Chief’s Briefs - UCLA Edition | The Boneyard

Chief’s Briefs - UCLA Edition

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Chief00

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Alex Karaban put on a clinic. He was good from both 2pts & 3pts for 27 points, and was a veteran and calming influence. With Reed, Ball and Demary without a FG until 8 minutes into the second half, Karaban teamed with Ross, Reibe and Mullins to hold things together. Alex also had 5 rebounds and led the team on the court encouraging and calming his teammates.

Ball missed some open 3’s but how do you go 0-5 from 3pts without trying a 2pt shot? Good to see that type of one dimensional shooting having minute consequences with only 14 minutes tonight, but granted I believe 2 fouls in first half, which helped reduce his minutes).

Ross and Smith were key players tonight. Ross had a 7 or 9 point run in the first half when no one else was playing well on offense. Smith had only 2 points in 33 minutes but along with Ross gave us great defense and Smith had 6 assists with only 2 turnovers. More importantly he competently ran the team on offense and was a dog on defense.

No player missed more than 1 foul shot. Reed (4-5) and Ross (3-4) were the only guys not perfect. Mullins and Karaban were both (5-5) and Demary (2-2). 90% foul shooting is exactly what’s needed to win during the tournament. Both teams had 21 foul shot attempts but we made 5 more.

Reed had a double /double (10
Points, 13 rebounds) and I love the improvement in his foul shooting (80% tonight). Shows time in the gym! Again as a team we had a big rebound advantage of 36 to 24.

Mullins had 17 points on 55% shooting. Dribbling into the lane for a 10 foot jumper got his game going after a slow start. Something Ball needs to learn from. When he is shooting well his shot barely touches the net. Mullins just needs to resist the freshman urge to rush things which led to 5 turnovers. Demary again needs to do a better job of looking for Mullins when he’s open earlier in the possession. Yet, Demary showed competitiveness and toughness playing when he wasn’t 100% by the eye test.
I thought our defense was good holding UCLA to 39% but think that and our rebounding would be even better if our center did not get caught covering guards 23 feet from the basket and the chain reaction of fouls and mismatches that creates.
 
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Honestly, even with Silas being limited, the offense and the defense just worked better without Ball tonight. Reed’s not an offensive dynamo, but he’s also not stopping the ball the way Solo has been.

I don’t expect that we’ll see Stewart back this year, but I’d like to see Dan Hurley keep Reed’s minutes up for as long as we go. If Solo’s somehow cracks out of his year long slump, great, but otherwise, having a big, active wing who is not soaking shots from AK, BM and TR is preferable.
 
Fishy said:
Honestly, even with Silas being limited, the offense and the defense just worked better without Ball tonight. Reed’s not an offensive dynamo, but he’s also not stopping the ball the way Solo has been.

I don’t expect that we’ll see Stewart back this year, but I’d like to see Dan Hurley keep Reed’s minutes up for as long as we go. If Solo’s somehow cracks out of his year long slump, great, but otherwise, having a big, active wing who is not soaking shots from AK, BM and TR is preferable.
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Agree, individual production and helping teammates be more preductive are two factors that must be part of someone’s playing minutes calculation. Alex now is shooting threes + 4.7% above last season and FG + 4.4% above last season. Ball is -11.8% 3pt% and -4.8% FG% below last year.
With Ball, It may seem like we are stating the obvious, at some point rotations can’t be about what you did last season. If your 3pt shot isn’t falling, identify what’s working and get it to hotter guys in a given game or drive like Mullins did to start his engine. Ball can help us but he needs more self awareness if he is in a given game. Maybe taking pressure off himself by sharing the ball more might enable him to relax more and get his rhythm back.
 
Big time effort from Ross and Smith. Ross was the stabilizer when not much else was working. Smith may be better as a starter than a bench guy. When the opponent does not press a lot, Smith seems to be solid, a good defender. Ball shots are on the front rim but if he is not scoring he becomes a defensive liability.
 
