Georgetown Post Game Thread

[AllHusky]

Watching the Karaban celebration post game, you could see Tarris was genuinely happy for Alex, and was having fun with him, thought to myself, "What a nice kid". Tarris is a nice kid, more Teddy Bear than the Grizzly or Kodiak Bear everyone is looking for. It's getting late in the season, but if he can inch along the continuum towards the Grizzly game by game, huge difference.

To expect Ross and Stewart to be remarkably different as Jr's than Sophs is unreasonable, "what you see is what you get", more or less.

Braylon and Eric young players with talent, limited by physical and experiential development. On a good day, difference makers.

Malachi Malachi Malachi. Is there an answer in there? When you receive a pass, please don't retreat and dribble further from the basket. Probe and pass.

Alex, Solo and Silas really positive. Their A games are formidable. Solo always going to be an adventure on D. But he can be/is better than he was.

If we play well, we will go far. We just have a small margin, and need guys who don't do it consistently, to do it consistently. Go Huskies!!

 

[uconngb]

I don’t disagree. I’m happy we’re 24-2 and ranked highly. I’m excited for our March tournament.

I also think they’ve played way below their capabilities the last few games. I didn’t say a negative word when they beat BYU FL or Illinois, even when the game had a couple warts.

Those were great wins even with a couple negative plays. Negative plays happen so I wasn’t harping on some minor point during a great win. The last few games have not been that - they’re a bit troublesome with our talent and goals, and saying that doesn’t mean one isn’t enjoying the season or is miserable.

People mistake criticisms and pointing out deficiencies that need to be fixed in order for this team to reach its potential as "being miserable". I don't get it.

I'm willing to bet at least 90% of the people on this board, who by definition are probably the biggest fanatics of the team given the presence on this board, are not thrilled about what they saw last night. Because if we are all being honest with ourselves, we know what we saw last night does not bode well for what our ultimate goal is.

That needs to be separated from "we are miserable about being 24-2 and a top 5 team in the country." If you can't see that our recent play against inferior competition is much different (ie, worse) than our earlier season OOC play against elite competition, I don't know what to tell you. But those of us who are hoping for more than nip and tuck Jan/Feb victories over Georgetown and Providence can be concerned about what we are seeing at the same time still hoping that it gets figured out.

 

[Mr. French]

People mistake criticisms and pointing out deficiencies that need to be fixed in order for this team to reach its potential as "being miserable". I don't get it.

I'm willing to bet at least 90% of the people on this board, who by definition are probably the biggest fanatics of the team given the presence on this board, are not thrilled about what they saw last night. Because if we are all being honest with ourselves, we know what we saw last night does not bode well for what our ultimate goal is.

That needs to be separated from "we are miserable about being 24-2 and a top 5 team in the country." If you can't see that our recent play against inferior competition is much different (ie, worse) than our earlier season OOC play against elite competition, I don't know what to tell you. But those of us who are hoping for more than nip and tuck Jan/Feb victories over Georgetown and Providence can be concerned about what we are seeing at the same time still hoping the it gets figured out.

Well said. I’m both thrilled how good we are and fanatical about our team AND concerned about our recent play.

 

[TroyHall98]

What record would be an accurate representation of their season?

I don’t know and that’s not the point of my post. On its face, a team that is 24-2 is indicative of a stronger showing than what has been the case to date especially in conference play. They are being exposed by teams with less talent than them and to their credit they are winning but if they want to get where we all want them to get then there is a lot to work on.

 

[AllHusky]

Its called the 04, 11, and 14 seasons.

Exactly.

I'm convinced some of the doom and gloomers would have us not show up for the tourney because we can't win it(in their minds).

 

[Kemba15]

People mistake criticisms and pointing out deficiencies that need to be fixed in order for this team to reach its potential as "being miserable". I don't get it.

