Gottlieb: How UConn can Make Another Run

[jfuchs91]

Doug Gottlieb just wrote an insider article on ESPN talking about how UConn can turn it around and be "this season's UConn Huskies." Essentially, he said that we have the talent and a very similar squad to last year, but gave five points on where we need to improve if we want to make noise in March.

1) Run the offense with a sense of purpose
2) Defend the 3 better
3) Lamb needs to step up
4) Break out the full court press
5) Find a leader

This isn't anything that we don't know, but it's nice to see that not everyone has given up on us. This team certainly does have the talent, and hopefully with the season winding down, they start playing with the effort and intensity that they did last year, especially on the defensive end. I don't envy the 1-3 seed that may have to face us in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Link

 

[husky210]

Dooooooooooooomed

 

[HooperScooper]

People, including UConn fans, need to stop making comparisons to last year's team. What that team did last year was historical. A once in a lifetime type of run. The odds of something like that happening for UConn again are pretty small. I know it gives us all hope to say, "But last year's team won it all after going 9-9 in the Big East and stumbling down the stretch," but I'd just rather focus on this year's team and stop bringing up last year to give us hpe for this season's team.

 

[Dann]

hes trying to mess with us before the big game 2moro. he always has positive things to say when he needs to flip the script before something. dg!

 

[HuskyBballFan]

People, including UConn fans, need to stop making comparisons to last year's team. What that team did last year was historical. A once in a lifetime type of run. The odds of something like that happening for UConn again are pretty small. I know it gives us all hope to say, "But last year's team won it all after going 9-9 in the Big East and stumbling down the stretch," but I'd just rather focus on this year's team and stop bringing up last year to give us hpe for this season's team.

The runs made by VCU and Butler last year, based on what they did the regular season, were just as surprising weren't they?

 

[djct1999]

point is, this team has the talent to make a deep run. if they find consistency, if lamb plays like he did vs villanova, if the team brings it for a full 40.......there is no team out there we can't beat. i can't imagine if you are duke or kansas or even kentucky that will want to play uconn in the second round.

 

[Rico444]

If we get our coach back, I have faith we can make another run. It's all about defense with this team, if we can defend well and start getting out into transition like we were against Cuse a few weeks ago, we can beat almost anybody.

 

[Fishy]

What we did last year might have been the exception to the past rules, but I suspect will become much more common going forward.

This year, too, is primed for teams to do just what we did. There are so many teams in the same orbit that practically any one of 35 teams can conceivably catch lightning in a bottle and run to the Final Four. Butler has made it to two straight Finals. VCU, George Mason...good, veteran mid-major teams no longer look at making the Final Four as some sort of pipe dream.

 

[aceboon]

agree with all of those points except full court press, even Gottlieb's dumb ass should know we don't have the bodies in the backcourt to do it, and a team that does not press isn't suddenly going to become a pressing team overnight.

 

[Kitaman]

Doug was hearing that he lost UConn's fanbase.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

What we did last year might have been the exception to the past rules, but I suspect will become much more common going forward.

This year, too, is primed for teams to do just what we did. There are so many teams in the same orbit that practically any one of 35 teams can conceivable catch lightning in a bottle and run to the Final Four. Butler has made it to two straight Finals. VCU, George Mason...good, veteran mid-major teams no longer look at making the Final Four as some sort of pipe dream.

"any one of 35 teams can conceivable catch lightning in a bottle and run to the Final Four."

Yes indeed. EOM

 

[caw]

"any one of 35 teams can conceivable catch lightning in a bottle and run to the Final Four."

Yes indeed. EOM

So chalk?

 

[HeGotGame]

The runs made by VCU and Butler last year, based on what they did the regular season, were just as surprising weren't they?

Um no. Not even close, VCU didn't win their conference tournament. Butler did but had to win 2 games to do so. We beat what ended up being a 6 seed, a 1 seed, a 3 seed and a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament on 4 straight nights.

Even in the NCAA tournament there run was not even close as VCU won 2 less games than we did and we beat Butler.

