Chief’s Briefs - St John’s Edition

[Chief00]

At this point, we put this behind us and move on to the NCAA’s. Let’s hope Demary’s ankle isn’t as bad as it looked given the timeframe. Let’s support our team!

Give St John’s credit, they played great with lots of effort. The things we did wrong in our 20 point wins, that I was criticized for mentioning, we did wrong against SJ, but they capitalized on those things. Things such as our 16 turnovers, which led to 24 points. Or our 16% 3 point FG % (3-19), which we have seen as recently as our last game. A lack of fast breaks, with only 4 fast break points.

Other people will beat up the team today and they gave us lots of material to do that, but I won’t endlessly go on. We did try to comeback but could not get over the 8-10 point hump and then it collapsed.

Big picture, it seemed like we had a strategy to get it into Reed, but the pivot from Euro ball offense was confusing to many players, who did not find their fit in the scheme on the fly. We are also not built for physicality other than Reed.

I will say this it was interesting Breeding took a preemptive shot at Hurley, 7 minutes into the game with a technical for apparently stomping his foot loudly, despite the loud roar of the crowd. It is absolute malfeasance for Breeding to do one of our games but 2 out of 3 in the conference tournament was a definite message by the league office. No mistake about it.

But, on to the next adventure - Selection Sunday.

 

[freescooter]

The tech seemed over the top. I don’t normally agree with you on officiating but that was egregious.

We lack physical players. We lack depth. As I said before Hurley love smaller point guards. I don’t get it. Diara, last year the kid from Philly, Smith. Diara was the only one to work out. We also don’t have a guy who can come off the bench and light it up for a few minutes like Joey California did. Diara kind of played that role in 2024. Maybe they thought Ross would do it.

 

[GHSWolverines]

If we have a chance to make any noise in March Madness, Demary has to be available. Otherwise it will be a quick exit and we get eliminated in the round of 32. I could go on with our weaknesses but I am about to go out for breakfast with my family and I want to enjoy it.

 

[Chief00]

The tech seemed over the top. I don’t normally agree with you on officiating but that was egregious.

We lack physical players. We lack depth. As I said before Hurley love smaller point guards. I don’t get it. Diara, last year the kid from Philly, Smith. Diara was the only one to work out. We also don’t have a guy who can come off the bench and light it up for a few minutes like Joey California did. Diara kind of played that role in 2024. Maybe they thought Ross would do it.

Tristen Newton & Hassan Diarra were physical PG’s, but true the others were not.

 

[Chief00]

If we have a chance to make any noise in March Madness, Demary has to be available. Otherwise it will be a quick exit and we get eliminated in the round of 32. I could go on with our weaknesses but I am about to go out for breakfast with my family and I want to enjoy it.

I hear you but keep in mind the games we won. Also, you really need to be good, to play well given tge grabbing and holding the Val Breedings of the Big East allow against our players. Time to depart the conference.

 

[jorge34]

I hear you but keep in mind the games we won. Also, you really need to be good, to play well given tge grabbing and holding the Val Breedings of the Big East allow against our players. Time to depart the conference.

It’s been time to depart this idiotic conference for quite a while. They don’t play basketball, but rather some basketball-rugby hybrid.

 

[Kitaman]

Its concerning that we have a hard time inbounding the ball. Also equally disturbing is our lazy passes creating turnovers/deflections.

Its March and having these two issues on our team is not Championship level play. I just think we are not as sharp as we need to be and certainly not at the point were opposing teams fear us.

If we get to the Finals we will have to have our A game and nothing less.

 

[businesslawyer]

The game was ugly for three reasons.

1. They came out ready to play and we didn’t. Just like we didn’t in Milwaukee with a share of the regular season title on the line. Part of that was I’m sure it was easier for them to get up for the game with the revenge factor, but part of that is this team since Big East play started just doesn’t play with full urgency and intensity all the time.

