcome a 3x’s more turnover ratio. This was the second game in the row that we had over 20 turnovers. Completely, inexcusable and our opponents are now focused on pressuring the ball to exploit that weakness. Diarra in particular can do better. Too often we go where we shouldn’t and not where we should. Each player needs to know where we have advantages and disadvantages - yet we don’t seem to consistently know that.

A strong point this season has been foul shooting % made, but tonight we shot 64% , despite shooting 78% for the season. We need to do better to win against a good opponent.

Reed rebounded well (15) and scored (12)for a double/double. Karaban usually does something well when he shoots poorly but tonight he had no highlights. He is rushing his shots and his footwork and body balance is off. Too often he takes a quick shot that’s more of a push motion than the classic arch shot with a good follow through. He too often leans backwards with an arch in his back. Alex had never had classic form but since it went in / leave his unorthodox shot alone. Now, perhaps it should have been broken down and redone?

Not sure why we had Ross in the game at the end rather than Stewart? It is the same type of thinking that puts Mahaney in as a point guard. Just put our ego aside and admit our preseason evaluations were wrong.

Another wrong evaluation was that Gampel
was a better home court advantage than XL. Why we couldn’t find Solo Ball in the second half is a mystery and a lack of focus by the team.

Neither team shot well 40% to 39%. The only statistic that we beat them at was rebounding (43 to 33) but the turnovers killed us.

I have no idea why Coach plays Ross at all. He provides 0 offense and is also a foul machine on defense.

 

[bendm]

Mahaney needs to enter the game as the shooting guard with either Diarra or Ball at PG. McNeeley helps being in there too.

I wanna see this lineup when Diarra is sitting instead:
Liam / Ball / Stew / Alex / Reed

If we need the D then Ross instead of Stew

 

[gsmooth]

I wanna see this lineup when Diarra is sitting instead:
Liam / Ball / Stew / Alex / Reed

If we need the D then Ross instead of Stew

Minutes need to be limited for Hass. He is clearly hobbled right now. If he was close 100% I would want him playing 25-32 minutes. Not having a reliable back up PG has worn out Hass.

I want to see UConn on the top of the list for every top PG in the transfer portal when it opens-preferably big PGs.

 

[jibsey]

Currently we have no point guard, backup point guard or bench point guard. The team is giving 100% but cannot compete at the highest levels with that. Even with Hass healthy Mahaney is a no, and Nowell has shown nothing so far whether it be because of injury or skill.
We have been beaten by some pretty average teams on the way to 7 losses so far and other wins were by a hair.

 

[gtcam]

Disappointing game and result.
Should have been a win and a win UConn must have - you need to win these home games.
I know a lot of folks won't agree but this team has 2 gamers - McNeeley and 1/2 Diarra (defense) and 1/2 Ball (offense). All the rest are competent in their own areas but none are complete gamers. AK is a great piece to surround 3 or 4 very strong compliments around him. Stewart is a freak athlete but plays horrible D and is not active enough on the offensive end. Reed is a beast when he wants to be but he has that switch when turned off is distracted. Samson tries too hard to do things he shouldn't be doing. AM is a bust- never was that guy at St Mary's so why here in the NBE? Ross is purely a ?.
Dan Hurley did a questionable job assessing the talent at hand during the off season, did amazing in getting Liam here but swung and missed on AM. I've watched Nowell the past two years and the kid is a junkyard dog but injuries are dogging him, hoping it isn't a AG issue.
I am pondering how can AK shoot so poorly and played slow, yet when you sit him, your lead disappears.
St Johns is not a strong team - with the exception of Luis, they are a poor shooting team and do not rebound well. Yes their defense is extremely pesky and effective but UConn has seen better yet they acted like it was a surprise. Anyone who has watched SJU this season knew they were a great 2nd half team and always increased intensity 200% in the 2nd half. UConn looked like they were not prepared for that pressure. Can't play a full game with one PG - Diarra was gassed and that caused TOs.
UConn still is a complete adventure in 75% of their inbounds plays.
Palatine posted a thread stating that the game means nothing. I couldn't disagree more. This game showed so many weaknesses that it will be hard to hide any of them going forward. Stick a taller player on Solo and you basically shut him down. Get into Reed's head and he shuts down. Make Diara work hard on D and he will produce zero offense. Layoff of AK until he shows he deserves attention. Make UConn go to their bench.
Your best player on the court last night shouldn't be someone who hasn't played in over a month.
It's not the end of the world and I expect UConn will make the tournament and we all have seen some past noise in the dance with less than stellar records. The sum of the parts is ok but they lack those gamers and that's huge. Hopefully with some tweaking and healing injuries this team can develop into a real contender.
On to the next game

 

[Spaceman213J]

That’s one thing we tend to under appreciated waos Donovan’s screens. Karaban issues are not unrelated to losing those great screens. Guys also need to get the ball when they are open.

Donovan and Sanogo the year before were big wide bodies, and they knew how to set screens.

One of my big complaints with this team is that aside from Karaban, they show screen and dive before ever making contact, sometimes before even getting within a foot or two of the defender. The last two years you had DC, Sanogo, Karaban, Spencer, Newton, Samson Johnson, Ajax, Castle all 'hitting' guy with their screens about half the time. That's one of the keys to making the offense so effective. When your a defender and you know you're going to get hit with that screen, but don't know where it's coming from all the time, you're head is a on a swivel and it's an ask to have the defender follow the ball and his man while looking constantly for a screen looking to get a piece of him.

 

[Edward Sargent]

What’s up with Karaban & Bueckers. Geez.

Neither can shoot. Maybe NIL has gone to their heads? Both talk a lot but of late haven't backed it up

 

[bendm]

Neither can shoot. Maybe NIL has gone to their heads? Both talk a lot but of late haven't backed it up

Don’t think college NIL was their ultimate goal

 

[uconnyankee]

Whatever St. John’s did to contain Solo, every other team will try to copy. Hurley needs to figure out how to help him get open.

Offense was so out of sorts. Really hoped Mahaney would something on offense. He looks scared to take a shot.

The team just struggled to get any offensive rhythm and large credit to St John’s defense.