I'm willing to bet at least 90% of the people on this board, who by definition are probably the biggest fanatics of the team given the presence on this board, are not thrilled about what they saw last night. Because if we are all being honest with ourselves, we know what we saw last night does not bode well for what our ultimate goal is.

That needs to be separated from "we are miserable about being 24-2 and a top 5 team in the country." If you can't see that our recent play against inferior competition is much different (ie, worse) than our earlier season OOC play against elite competition, I don't know what to tell you. But those of us who are hoping for more than nip and tuck Jan/Feb victories over Georgetown and Providence can be concerned about what we are seeing at the same time still hoping the it gets figured out.

I wouldn’t just assume that lackluster play against lesser BE teams is more predictive than how we looked against tough OOC teams earlier in the year. It’s not like we are playing like a fundamentally different team now vs. in Nov/Dec, at least not to me. And if you recall a lot of people thought how lackluster we looked against cupcakes in early Nov was going to be a bad omen for the upcoming tough OOC sale—but it wasn’t.

Truth is we may not know the answer of until the second round of the tourney lol.

 

[Kemba15]

Exactly.

I'm convinced some of the doom and gloomers would have us not show up for the tourney because we can't win it(in their minds).

It’s just the nature of fan message boards I guess. People here were so confident that we were going to lose to Iona in 2023 in round 1. And then when that didn’t happen the goalposts kept moving

 

[Kemba15]

Which would make no sense - that we are paying good money for 4 minutes, and that a kid is taking money over a starting role.

If you think this place is bad, go check out Uconn twitter.



Could you really argue with this take? It's fair analysis to try and understand what direction Hurley is taking the program, when he had two of the more exciting teams in it's history in 23-24. Did he lose site of what got him there?

This is by no means a "complaint" as much as it is conversation. I know there are many here tender around interpreting everything as a complaint, when (as Deepter said) it can simply be constructive and entertaining analysis.

I think this is a very reasonable take. Have you seen some of the comments in the first few pages of this thread and after the last 2 games?

 

[AllHusky]

It’s just the nature of fan message boards I guess. People here were so confident that we were going to lose to Iona in 2023 in round 1. And then when that didn’t happen the goalposts kept moving

That was fun, yes??!!

2011 was even more fun for me. Everyone in town would congregate at a local restauraunt/watering hole for every game. Ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages!! What a party.

 

[Mr. French]

That was fun, yes??!!

2011 was even more fun for me. Everyone in town would congregate at a local restauraunt/watering hole for every game. Ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages!! What a party.

Maaaan ‘11 and ‘14 were so much sports joy.

 

[Frank06830]

What did Calhoun say on the mic ? Something about the backup PG Smith ? Reibe ? I didn't hear that part. Only that he told Hurley. This was during the part when Hasheem was speaking.

He called Reed a “nice “player. Before indicating Reibe should get more playing time. OUCH. That comment spoke volumes to me what he thinks about Reed……

 

[RuffRuff]

Maaaan ‘11 and ‘14 were so much sports joy.

Nothing beats unexpected Cinderella runs with ballsy, exciting guards at the center of it.

 

[AllHusky]

Remember the old ABC Wide World of Sports opening montage? "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat"(Ski jumper basically dies going off the ramp). On the Boneyard this year it is "The thrill of Victory and the agony of...Victory"

 

[Marat]

I’m picking up 2006 UConn vibes with this team. They play with their food a lot as did the 2006 version until it ultimately came back to bite them in the postseason. The difference is that the 2006 was thought to be a clear #1 team with the roster we had. They had a great regular season (in a much tougher Big East) but there was something missing and we all saw it and hoped things would straighten out by March but it got worse

Was thinking this too. God that was a disappointment.

 

[AllHusky]

Was thinking this too. God that was a disappointment.

Statewide suicide watch

 

[RuffRuff]

Was thinking this too. God that was a disappointment.