2. The shooting. Despite not being able to hit a 3 to save our lives, we got back to within 7 in the 2d half. Had any of Karaban, Ball or Mullins gotten hot, coming back would not have been impossible. This played into the key possession of the game. Down 10 with the ball coming out of the 8 minute TO, we had a possession with a bunch of offensive rebounds and multiple shots, including good looks from 3 for both BM and Solo. They both missed. That was basically the end of the game.

3. I don’t like complaining about refs, and this game didn’t have egregiously bad calls (for the most part), but this was a game where St. John’s bumped and held just constantly, and not only did the refs from the opening whistle say that was o.k., but we got called for offensive fouls twice in the first half for responding by trying to get the offenders off our guys with the ball. We won’t win games against good teams if constant mild fouls aren’t called when we have the ball. St Johns played really really well against us the way the game was called, and probably played themselves into a pod in Philly alongside us next weekend, but if they play like that they’re going to give up 35 foul shots and lose in the second round. Big East games need to be called like games are called in the rest of the country.

This was a pretty strange season. I don’t want to beat on a team that won as many games as they did, and were within 40 minutes of having earned a #1 seed, BUT, just like Chief talks about his warning signs, the absolute truth is we played our best ball early in the season with Mullins out and being integrated into the team as opposed to once he settled in as a starter. That’s not a knock on him, although he was particularly awful yesterday, but sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way the coach thought they would when the season started. And with Karaban, Ball and Mullins playing together, the pieces just didn’t fit well. Too much finesse, too high a percentage of 3 balls, too many players who need the ball in their hands to be effective, not enough athleticism, physicality and defense. And while Ross had a good tournament (not as good yesterday but still needed for D and athleticism), that’s why we miss Stewart in ways that aren’t always obvious.

 

[jibsey]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

 

[businesslawyer]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

From being there last night, and without wanting to replay the entire season, yes, it was true last night. There were possessions where St. John’s would physically bump and impede our movements in ways were you could have easily called 3 defensive fouls on any one possession. The officiating was not “unfair” — they called and didn’t call the same things both ways — but we don’t defend where we’re constantly fouling and daring the refs to ruin the flow of the game by constantly blowing the whistle.

 

[CTBasketball]

That was a pretty unenjoyable experience as brain dead St Johns fans berated me and my family for 2 hours.

 

[Chief00]

Its concerning that we have a hard time inbounding the ball. Also equally disturbing is our lazy passes creating turnovers/deflections.

Its March and having these two issues on our team is not Championship level play. I just think we are not as sharp as we need to be and certainly not at the point were opposing teams fear us.

If we get to the Finals we will have to have our A game and nothing less.

Agree with your observations. Having said that, now is the time to support our guys and coaches more than ever.

 

[Chief00]

That was a pretty unenjoyable experience as brain dead St Johns fans berated me and my family for 2 hours.

Thanks for supporting our team when it was difficult to do so.

 

[Kolumbo]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

I honestly can't even tell what should or should not be called, but the calls and non-calls are certainly not consistent. SJU was so much more physical than UConn and yet Reed had 2 fouls and Reibe had 3 fouls at the half. Ejiofar had 0. That affects everything about the game - the first half results, the game flow and then someone like Reed having to dial it back for fear of fowling out. It is impossible to play the way Ejiofor played while collecting just 1 foul. sure Darling had 4 fouls but who gives a sheet.

And the kicker, when Ejiofor smacked Demary over the head knocking him out of the game. No call.

 

[Mets1432]

Silas non call foul

This has been a foul in basketball since the game was created. Just because it was clean on the ball, doesn't make it less of a foul.

Honestly there is argument it should of been a Flagrant 1. But it is for sure a common. The push in the back and the forearm to the face.

If I was Danny, I would of got ejected over this.

 

[Glastonhusky]

The tech seemed over the top. I don’t normally agree with you on officiating but that was egregious.

