Creighton Post Game Thread

[jibsey]

That was bogus as hell imo, if anything the Creighton defender took away more of Newton's landing space

Just rewatched it many times and I failed to see it. When he landed his whole body tipped and fell a bit that way barely contacting opponent with no impact on the shot, but it’s not a foul, or should be one. Not a leg kick out.

 

[ThabeetDown]

Rewatching the game since I had to watch it on my phone w/ no audio last night...

• First off, Fanta and Bill Raftery have unreal chemistry together. Need them doing every big game together. Send Donny Marshall to ESPN+ or wherever the AAC is on.
• Thought Newton set the tone early first 10 min -- was good to see since he really hasn't been the same in BE play.
• Pretty much as soon as Clingan came in and we went on a run, the game was over. Newton started the run and then Cam took it up a notch. Feel like its a zero surprise at this point that Cam is the energy behind any big run/momentum swing. It's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when" with Cam and these momentum swing/high energy impact moments. Kinda what Andre did for us last year, but not with shooting more defensive plays and pushing the ball with assists.
• Creighton, again, just suffers from a lack of depth. Kind of crazy how they really only go 6 deep. Even crazier they went on a deep March run last year. Can't see them winning more than 1 NCCA Tourney game this year.
• Castle obviously awful night shooting, but I take two positives. 1) The staff clearly told him to take those open 3s when Ds sag off. Good. I like this. This is what happened with Andre last year, and it worked itself out, even though somehow Andre appears to be a better shooter, but you're talking Freshman vs Junior. I think the Andre blueprint is what needs to be unlocked for Castle when he struggles. The coaches need to put him in positions to succeed, and they have, but need to adjust when he's not shooting well. 2) I liked his aggressiveness going up against Kalk. Humbled by the best defender in the conference, nothing wrong with that.
• REBOUNDING AND BOXING OUT. Clearly an emphasis after the horrendous performance last couple of games on the glass. Kalk and Scheierman are two guys capable of grabbing double-digit boards on a given night and glad we were able to limit them and dominate, especially on the offensive glass. The guards got 12/18 o-boards. Even Samson had a few nice box outs of Kalk, something he especially has struggled with in his increased playing time. Newton/Diarra 4 each!
• McDermott saying "we're winning this game" down 23-19 made me chuckle. Buddy, do I have some sand I can sell you in the desert.
• Speaking of Samson, while he still struggled a lot on D, I was really happy to see his effort vs Kalk. A lot of his struggles on D are positioning, which can be coached up over time. I think when he gets back into his backup role like earlier in the season is playing 10-15 min a game, things will be so so so much better for him.
• The fact our KenPom D rating went up 12 spots speaks for itself. Should be back to being a sub-20 D in no time with Clingan back. Like the rebounding, we REALLY needed a defensive game like this to get back on track. Don't even care if the offense "struggled." We played Creighton's game and beat them at it. That's what this team can do. Beat you any which way. I want no complaining about the offense. What I didn't like was only 5 assists on 13 baskets in the 1H, that is not what we do. Went 8/12 2H so righted that ship in a sense. Our season average is 62% so, a more ideal 2H.
• The stop at 3 min into the 2H right after we just went up 13 was huge/awesome. Really impressed with Samson's D on Kalk (both in the paint and perimeter) and then our guards being able to switch. Really set the tone for the majority of the half.
• Since only Samson was really in foul trouble, actually incredible to see Hurley's rotation perfectly executed:
  • Newton/AK/Cam/Castle 33 min each
  • Samson 23
  • Diarra 17, Clingan 16
  • Stewart 7, Solo 3
• Stewart essentially taking Solo's min is an interesting development, especially it seemed like Solo was starting to find his game until being sent back to the bench. I expect a big jump next year for Solo when he will presumably be starting. He only has 1 point total his last 4 games in very limited minutes.

 

[CL82]

Thoughts on the Newton offensive foul? The only recent UConn player I can imagine could be vertical moving into a shot like that is maybe Hawkins. I'm not sure what he was supposed to do.

Now, on the other hand I could see refs making that call against Hawkins who used to throw his feet forward as part of his shooting motion, but Newton does not do that.

 

[CL82]

Tied for 1st place in Big East. View attachment 95297

Unfortunately Seton Hall owns the tiebreaker, for the time being. Look forward to having the opportunity to fix that when they come to Gampel.

 

[CL82]

We broke their forum

The Bluejay Underground: A Creighton Sports Message Board • Index page

The Bluejay Underground

www.bluejayunderground.com

View attachment 95298

Wait, does it say that there was a "squirrel error"?

 

[superjohn]

Rewatching the game since I had to watch it on my phone w/ no audio last night...

