It’s hard to be that unprepared for a game.

[uconngb]

Right, we made adjustments. It just can’t take until halftime. We never should have been down 14. Thats the difference between a mediocre coach and a good coach.

Bingo

 

[gtcam]

After what happened last year, this was unacceptable.

I agree but last year was more on the lottery pick and his poor judgment the last few games

 

[ChickenJoe9]

The in game adjustments are clearly not there.

There should be no roster construction issues next year after how glaring they were this year. At least I would hope so.

There's a reason our biggest win this season was when Hurley was out of the game. Kimani's in-game adjustments helped us beat Nova, Hurley's lack of in-game adjustments plagued us all season, which is our record in tight games is horrendous.

 

[superjohn]

Almost have it here. What I think it is, is Hurley forcing square pegs in round holes. You’re never going to have your perfect roster. Never. That means you need to be flexible. But he won’t. He makes guys play out of position, he assigns them roles they can’t fill because he simply won’t change his style.

There we’re comments about Carlton. Hell of a player. Better than Whaley or Polley. But he could not do what Dan wanted, so off he goes to Houston. It’s an example of the problem. He needs a flexible approach that maximizes the players he has.

That's a very good point on Carlton. I thought he was pretty bad and was regressing and then he goes to Houston and Kelvin Samspon has him playing great. That's an indictment on Hurley.

 

[87Xfer]

We lost this game in first half. Our game plan was crap. Theirs wasn’t. That’s on Hurley.

it didn't look like they had a game plan. just go into it like we're better then them.

either hurley needs to give some consideration to the basic "belichick plan" of taking their big threat out of the game and making their other players beat us, or Allen was better than anyone on our team

 

[shizzle787]

If we do not win a tournament game next year, Hurley should be canned.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I think next year is when the pressure starts to mount for Hurley if things don't get better.

He's going to have 'his' players. They need to develop the new guys and the returning guys so they give him options. Sanogo has to become more aggressive inside. There is nothing wrong with finesse, but he has to mix it up once in a while. Jackson needs to take the next step and add more on offense. Hawkins need to add strength. He made strides on the defensive end. They need Cole to come back or pick up an experienced good PG transfer.
I"ll miss Polley, Whaley and Martin, but for all they did well, they were limited.
There are a lot of fluid pieces going into next year. I think that will be the true test for COACH Hurley. We'lll find out if he can get it done.

 

[Kathy]

Understood. But low oil in your car makes the engines job harder. But the engine still isn’t the problem. You need an oil change not an engine change

So he's great at recruiting but poor at roster construction and in game coaching. Where does that leave UConn?

 

[uconngb]

Yeah Jackson was pitiful always going for the steal and letting his player have the edge going to the basket. Just lazy defense. I hope we can recruit over AJ as he really isn't much of a player. No offense and suspect d. Yeah he can make a highlight pass and rebound well but we need more from our SF.

I too don’t and have never seen the love affair with Jackson. Superior athlete, yes. But well below average offensive player, horrible on ball defender, definitely below average BBIQ. So people love the spectacular play he makes once or twice a game?? Big deal, he typically offsets that with a multiple of poor plays.

 

[KingAG]

So he's great at recruiting but poor at roster construction and in game coaching. Where does that leave UConn?

Roster construction is VERY easy to change. And idk

 

[PAHusky]

Hurley is not on the hot seat. Program is trending upwards and he is building a culture. Hurley could have cleaned house when he came to UConn, but he didn't and in the long run, it will pay dividends.

Look at Calhoun's first 7 years at UConn:

9-19, 20-14, 18-13, 31-6, 20-11, 20-10, 20-10, 15-13. For the 89/90 season (31-6), he brought in Nadav from Israel and that was the key and unexpected piece that pushed UConn to the Elite 8.

BTW, who didn't know that this team was vey flawed with no guard depth and poor shooting? Unfortunately, Diggins was not ready to compete this year at PG and I think you need to bring in another PG for next year as insurance for Diggins and to add depth. For UConn to be successful, we need 1 alpha point guard and 1 strong backup PG. Cole is more of a CG than a PG.

Let’s not pretend Calhoun and Hurley are starting with the same program

 

[LIuconn]

So disappointed and not surprised. Can't have 2-3 guys on who aren't a threat to score

 

[TRest]

Am I wrong or wasn’t the consensus on here at the end of last season that we would be taking a step back this year????

I was very concerned we were bringing back the same roster, most of whom were finished products as far as skills go. The board thought each would improve their games to make up for the lack of a Bouknight. Kind of finished with the same result.

 

[uconngb]

While the game plan wasn't great, Hurley uses the "we lost this game in the first half" excuse (usually effort vs strategy though) way too often, and he did it again in the post-game interview tonight. Yes, if we had taken care of business in the first half, we likely would have had a lead (probably a comfortable one) in the second half. But, either way, this game is winnable if we execute down the stretch.