We lack physical players. We lack depth. As I said before Hurley love smaller point guards. I don’t get it. Diara, last year the kid from Philly, Smith. Diara was the only one to work out. We also don’t have a guy who can come off the bench and light it up for a few minutes like Joey California did. Diara kind of played that role in 2024. Maybe they thought Ross would do it.

Agree about the tech. I think generally Hurley likes bigger guards, he recruited Newton and Silas is a bigger guard, County next year is also a bigger guard. We do need to hit the portal hard this off season, we need to get more athletic, more size and ball handlers.

 

[ucp990411]

The game was ugly for three reasons.

1. They came out ready to play and we didn’t. Just like we didn’t in Milwaukee with a share of the regular season title on the line. Part of that was I’m sure it was easier for them to get up for the game with the revenge factor, but part of that is this team since Big East play started just doesn’t play with full urgency and intensity all the time.

2. The shooting. Despite not being able to hit a 3 to save our lives, we got back to within 7 in the 2d half. Had any of Karaban, Ball or Mullins gotten hot, coming back would not have been impossible. This played into the key possession of the game. Down 10 with the ball coming out of the 8 minute TO, we had a possession with a bunch of offensive rebounds and multiple shots, including good looks from 3 for both BM and Solo. They both missed. That was basically the end of the game.

3. I don’t like complaining about refs, and this game didn’t have egregiously bad calls (for the most part), but this was a game where St. John’s bumped and held just constantly, and not only did the refs from the opening whistle say that was o.k., but we got called for offensive fouls twice in the first half for responding by trying to get the offenders off our guys with the ball. We won’t win games against good teams if constant mild fouls aren’t called when we have the ball. St Johns played really really well against us the way the game was called, and probably played themselves into a pod in Philly alongside us next weekend, but if they play like that they’re going to give up 35 foul shots and lose in the second round. Big East games need to be called like games are called in the rest of the country.

This was a pretty strange season. I don’t want to beat on a team that won as many games as they did, and were within 40 minutes of having earned a #1 seed, BUT, just like Chief talks about his warning signs, the absolute truth is we played our best ball early in the season with Mullins out and being integrated into the team as opposed to once he settled in as a starter. That’s not a knock on him, although he was particularly awful yesterday, but sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way the coach thought they would when the season started. And with Karaban, Ball and Mullins playing together, the pieces just didn’t fit well. Too much finesse, too high a percentage of 3 balls, too many players who need the ball in their hands to be effective, not enough athleticism, physicality and defense. And while Ross had a good tournament (not as good yesterday but still needed for D and athleticism), that’s why we miss Stewart in ways that aren’t always obvious.

You hit the nail on the head. Too much finesse. With Karaban at the 4, wouldn’t it make sense to have a more physical player at the 3, like Ross or Stewart. Would it be possible that when recruiting Mullins he was told he would be a starter and also did not want to diss Solo with not starting him? Easier to tell Ross and Stewart that they would be coming off the bench than Solo.

 

[Kolumbo]

Silas non call foul

This has been a foul in basketball since the game was created. Just because it was clean on the ball, doesn't make it less of a foul.

Honestly there is argument it should of been a Flagrant 1. But it is for sure a common. The push in the back and the forearm to the face.

If I was Danny, I would of got ejected over this.

That was so blatant including the push in the back. The knockdown is what caused the ankle injury. And the announcer called it "aggression" without even considering the fouls. Just awful. It was an 11 point game at the time of the assault.

 

[boog204]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

Honestly, him whining has gotten old. We were a very physical team 23 and 24 and my memory is nobody complained. Then we became soft as butter last year and all of a sudden the league is against us and him bla bla bla. I mean 90% of our screens the last four years are illegal. Samson would get called at least 1-2 a game.