It's going to be interesting - can you go from playing with the food in a bad conference for two months to turning it on for the tournament? The good news is that they have two tough conference games, then the BET to test drive this group.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He doesn't, but his comments have a direct impact on the players and he's trying to motivate them. When fans complain about a 24-2 team they come across as whiny and spoiled.

I've seen a bunch of posters this week say they hate watching this team and/or have not enjoyed this season. I get the team has its flaws but if you can't enjoy a 24-2 team with the only 2 losses coming down to the final minute I am at a loss for words

Mixing metaphors upcoming.

I've enjoyed the record and the results. My cardio system has not enjoyed the process.

So far this season has been like making a hot dog. You like the results, but the process is iffy. I'm just hoping this season ends up with a 100% all beef weiner with no nitrates or preservatives and not a pack of chicken and pork Oscar Meyer weiners.

One of the downsides of being fans who have seen multiple championship teams and some really good teams which fell short, is you can see indicators or characteristics of teams which succeeded and teams which did not. It's a fine line between success amd failure in March/April.

Being that the flip side to us is being a BCU or Pitt fan who has no idea what success looks like, I'll take being a UConn fan every day. But man, some things the players and coaches do are head scratchers.

 

[Excalibur]

This is year 4 of our “elite offensive sets”.

I think what we are seeing is some combo of:

-teams have watched film for 3+ years and have a much better idea of how our sets are going to evolve…especially deep into the shot clock

-teams have learned that one effective way to mitigate is to hold, grab, and push with reckless abandon and dare the refs to call every instance. As we’ve seen, they maybe call 5% of the off-ball fouls (that may be an overestimate)

-for whatever reason, we just don’t seem to be as crisp and effective with our screens as we were with the 22/23, 23/24 teams. The D seems to get through them much more effectively and there just aren’t as many ridiculously wide-open looks/cuts anymore. I think some is on our guards, some on our screeners.

-our P-n-R’s are just not that effective as our bigs seem to not be able to get to the rim and elevate for lobs like in years past

We definitely don't have a rim running lob threat, and neither of our bigs is an effective screener. On top of that, when we screen with forwards and guards, they don't hold the screen at all -- they are rolling before the defender even makes contact.

 

[Vuce]

It's going to be interesting - can you go from playing with the food in a bad conference for two months to turning it on for the tournament? The good news is that they have two tough conference games, then the BET to test drive this group.

Yes you can - see 2014 UConn in terms of turning it up a notch in the postseason. And remember, that team got embarrassed by Louisville in the last regular season game losing by more than 30 pts

 

[JustbrewitMan]

We definitely don't have a rim running lob threat, and neither of our bigs is an effective screener. On top of that, when we screen with forwards and guards, they don't hold the screen at all -- they are rolling before the defender even makes contact.

WRT your last point, we need to be careful analyzing those because sometimes, they are designed to be like that (“ghost screens”). I don’t pretend to be savvy enough to sort out with 100% certainty when it’s a bad screen vs a ghost screen…

 

[Excalibur]

Believe me, they would be worse if they were 25-1. They'd be calling for Hurley's head after the one loss.

You have to aspire to something, I guess . . .

 

[Bogey02]

Another game that mostly went the exact same way as all the other games

The good parts: Carried by great performance from a few guys (Solo/AK/Silas), really fun offensive spurts, Reibe played great while Tarris was in foul trouble

The bad parts: inbounding execution is terrible, half of the bench in Stewart/Mali gave nothing (Hurley is sending a message to Stew - figure it out or don't play), we were in a dogfight against a bottom feeder team, arena tried to get into it during runs but overall was a graveyard

Yet as much as they tried to lose late, once again they found a way to win. This team will be ranked #4 tomorrow, so what can I do other than cheer and enjoy the ride?