Dove said:
Solo doesn't even look upset when he's relegated to the bench due to horrific play.

He needs to drive from the arc to a more comfortable 12-foot range to shake loose some rust.
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When Solo got pulled after missing those 3 in a row, camera went to him on the bench. Guys were encouraging him and he looked mad the shots weren’t falling, but not discouraged. He’s going to make some buckets against a tough Izzo team.
 
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1. I have thought for two seasons that Alex could be more than a complimentary scorer, and his limits have been more personality than ability. Would love to see him continue to drive more as he did last night.

2. Both Smith and Ross were outstanding defensively last night. Smith may not start against MSU, but with Stewart out and Solo in his funk you’re going to see a lot more of Silas and Malachi on the floor together next week.

3. Obviously UCLA was without its best player, but we had plenty to overcome last night as well, and for the second straight game at the end of the day we did what we had to do and finished strong. Hopefully in DC we have two “A” games left.

4. Solo needs to not shoot a 3 Friday night until he’s made a 2.

5. As we discussed last week, we haven’t lost in the 2d weekend since ‘06, and in the same building to boot. This will be an extremely difficult weekend to get through, but there are also some demons waiting to be exorcised.

6. Don’t lose sight of the fact that in what pretty clearly the Big East’s worst year ever we still have more teams left in the Sweet Sixteen than the ACC does.
 
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Fishy said:
Honestly, even with Silas being limited, the offense and the defense just worked better without Ball tonight. Reed’s not an offensive dynamo, but he’s also not stopping the ball the way Solo has been.

I don’t expect that we’ll see Stewart back this year, but I’d like to see Dan Hurley keep Reed’s minutes up for as long as we go. If Solo’s somehow cracks out of his year long slump, great, but otherwise, having a big, active wing who is not soaking shots from AK, BM and TR is preferable.
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You meant Ross not Reed?
 
businesslawyer said:
1. I have thought for two seasons that Alex could be more than a complimentary scorer, and his limits have been more personality than ability. Would love to see him continue to drive more as he did last night.

2. Both Smith and Ross were outstanding defensively last night. Smith may not start against MSU, but with Stewart out and Solo in his funk you’re going to see a lot more of Silas and Malachi on the floor together next week.

3. Obviously UCLA was without its best player, but we had plenty to overcome last night as well, and for the second straight game at the end of the day we did what we had to do and finish strong. Hopefully in DC we have two “A” games left.

4. Solo needs to not shoot a 3 Friday night until he’s made a 2.

5. As we discussed last week, we haven’t lost in the 2d weekend since ‘06, and in the same building to boot. This will be an extremely difficult weekend to get through, but there are also some demons waiting to be exorcised.

6. Don’t lose sight of the fact that in what pretty clearly the Big East’s worst year ever we still have more teams left in the Sweet Sixteen than the ACC does.
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Alex seems to have found that right balance in his game. 48.2% FG, 39.4% 3pt%, 5 rebounds per game and a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. His defense and boxing out have been solid too.
I have not put any money down on #4 yet. Lol
 
Dove said:
Solo doesn't even look upset when he's relegated to the bench due to horrific play.

He needs to drive from the arc to a more comfortable 12-foot range to shake loose some rust.
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Yeah, I don't know about that one. After he missed those 3 in a row and the camera panned to him sitting on the bench he legitimately looked sad.
 