 

[DRBackup]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

Well, they got away with this, at least... Feel pretty confident that allowing that kind of contact is indicative of something

 

[Spaceman213J]

I didn't get why the Hurley & staff didn't catch the no call and asked for a review. I know there were concerns about Demary's leg at the time, but there should be someone who should have got Hurley's attention and demand the refs take a look at it.
Best case, the refs charge a flagrant and it could end up being a 2 to 6 or 7 point swing. At the least, you make the refs see they blew a pretty obvious call.

I get Hurley's frustration at the foul on Reed. Reed lowered the shoulder to create space, but was fouled on the catch. Was pushed again after he landed and then had an extend forearm in his back, which used to an automatic foul. It was, at least, for SJ every time he was on the floor the previous 4 years.

 

[SaeHusky]

The game was ugly for three reasons.

1. They came out ready to play and we didn’t. Just like we didn’t in Milwaukee with a share of the regular season title on the line. Part of that was I’m sure it was easier for them to get up for the game with the revenge factor, but part of that is this team since Big East play started just doesn’t play with full urgency and intensity all the time.

2. The shooting. Despite not being able to hit a 3 to save our lives, we got back to within 7 in the 2d half. Had any of Karaban, Ball or Mullins gotten hot, coming back would not have been impossible. This played into the key possession of the game. Down 10 with the ball coming out of the 8 minute TO, we had a possession with a bunch of offensive rebounds and multiple shots, including good looks from 3 for both BM and Solo. They both missed. That was basically the end of the game.

3. I don’t like complaining about refs, and this game didn’t have egregiously bad calls (for the most part), but this was a game where St. John’s bumped and held just constantly, and not only did the refs from the opening whistle say that was o.k., but we got called for offensive fouls twice in the first half for responding by trying to get the offenders off our guys with the ball. We won’t win games against good teams if constant mild fouls aren’t called when we have the ball. St Johns played really really well against us the way the game was called, and probably played themselves into a pod in Philly alongside us next weekend, but if they play like that they’re going to give up 35 foul shots and lose in the second round. Big East games need to be called like games are called in the rest of the country.

This was a pretty strange season. I don’t want to beat on a team that won as many games as they did, and were within 40 minutes of having earned a #1 seed, BUT, just like Chief talks about his warning signs, the absolute truth is we played our best ball early in the season with Mullins out and being integrated into the team as opposed to once he settled in as a starter. That’s not a knock on him, although he was particularly awful yesterday, but sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way the coach thought they would when the season started. And with Karaban, Ball and Mullins playing together, the pieces just didn’t fit well. Too much finesse, too high a percentage of 3 balls, too many players who need the ball in their hands to be effective, not enough athleticism, physicality and defense. And while Ross had a good tournament (not as good yesterday but still needed for D and athleticism), that’s why we miss Stewart in ways that aren’t always obvious.

Excellent post. We are better off with only 2 of Mullins, Ball and Karaban on the floor at any given time. However with Stewart out its hard to only play 2 at a time

 

[RitzLuce1]

Honestly, him whining has gotten old. We were a very physical team 23 and 24 and my memory is nobody complained. Then we became soft as butter last year and all of a sudden the league is against us and him bla bla bla. I mean 90% of our screens the last four years are illegal. Samson would get called at least 1-2 a game.

The “very physical” 23 and 24 teams (that dominated the NCAA tournament) were routinely out shot at the free throw line in big east play. People have been talking about this since the first year in the league.

 

[EnochRoot]

The no call when Zuby floored Demary (causing his injury) was about as bad of a no-call I’ve seen this year.

That said, Reed plays the shortest 6’11” I’ve ever seen a 5 play.

 

[housekeys]

My question is for the Boneyard coaches who have watched and analyzed this on replay. Hurley said he had to break down the tape but alluded to clutching, grabbing, holding and the physicality of the game and what BE refs allow. He has talked about this ALL season.
For anyone who rewatched it is that true #1and secondly is getting to OOC again really going to fix it? We for the most part played worse in the BE than against highly ranked OOC opponents early in the year.
Did St. John's get away with a ton of non calls? We had 16 they had 17 personal fouls. Free throws were us 11-14 and them 13-17.
I only bring it up because this seems to be what Hurley is hanging his hat on.

