Chief’s Briefs - Texas Edition

[B1GEast]

I don't think Spencer was as much of a factor last night as you might think.

He was 4-12 on the night and for a large stretch late in the game his shot wasn't going down and they scored on transition and made it close.

I'm all for the wide open shot, but I'd much rather see high percentage shots when the game is close. We have a rebounding edge and should take advantage of our inside game.

We were stuck at 75 points for what seemed like infinity. With four or five minutes left, you have to extend the lead. This game could have turned ugly if Texas would have been able to make shots and not turn the ball over like they did late.

Karaban and Johnson carried the team last night. Spencer was a bit of a liability by rushing his shot.

Newton and Diarra really fought hard driving to the hoop and both played with tenacity. Newton didn't fare well behind the arc, but he battled and his stats don't show the physicality of his play last night.

 

[jibsey]

Karaban, Newton and Spencer are like having coaches on the floor. It’s unreal that we have this.

 

[Excalibur]

I don't think Spencer was as much of a factor last night as you might think.

He was 4-12 on the night and for a large stretch late in the game his shot wasn't going down and they scored on transition and made it close.

I'm all for the wide open shot, but I'd much rather see high percentage shots when the game is close. We have a rebounding edge and should take advantage of our inside game.

We were stuck at 75 points for what seemed like infinity. With four or five minutes left, you have to extend the lead. This game could have turned ugly if Texas would have been able to make shots and not turn the ball over like they did late.

Karaban and Johnson carried the team last night. Spencer was a bit of a liability by rushing his shot.

Newton and Diarra really fought hard driving to the hoop and both played with tenacity. Newton didn't fare well behind the arc, but he battled and his stats don't show the physicality of his play last night.

He took one bad three. Simmer down . . .

 

[B1GEast]

He took one bad three. Simmer down . . .

He did worse than that. Still a fan, settle down

 

[Chief00]

I don't think Spencer was as much of a factor last night as you might think.

He was 4-12 on the night and for a large stretch late in the game his shot wasn't going down and they scored on transition and made it close.

I'm all for the wide open shot, but I'd much rather see high percentage shots when the game is close. We have a rebounding edge and should take advantage of our inside game.

Some good insights, but let us not forget Cam was 6-6 from FT and he was our second leading scorer with 16 points. Cam also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists to round out his game. Granted he shot 33% from the floor and if he hit 2 more shots it would be 50% but that’s how life goes sometimes.

 

[ctchamps]

Alex still needs to get stronger. He’s not getting bullied like early last year, but physical guys do give him problems on defense. I don’t know enough about Abraham, but I prefer one bigger 4 on the roster, 6’8-9” and 225 or so. Even if a 3-4 year bench guy, it’s helpful for some of these matchups.

After tonight, Johnson may get more time at the 4 with Clingan. Clingan‘s passing could make that tough to defend

I was concerned about Alex's reaction time on defense. Seems to be slightly slower to react than last season. The Texas inbound play under our basket is one example. Also there were three or four plays on the perimeter in which Alex and one of our guards were not communicating with each other about switches. Resulted in Alex leaving a Texas player completely unguarded. Totally fixable and I'm sure the coaches will be addressing this if Alex himself doesn't review the film and work it out.

 

[Chief00]

I was concerned about Alex's reaction time on defense. Seems to be slightly slower to react than last season. The Texas inbound play under our basket is one example. Also there were three or four plays on the perimeter in which Alex and one of our guards were not communicating with each other about switches. Resulted in Alex leaving a Texas player completely unguarded. Totally fixable and I'm sure the coaches will be addressing this if Alex himself doesn't review the film and work it out.

Agree, and let’s not forget Alex has many new teammates he is interacting with on the floor with Spencer, Ball, Castle and Johnson playing with the first team.

 

[uconnfan68]

I was concerned about Alex's reaction time on defense. Seems to be slightly slower to react than last season. The Texas inbound play under our basket is one example. Also there were three or four plays on the perimeter in which Alex and one of our guards were not communicating with each other about switches. Resulted in Alex leaving a Texas player completely unguarded. Totally fixable and I'm sure the coaches will be addressing this if Alex himself doesn't review the film and work it out.

Not really fair to expect Alex to keep up with the seriously athletic Texas guys. He won’t see many like them.

