For the 100th time why Omar over Giffey?

[superjohn]

I know we will need Omar to be a big part of this team if we want to reach our potential but he is absolutely killing us, his shot is way off and he is a disaster with the ball, Giffey is a far better player than him at this time and needs to get more minutes.

 

[SaeHusky]

From your lips to Ollie's Ears

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Better question - why anyone besides Napier and Daniels over Giffey?

Shooting, defense, rebounding and high IQ. I'd love to hear Ollie's reasoning behind having him glued to the bench ( not just tonight ).

 

[kelde1wd]

KO has a delicate situation here. Niels is definitely playing better and deserving to start, but if UCONN is going to do any damage in the tourney, OC will need to be a player. KO may be trying to keep his confidence up by starting but if continues to struggle, that will probably change.

 

[aceboon]

too big of a game to let Omar stay out there and play like this, let him work the kinks out against Maine, not Florida. Its getting harder and harder to rationalize how KO is handling the minutes b/w the 2.

 

[Dynasty]

It doesn't matter who starts the game but who finishes.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

A question for the ages.

In KO I trust, but I can't figure it out to save my life.

 

[Mano]

Listen there is no doubt that Omar is struggling with his shot right now, and that lack of confidence is clearly permeating the rest of his game, but as someone else said, its still important to try and keep Omar going in a positive direction. Giffey was in there in crunch time to close it out. Omar contributed in his own right with that baseline jumper and that charge he drew. Little beginnings I suppose.

MANY people were bagging on Deandre, all of 3 games into the season, and he has clearly asserted himself to a degree. I have no doubt the same will happen (and we need to happen) with Omar.

 

[BarkingDog]

Omar only played 15 minutes. Not sure what the beef is.

 

[selles]

I know we will need Omar to be a big part of this team if we want to reach our potential

I understand part of the OP was in-game frustration, but you answered your own question. Nobody ever won a championship in December.

 

[Palatine]

Give it a rest. We'll need both before it's over.

 

[CTBasketball]

It doesn't matter who starts the game but who finishes.

The problem isn't the starting lineup. It's that Omar gets more time on the court in crucial spots.

 

[gtcam]

The kid had both hips operated on and didn't play ball this summer. That plus a case of the sophomore jinx is kicking his ass. Should he be starting? Probably not but he needs some time to work things out. KO didn't play him i8n crunch time so I don't understand the guessing of KO's tactics. Giffs did not have a stellar game by any means. His lack of defensive IQ lately has me concerned. Love Giffs but he needs to see the court and understand priorities when playing d. We beat a talented and older Fla team but we can't keep riding Bazz's back all year. DD has to be more consistent, the bigs need a defensive clinic but thought TO played well and was given at least 2 fouls that were more than questionable. Boat needs to know its all right to play in control with the ball. A WIN IS A WIN and I love the ending!!!!

 

[gtcam]

The problem isn't the starting lineup. It's that Omar gets more time on the court in crucial spots.

I don't recall seeing him during the last 15 minutes here or vs Indiana

 

[CTBasketball]

I don't recall seeing him during the last 15 minutes here or vs Indiana

Every time Florida went on a run, Omar was in the game. I consider those crucial spots.

 

[mauconnfan]

Tough one, don't want to lose him but he is really struggling to do anything positive at this point. Tough call for the staff and they need to find a way to get his confidence back for sure!! Hope he gets it soon.........good kid and makes us even better.

 

[aceboon]

Every time Florida went on a run, Omar was in the game. I consider those crucial spots.

I don't recall Omar being in the game for at least the last 8 minutes, and it was probably more than that. Prather was killing him and KO responded and took him out, not sure what game you were watching but he definitely wasn't in there for the crucial minutes.

 

[boog204]

Here's the beef...
Mon 12/2

• 
  [ ]vs
  [ ]#15 FLORIDA

W 65-64 151-5.2000-3.0000-0.000
Tue 11/26

• 
  [ ]vs
  [ ]LOYOLA (MD)

W 76-66 262-6.3331-3.3332-21.000
Fri 11/22

• 
  [ ]vs
  [ ]INDIANA

W 59-58 171-7.1430-5.0000-0.000
Thu 11/21

• 
  [ ]vs
  [ ]BOSTON COLLEGE

W 72-70 282-8.2500-2.0005-6.8339
Sun 11/17

• 
  [ ]vs
  [ ]BOSTON U

W 77-60 231-5.2001-3.3330-0.000

I have no idea what this means...

 

[gtcam]

Tough one, don't want to lose him but he is really struggling to do anything positive at this point. Tough call for the staff and they need to find a way to get his confidence back for sure!! Hope he gets it soon.........good kid and makes us even better.

It sure is a tough call. I think JC lost some really good recruits because of his hook and the dog house (sorry JC - you are still a basketball GOD!). KO brings a players thinking and he understands that if recruits see him giving up on a player they may have second thoughts.

 

[uconnsouth]

As a coach, if you want to keep your team over the long haul, changes are not good early.

We're gonna need Omar. KO is smart to keep him out there, but the hook will be quicker.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

This team is going to need all the offensive weapons we can get. Florida played good defense against us and besides Shabazz and Boatright, we struggled to create offense. If this team is going to make a deep tourney run, Daniels and Calhoun are going to have to be offensive contributors. People forget how much growing up these kids can go in a season. You can't write them off yet.

 

[Danzz]

I know we will need Omar to be a big part of this team if we want to reach our potential but he is absolutely killing us, his shot is way off and he is a disaster with the ball, Giffey is a far better player than him at this time and needs to get more minutes.

Giffey isn't exactly great with the ball either. His handle and passing is below average. Is Giffey better right now? Probably, because his shot is falling.

 

[msgordon]

It's not even about Omar or anyone else struggling though, Giffey just needs to be on the floor period for as long as he can handle. He's like kahwi Leonard on the spurs or someone who's bulk stats don't jump off the page but the team is just so much better when he's in. His offensive rating and true shooting % are completely off the charts. He's always in the right spots on both sides of the floor

 

[NHUConnfan]

Because Giffey is our 6th man...our secret weapon. Honestly, I think he'll play worse if he starts. Giffey brings an energy boost when we need it. He can drill shots, he plays decent D. He's the kind of guy I LOVE to bring off the bench.

I think the point about needing OC to be able to make a run is very relevant. OC will get better with time. I'm not sure benching him does us anything good.

 

[2north]

Some nights it will be Giffey, some nights it will be Kromah, and others it will be Omar. It's a nice problem to have.

Tonight we really didn't matchup well with their front court or wings. They were just way more athletic and exposed each one of our guys on D.