Not supporting the original poster's views, but what exactly is the game plan? I can blame the players to an extent, but seriously, our offensive "game plan" is for Bazz or Lamb to go one on one. I've never seen such poor offensive sets before. Your offense has to have more than one option (Lamb coming off double screens or the pick and roll). It's just amazing to watch the complete and utter ineptitude. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in pre-game where JC is explaining what exactly the offensive game plan is. I have no doubt it's not what we're seeing, but he's not exactly putting together a set that will lead to any success, at least not with this current crop of players. I don't think anyone is quitting, but I also don't see any changes or wrinkles being employed. The closest adjustment I noticed today was putting Giffey technically as the 1 so Bazz and Lamb could come off screens. Not so pretty.
There's all different reasons for failure - execution, missing components to the team, attitude, effort, chemistry, luck, an off day, playing intelligently, playing against a better opponent, playing against an opponent that causes match up problems, or playing against an equal or inferior opponent that is having an unusual, off the chart game.
The OP is entitled to his opinion. Same as you and me. He could be right for all I know. However there is no measuring stick to prove it either was so I prefer to focus on the playmaking. I agree with your description of the sets UConn is utilizing and how it is ineffective.
IIRC after the Battle for Atlantis JC wanted to get more production from the front court. Prior to that there was a lot more perimeter passing and greater ball movement, but the scoring was primarily guard oriented. The focus since then was to get the front court into the schemes. So far that effort has produced mixed results. The two games in which AD and AO were effective, WV and ND, UConn won. The last two games the front court was abysmal production wise and the results were Jeremy and Shabazz were forced to try to create on their own.
JC may have to abandon his strategy. There are not many more games in which he can continue to get the Bigs to develop without costing UConn the season. But part of the problem is that each player has a major fault that is easily exploited during the games. Last season, Kemba was a complete player with no weakness. This season, the player who has come closest to being a complete player imo, has been Shabazz. And from the commentary in this forum, I don't think my opinion is accepted by the majority of people.
For all the criticism that Shabazz gets on defense, Jeremy has a lot more trouble staying with his player than Shabazz. DD has even greater problems. Ryan is very similar to Shabazz. I would say only Niels is more effective playing defense than Shabazz. But no one comes close to what Kemba was able to do on defense last season. On offense, teams have figured out how to defend Jeremy when he has the ball. He is a decent ball handler but limited. Ryan had two good games and two iffy games with his running the team. It's hard to evaluate how much he can provide based on only four games in which the results were divided. He is doubly handicapped being a freshman and not playing in many games.
Last season Roscoe was excellent on defense with the occasional losing of his player on the perimeter when he played the three. But he was a rebounding maniac. This season it seems he gets out played frequently on the defensive end for rebounds, although he does stay with his player better. On offense he is frequently unsure what to do. TO stays with his player, but they can shoot over him easily and although TO's fundamentals on boxing out are the best of the bigs, he struggles to get rebounds against more muscular fours or if the ball careens at an angle to his body. On the offensive end, I like his play the most of the bigs, but the injury to his heal has negated a lot of that value the past few games and he seems a little less effective ever since the Fairfield game in which his brother got the best of him.
Alex has been getting better and better at presenting himself to get the ball as this season has progressed. But when he gets the ball it's a crapshoot whether he will score. On defense, I feel he has improved significantly over last season in handling screens. He still fails to move to take charges or better defend against shots, preferring to let the player get around him and try to block the ball. This has been very ineffective. And he doesn't have that Jeff Adrien or KFree tenacity at constantly trying to hustle to get the ball.
AD really lacks the understanding of where to position himself on both ends of the court. I like his hustle and he is not afraid to cover his player on the perimeter, but frequently he allows his player to get between him and the hoop. And he almost becomes an observer on the defensive end at times.
The only decent screener is Tyler. The other bigs have to be constantly directed by the guards and that takes away from the effectiveness of the screens. In most cases Alex leaves his screening position before the guards get to the spot where it will be effective.
I'm not sure the team can be expected to play effectively as a unit if the individuals can't fix their glaring flaws. I don't believe these are bad players. They just are having a difficult time figuring out how JC wants them to run their sets. They are almost too mechanical in their play. They may not correct these problems this season or ever, but if they do, the team will be hard to beat.
