First 10 minutes

[mcs333]

Uconn scored 34 points. It was the best offensive first qtr. I have seen them play in a long while. DD,SN and Boat were outstanding. Overall when we get 18 and 13 from the center position and DD and our guards continue to score in double digits, Uconn can play with anyone. Now the next two games will really determine how far this team has come. ND and Ville. Also we have Pitt who is killing GT at Gt tonight.

 

[mauconnfan]

They were absolutely flying all over the place on both ends.......that was fun to watch!

 

[upstater]

Could be last game in a long while against Pitt. We'll have Ville and ND again next year.

 

[rbny1]

Those first 10 minutes were amazing. I was doing the math in my head when the game clock ticked past 10 minutes: we were on a pace to score more than 130 points for the game. I realized we would not keep up that pace, but those 10 minutes were one of the most exciting outbursts of UConn basketball in a long time.

 

[James]

They probably stopped playing d because they realized how bad DePaul was. As far as ND, I'm a bit nervous on how we plan to deal with the doppelgänger harangody. we need to have great focus and patience to succeed saturday.

 

[caw]

They probably stopped playing d because they realized how bad DePaul was. As far as ND, I'm a bit nervous on how we plan to deal with the doppelgänger harangody. we need to have great focus and patience to succeed saturday.

Completely agree on being nervous. Notre Dame is a problem. However, it's not just Cooley.

At 6'5, 200 their worst three point shooter is Grant and he is 17/48 for 35% on the season, or about the same as Boatright.

At 6'5 210, Connaughton is 23/64 for 36%
At 6'7, 190 Biedscheid is 22/53 for 42%
At 6'2, 182, Atkins is 19/42 for 45%
At 6'8 220, Martin is 31/61 for 51%

They play in control, with Atkins really controlling the tempo and Cooley cleaning the glass. Just a very dangerous team. Sherman is the only other player that gets significant minutes that doesn't shoot the ball from three, but he is is 6'10, 250.

Probably start the game with:

Boat on Atkins
Napier on Grant
Calhoun on Connaughton
Daniels on Martin
Olander on Cooley

If UConn helps Olander they will bomb from three and likely hit them, Connaughton and Martin shoot most of their shots from deep, so Calhoun and Daniels will have to stay on their man. Grant and Atkins do attack a bit more, but also hit from deep. If UConn helps off of anyone on the three point line, Grant is the best bet to leave open (and it's not exactly a good idea).

Wolf on Sherman
Evans/Giffey on Biedscheid

Any team with that many shooters and a decent post-player would be tough and Cooley is more than decent. Good thing is that the Irish aren't deep, so UConn can get them in foul trouble. UConn should also have a speed advantage. Atkins is tough though, because he does a great job of controlling tempo and doesn't turn it over a ton.

 

[aceboon]

one plus for the ND game is that the students will be on break so the crowd shouldn't be as live. I think we caught them around the same time last year and I remember the crowd being nowhere near as hype as past games played there.

 

[James]

I'm curious to see how we stack up against their backcourt. If Napier puts on a show and we win, I'm probably sold on him being as good as any pg in the ncaas. I would say the keys for a victory involve high levels of defensive focus and production from Daniels. Not a 10 point game where he's riddled with foul trouble

 

[HuskyBballFan]

one plus for the ND game is that the students will be on break so the crowd shouldn't be as live. I think we caught them around the same time last year and I remember the crowd being nowhere near as hype as past games played there.

Yeah, plus it was an 11 AM start. Their building was pretty dead that day.

Notre Dame isn't as good as Louisville and Syracuse, but they're not that far behind in my opinion. They are really hard to guard because they surround Cooley with so many shooters, and they really share the ball. Given that we have 'Cuse and Louisville at home, you could argue that this is as tough a game as we have left on the schedule.

 

[uconNYC]

I don't know if the stats back me up, but it seems we are getting out of the gate much quicker this year than in the past 2-3 years.