My favorite parts of the game: Solo giving himself an intense pep talk after every three, Iwuchukwu launching a three that hit above the square of the backboard and nothing else, Hasheem Thabeet, AK putting the game away late to secure the wins record (but still looking angry after because they almost blew that lead)

Kayvaun Mulready and KJ Lewis made some really difficult shots, they were fun to watch. We were playing fire on that last foul up by three with the new continuation rule. It was the right call (2 shots), but half a second later and that would have been 3 FTs to tie the game

I had to rewind and watch that Iwuchukwu 3 point attempt immediately after. Absolutely hysterical attempt at shooting a basketball

 

[Excalibur]

WRT your last point, we need to be careful analyzing those because sometimes, they are designed to be like that (“ghost screens”). I don’t pretend to be savvy enough to sort out with 100% certainty when it’s a bad screen vs a ghost screen…

But other than Reed, and Reibe, everyone is setting a ghost screen 100% of the time.

 

[Lafayette]

Wow - missed the game with Valentine's Day as thinking Gtown was 13-11 and this is at Gampel....

Yet it's a win, and like every game 17 pages of comments picking apart a win. I guess if we win each game of March Madness similarly, will the 7th Natty win by ~4 post game thread yield 17 pages of comments complaining or celebrating?

 

[Smp7598]

New here? I’m the biggest Taris defender on this board. But he isn’t a smart basketball player

Our big guys get at least one foul again 30 feet from the basket. Those switches or attempted switches seem to never result in a positive result.

 

[Woof]

Okay, there’s still “time” to flip a switch, but what makes you think, 24 games in, that we have the ability to do so?!

2024

 

[Deepster]

He is the COACH. It’s his JOB. We are FANS. Our nitpicking and misery does nothing positive.

Sorry. I don’t see the difference regardless of your excessive CAPS USAGE.

How many games have the non biased oddsmakers had us -15 to -17 and it’s a 6-7 pt game with 3 minutes left?

I want title #7. Period.

 

[twiceahusky]

Wow - missed the game with Valentine's Day as thinking Gtown was 13-11 and this is at Gampel....

Yet it's a win, and like every game 17 pages of comments picking apart a win. I guess if we win each game of March Madness similarly, will the 7th Natty win by ~4 post game thread yield 17 pages of comments complaining or celebrating?

I feel like you are playing the role of Herb Brooks - trying to united all of the BY against a common enemy that is YOU - a fair-weather fan at best!

You missed the game because it was V-day and it was lowly GTown at Gampel???? While the rest of us planned our weekend around the game?

Each game should damn well yield 17 pages of people caring. And someone who haphazardly misses it should not be expected to understand or comment.

(I say all of this in jest, kind of).

 

[DogMania]

Inbounding the ball continues to be a problem. I'm not sure it is AK's fault though. Guys got to get open. Coaches need to set up plays to get them open. It is a problem and it almost cost us.

I keep on thinking that there must be some tape they can watch on how to in bound the ball to do something different than they're currently doing. It's no secret to all our opponents that we struggle to inbound the ball, so every team is going to pick some points during the game to pressure and try to turn us over. What also doesn't help is we rarely attack and look for early offense to make teams pay for trying to pressure us.

I'm starting to wonder are there just so many aspects of their game that needs attention that the staff is not able to dedicate more time to this?

They are the strangest 24-2 team I've ever seen. As many have pointed out they are running out of runway to clean up their game. Some of the mistakes they're making are a recipe to ending your run during a win or go home tournament.

 

[freshler40]

I noticed Reed often is moving on his picks but it is not always called. Last night the called him for a moving pick except he wasn’t moving but what he did do was give the defender a little shove in the back as he went by. Blatantly obvious to the refs.

Yes, a blatant push for no apparent reason. Reeds picks are often moving; he doesn't set it well though both teams do the same thing a lot.
It well may be that the basic high hedge for our centers has the left-over effect of needing to be in two (2) places at once, so these centers are hyper in their overall movements. The extra movement they are required to perform also exhausts them to correctly perform both? In many games, both Reed & Rebie have to fight back for good position against their Bigs. It's really difficult to get in defensive or rebound position under these conditions let alone the increased chances for fouls being called.