"Non calls" are not a BY excuse, it is a real thing. Playing physical without fouling (I.e. non calls) is a skill. All coaches, coach it, but some teams are better at it than others. In the NCAA, it depends on how the game is officiated AND if the opposing team is good at the above mentioned skill. The often mentioned FTA disparity and turnovers that have haunted UConn tells us that they are not good at the "skill".

 

[gtcam]

Silas Demery is a gamer but he doesn't have a PG game. He appears to lack the quick decision making that a real PG uses and cannot see lanes before they close up. He dribbles into the trees with zero ideas of what to do with the ball. I have not seen a player who ends up on the floor as much as he did this tournament. Perhaps he is best used as a 2 because he has proven he can hit the 3s and the midrange shot.

AK played a great game vs Xavier but disappeared vs Gtown and St Johns - a complete non contributor. I applaud his previous contributions but Hurley trying to make him into an AA was/is a mistake. Congrats on a great college career AK but UConn needs your best efforts in the dance. Can you bring it with you?

Ball is an enigma - some days he looks like the best athlete on the court and other times you wonder where he is on the court. Might be best served as a spark off the bench but it may be too late. I have been noticing that he has an overt inclination to never pass to an open Mullins. That is something I am sure the coaching staff has seen on tape and wonder why it hasn't been corrected. If he is to return next season I have no idea where he fits in. As with AK, I applaud his past contributions but it may be time to move on.

Mullins is an 18 yo (which many don't take into consideration) and is a work in process with a great growing curve ahead of him. Will he be back? It depends upon his Dad's input and where he may fall in an already loaded, bloated draft. You could also see him jump to another team where he will feel more comfortable and where he will be able to take more shots .Without BM, UConn loses to Gtown last Friday.

Reed is Reed. If he wants to play hard on a consistent basis he is a monster. If he had AS's motor and drive - wow!

Ross - I had a lot of ?s about him but as the season has grown I have liked his D and his athleticism, he looked like the only Husky who could match up with St John's athletes. He has a huge upside if he could settle into a consistent performance. A very impressive NBE tourney performance

I am not even commenting on Dan Hurley's game prep because I question if there was one.
The NBE refs? They have been treating UConn as is since Hurley joined. Yeah, Calhoun had his run ins but knew how to get into the ref's minds without creating a hostile atmosphere that starts at pregame and into the post game interviews. I have been a huge proponent of refs also being interviewed by the press after the games - why is it they are given a free ride?
Inbounding the ball? Keep the ball out of AK's hands and draw up some simple plays calling for quick changes of direction and keep out of the corners. SIMPLE

This team can still blow our minds and make a great run but they could also lay a rotten egg during the early rounds.
I love UConn athletics and will always be a supporter but this season has me asking a lot of questions of the coaching staff.
It's a new season as of 7PM tonight.
UConn will know where they go and the road ahead. I, for one, will be happy to be rid of the NBE 2025-6 season.
This conference, to be nice, sucks.
Lets go Huskies, March Madness has been/is your turn to excel.

 

[Chief00]

Silas Demery is a gamer but he doesn't have a PG game. He appears to lack the quick decision making that a real PG uses and cannot see lanes before they close up. He dribbles into the trees with zero ideas of what to do with the ball. I have not seen a player who ends up on the floor as much as he did this tournament. Perhaps he is best used as a 2 because he has proven he can hit the 3s and the midrange shot.

AK played a great game vs Xavier but disappeared vs Gtown and St Johns - a complete non contributor. I applaud his previous contributions but Hurley trying to make him into an AA was/is a mistake. Congrats on a great college career AK but UConn needs your best efforts in the dance. Can you bring it with you?