 

[gtcam]

Overall it was a very good win against a good but going to be much better team
Diarra - can't say enough about how this kid performed - he came here touted as a very good defender, a good rebounder for his size and can be above average with court vision and distribution. Nothing was said about scoring. He performed as advertised. People who get on him for lack of scoring and 3pt shooting have no clue.
Karaban - Mr Clutch on buzzer beaters. A leader but I think Dan Hurley is toying with disaster with his defensive assignments. The kid is hardnosed and determined but is limited defensively on covering either a quick player or a much bigger player. The kid is going to be a really good player but better coach - loved his post-game comments.
Cam - quietest 20-point game Ive seen in a while. He is very cerebral, but he also struggles defensively - looks like he is better than the eye test because he hustles around but gets burned too many times. His shot, as Newton's wasn't there but he will hit more than miss. Joey California on steroids.
SJ - Wow - blew my mind with his footwork and leaping ability - better than I ever saw him during practices. Would love to see him develop a 6-8ft jumper. Fantastic effort and results - my MVP of the game.
Newton - as said - subpar performance but I hope he doesn't continue to receive the Kemba/Bazz treatment from refs where he gets beat-up on every drive to the hoop and no whistle. He is the straw, right now, that stirs the drink.
DC - he is no way near 100% but needs to get himself in shape - when you play tired, everything is off. I think he was also sick last night. He'll be fine.
Ball - can't wait until next year - kid is going to be unreal. You can just see it in his mojo.
Castle - Going to be weird for some when he returns but a rare talent like him has to play and play a lot.

 

[Chief00]

Overall it was a very good win against a good but going to be much better team
Diarra - can't say enough about how this kid performed - he came here touted as a very good defender, a good rebounder for his size and can be above average with court vision and distribution. Nothing was said about scoring. He performed as advertised. People who get on him for lack of scoring and 3pt shooting have no clue.
Karaban - Mr Clutch on buzzer beaters. A leader but I think Dan Hurley is toying with disaster with his defensive assignments. The kid is hardnosed and determined but is limited defensively on covering either a quick player or a much bigger player. The kid is going to be a really good player but better coach - loved his post-game comments.
Cam - quietest 20-point game Ive seen in a while. He is very cerebral, but he also struggles defensively - looks like he is better than the eye test because he hustles around but gets burned too many times. His shot, as Newton's wasn't there but he will hit more than miss. Joey California on steroids.
SJ - Wow - blew my mind with his footwork and leaping ability - better than I ever saw him during practices. Would love to see him develop a 6-8ft jumper. Fantastic effort and results - my MVP of the game.
Newton - as said - subpar performance but I hope he doesn't continue to receive the Kemba/Bazz treatment from refs where he gets beat-up on every drive to the hoop and no whistle. He is the straw, right now, that stirs the drink.
DC - he is no way near 100% but needs to get himself in shape - when you play tired, everything is off. I think he was also sick last night. He'll be fine.
Ball - can't wait until next year - kid is going to be unreal. You can just see it in his mojo.
Castle - Going to be weird for some when he returns but a rare talent like him has to play and play a lot.

Excellent insights. I agree, Sol Ball is going to be good. I liked the way Samson rebounded. He is a go to post move and mid range jumper away from being a special player.

 

[caw]

I know how we all feel about Rick Pitino but as Calhoun says, he is a great coach. He is so right about how our guys cut and read one another to deliver the ball. View attachment 93272

I mean he’s right on a lot of the details but wrong in the conclusion they haven’t played together that long.

The returning players all (except Johnson) only have one season at UConn. And in their first year they started undefeated until conference play and ended with a championship.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Some good insights, but let us not forget Cam was 6-6 from FT and he was our second leading scorer with 16 points. Cam also had 5 rebounds and 5 assists to round out his game. Granted he shot 33% from the floor and if he hit 2 more shots it would be 50% but that’s how life goes sometimes.

Thats how you know a guy is really good. He didnt have his best game yet he had a pretty good game and made plays when needed. People complaining about his game last night are crazy. I was actually very impressed because of his lack of athleticism i thought he might be a non factor in games like this and i was wrong.

 

[Kolumbo]

I know how we all feel about Rick Pitino but as Calhoun says, he is a great coach. He is so right about how our guys cut and read one another to deliver the ball. View attachment 93272

Nice quote. When he says "They've played together for so long," he must be referring to Andrew Hurley and . . . Samson Johnson? That's gotta be some special coaching.

 

[kobebeanbryant]

One thing we seem to lack is perimeter quickness on offense. Having someone who can get by their defender off the dribble.

Newton is able to get to the rim, but even he seems to use his size and shiftiness as opposed to quickness to “turn the corner”.