• First off, Fanta and Bill Raftery have unreal chemistry together. Need them doing every big game together. Send Donny Marshall to ESPN+ or wherever the AAC is on.
• Thought Newton set the tone early first 10 min -- was good to see since he really hasn't been the same in BE play.
• Pretty much as soon as Clingan came in and we went on a run, the game was over. Newton started the run and then Cam took it up a notch. Feel like its a zero surprise at this point that Cam is the energy behind any big run/momentum swing. It's not a matter of "if" it's a matter of "when" with Cam and these momentum swing/high energy impact moments. Kinda what Andre did for us last year, but not with shooting more defensive plays and pushing the ball with assists.
• Creighton, again, just suffers from a lack of depth. Kind of crazy how they really only go 6 deep. Even crazier they went on a deep March run last year. Can't see them winning more than 1 NCCA Tourney game this year.
• Castle obviously awful night shooting, but I take two positives. 1) The staff clearly told him to take those open 3s when Ds sag off. Good. I like this. This is what happened with Andre last year, and it worked itself out, even though somehow Andre appears to be a better shooter, but you're talking Freshman vs Junior. I think the Andre blueprint is what needs to be unlocked for Castle when he struggles. The coaches need to put him in positions to succeed, and they have, but need to adjust when he's not shooting well. 2) I liked his aggressiveness going up against Kalk. Humbled by the best defender in the conference, nothing wrong with that.
• REBOUNDING AND BOXING OUT. Clearly an emphasis after the horrendous performance last couple of games on the glass. Kalk and Scheierman are two guys capable of grabbing double-digit boards on a given night and glad we were able to limit them and dominate, especially on the offensive glass. The guards got 12/18 o-boards. Even Samson had a few nice box outs of Kalk, something he especially has struggled with in his increased playing time. Newton/Diarra 4 each!
• McDermott saying "we're winning this game" down 23-19 made me chuckle. Buddy, do I have some sand I can sell you in the desert.
• Speaking of Samson, while he still struggled a lot on D, I was really happy to see his effort vs Kalk. A lot of his struggles on D are positioning, which can be coached up over time. I think when he gets back into his backup role like earlier in the season is playing 10-15 min a game, things will be so so so much better for him.
• The fact our KenPom D rating went up 12 spots speaks for itself. Should be back to being a sub-20 D in no time with Clingan back. Like the rebounding, we REALLY needed a defensive game like this to get back on track. Don't even care if the offense "struggled." We played Creighton's game and beat them at it. That's what this team can do. Beat you any which way. I want no complaining about the offense. What I didn't like was only 5 assists on 13 baskets in the 1H, that is not what we do. Went 8/12 2H so righted that ship in a sense. Our season average is 62% so, a more ideal 2H.
• The stop at 3 min into the 2H right after we just went up 13 was huge/awesome. Really impressed with Samson's D on Kalk (both in the paint and perimeter) and then our guards being able to switch. Really set the tone for the majority of the half.
• Since only Samson was really in foul trouble, actually incredible to see Hurley's rotation perfectly executed:
  • Newton/AK/Cam/Castle 33 min each
  • Samson 23
  • Diarra 17, Clingan 16
  • Stewart 7, Solo 3
• Stewart essentially taking Solo's min is an interesting development, especially it seemed like Solo was starting to find his game until being sent back to the bench. I expect a big jump next year for Solo when he will presumably be starting. He only has 1 point total his last 4 games in very limited minutes.

Totally agree with you on Cam and Jackson. They do it in completely different ways but they take over games and get us on runs/get the crowd hyped.

Creighton just doesn't have it this season. They lack depth again as you point out but they really lack athleticism and another guy who can take anyone off the dribble. Alexander is the only guy and he's having a ton of trouble carrying the load, he also has a slight build. Ashworth struggles at this level.

We have great players but Clingan is our best and the difference maker. He needs to stay healthy.

 

[mauconnfan]

Revisionist history. Okafor finished that game with 3 fouls. It wasn’t a good call by Calhoun to sit him for 14 minutes in the first half. It almost cost them the game.

Really? It was a great call, we won. He finished with 3 but if that was 4 because he picked up his 3rd in the first half would he have been able to be that aggressive as he was down the stretch?

A wonderful move by JC from what I saw.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

After Oklahoma game

Oklahoma State, Gampel

 

[HooperScooper]

99% sure it was "They thought they had a chance to win the game. They did not"

 

[alphasigko]

After Oklahoma game

Arkansas game

 

[HooperScooper]

Arkansas game

I don't think there was any point in the Arkansas game where they thought they could win! It was said after the Oklahoma State game as others here have said.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

• First off, Fanta and Bill Raftery have unreal chemistry together. Need them doing every big game together. Send Donny Marshall to ESPN+ or wherever the AAC is on.

Great chemistry and you can just tell how prepared they are. I don’t buy into the anti-UConn bias from Donny, it’s just easy to tell he’s habitually unprepared. If I have to hear one more time what a great defender Karaban or Spencer are on a day they’re getting toasted, I’m going to lose it.

 

[Deepster]

To be fair, you're really comparing Donny to Raf who both do the color. And that's just super lopsided. Raf has been one of (if not the) best in the biz for a long time. And he's done the Big East for decades so he's got so much history and so many contacts to get prepped from.