 

[willie99]

refuse to read his work, sorry

 

[UCDaveD]

 

[TXHuskyFan]

He is just hedging his bet in case we make any sort of a run. Now he'll have a chance to say "I told you so" whether we turn things around or fall apart. We do not have to win the NC, but he repeatedly said over the weekend that we do not belong in the tournament. If we get to the second weekend, he'll just point to this article and say "I knew they had a chance to make some noise" and if we don't he'll say we did not deserve a bid.

If, if, if, if...and what would constitute a run anyway, 16, 8, final four? Either way he is correct.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Um no. Not even close, VCU didn't win their conference tournament. Butler did but had to win 2 games to do so. We beat what ended up being a 6 seed, a 1 seed, a 3 seed and a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament on 4 straight nights.

Even in the NCAA tournament there run was not even close as VCU won 2 less games than we did and we beat Butler.

I'm purely talking about the NCAA tournament, not the conference tournaments.

And Uconn winning the National Championship was not more surprising than VCU making the Final Four.

VCU finished in 3rd or 4th place in the CAA and had to win a play-in game just to make it to the actual tournament.

 

[HeGotGame]

I'm purely talking about the NCAA tournament, not the conference tournaments.

And Uconn winning the National Championship was not more surprising than VCU making the Final Four.

VCU finished in 3rd or 4th place in the CAA and had to win a play-in game just to make it to the actual tournament.

Purely NCAA tournament, I still think our run was better, not as surprising, but better. But yea if take out the conference tourney they are comparable

 

[NittanyHusky]

hes trying to mess with us before the big game 2moro. he always has positive things to say when he needs to flip the script before something. dg!

Exactly, he's the same clown who said SN would be the first point guard taken in the draft. Shabazz hasn't been the same shooter since. He trashed us all last year and look what happened. Now he's doing the reverse psychology thing and with our mojo.

 

[4UConn]

Doug Gottlieb just wrote an insider article on ESPN talking about how UConn can turn it around and be "this season's UConn Huskies." Essentially, he said that we have the talent and a very similar squad to last year, but gave five points on where we need to improve if we want to make noise in March.

1) Run the offense with a sense of purpose
2) Defend the 3 better
3) Lamb needs to step up
4) Break out the full court press
5) Find a leader

This isn't anything that we don't know, but it's nice to see that not everyone has given up on us. This team certainly does have the talent, and hopefully with the season winding down, they start playing with the effort and intensity that they did last year, especially on the defensive end. I don't envy the 1-3 seed that may have to face us in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Link

I'd add one more...our big fellas need to toughen up, box out, and get rebounds, which I thought they did a bit of against Villanova.

 

[jrazz12]

http://m.espn.go.com/ncb/story?storyId=7611093

This is a better analysis of our problems this year, and where losing Kemba has hurt. The two main points:

Getting to the free throw line and being aggressive
Offensive rebounding, especially from the guards

 

[auror]

I won't port the whole chart (so as hopefully not offend the paywall gods), but these are the biggest differences from last year to this (warning, edited in MSPaint):

*the 3p% numbers are for defense

Getting to the line, not as big of a problem as not turning it over. Walker used fairly close to twice as many possessions as Napier, but turned it over half as often. Just think about that. It's also not a matter of getting to the foul line, because the rates are fairly close. It's more about making shots when we get there *cough Drummond cough*. We're also giving up 3's at an alarming rate (and unlucky that opponents are making them more often?)

 

[swami7774]

The runs made by VCU and Butler last year, based on what they did the regular season, were just as surprising weren't they?

I wouldn't say Butler's run was a complete surprise. They were nearly intact from the previous year's FF team. VCU's run was a shock.

 

[willie99]

Doug Gott-Nothing predicted Bucknell would beat us in the 1st round last year

that's all you really need to know about his basketball insight

 

[sparky]

Dougie is a flamer and talks for the sake of talking. We do not stand a snowball's chance in hell to do anything with our ineffective 1/2 court offense and our hands at our sides when defending the shooter. Our only leader this year is JC and he has been idled. We are talented but rudderless. Bazz and Boat are on the same page but in different books. lamb, although he can create, wants and seldom gets the ball in shooting motion. AD is young and using uconn as a docking station till the draft. Can't shoot, no free throw, but athletic as hell. Where the hell were his coaches years ago. They used his hight and never helped him develop his game. He's perfect for a diluted NBA.