ESPN Roundtable: UConn Mention (Small Lineups)

[nomar]

The Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship by using a small lineup. Which college teams this season are best suited to play small?

Greenberg: I think Cal could have a ridiculous small lineup. You're talking about Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Matthews, Jabari Bird and Jaylen Brown. Those are four dudes who can flat-out make plays. Wallace is a guy who maybe hasn't gotten national acclaim, but he's got size, he can get in the lane. He shoots it well enough. If Bird is healthy and Brown is what he seems to be, you're talking about four perimeter guys who can all make plays and are athletic enough to get to the rim but also make shots.

The other team is UConn. The year they won the national championship, they were an undersized team. They played with stretch fours. Niels Giffey put so much pressure on the defense. Kevin Ollie does a great job spacing the floor, and when you've got Sterling Gibbs, Jalen Adams, Daniel Hamilton. Rodney Purvis and then Shonn Miller, you have four players who can all shoot it, put it on the floor. And then Amida Brimah can protect the rim defensively.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/13672346/key-coaching-lsu-ben-simmons

 

[donyell34]

Yeah! Sounds good. Like the lineup and we have more with interchangeable players.

 

[zls44]

I actually hope we see that lineup a lot. It'd be entertaining as hell.

 

[Kitaman]

Damn Omar are you reading what's out there?

What cha gonna to do?

 

[DogMania]

I'm usually not that impressed with what Seth says, but in this case it's hard to disagree. I think UConn has the potential to be a very dangerous team this year, one that will be very difficult to match up with. It will be very interesting to see how the team comes together and the level of chemistry they can develop throughout the season.

KO did a great job of filling in some significant holes that existed on last year's team. If the returning players mature and the newcomers pick up and even eclipse what they did their prior year, this team is going to be very special and a lot of fun to watch.

IMO, the X Factor will be how good Jalen Adams can be out of the gate and how much he is able to mature as the season goes on. If he can really come on and be a special player by tournament time, watch out! I'd be remiss to not have similar thoughts about DHam. He was a high risk, high-reward type player last season. If he can learn to be a high level contributor and reduce his turnovers, he too will make this team a very dangerous one.

If everybody stays healthy and continues to develop, this team looks like one of the more balanced ones we've had in some time. They may not be the most talented, but they certainly look like one of the most complete teams. The only thing they seem to lack is a large physical big man in the middle. AB is able to change the game with his length and athleticism for his size, but he's not a big banger. Hopefully Miller will provide some physical toughness alongside the big fella.

 

[nomar]

I actually hope we see that lineup a lot. It'd be entertaining as hell.

Me too. We'd kill teams with those 6 guys on the floor!