Ball is an enigma - some days he looks like the best athlete on the court and other times you wonder where he is on the court. Might be best served as a spark off the bench but it may be too late. I have been noticing that he has an overt inclination to never pass to an open Mullins. That is something I am sure the coaching staff has seen on tape and wonder why it hasn't been corrected. If he is to return next season I have no idea where he fits in. As with AK, I applaud his past contributions but it may be time to move on.

Mullins is an 18 yo (which many don't take into consideration) and is a work in process with a great growing curve ahead of him. Will he be back? It depends upon his Dad's input and where he may fall in an already loaded, bloated draft. You could also see him jump to another team where he will feel more comfortable and where he will be able to take more shots .Without BM, UConn loses to Gtown last Friday.

Reed is Reed. If he wants to play hard on a consistent basis he is a monster. If he had AS's motor and drive - wow!

Ross - I had a lot of ?s about him but as the season has grown I have liked his D and his athleticism, he looked like the only Husky who could match up with St John's athletes. He has a huge upside if he could settle into a consistent performance. A very impressive NBE tourney performance

I am not even commenting on Dan Hurley's game prep because I question if there was one.
The NBE refs? They have been treating UConn as is since Hurley joined. Yeah, Calhoun had his run ins but knew how to get into the ref's minds without creating a hostile atmosphere that starts at pregame and into the post game interviews. I have been a huge proponent of refs also being interviewed by the press after the games - why is it they are given a free ride?
Inbounding the ball? Keep the ball out of AK's hands and draw up some simple plays calling for quick changes of direction and keep out of the corners. SIMPLE

This team can still blow our minds and make a great run but they could also lay a rotten egg during the early rounds.
I love UConn athletics and will always be a supporter but this season has me asking a lot of questions of the coaching staff.
It's a new season as of 7PM tonight.
UConn will know where they go and the road ahead. I, for one, will be happy to be rid of the NBE 2025-6 season.
This conference, to be nice, sucks.
Lets go Huskies, March Madness has been/is your turn to excel.

Great write-up and I agree on many points. The evolution that has taken place amongst long standing UConn fans from the joy when we rejoin the Big East to the perspective today, is remarkable despite our oncourt success the last few years. Val Ackerman has been a total trainwreck. Most importantly the Integrity of the Game has cratered under her dismal leadership.

 

[Chief00]

The game was ugly for three reasons.

1. They came out ready to play and we didn’t. Just like we didn’t in Milwaukee with a share of the regular season title on the line. Part of that was I’m sure it was easier for them to get up for the game with the revenge factor, but part of that is this team since Big East play started just doesn’t play with full urgency and intensity all the time.

2. The shooting. Despite not being able to hit a 3 to save our lives, we got back to within 7 in the 2d half. Had any of Karaban, Ball or Mullins gotten hot, coming back would not have been impossible. This played into the key possession of the game. Down 10 with the ball coming out of the 8 minute TO, we had a possession with a bunch of offensive rebounds and multiple shots, including good looks from 3 for both BM and Solo. They both missed. That was basically the end of the game.

3. I don’t like complaining about refs, and this game didn’t have egregiously bad calls (for the most part), but this was a game where St. John’s bumped and held just constantly, and not only did the refs from the opening whistle say that was o.k., but we got called for offensive fouls twice in the first half for responding by trying to get the offenders off our guys with the ball. We won’t win games against good teams if constant mild fouls aren’t called when we have the ball. St Johns played really really well against us the way the game was called, and probably played themselves into a pod in Philly alongside us next weekend, but if they play like that they’re going to give up 35 foul shots and lose in the second round. Big East games need to be called like games are called in the rest of the country.

