Chief Briefs - MSG Insights | The Boneyard

Chief Briefs - MSG Insights

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Great atmosphere for a game tonight, and a win despite really ugly shooting. When you win by 10, while shooting 36% FG, you thank your defense, rebounding and relatively low turnovers. We did shoot 85% from the foul line and the 7 point advantage in that category was basically the difference.

The barometer for this team is do we significantly have more than a point per minute 10 minutes into the game. Tonight we barely surpassed that modest goal, the offensive chemistry and shooting of our starting 5 is just that bad. Polley has average 9 points in our wins and 3 points in our losses. Tonight he had 6. The only guy who contributed off the bench despite all the talk about our “depth”.

Our starters averaged 35 minutes tonight. There were some good performance aspects on offense, Cole was solid and efficient. Martin, other than his 1-6 three point shooting played well. Jackson Jr once again had a 4 assist to turnover ratio. It’s truly amazing how that wonderful young man has cleaned up that element of his game. Pretty remarkable doing that when the guy receiving the pass has an only slightly better than 1 in 3 chance of making a shot. It gives me hope this off season he will make dramatic progress on his shooting.

I love IW, take that open 12 to 15 footer but the idea you are spreading the offense going 0-3 from three is fool’s gold. Do what you do well. Battle on the offensive boards and continue being a team guy.

Chief has been saying with Hawkins in protocol, Gaffney playing well is critical. Tonight he did not help or hurt us, but we need to roll the dice on him and have Gaffney play aggressively on offense.

Sanogo was doubled and even tripled with no three point shooting threat. He expended energy with the pointless high hedging but at least that inefficient task did not produce early foul trouble.

It’s amazing how much we miss Hawkins given his overall season production, but we do. With Jordan in the mix, on a good night usually one of Hawkins, Polley or Gaffney offensively contributes, even if it is being an outside threat to open things up for Sanogo in the post.

We definitely need to try to run more, we have the defense and rebounding to start that thought but not the running mindset to execute it. We need to quickly obtain that or hope Polley gets hot or Gaffney penetrates.

Looking for a big game from Adama as we start game prep for Friday night. Chief is all in despite our shooting malfeasance, that the guys will battle. But, shooting makes the game easily and expands your upside. Chief did get the word about Hawkins protocol but anything Chief would say about that would be misinterpreted by the usual crowd here, so best fo say nothing.
 
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To me, this time of year, it's about who wants it more. It's about what's upstairs and in the heart and UConn wanted it more tonight. Just come out with energy and I think we will like the results.
 

Edward Sargent

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It is a good sign that Jordan was on the bench, even in sweats. Bryce Aiken, out for the year with a concussion, isn't even able to to that as loud noise is a problem for him. Glad we are taking the long road with Jordan.
 
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Great atmosphere for a game tonight, and a win despite really ugly shooting. When you win by 10, while shooting 36% FG, you thank your defense, rebounding and relatively low turnovers. We did shoot 85% from the foul line and the 7 point advantage in that category was basically the difference.

The barometer for this team is do we significantly have more than a point per minute 10 minutes into the game. Tonight we barely surpassed that modest goal, the offensive chemistry and shooting of our starting 5 is just that bad. Polley has average 9 points in our wins and 3 points in our losses. Tonight he had 6. The only guy who contributed off the bench despite all the talk about our “depth”.

Our starters averaged 35 minutes tonight. There were some good performance aspects on offense, Cole was solid and efficient. Martin, other than his 1-6 three point shooting played well. Jackson Jr once again had a 4 assist to turnover ratio. It’s truly amazing how that wonderful young man has cleaned up that element of his game. Pretty remarkable doing that when the guy receiving the pass has an only slightly better than 1 in 3 chance of making a shot. It gives me hope this off season he will make dramatic progress on his shooting.

I love IW, take that open 12 to 15 footer but the idea you are spreading the offense going 0-3 from three is fool’s gold. Do what you do well. Battle on the offensive boards and continue being a team guy.

Chief has been saying with Hawkins in protocol, Gaffney playing well is critical. Tonight he did not help or hurt us, but we need to roll the dice on him and have Gaffney play aggressively on offense.

Sanogo was doubled and even tripled with no three point shooting threat. He expended energy with the pointless high hedging but at least that inefficient task did not produce early foul trouble.

It’s amazing how much we miss Hawkins given his overall season production, but we do. With Jordan in the mix, on a good night usually one of Hawkins, Polley or Gaffney offensively contributes, even if it is being an outside threat to open things up for Sanogo in the post.

We definitely need to try to run more, we have the defense and rebounding to start that thought but not the running mindset to execute it. We need to quickly obtain that or hope Polley gets hot or Gaffney penetrates.

Looking for a big game from Adama as we start game prep for Friday night. Chief is all in despite our shooting malfeasance, that the guys will battle. But, shooting makes the game easily and expands your upside. Chief did get the word about Hawkins protocol but anything Chief would say about that would be misinterpreted by the usual crowd here, so best fo say nothing.
The high hedge is not pointless. If done correctly (which we ususally do) it disrupts the offense. We totally took SH out of their offense and the high hedge was a big part of it. Chief, you know basketball, I am surprised you say it is pointless.
 

