Gonzaga Post Game Thread

[HCCForever]

Another thing I liked about Singare was that he showed leadership. When Ball received his third foul and looked frustrated, Singare put his arm around him and talked to him.

 

[That Guy]

It was an anomaly.

He's had 2 of those games already this season though, the other being against Colorado. Need him to at least give us double digit scoring even on his off nights if we want to have a shot in March.

 

[husky8273]

Marquette is our only remaining ranked opponent

 

[TheChamps990411]

Well, the Maui losses are not looking nearly as bad as they were now. I also believe these last 3 huge wins have rewritten the story of the entire season for the team.

My question is: if we win the BE regular season with 16+ wins and the BET, could we play ourselves back into a 1-seed conversation come March?

I don’t think it’s out of the question now. Especially if we can stack some wins against teams like Marquette, Creighton, St. John’s etc.

Yes we absolutely can be a #1 seed. Coming into the season Kansas, Bama and Uconn were considered the top teams with everyone else catching up to them and all three have lost games. The top 5 is going to be a merry go round all season.

 

[willie99]

Of course we can. Butt we're on to Xavier

 

[RedStickHusky]

I was actually pretty impressed by how fast he found the open guy. Not his fault his teammates didn't hit on it

True, but to me he looked like he couldn't wait to get the ball out of his hands. Good minutes though, he's earning more I think.

 

[bfs3]

I bought a new UConn hoodie somewhat recently. Sat on the shelf for a good while. Finally started wearing it every game day since Maui. Basically, what I'm trying to say is you're welcome.

^This. So help me god, I better not hear otherwise.

 

[HailUConn]

There were a couple times McNeeley grabbed a rebound and then pulled out and dribbled to lead the break almost all in one motion (one of which ended in his three to put us up 10). It’s sort of a simple thing - but there have only been a couple frontcourt guys at UConn that would do that regularly. Andre Jackson and Daniel Hamilton spring to mind. It is a good weapon.

Sir, believe me, It's anything but simple in traffic.

 

[REB1094]

Dare I say that the first few minutes felt like last year’s team? That was an amazing game!

We needed someone to step up and be the guy, and Liam McNeeley showed us last night that he is the guy. True freshman in MSG and he dropped 26, wild

Solo isn’t a defensive stopper by any means, but he’s shown improvement both on and off the ball. Hope this is the start of a long trend

Big shoutout to Tarris and Stewart off the bench. The thing we said Tarris had to do at UConn was to strip inefficiencies out of his game, now he’s shooting 70+% on pretty quick decisions. And Stewart just loves MSG, huge game from him

Is it weird that I got emotional when Singare got those offensive rebounds?

Hope Samson is okay, that looked really scary..

We’re back on track! Should be a top 15 team going into BE play. Let’s go Huskies!

 

[freshler40]

Should have had 7-8 assists easy if we shot ok. Some tremendous drives and kick outs for wide open looks.

He was great with ball in his hands, made everybody better and took what was available. Loved some of his deep finishes too. He was the little engine that could and did!

 

[freshler40]

I thought Hurley was tripping when Ross was subbed in at the under 8 minute mark and he then had a steal->transition layup and then a nice pass down low to Reed for a basket, he was much more composed tonight.

Likely a turning point of a well-played game by both teams.

 

[Stinger92860]

Maui was an anamoly

Two games we loss could have been swung on a single possession or tech call. And teams we lost to beat ranked teams on Saturday.

 

[cp176]

Tough gutsy UCONN win. They played hard! If they can continue to defend with this type of intensity, who knows where it might lead. It wasn't perfect but boy are they getting better.
Felt bad for Johnson. It looked based on the start of the game, that he was ready for a real breakout effort. The left handed dunk when he changed to his left hand in the air was quite impressive. Looks like we do need that second point guard but overall all systems are a big go.

 

[Stinger92860]

I thought the original report on Nowell was 2-3 weeks. I was surprised to hear he was a game time decision. Unless they are going to keep game time decisioning him until 2-3 weeks pass.