Plus, whose fault is it for the lousy first half?? He trots out the same awful starting lineup every game and is surprised by a slow start?? Duh Danny, it’s happened like 20 games in a row now, get a grip!!

 

[Tenspro2002]

Almost have it here. What I think it is, is Hurley forcing square pegs in round holes. You’re never going to have your perfect roster. Never. That means you need to be flexible. But he won’t. He makes guys play out of position, he assigns them roles they can’t fill because he simply won’t change his style.

There we’re comments about Carlton. Hell of a player. Better than Whaley or Polley. But he could not do what Dan wanted, so off he goes to Houston. It’s an example of the problem. He needs a flexible approach that maximizes the players he has.

Carlton wasn't being compared to Whaley or Polley. He played the exact same role as Sanogo, and Sanogo was better and younger.

Both first team all-conference.

 

[huskyfever]

If Geno coached the men, we’d be way better off

 

[UConnJim]

STOP
Hurley wasn't prepared and was outcoached by a nameless coach - he was horrid today - like a deer in the headlights
UConn players didn't play well/smart
Game over

Nameless coach? You must not watch much college basketball.

Chris Jans is 121-31 (79.6%) at New Mexico St. and he is 298-88 (77.2%) in his career including Juco years. In 15 seasons, he has never had a losing season and he has won at least 20 games every season except last year, the COVID season. 3 time WAC Coach of the Year. The guy is 52 and he is on the short list for big jobs this offseason.

 

[Skiblets]

When your two best players originally went to Howard and URI I’d posit we have a roster construction issue. Hurleys been here long enough to own that. Bad loss. Hurley owns this

 

[UconnFanDC]

STOP
Hurley wasn't prepared and was outcoached by a nameless coach - he was horrid today - like a deer in the headlights
UConn players didn't play well/smart
Game over

Ok

 

[shizzle787]

That's a very good point on Carlton. I thought he was pretty bad and was regressing and then he goes to Houston and Kelvin Samspon has him playing great. That's an indictment on Hurley.

And he did it overnight.

 

[uconngb]

Hurley cannot shoot the ball, dribble the ball, rebound or defend for his players - I fully understand that so lets get that out there now

However, Hurley can prepare his team for the game, understand the opponents strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments
He did none of these things today and for the most part all season
He is a great recruiter, his name gets him into many doors and he obviously can close the deal. Being in the NBE is a bonus.
He is a ineffective Xs and Os coach and his player management/usage is more than questionable

Everyone knew that NMSU is a one man team yet that one player, who is not a great basketball athlete, goes crazy and scores more than half his teams points. Nobody else on that team is going to beat anyone. Period. Where was Hurley's plan to stop that big mouthed punk?
Yeah he hit some "blow it out your arse" shots but not 37 points worth - as one ESPN radio commentator said - someone on that UConn staff didn't do their homework - inexcusable
The opposing coach saw something I have been talking about all season. Uconn's bigger players, with the exception of Whaley, do not hit the boards with conviction. What did he do? sent everyone crashing the offensive boards keeping Whaley away and came away with a lot of boards - that was a killer. They also cut off UConn's head - Cole. A lot of teams had tried but these guys effectively did it for the most part.

It confuses me why there were no apparent defensive adjustments made during this game - no wrinkle in the defense to even try to stop that punk and nothing on offense to try to drum up production. Last I heard on Tuesday morning was Hawkins was able to play. The fact that he didn't step on that court is ridiculous. Dan Hurley's decision not to play his freshmen early in the season was and could prove to be a huge mistake.

This is a completely avoidable loss. Anyone who says NMSU is the better team is either certifiable or just fooling themselves. They had the best player on the court (on this night) but that one player should not beat a team like UConn.

Hurley and Sanogo have a lot to think about this offseason. 0-2 in your only NCAA games, both being the higher ranked team has gotten other coaches on the hot seat or even out the door. I am not saying at all that Hurley should be fired but he is being paid a whole ton of money to be producing these results. If AD David Benedict has any brains and guts (huge question) there should be a coming to God discussion on the table.

On to next season..........................................................

When I am agreeing with you I KNOW there are serious problems

 

[KingAG]

Seems like Rese is gone

 

[UncleSpliff]

We were prepared. NMSU was just the better team

The same team that got beat by a team called “Sam Houston st” by 40 points is better than us? I think not….

 

[HuskyHawk]

Carlton wasn't being compared to Whaley or Polley. He played the exact same role as Sanogo, and Sanogo was better and younger.

Both first team all-conference.

Of course. The point is even before Sanogo Hurley strugggled with Carlton because he can’t play Hurley D. He wouldn’t adjust.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

That's a very good point on Carlton. I thought he was pretty bad and was regressing and then he goes to Houston and Kelvin Samspon has him playing great. That's an indictment on Hurley.

I saw Carlton make a comment that Sampson had him doing a lot of repetitive “touch” drills working on post moves and finishes with both hando turning both directions. His point was that this was completely different than how it was at UConn.