This was a pretty strange season. I don’t want to beat on a team that won as many games as they did, and were within 40 minutes of having earned a #1 seed, BUT, just like Chief talks about his warning signs, the absolute truth is we played our best ball early in the season with Mullins out and being integrated into the team as opposed to once he settled in as a starter. That’s not a knock on him, although he was particularly awful yesterday, but sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way the coach thought they would when the season started. And with Karaban, Ball and Mullins playing together, the pieces just didn’t fit well. Too much finesse, too high a percentage of 3 balls, too many players who need the ball in their hands to be effective, not enough athleticism, physicality and defense. And while Ross had a good tournament (not as good yesterday but still needed for D and athleticism), that’s why we miss Stewart in ways that aren’t always obvious.

Interesting comment about us missing Stewart in ways that are not always obvious. I looked back at the elite OOC boxscores and absent a couple games Stewart was underwhelming, given his minutes then, but yet we won. I think his length helped us and also not another guy who needs double figures in shot attempts.
In a non dysfunctional atmosphere I think Mullins will excel with another year of maturity, and strength development. Sometimes our ballhandler struggle so much from constant grabbing and pushing they don’t keep their heads up and don’t see enought of the court. So often we miss Mullins open in his sweet spots with space but then in the same possession give him the ball when tightly guarded and a less than optimal shot follows perhaps out of frustration or over confidence? While not strong yet he is very athletic and can create offense off the mid range dribble. He needs more college preparation for his game and his handlers need to have the recognition while he might get drafted first round his best pay day is to round out his game and strength with another college season and then get a first half of first round payday.

 

[Chief00]

"Non calls" are not a BY excuse, it is a real thing. Playing physical without fouling (I.e. non calls) is a skill. All coaches, coach it, but some teams are better at it than others. In the NCAA, it depends on how the game is officiated AND if the opposing team is good at the above mentioned skill. The often mentioned FTA disparity and turnovers that have haunted UConn tells us that they are not good at the "skill".

I understand your point but if they consciously or subconsciously have an axe to grind with Hurley, which there is all kinds of evidence to suggest they do - then more foul flopping etc won’t help.

 

[DMIL]

The game was ugly for three reasons.

1. They came out ready to play and we didn’t. Just like we didn’t in Milwaukee with a share of the regular season title on the line. Part of that was I’m sure it was easier for them to get up for the game with the revenge factor, but part of that is this team since Big East play started just doesn’t play with full urgency and intensity all the time.

2. The shooting. Despite not being able to hit a 3 to save our lives, we got back to within 7 in the 2d half. Had any of Karaban, Ball or Mullins gotten hot, coming back would not have been impossible. This played into the key possession of the game. Down 10 with the ball coming out of the 8 minute TO, we had a possession with a bunch of offensive rebounds and multiple shots, including good looks from 3 for both BM and Solo. They both missed. That was basically the end of the game.

3. I don’t like complaining about refs, and this game didn’t have egregiously bad calls (for the most part), but this was a game where St. John’s bumped and held just constantly, and not only did the refs from the opening whistle say that was o.k., but we got called for offensive fouls twice in the first half for responding by trying to get the offenders off our guys with the ball. We won’t win games against good teams if constant mild fouls aren’t called when we have the ball. St Johns played really really well against us the way the game was called, and probably played themselves into a pod in Philly alongside us next weekend, but if they play like that they’re going to give up 35 foul shots and lose in the second round. Big East games need to be called like games are called in the rest of the country.

This was a pretty strange season. I don’t want to beat on a team that won as many games as they did, and were within 40 minutes of having earned a #1 seed, BUT, just like Chief talks about his warning signs, the absolute truth is we played our best ball early in the season with Mullins out and being integrated into the team as opposed to once he settled in as a starter. That’s not a knock on him, although he was particularly awful yesterday, but sometimes the pieces don’t fit the way the coach thought they would when the season started. And with Karaban, Ball and Mullins playing together, the pieces just didn’t fit well. Too much finesse, too high a percentage of 3 balls, too many players who need the ball in their hands to be effective, not enough athleticism, physicality and defense. And while Ross had a good tournament (not as good yesterday but still needed for D and athleticism), that’s why we miss Stewart in ways that aren’t always obvious.

🎯