I understand that overall, AK was the most dominate player on the floor, however I saw Smith as the unspoken MVP last night. He provided enough stability at the PG position to allow some fluidity in the UConn offense, especially in the 2nd half. He also scored his only basket at a crucial time when things started to look shaky. Ross needs to be on the floor. I don’t care if he starts but he needs to play more minutes than Ball if Ball’s woes continue. I would love to see the early season Ball where he mixed in many drives and middies to his game.
I am hoping that BM has finally found his shot and learns to relax a bit. He was playing in overdrive and when anyone does that they get out of rhythem and force things. He is too talented of a player {regardless of what the drunken mindless dolts on the chat say), to allow his adrenaline to generate negative results. NIL aside, he is still an 18 yo vs grown men 3 and 4 years older. Yes he will face that in the NBA but will have coaches and mentors that can work with him on that aspect. AK was a calming influence on him last night.
Good win but the turnovers still are way too high- 4 traveling calls? I haven’t see that since my grandkids U-10 travel games.
One last thing-the officiating. The T on Mick was ridiculous. During the St John’s game, Pitino did the sarcastic clap and foot stomping while waving off the refs twice in his game yesterday as he was standing out of his box and on the court and refs looked the other way. You think that the refs don’t have it out for certain coaches?…
On to MSU - it will be tough but winnable if UConn can play within themselves and create good offense.
 
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businesslawyer said:
5. As we discussed last week, we haven’t lost in the 2d weekend since ‘06, and in the same building to boot. This will be an extremely difficult weekend to get through, but there are also some demons waiting to be exorcised.
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This is an utterly bizarre factoid, especially given that we spent most of the early-mid Calhoun era getting into the second weekend like its our birthright but failing to get over the hump. Second weekend losses in 90, 91, 94, 95, 96, 98, 02, 03, and 06.

Since then it's been first weekend losses in 2008, 12, 16, 21, 22, and 25, and Final Four runs in 09, 11, 14, 23, and 24 (obviously championships for the latter 4).

This will be one of the toughest S16/E8 gauntlets we've faced, with a ton of history. 1-1 in the Tournament against MSU. 2-2 in the Tournament against Duke. St. John's has had our number lately and was basically constructed to beat us.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
This is an utterly bizarre factoid, especially given that we spent most of the early-mid Calhoun era getting into the second weekend like its our birthright but failing to get over the hump. Second weekend losses in 90, 91, 94, 95, 96, 98, 02, 03, and 06.

Since then it's been first weekend losses in 2008, 12, 16, 21, 22, and 25, and Final Four runs in 09, 11, 14, 23, and 24 (obviously championships for the latter 4).

This will be one of the toughest S16/E8 gauntlets we've faced, with a ton of history. 1-1 in the Tournament against MSU. 2-2 in the Tournament against Duke. St. John's has had our number lately and was basically constructed to beat us.
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When did MSU beat us in the tourney? I’m not remembering.
 
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MSU is going to be a step up in every way. Better team and a better coach.

I’m of the opinion that we need Ball to play “normal” at minimum to keep winning.

Ross has been awesome. His confidence is peaking at just the right time.

Mullins has got to keep finding that midrange game first. It’s unguardable and really opens up his outside game.

Disappointed if Fishy is right and Stewart is done for the season. I’d like to have one more long, lean defender to help against the better teams.

Silas’ injury may be a blessing in disguise. Smith is running with being the lead guard and I’m excited to see them play together at full strength again.

Is there really something to the Big East ref conspiracy against us? Mick Cronin is a truly great defensive coach and we were open all night long. The offense is flowing better than in conference again.

Let’s beat MSU and then—-anyone that prefers to play St John’s instead of Duke is nuts. SJU was built to win the Big East and beat UConn. I’d love to avenge the last loss but I prefer avoid them. Ironically, I major fist pumped their last second win. So tired of hearing how great the other conferences are only to see that once again, it’s mostly bs. I’m excited for the near future of the Big East. Great coaches across the board.
 
Chief00 said:
Alex Karaban put on a clinic. He was good from both 2pts & 3pts for 27 points, and was a veteran and calming influence. With Reed, Ball and Demary without a FG until 8 minutes into the second half, Karaban teamed with Ross, Reibe and Mullins to hold things together. Alex also had 5 rebounds and led the team on the court encouraging and calming his teammates.