They have to give Nowell a long look in live games as we need another facilitator and ball handler. I see no other choice here. At the same time they need to figure out how to help AM get better. If just enough to be serviceable. He played one minute in the 2nd half and that time was not positive.

 

[HailUConn]

Mark this game down at the biggest stage of world famous basketball arena.
We'll look back at this game in March and see what a stud McNeeley is.

The kid is a fearless, natural leader. Not sure if anyone noticed last night, He was directing AK to the middle of Zaga zone to orchestrate offense. I have never seen any freshman learning Hurley's offense plays this fast!


Buy stock now.

 

[jibsey]

Isn’t it fun waking up the next day after a game like that?
Samson Johnson with more minutes this season under his belt is improving and is now a weapon out there.
Mahaney has been trashed and while it’s understandable because he’s not quick, against other less talented backcourts he will look better because he can shoot and has skills.
Not worried about Alex.
Hurley has a lot of different talented pieces to use depending on what the situation calls for.
Stew is coming and is a huge piece for us.
Hurley with his arm around the ref and smiling. Best buds.

 

[upstater]

We all love AK but it seems as if he a more of a piece of the puzzle more than the guy....his experience of being on two championship teams though is going to be very beneficial for this team though....just my opinion

Do we forget that Karaban went through this last year?

Karaban is the team's most consistent scorer.

He had a dry spell last year too then got things together

 

[TheHorde]

I think a 2 seed is realistic

Last year marquette got a 2 seed after going 14-6 in the BE and losing in the BE tourney final

We can do better than that in conference play but I don’t see us climbing back into the top 4, we just won’t have the opportunity for any more big wins other than against Marquette

1 seed, 2 seed, or 3 seed this team is capable of beating anyone in the country if healthy and playing like they have the last 3 games. It’s about building consistency and further developing the upside guys now within these upcoming games.

 

[belle]

Another thing I liked about Singare was that he showed leadership. When Ball received his third foul and looked frustrated, Singare put his arm around him and talked to him.

He also did that to Mahaney with the 10 second violation - I’ve said it since the beginning of the season, he is going to be a leader and a star!

 

[RedStickHusky]

McNeeley

5-6 from 2
10-12 from the line
8 rb
4 asst
0 turnovers
1 foul

(2-7 from 3)

Yes please.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Well, the Maui losses are not looking nearly as bad as they were now. I also believe these last 3 huge wins have rewritten the story of the entire season for the team.

My question is: if we win the BE regular season with 16+ wins and the BET, could we play ourselves back into a 1-seed conversation come March?

I don’t think it’s out of the question now. Especially if we can stack some wins against teams like Marquette, Creighton, St. John’s etc.

We're chasing so the best we can do is position ourselves to take advantage if a team ahead of us slips. And the BEast doesn't offer us a lot of big wins. Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Duke, Kentucky... We'd need a few of them to fall beneath us.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Johnson is looking better every game him and Diarra are figuring it out.

Johnson is really dependent on chemistry and timing with the guys feeding him. Wasn't getting that early in the season.

 

[RedStickHusky]

We needed someone to step up and be the guy, and Liam McNeeley showed us last night that he is the guy.

Where we've feasted over the last two years was having multiple guys that could be "That" guy on any given night. Hopefully with AK, LM, SB, and Samson Johnson/TT we're getting there.

 

[Husky Alien]

Not sure what Mahaney would be unhappy about. He sucks and belongs on the bench.

It was just an observation since I was 15 rows back to the left of the bench. Who knows what he was thinking, but I'm sure he knows he is not playing well. But to say he sucks, hmmm? People are saying Ross sucks and he played well last night for the minutes he got. Mahaney just needs to step back and learn a new system where he is not the main focus. He came from being a starter and averaging about 13 points a game for St Mary's, so I don't think he sucks. 1st year with UConn and a tougher conference, though we did not play a conference game yet, but a tough starting schedule leading up to conference play. Many said the same about Newton in his 1st year and look how that turned out.

 

[WiseWillie]

Hoping Samson is okay. That was scary. Probably out for a few weeks.

Samson is a true warrior. He will be back very soon. Love to see him flying high to the basket preparing for a crashing slam dunk. Thing of pure athleticism.