Hankster

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Great atmosphere for a game tonight, and a win despite really ugly shooting. When you win by 10, while shooting 36% FG, you thank your defense, rebounding and relatively low turnovers. We did shoot 85% from the foul line and the 7 point advantage in that category was basically the difference.

The barometer for this team is do we significantly have more than a point per minute 10 minutes into the game. Tonight we barely surpassed that modest goal, the offensive chemistry and shooting of our starting 5 is just that bad. Polley has average 9 points in our wins and 3 points in our losses. Tonight he had 6. The only guy who contributed off the bench despite all the talk about our “depth”.

Our starters averaged 35 minutes tonight. There were some good performance aspects on offense, Cole was solid and efficient. Martin, other than his 1-6 three point shooting played well. Jackson Jr once again had a 4 assist to turnover ratio. It’s truly amazing how that wonderful young man has cleaned up that element of his game. Pretty remarkable doing that when the guy receiving the pass has an only slightly better than 1 in 3 chance of making a shot. It gives me hope this off season he will make dramatic progress on his shooting.

I love IW, take that open 12 to 15 footer but the idea you are spreading the offense going 0-3 from three is fool’s gold. Do what you do well. Battle on the offensive boards and continue being a team guy.

Chief has been saying with Hawkins in protocol, Gaffney playing well is critical. Tonight he did not help or hurt us, but we need to roll the dice on him and have Gaffney play aggressively on offense.

Sanogo was doubled and even tripled with no three point shooting threat. He expended energy with the pointless high hedging but at least that inefficient task did not produce early foul trouble.

It’s amazing how much we miss Hawkins given his overall season production, but we do. With Jordan in the mix, on a good night usually one of Hawkins, Polley or Gaffney offensively contributes, even if it is being an outside threat to open things up for Sanogo in the post.

We definitely need to try to run more, we have the defense and rebounding to start that thought but not the running mindset to execute it. We need to quickly obtain that or hope Polley gets hot or Gaffney penetrates.

Looking for a big game from Adama as we start game prep for Friday night. Chief is all in despite our shooting malfeasance, that the guys will battle. But, shooting makes the game easily and expands your upside. Chief did get the word about Hawkins protocol but anything Chief would say about that would be misinterpreted by the usual crowd here, so best fo say nothing.
Pointless hedging. I couldn't agree more. Creighton took advantage of that.
 
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Good posts. I like Sanogo's high hedges too. He's the best at it that I've ever seen, and his actions are very disruptive. It does expend a lot of energy, and there's also increased risk of fouls, so in a conference tournament format he does need to throttle it back at times.

Overall, that was one of the best team defenses I've ever watched. Incredible how athletic this team is. AJ and Martin are athletic freaks, really glad they're on our side.
 

RichZ

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We definitely need to try to run more, we have the defense and rebounding to start that thought but not the running mindset to execute it. We need to quickly obtain that or hope Polley gets hot or Gaffney penetrates.
We did try to run more, but got turned over on the break several times. Seemed like SH had free rein to bang and bump as we crossed half court on what should have been a break away.
Jackson Jr once again had a 4 assist to turnover ratio. It’s truly amazing how that wonderful young man has cleaned up that element of his game.
Absolutely.
The barometer for this team is do we significantly have more than a point per minute 10 minutes into the game. Tonight we barely surpassed that modest goal, the offensive chemistry and shooting of our starting 5 is just that bad.
Agree on shooting, but not on offensive chemistry.
Sanogo was doubled and even tripled with no three point shooting threat. He expended energy with the pointless high hedging but at least that inefficient task did not produce early foul trouble.
Sanogo executed the high hedge relatively well last night. Not sure why, but it seemed most effective when we had him, Whaley and Polley on the floor at the same time.
 

Poe

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The high hedge is not pointless. If done correctly (which we ususally do) it disrupts the offense. We totally took SH out of their offense and the high hedge was a big part of it. Chief, you know basketball, I am surprised you say it is pointless.
It didn’t hurt us last night, but Creighton was able to capitalize on it. Gotta pick and choose when it’s effective and when it’s not.
 
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Yes, Creighton attacked it very well. There are adjustments to our rotations that can counter that.
 

HuskyHawk

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It didn’t hurt us last night, but Creighton was able to capitalize on it. Gotta pick and choose when it’s effective and when it’s not.
I think that is what most are asking for. It shouldn't be "always on". There are times when you want to shut it off, patrol the paint and defend the rim. Other times it is disruptive. I didn't view it as a major issue last night. There was nobody like Kalkbrenner torching us against it.
 
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On the high hedge, the benefits are (maybe) some disruption, and the costs are a higher risk of early AS foul trouble and at least a few easy dunks (a la Creighton). That's not a deal worth taking.
 