There were a handful of possessions where Texas locked us up on the perimeter and multiple guys had a hard time even getting a clean pass off nevermind getting by their man. Ended up leading to tough shots. We made a few (mainly Karaban) but wouldn’t want to get in the habit of counting on those.

Diarra and Ball are both quick guards and are capable on defense, but Diarra is limited on offense and Ball doesn’t have enough confidence in that part of his game yet.

Getting Castle back will help a lot against pesky perimeter defensive opponents.

 

[Chief00]

Nice quote. When he says "They've played together for so long," he must be referring to Andrew Hurley and . . . Samson Johnson? That's gotta be some special coaching.

I get your point, Sanogo, Hawkins and Jackson Jr are gone. I think Pitino was comparing us with St John’s and all their turnover. At least Samson got practice and Newton, Karaban and Clingan did get game exoerience together. I think we are fortunate that Spencer is a seasoned player from a good conference and a quick study. .

 

[Chief00]

One thing we seem to lack is perimeter quickness on offense. Having someone who can get by their defender off the dribble.

Newton is able to get to the rim, but even he seems to use his size and shiftiness as opposed to quickness to “turn the corner”.

There were a handful of possessions where Texas locked us up on the perimeter and multiple guys had a hard time even getting a clean pass off nevermind getting by their man. Ended up leading to tough shots. We made a few (mainly Karaban) but wouldn’t want to get in the habit of counting on those.

Diarra and Ball are both quick guards and are capable on defense, but Diarra is limited on offense and Ball doesn’t have enough confidence in that part of his game yet.

Getting Castle back will help a lot against pesky perimeter defensive opponents.

Diarra can get by guys but he is small and he needs to continue to improve his foul shooting. A healthy Castle will help.

 

[M.S.G.]

If Karaban is going to hit shots like that, Diarra and Johnson continue to be DOGGGGGGGGS off the bench, and Spencer/Newton steady????

Buckle up.

 

[ucp990411]

They shot 29% from 3.
Clingan and Newton did not have great nights.

They still win by double digits.

I said it last year that Karaban has a little Larry Bird in him. In the final few minutes, while others start to speed up, he seems to slow down and knows exactly what he wants to do and how much time there is on the clock. You can tell he wants the ball himself and he wants to rip the other team's heart out. If it came down to one shot to win a game, as rich as UConn's history is, I'm not sure there is a player I'd want ahead of him to take that one shot for the championship. Ray, RIP and Tate have hit big shots, historic shots, but Karaban seems to have that knack. Granted it hasn't been in a BE championship or needed in tournament play, but he seems very comfortable in the moment at the close of a game or on a big possession.

Did you forget about Kemba?

 

[ucp990411]

Karaban must practice buzzer beaters. It's a continuing habit. Spencer is Joey California Part2. I was stunned the first half on Samson's play.
This team seems to be continuing from last year. It is a breath of fresh air to witness the BBIQ of this team.

Spencer is a better all around player than Joey California. Closer to another Jordan Hawkins

 

[B1GEast]

People complaining about his game last night are crazy. I was actually very impressed because of his lack of athleticism i thought he might be a non factor in games like this and i was wrong.

My points on Spencer were about his decision making late in the game, nothing more.

Obviously Spencer's an incredible asset to the team.

 

[ctchamps]

My points on Spencer were about his decision making late in the game, nothing more.

Obviously Spencer's an incredible asset to the team.

I’m pretty sure Hurley had no problem with Cam taking wide open threes in this game. Two games prior it was Cam’s threes that were significant in the victory.

Against Indiana the late three by Cam deflated Indiana’s players reminiscent of what Hawk and Joey did to opposing teams last season. Cam’s 3’s are a legitimate asset that any coach would green light.

Plus he’s a heady player who understands the game and has shown he considers options.

What makes this team so good is you have four playmakers in the starting lineup who really understand the game and all four play unselfishly. It’s looking like we have two playmakers in Diarra and Ball that can come off the bench with the same potential.

 

[Sibeerian]

How tall is Ball? He was flying above the rim on 2 putbacks, kid has some serious spring.

6 foot 3 with freddy krueger arms and flubber in his sneakers

 

[B1GEast]

I’m pretty sure Hurley had no problem with Cam taking wide open threes in this game. Two games prior it was Cam’s threes that were significant in the victory.

Against Indiana the late three by Cam deflated Indiana’s players reminiscent of what Hawk and Joey did to opposing teams last season. Cam’s 3’s are a legitimate asset that any coach would green light.

Plus he’s a heady player who understands the game and has shown he considers options.