Not that I'm a huge Donny fan....but to compare him to Raf is unwinnable.

 

[87Xfer]

Arkansas game

nope, look at the Youtube vid posted earlier - OK State

 

[alphasigko]

nope, look at the Youtube vid posted earlier - OK State

OK my confusion w/the meme that was generated after the Arkansas Game. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Really? It was a great call, we won. He finished with 3 but if that was 4 because he picked up his 3rd in the first half would he have been able to be that aggressive as he was down the stretch?

A wonderful move by JC from what I saw.

Not maxing out your players minutes is always a bad idea. Okafor averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes played that season.

It was a reactionary decision not backed by data that almost cost them the game.

 

[mauconnfan]

Not maxing out your players minutes is always a bad idea. Okafor averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes played that season.

It was a reactionary decision not backed by data that almost cost them the game.

It wasn’t reactionary with JC Dave, it was an unwritten rule of his. He believed in it no matter what the scenario because he wanted to be fully loaded for a 2nd half run if required.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I mean you win easily against a very tough matchup while shooting 4-19 from 3 and what, 25 for 72 overall? Tremendous team win!

DC looked surprisingly fluid and athletic. Rusty around the basket offensively, didn’t square up enough but he did some good things too on both ends. Good to have him back.

Nova will be fun!

Yup. As i mentioned in a previous post Crayton is lucky the shots werent falling for us or it wouldve gotten Gonzaga ugly out there. The loss of weight appears to have helped DC immensely because he absolutely looked fluid and athletic. Far better than he has looked all season. We need more of that guy. Im salivating at the thought of having that guy healthy and getting better and better each game out. Could be like 04 when Mek` had his back issues early on but once he got healthy and Shad got into the starting 5 that team was a buzzsaw and it was the Uconn invitational.

 

[gsmooth]

Not maxing out your players minutes is always a bad idea. Okafor averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes played that season.

It was a reactionary decision not backed by data that almost cost them the game.

Data is important but it must be looked at in conjunction with the situation of the game. Also the way that game was officiated was anything but ordinary in comparison to the way other games are officiated. The first 2 fouls Okafor picked up were BS. Calhoun doesn't know in real time if Okafor would pick up a 3rd if he is left in the game in the first half-it's a risk he simply cannot take.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Not maxing out your players minutes is always a bad idea. Okafor averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes played that season.

It was a reactionary decision not backed by data that almost cost them the game.

It was a JC rule. No one gets more than 2 in the first half. It certainly wasn't specific to that game or situation.

 

[tzznandrew]

Not maxing out your players minutes is always a bad idea. Okafor averaged 2.9 fouls per 40 minutes played that season.

It was a reactionary decision not backed by data that almost cost them the game.

Okafor averaged 2.4 fouls per game (not per minute). He ended up with 3 in 12 fewer minutes than his average.

Sheldon Williams averaged 3.2 per game.
Shavlik Randolph averaged 2.9 per game.
Nick Horvath averaged 1.1 per game

All of them fouled out. Their per 40 were all higher, but none of them played close to 40 minutes: Williams - 19; Randolph - 14; Horvath - 8.

As you can see, the refs were definitely anomalous. JC adapted and we won.

There were definitely some games where that absolute rule of his hurt the team. 2002 v. Maryland with Caron, I think. But to point to that particular game with those particular refs... not a great place to suggest it was a mistake.

NOTE: I edited this because I misread Dave's point and missed that he used per 40 stats. Useful in general, but definitely shows how terrible the refs were in this particular game.

 

[Kolumbo]

Did we ever determine what Hurley's yellow drink is?

This? Of course not. But it's always in the back of my mind

 

[upstater]

Don't keep us in suSPENCER. What was it?

Taylor Swift.

 

[freshler40]

I agree, but he's also not doing ANYTHING with the minutes he's given, unlike Stewart. He's just about out of the rotation for a good reason. Right now, he's not a very good rebounder, is a shockingly bad passer (two assists in the last eight weeks...), and has an iffy handle. He's not doing anything we want from our guards...he's just existing on the court.

We saw that he has the tools to be an impactful player earlier this year. He's gotta act like it.

Solo needs to drop this idea that he's a 3&D guy. He's not. Attack the rim, be physical rebounding the ball, and play defense. If he can't use his natural gifts, he's not going to see the leap we expect from our freshman freshman to sophomore year.

Well put. Solo has been much to passive. Hope he turns it around.

 

[my2cents]

I agree. Newton was moving when he shot and his legs kept going the way he was moving. It was a natural shooting motion. He didn't kick his legs out. NBA refs know how to call that but college refs don't. In the NBA if that was called an offensive foul they would have reviewed the call and reversed it. In general college refs stink compared to NBA refs.

The correct call is no call. The shooter gets no advantage with his legs extended. If the ref determined it was deliberate and the defensive player hit him, it would be no foul.