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LOL. The high hedging was a key to our disruptive and stifling defensive performance last night. Best one of the year. Caused at least 6-8 turnovers or near turnovers and forced a bunch of later shot clock bad shots. Sanogo and Whaley were awesome at it.

And no, Creighton did not exploit the high hedge. They burned Sanogo on standard pick and roll plays that started at the foul line.

I know it’s tough for some to admit when they’re wrong on this board, but it’s tough to ignore the obvious
 
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LOL. The high hedging was a key to our disruptive and stifling defensive performance last night. Best one of the year. Caused at least 6-8 turnovers or near turnovers and forced a bunch of later shot clock bad shots. Sanogo and Whaley were awesome at it.

And no, Creighton did not exploit the high hedge. They burned Sanogo on standard pick and roll plays that started at the foul line.

I know it’s tough for some to admit when they’re wrong on this board, but it’s tough to ignore the obvious
Exactly, Sanogo wasn't getting torched by Kalkbrenner on the high edge. The issue was he was repeatedly stuck in no man's land on the pick and roll where he wasn't defending the ball handler or Kalkbrenner
 
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It is a good sign that Jordan was on the bench, even in sweats. Bryce Aiken, out for the year with a concussion, isn't even able to to that as loud noise is a problem for him. Glad we are taking the long road with Jordan.
Aiken was on their sideline last night
 

gtcam

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The defense was the story of the game - IW and AJ were superb and the overall team D was sparkling. If that is to continue it bodes so well for UConn - plus it was executed with only a few bonehead fouls

The offense, with the exception of Martin at times, was not good. UConn can not afford to have both of its NBE 1st team players to have woeful nights going forward. Cole has had two subpar games in a row and Sanogo, offensively, looked like a freshman in one of his 1st games. I understand he hasn't played the game as long as other kids his age but trying to go 1 v 4 and throwing up shots without the rim in his vision has to stop. He has really good footwork and needs to be in control of his game. Hopefully his shooting % last night was an anomaly. His FT shooting has improved since the Nova victory.

I know Polley was being hounded a lot last night but if he is going to be UConn's main 3 pt threat, he has to find a way and the coaches have to work on getting him open looks. I always like to see his 1st shot go through and that wild 1st three hit net, I thought he was going to have a huge night.

Hall was as bad on the offensive end and looked tired at crucial points of the game, but Cale almost pulled them through by himself. Richmond was all banged up which helped.

It was a good win in the 1st NBE tournament game in front of a crowd in 10 years. If UConn had lost I think it would have had a negative effect on the team going into the NCAAs.

On to Nova, they are beatable but have experience on their side. If UConn plays smart and doesn't waste 5 consecutive offensive sets, it will be another nail biter but very winnable.
 
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Casual fans don’t post at 3:54 a.m. Only at 11:11. Well done sir.
Thank you.
The defense was the story of the game - IW and AJ were superb and the overall team D was sparkling. If that is to continue it bodes so well for UConn - plus it was executed with only a few bonehead fouls

The offense, with the exception of Martin at times, was not good. UConn can not afford to have both of its NBE 1st team players to have woeful nights going forward. Cole has had two subpar games in a row and Sanogo, offensively, looked like a freshman in one of his 1st games. I understand he hasn't played the game as long as other kids his age but trying to go 1 v 4 and throwing up shots without the rim in his vision has to stop. He has really good footwork and needs to be in control of his game. Hopefully his shooting % last night was an anomaly. His FT shooting has improved since the Nova victory.

I know Polley was being hounded a lot last night but if he is going to be UConn's main 3 pt threat, he has to find a way and the coaches have to work on getting him open looks. I always like to see his 1st shot go through and that wild 1st three hit net, I thought he was going to have a huge night.

Hall was as bad on the offensive end and looked tired at crucial points of the game, but Cale almost pulled them through by himself. Richmond was all banged up which helped.

It was a good win in the 1st NBE tournament game in front of a crowd in 10 years. If UConn had lost I think it would have had a negative effect on the team going into the NCAAs.

On to Nova, they are beatable but have experience on their side. If UConn plays smart and doesn't waste 5 consecutive offensive sets, it will be another nail biter but very winnable.
The team is tough and that’s a good trait. At some point though, as you suggest we will need to knock down some shots too. The lack of 3 point threats enables the doubling of Sanogo and actually last night they tripled teamed him some. True, he needs to improve his passing and vision but Whaley and Martin need to shoot threes better than a combined 1-9 or 11%.
 
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Exactly, Sanogo wasn't getting torched by Kalkbrenner on the high edge. The issue was he was repeatedly stuck in no man's land on the pick and roll where he wasn't defending the ball handler or Kalkbrenner
Agree, but that’s why we shouldn’t do it, in Chief’s view. He expends so much energy chasing guards down 25 feet from the basket and then running back to his man before they rotate the ball. Even if executed well, you have to say for what ends? Chief would rather he use that energy in the paint.
 

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