What makes this team so good is you have four playmakers in the starting lineup who really understand the game and all four play unselfishly. It’s looking like we have two playmakers in Diarra and Ball that can come off the bench with the same potential.

Nothing wrong with open shot, but that's not always the best shot when the score is close and the bigs aren't in position for a rebound

Watch the game film. There was a moment when Spencer with driving to the basket and there were three Texas jerseys near him and the hoop. Johnson was out of position and couldn't get and alley opp pass or in a good position for a rebound.

Spencer still drove towards the basket. Maybe he should have reset.

Look, it's not a big deal, we won the game and I absolutely love Spencer on the team, just my two cents

 

[ctchamps]

Nothing wrong with open shot, but that's not always the best shot when the score is close and the bigs aren't in position for a rebound

Watch the game film. There was a moment when Spencer with driving to the basket and there were three Texas jerseys near him and the hoop. Johnson was out of position and couldn't get and alley opp pass or in a good position for a rebound.

Spencer still drove towards the basket. Maybe he should have reset.

Look, it's not a big deal, we won the game and I absolutely love Spencer on the team, just my two cents

I thought the same thing about that play. But our perspective from a tv angle is quite different from what a player sees on the floor. He probably saw an opportunity to create a shot or alley oop before the opposing teams reaction.

The thing that blows my mind about this team is how well the starters play together as a unit at this stage. We have four play makers that can assist or make successful plays at a high rate on offense. Our best teams have had three in the past. Of course it’s early in the season but I’m loving what we’ve seen so far.

 

[B1GEast]

I thought the same thing about that play. But our perspective from a tv angle is quite different from what a player sees on the floor. He probably saw an opportunity to create a shot or alley oop before the opposing teams reaction.

The thing that blows my mind about this team is how well the starters play together as a unit at this stage. We have four play makers that can assist or make successful plays at a high rate on offense. Our best teams have had three in the past. Of course it’s early in the season but I’m loving what we’ve seen so far.

I think we might have more than four playmakers, which is scary. I'm trying to temper my expectations.

Can't win every year, but this team has yet to peak, which is crazy.

 

[ctchamps]

I think we might have more than four playmakers, which is scary. I'm trying to temper my expectations.

Can't win every year, but this team has yet to peak, which is crazy.

My expectations have gone up significantly after these past two games. How the season plays out is hard to know. The best teams don’t always finish on top at the end because humans are playing and not robots.

But we have the components to make it happen. I wasn’t sure until now. I like our chances if this team stays healthy and the players continue to reach their potential. But you need a lot of luck as well. It’s why we watch sports. The script isn’t written.

It blows my mind to consider what the two bb programs have accomplished over the past twenty five years. It should not have happened. Too many pieces to the puzzle to win one championship never mind sixteen.

 

[Chief00]

My points on Spencer were about his decision making late in the game, nothing more.

Obviously Spencer's an incredible asset to the team.

There are many coaches across the country who would love to have Cam’s decision making.

 

[Spaceman213J]

Did you forget about Kemba?

I didn't forget about Kemba.

It's just more of the position they play. Kemba would use the crossover or his speed to get the open shot, and was clutch hitting it.

With Karaban, it's more just will and determination. It's more craft and cunning to get those shots off.

 

[Huskybass]

My expectations have gone up significantly after these past two games. How the season plays out is hard to know. The best teams don’t always finish on top at the end because humans are playing and not robots.

But we have the components to make it happen. I wasn’t sure until now. I like our chances if this team stays healthy and the players continue to reach their potential. But you need a lot of luck as well. It’s why we watch sports. The script isn’t written.

It blows my mind to consider what the two bb programs have accomplished over the past twenty five years. It should not have happened. Too many pieces to the puzzle to win one championship never mind sixteen.

Great post. In response to your last sentence, I'm not remotely surprised that UConn won a National Championship under Hurley and that Geno has won a slew. Both demand excellence in all areas. They reap what they have sewn.

 

[Deleted at users request]

I didn't forget about Kemba.

It's just more of the position they play. Kemba would use the crossover or his speed to get the open shot, and was clutch hitting it.

With Karaban, it's more just will and determination. It's more craft and cunning to get those shots off.

I don’t think we need to find a way to call Karaban the best ever at something which seems to be a thing on the board. Think it’s much more respectful to the greats that played here to say he’s following a tradition of something instead.

Great and clutch players and plays run in our history. It’s premature to even put him on that list without him hitting a game winner.

If Karaban is looking like he’d be the best ever anything, it’s probably the best white player to play here. (But he has to get two rings minimum to pass Tyler ).