Dayton Post Game Thread

[LoyalFanCT]

just wait a few games, we will be on top

 

[uconntoatl]

 

[uconntoatl]

I'm hoping the lack of proper prep time maybe sorta explains the debacle of the last 2 games. I refuse to believe we are really this bad of a team, but perhaps reality is gonna smash me in the face very soon.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

We are going to be a bubble team all year, it is what it is unfortunately. Unless our defense gets significantly better, I'm not too optimistic. What a disaster.

 

[Connecticut13]

I remember Fanta saying a week back that our strategy was to funnel players to the basket to our shot blockers. No - it’s just that our guards are abysmal at playing any sort of defense.

 

[cellocgg]

At least It'll be funny looking back at this in a few years. "Remember when we entered the Maui Invitational at #2 and went 0-3?"

 

[UConnSwag11]

It's was a bad 60 hours.

Unfortunately us fans are held to the five year rule of not being able to whine for five seasons after a championship.

Reality needs to come fast for the players. It has to he an 8-9 man rotation. And Nowell ahead of Mahaney has to be the hard conversation.

Samson Johnson left Maui with 13 fouls and five rebounds.

Karaban and McNeeley can't alternate games of not making shots.

Players have to learn to play defense with their feet and not their hands and realize it's rarely good to commit fouls 30-35 feet from the basketball.
They got punched in the face three days in a row- coaching staff included. Time to see how they respond.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Hurley’s toughest decision is who is going to play over Johnson.

Reed is starting and will play as long as he can. I would play Stewart at the 5 or Karaban at the 5 and Stewart at the 4.

 

[REB1094]

Just watched a replay. Did not have fun. 1 possession game with 7:21 left and we lost by 18. Shoutout to Dayton for shooting 50-40-90 as a team, that’s insanely efficient

The good -

• That first half stretch for Karaban (4 straight threes) and that second half stretch for Diarra were really fun
• Don’t kill me for this, but Liam found good shots. He’s either tired or still hurt, but those shots will lead to more 10 point performances than 0 point performances
• Ahmad Nowell is our best defensive player. We need to fast track his offensive development

The bad (limiting myself to just 3 again) -

• Defensive rotations are still comically bad. Every time Dayton went into a ball screen, I knew they were getting points out of it
• We have no perimeter defense. Every single guard and wing player except Diarra and Nowell is playing horrible defense
• Nobody wants to score. We run great sets, great screens, great movement, then suddenly there’s 7-10 seconds left and nobody has even looked at the rim. No Newton or Cam to bail us out this year

On the Karaban flagrant - not sure what he is supposed to do. Guy jumps into him when the ball is already in the hoop. The live call from the announcers was offensive goaltending. Turns into a F1 foul on the defense

In Maui, teams shot 30-55 (54.5%) from three and we got out-shot from the FT line 98-48. You will lose most games if you give up those numbers

I still have faith. Clean up the defense and the offense will come. No worries about bodying everyone en route to a 3 peat because we won’t even be a top 25 team next week. Our record right now is in the Seton Hall/Villanova tier of the BE

There’s too much talent on this team to hover around .500. I think we’ll see things get better soon. Happy Thanksgiving and let’s go Huskies!

 

[Hunt for 7]

Rebuilding year. Thankfully we have our best class ever coming in next season.

If they all stay committed…..that does change

 

[freescooter]

If I hear one more UConn fan complain about the foul disparity, I am going to tap their heads to a television monitor and force them to watch our defense on a loop.

We do not have one player, save Diarra, who even approaches competence defensively.

Also, I really love when teams have point guards because when they don’t, they lose to Dayton by 500 points and finish last in Hawaiian tournaments.

Someone had a pre-season thread on what was most worrisome about this team. I said replacing Newton at the point and replacing Clingan. But Newton was the biggest loss. Watching our guys now, we didn’t even try to replace him. Hurley’s famed motion offense is nothing without someone to run it.

 

[NickDanger]

Doubt this was your opinion a month ago.

Another Hurley denier? I’ve got a list going….

Please stop using “X denier” for anyone who disagrees with you about X!

 

[TyroneShoo]

Reed and Johnson are your 5‘s. There is length there to mix in some zone. intentionally funneling things to a 7’2” wall that isn't there anymore seems silly... and I doubt that is what is happening. They are just not as good on the perimeter. Newton, Castle and Spencer were very strong defenders. These guys are not. Newton was able to buy beer a right after Novas last final four ended. For perspective, McNeeley (who is NOT the issue) wasn’t able to buy spray paint the summer before the one we just had.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Rip it down to the studs.

No one but Karaban and Diarra deserve minutes.

I’m so angry at the lack of fight.

Refs took every bit of Hurley’s thunder this week, and f them for that. I’m not blaming them, but they made us a spectacle, and we we were outnumbered 2 to 1 of FTs across the tourney.

I’m not overreacting because we will figure this out….but this group better get out of the clouds, they’re the 6th best team in the big east AT BEST right now.

Felt like I went back in time to the KO era this week.

Gross.

Vegas and betting money rules, used to be just the NFL, now it’s all over college sports. There are dirty cops, dirty judges, dirty politicians, dirty presidential candidates, and there are dirty referees.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

No idea how they’re teaching the guards to defend on the perimeter. But from the wing you can’t get beat baseline with no shot blocker behind you. Over and over we gave up gaps from the wing. Out top you can’t square up five feet off the ball and flat footed. Any competent ball handler can get you off balance and beat you to a spot, and that happened repeatedly yesterday.

The D will improve if, and only if, Ross, Ball, McNeeley and Stewart figure out how to keep their man in front of them. Diarra and Nowell seem to do it better but there’s always room for improvement.

And Johnson. How many dunks by Key last night off PNR with Johnson doing the high hedge? His hedge doesn’t deter or force deep the ball handler, it’s useless. And no defensive rotation from the wings to cover.

on offense it looks Keystone Kop-ish, halter skelter hoping for an opening, rather than creating one. It’s true that we shot 3’s particularly badly, but 3’s are best when you create penetration first (see above).

Theres a lot of work to do DH and associates. Get to it, no time to count rings.

 

[BugsyCT]

Worst Hawaii trip since Bobby Brady found the taboo necklace.

Was no surprise we lost to Dayton tonight. After Colorado it was very apparent that right now this is a very flawed & vulnerable team. D is non-existent. We had an embarrassment of riches the last 2 years with dominant teams but this collection of players is a far cry from those teams. This is a work in progress. DH has to coach them up and find the best formula that works otherwise many more losses are on the way. Hurley has to own this and fix this. We’ll have a target on our back all year so the challenge will be that much tougher.

 

[freescooter]

My wife wants me to add carrots to the stuffing. Do carrots go in stuffing? I’m afraid.

No NO NO! Stand your ground on this or next year it will be Tofurkey!