Chief’s Briefs - Xavier Edition

[Chief00]

Another dominant win against an inferior team. We had 17 more rebounds, 20 more assists and shot +20% better FG.

I almost had no criticism of a UConn game ref by O’Connell until Hurley rightly appealed an out of bounds call. To teach Hurley a lesson, a revengeful O’Connell added a flagrant 1 on Smith, which was not called on the court. Smith got hit hard in the nose which bled and raised his arm to protect himself and may have touch the other guys head. But, how about consistency since Smith was hit in his face?

Reed and Reibe contributed 28 points on 12 for 13 FG and 15 rebounds. My one criticism is that Reibe was 3-5 feet past the 3 point line on the high hedge and at times that gave Xavier mismatch/open opportunities or rebounding position. But, they failed to capitalize.

Demary again filled up the boxscore with 17 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds. The only negative was 4 turnovers. Demary is definitely about finding a way to win.

Karaban had just 9 points on 4-7 shooting but had 6 rebounds/ 6 assists. His 3 misses were 3pt shots. But, Alex is all about winning too.

Mullins started with about 10 quick point and Hurley was married to his rotation and Mullins only scored 3 more points after the substitution. With a shooter like Mullins there’s something to be said for riding with the hot hand and substitute if he cools off or needs a rest. Tonight it wasn’t an issue given the margin, but it may be another game.

Ross had 11 points with him 3 for 5 from 3pt. Good to see him score so we won’t be punished offensively when we use him as a defensive stopper.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Another dominant win against an inferior team. We had 17 more rebounds, 20 more assists and shot +20% better FG.

I almost had no criticism of a UConn game ref by O’Connell until Hurley rightly appealed an out of bounds call. To teach Hurley a lesson, a revengeful O’Connell added a flagrant 1 on Smith, which was not called on the court. Smith got hit hard in the nose which bled and raised his arm to protect himself and may have touch the other guys head. But, how about consistency since Smith was hit in his face?

Reed and Reibe contributed 28 points on 12 for 13 FG and 15 rebounds. My one criticism is that Reibe was 3-5 feet past the 3 point line on the high hedge and at times that gave Xavier mismatch/open opportunities or rebounding position. But, they failed to capitalize.

Demary again filled up the boxscore with 17 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds. The only negative was 4 turnovers. Demary is definitely about finding a way to win.

Karaban had just 9 points on 4-7 shooting but had 6 rebounds/ 6 assists. His 3 misses were 3pt shots. But, Alex is all about winning too.

Mullins started with about 10 quick point and Hurley was married to his rotation and Mullins only scored 3 more points after the substitution. With a shooter like Mullins there’s something to be said for riding with the hot hand and substitute if he cools off or needs a rest. Tonight it wasn’t an issue given the margin, but it may be another game.

Ross had 11 points with him 3 for 5 from 3pt. Good to see him score so we won’t be punished offensively when we use him as a defensive stopper.

Solo was 2 for 7. We need Solo to be more efficient. Shooting 40% on the year isn’t good. In comparison Ross is shooting 49%. Hopefully Solo gets in a rhythm before the tourney.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Good summary @Chief00 . @WeAreUCONN I realized something this game. Aside from Bray and Silas, the player I am most confident in shooting 3s is JRoss. For the simple reason that they usually go down.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Good summary @Chief00 . @WeAreUCONN I realized something this game. Aside from Bray and Silas, the player I am most confident in shooting 3s is JRoss. For the simple reason that they usually go down.

I wasn’t a fan of Ross because he played out of control and his shooting was erratic. That has changed this season and now I’m a fan. Ross could have a really great season next year because of his improvement.

 

[GHSWolverines]

Great domination. The only concern zi have is TR's turnovers.

 

[Hoops91]

Reed has his legs back which is huge. They are pushing the ball and being aggressive offensively from the start of the game which is making a big difference. Silas is scoring more and has his confidence back. That alone is taking pressure off the other guys. Mullin is just solid. They are starting to look REALLY good.

 

[Umami Zen]

Another dominant win against an inferior team. We had 17 more rebounds, 20 more assists and shot +20% better FG.

I almost had no criticism of a UConn game ref by O’Connell until Hurley rightly appealed an out of bounds call. To teach Hurley a lesson, a revengeful O’Connell added a flagrant 1 on Smith, which was not called on the court. Smith got hit hard in the nose which bled and raised his arm to protect himself and may have touch the other guys head. But, how about consistency since Smith was hit in his face?