You have to develop skills that you want players to use. Light bulbs seldom just turn on by themselves.

 

[uconngb]

Hurley does not deserve to be on the hot seat. He's a good coach with CRYSTAL clear strengths and weaknesses, but we've gone to the tournament two years in a row and ultimately that is the measurement like it or not. In time with more recruiting, roster tweaks, improving in-game coaching and demeanor we will be good for a long time. And he recruits like a monster and gets who he wants. I think the bigger problem is IDing who he wants better, and understanding his coaching weaknesses and having a plan to improve now that they are clear.

Strenghts -

1. the Dude can recruit. He wants a guy, he usually gets him. In some ways I think this is his problem at UConn. He gets to UConn and now he can recruit a bunch of athletic monsters that he couldn't touch at URI, so he gets a stable of them and doesn't worry so much about fit/style/traits. Cuz at URI you get a stud you can give him 35 minutes a game from day 1, and he'll develop fast and with the confidence that he is the MAN at URI. That alone will bring you success at URI, Wagner, etc, cuz if you are a killer recruiter at mid major you can really just out-talent people like the UConn Women do. If there's enough of a talent gap through recruiting nothing else matters at a mid-major school. You win 1 or 2 ok out of conference games, go 18-3 in your conference and you are a god. At UConn, you are at the top level of talent, the gaps are not there when you get to the top 25 teams, so roster management, in-game coaching ability, system, all plays a much more impactful role on success. That's new for him, we'll see if he can figure it out but now its a real struggle.

2. Effort/tenacity - no one will say this guy doesn't get his players to give max effort, sorry. They always fight, always play hard. There is massive value in that.

Weaknesses

1. Roster management (and this IS coaching. Hurley is the GM) - Its probably not good to have like 2-3 extra talented 6'10 guys who are just not useful at all because they are redundant. You give Akok, Springs, Samson Johnson to any other D1 team and they are each getting 10-30 minutes a night and putting up numbers. For us, they dont even sniff the floor(rightly or wrongly). Meanwhile, we have 1 guard who can dribble the ball and make shots off the dribble on the entire team. Our second ball handler is a 6'6 guy who is best off as a 3&D guy, and isn't a threat to score at all for himself. And our backup "PG" is a well below average combo guard with zero confidence. The one guy who could have helped us in the backcourt and dominated an intramural scrimmage(Floyd) getting to the paint and finishing at will was redshirted(looking back and even bigger ?) Finally, though it was clear from the very first set of real games exactly what problems existed with the roster and yet he didn't pull Floyds Redshirt, he didn't build up the freshman to get them experience and develop them. No, he put all the other pieces in the freezer and rode with the known quantities. And the results were exactly as they should be expected to be. The same.

2. In-Game Coaching Jesus H Khrist - We win the games we should win on talent, effort, and athleticm. And don't get me wrong I love that. I love knowing we are going to crush the bottom half of the Big East and cruise to 10 conference wins before we start sweating. But we do it with a brutal style of game where we just physically break down the other team, bully them, etc. But put us in a game of even talent where coaching MATTERS, and we are often outmatched. Basically this is analogous to every big game we play. We see it all the time - the other coach gets their players unlimited Isos in good positions to score. The guy just has all day and space to make a a play. He does it again. And Again, no adjustments. Seton Hall the dude put up like 20 strait points before anything was even done. This game all we needed to do was bottle up one single guy and we just keep throwing a single defender on him and letting him make a play toward the rim. Creighton just spreads us out and gets easy cuts to the rim. Villanova spaces us out and lets their guards bully us down low for 5-10 minutes at a clip. Its getting insane. We just get carved up by good teams and when bad teams get a guy hot we just sit there like we've never practiced variations or different coverages and they beat us with it.

I had to stop when you said GOING to the tournament is all that matters. This isn’t Rutgers, our standards are much higher here. Losing in the first round 2 years in a row, especially as the higher seeded team, ain’t gonna cut it. Did you see when they flashed our record as the higher seeded team in the 1st round pre Hurley?? I think it was 15-1 or something like that. So no, just getting to the NCAA is not good enough

Please

 

[Avon]

Speaking of the talent on this team: highly overrated. NMSU guys had more footspeed than our guys and equal athletically.

They also had a go to guy in Allen who torched us.

Hurley has no strategy except to our hustle the other team. Sanogo very selfish and soft. His play big reason we lost.


PS: Dan Hurley is on the hot seat. This performance after last years mantra about the loss to Maryland.

Should be but probably isn’t.

 

[AzHusky]

McDermott has been at Creighton 11 years, and Cooley has been at Providence also for 11 years. Let's give Dan Hurley a little more time.

 

[LIuconn]

It's a new age in cbb. Gotta hammer the portal (and know kids will leave us)

 

[The Viking]

The good news for some of you is once Florida hires Hurley, I’d imagine Kimani will be offered the job.