Ball missed some open 3’s but how do you go 0-5 from 3pts without trying a 2pt shot? Good to see that type of one dimensional shooting having minute consequences with only 14 minutes tonight, but granted I believe 2 fouls in first half, which helped reduce his minutes).

Ross and Smith were key players tonight. Ross had a 7 or 9 point run in the first half when no one else was playing well on offense. Smith had only 2 points in 33 minutes but along with Ross gave us great defense and Smith had 6 assists with only 2 turnovers. More importantly he competently ran the team on offense and was a dog on defense.

No player missed more than 1 foul shot. Reed (4-5) and Ross (3-4) were the only guys not perfect. Mullins and Karaban were both (5-5) and Demary (2-2). 90% foul shooting is exactly what’s needed to win during the tournament. Both teams had 21 foul shot attempts but we made 5 more.

Reed had a double /double (10
Points, 13 rebounds) and I love the improvement in his foul shooting (80% tonight). Shows time in the gym! Again as a team we had a big rebound advantage of 36 to 24.

Mullins had 17 points on 55% shooting. Dribbling into the lane for a 10 foot jumper got his game going after a slow start. Something Ball needs to learn from. When he is shooting well his shot barely touches the net. Mullins just needs to resist the freshman urge to rush things which led to 5 turnovers. Demary again needs to do a better job of looking for Mullins when he’s open earlier in the possession. Yet, Demary showed competitiveness and toughness playing when he wasn’t 100% by the eye test.
I thought our defense was good holding UCLA to 39% but think that and our rebounding would be even better if our center did not get caught covering guards 23 feet from the basket and the chain reaction of fouls and mismatches that creates.
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So Chief. You compliment them for holding UCLA to 39% shooting and say we could have rebounded better without the high hedge. You do know we won the rebounding 36-24. You are ridiculous about the high hedge. Watch MSU Friday, they also use it. Maybe you could meet with Hurley and Izzo and teach them about how to play defense
 
Tenspro2002 said:
The best year that nobody remembers -- the 2009 Final Four.
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You know why that’s not in my memory — because the loss was entirely my fault. Only Final Four game out of our 13 that I didn’t watch from home (was in Pinehurst on a golf trip).

Never again. In ‘24, my son made me fly home early from a work convention so I was home to watch.
 
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Good points as usual Chief.

Totally agree about Ball. He, Mullins and Demary (when healthy) all have the ability to get to the 10-15 footer and make them pretty consistently. Ball can't forget that area or ignore it for the entire game. He also can't play putrid defense. Otherwise, he is a big whole or liability on the floor.

Ross was really, really good. He was afraid of the moment. Yes, he is a junior, but hasn't had that much time in that type of situation too date. Really excited about his senior year, but there's unfinished business now.

Of course, Reed's first round game will always be remembered, but despite the foul trouble, he was very solid. He took care of the boards, made some smart passes and was solid. The 1st foul could easily have been a hook & hold on UCLA. There was also the missed call in the 2nd half where he was almost taken to the ground. Some NCAA refs are horrible at calling the post. Don't know these guys track records in that department, but they were a solid "C" last night.

Not too much to add about AK. The Captain's game showed up in full force last night.

Just need to get everyone healthy for Mich. St.. They are a tough team and Izzo just knows how to coach his guys and get the most of them this time of year. Can't have any weak stretch against them.
 
I think Ball's wrist has been bothering him and it is impacting his shooting. Mullins has been rushing his 3 point release, but he doesn't on his 2s. I think it's because he is a freshman. And, having a senior calming influence like Alex Karaban on the floor in a big game is invaluable.

Having Smith and Demary on the floor together seems to be working well as we now have 2 points guards that can generate assists at the same time and they had 10 assists and 2 TOs.

Finally, Ross is a difference maker. Plays tough defense, is all over the floor, makes winning plays, can handle the ball, and is shooting 38% from 3. He doesn't need to score to be a positive on the court.
 
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