Reed and Reibe contributed 28 points on 12 for 13 FG and 15 rebounds. My one criticism is that Reibe was 3-5 feet past the 3 point line on the high hedge and at times that gave Xavier mismatch/open opportunities or rebounding position. But, they failed to capitalize.

Demary again filled up the boxscore with 17 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds. The only negative was 4 turnovers. Demary is definitely about finding a way to win.

Karaban had just 9 points on 4-7 shooting but had 6 rebounds/ 6 assists. His 3 misses were 3pt shots. But, Alex is all about winning too.

Mullins started with about 10 quick point and Hurley was married to his rotation and Mullins only scored 3 more points after the substitution. With a shooter like Mullins there’s something to be said for riding with the hot hand and substitute if he cools off or needs a rest. Tonight it wasn’t an issue given the margin, but it may be another game.

Ross had 11 points with him 3 for 5 from 3pt. Good to see him score so we won’t be punished offensively when we use him as a defensive stopper.

Great summary. Made a few FTs last night, too. Would love to see those FT percentages on Friday night and as a trend moving forward.

 

[Chief00]

Reed has his legs back which is huge. They are pushing the ball and being aggressive offensively from the start of the game which is making a big difference. Silas is scoring more and has his confidence back. That alone is taking pressure off the other guys. Mullin is just solid. They are starting to look REALLY good.

No complaints in a 30 point win, but we push the ball around effectively, we don’t run the ball from one hoop to another.

 

[Chief00]

Great summary. Made a few FTs last night, too. Would love to see those FT percentages on Friday night and as a trend moving forward.

We need made foul shots even though we don’t get many attempts from the Big East stripes.

 

[Chief00]

Great domination. The only concern zi have is TR's turnovers.

I would rather him use a foul space with his body and in tight elbows. Create a little fear from those trying to steal the ball.

 

[Donyell 360]

Mullins started with about 10 quick point and Hurley was married to his rotation and Mullins only scored 3 more points after the substitution. With a shooter like Mullins there’s something to be said for riding with the hot hand and substitute if he cools off or needs a rest. Tonight it wasn’t an issue given the margin, but it may be another game.

I had the same thought. Someone suggested he was pulled because he had 2 fouls and Hurley consistently sits you until the second half in that scenario (right or wrong). By the time he got back to the game, he had cooled off.

 

[Husky25]

Great domination. The only concern zi have is TR's turnovers.

Really? One less TO and/or one more assist and he is pretty much right on his average in 27 minutes. The Huskies put up a 32 point win and Demary dominated.

To put a little more perspective on this TO outlier. Demary's Assist/TO and TO/Steal ratios are 3.09 and 1.15, respectively. Newton's were 2.53 and 2.65 during his 1T AA season of '23-'24.

I liked that 9 players had >15 minutes and none had 30. I am also not worried about Mullins' supposed drop off as the game went on. He scored within the flow of the offense and it looked as if Xavier lost him regularly early on, particularly on the dunk from Karaban. The fast break dunk was the result of just a ridiculous assist. There is no reason to change rotation philosophies up by 20-30 for so much of the game.

 

[dogpause]

When Hurley's UConn teams take that step to another level, they have this Harlem-Globetrotters-like clockwork that is so beautiful to watch. Last night this team took that step. It was a thing of choreographed beauty.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I posted last year about Reed , I wasn’t a fan of. Ross’s
What I said was the love Hurley shows for. him has not translated into performance at show time .
However I added that coaches have a soft spot for effort guys even if they’re less talented. Maybe it’s because the majority of coaches weren’t typically the most gifted player but the most driven.
I also said with effort guys it takes time for their hard work to bear fruit even if it’s just filling a role.
Apparently we’re seeing that story unfold
Those transformations are one of the reasons I love college basketball.

 

[jibsey]

I posted last year about Reed , I wasn’t a fan of. Ross’s
What I said was the love Hurley shows for. him has not translated into performance at show time .
However I added that coaches have a soft spot for effort guys even if they’re less talented. Maybe it’s because the majority of coaches weren’t typically the most gifted player but the most driven.
I also said with effort guys it takes time for their hard work to bear fruit even if it’s just filling a role.
Apparently we’re seeing that story unfold
Those transformations are one of the reasons I love college basketball.

The announcers on more than one occasion have talked about the work put in by Ross on his shots from 3. He has defended well and his jump shot always looked great even when they weren’t falling. I think it’s the work, his confidence and his coach’s confidence in him. It’s a beautiful thing when reserves are knocking them down.