Just plain terrible.

[Stainmaster]

It's like I can see Ollie descending from "God status" among our fans before my eyes, and now he is becoming human, like almost all coaches are, and should be (unless its an all time great). I love Ollie, but before this game I think it was near impossible to say anything even remotely negative about him or his game plan. I think this will be a good thing long run for the team.

This is what happens when you a) lose the greatest basketball coach of all time and b) have his replacement perform much, much better than anyone expected in his seasons.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Fishy was right when some guy wondered where we would play Stone - if we got him - we would find a place !

Brimah is in that horrible no-man's land where he's too established to openly recruit over, possibly scaring away recruits at his position, but he clearly not good enough to perform against top competition (including those we could have recruited over him for).

 

[NYC_HUSKY22]

First game that i've ever left early.. literally in WELL over a decade. This team is just flat out mind boggling... no words. Just disappointment.

 

[mauconnfan]

This guy wouldn't improve his offensive game if he lived with Pete Newell and his staff every summer. What are you guys watching. If he was any good at all on offense and even if Coach Miller does suck he'd be better for he fact he's played 2 1/2 years - he's not. It's not coaching he's no good on that end because he retains zero and has no natural instincts except blocking shots. It's the sam thing on both ends, either block a shot or get beat on a pick and roll, or late to help. The offense isn't as good!

He's not getting better and it's not on the staff. Purvis is better, Hamilton is better, Facey is even better, Enoch will be better. He is what he is accept it because it's not getting better. Keep hammering Gibbs!

 

[mauconnfan]

Brimah is in that horrible no-man's land where he's too established to openly recruit over, possibly scaring away recruits at his position, but he clearly not good enough to perform against top competition (including those we could have recruited over him for).

A really good player will not be scared rather think it would be inviting. Stone certainly wasn't.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

sadly the boneyard has become my depression therapy group. someone to share in my sorrows and frustrations. even got my wife pissed off at me now ..and I'll blame that on the ref and Ollie's puzzling substitution patterns too

 

[Chief00]

This guy wouldn't improve his offensive game if he lived with Pete Newell and his staff every summer. What are you guys watching. If he was any good at all on offense and even if Coach Miller does suck he'd be better for he fact he's played 2 1/2 years - he's not. It's not coaching he's no good on that end because he retains zero and has no natural instincts except blocking shots. It's the sam thing on both ends, either block a shot or get beat on a pick and roll, or late to help. The offense isn't as good!

He's not getting better and it's not on the staff. Purvis is better, Hamilton is better, Facey is even better, Enoch will be better. He is what he is accept it because it's not getting better. Keep hammering Gibbs!

If he is not the answer - start Enoch.

 

[Gurleyman]

This guy wouldn't improve his offensive game if he lived with Pete Newell and his staff every summer. What are you guys watching. If he was any good at all on offense and even if Coach Miller does suck he'd be better for he fact he's played 2 1/2 years - he's not. It's not coaching he's no good on that end because he retains zero and has no natural instincts except blocking shots. It's the sam thing on both ends, either block a shot or get beat on a pick and roll, or late to help. The offense isn't as good! He's not getting better and it's not on the staff. Purvis is better, Hamilton is better, Facey is even better, Enoch will be better. He is what he is accept it because it's not getting better. Keep hammering Gibbs!

Have you been watching Gibbs?

 

[mauconnfan]

If he is not the answer - start Enoch.

I would agree but he was slow to respond on help and didn't get near an offensive rebound either. We need help down there and as Fishy said, Brimah stepping up is our hope but not stepping us is killing our expectations for this team.

 

[mauconnfan]

Have you been watching Gibbs?

Yep I said he was awful first 5 minutes, didn't guard too many people but no the only one there. But overall not bad, not our worst player on the court tonight that's for sure.

 

[Drame]

I don't know what Kevin Ollie is doing right now.

1) He insists on putting Nolan, Cassell and Calhoun on the court....at the same time. I'd love to see the +/- numbers there. It takes our offense long enough to get into the swing of things and it just completely derails when he's off on his bizarre rotation binges.

2) He's been a statue for three years and he gets a technical foul now?! Oh, my lord. What in the holy f--- was he thinking?

He managed to have get his first two teams to play well over their heads - gotta get back to whatever magic dust he was sprinkling on those teams.

On the front court....jesus. It just hasn't gotten any better. Everyone wearing a suit on our bench is to blame there. I'm on Team Chief - bring back Clyde or anyone who can convince one of these kids to actually rebound. It's full-blown coaching malpractice at this stage.

Amida was scared of Stone before the game started. He's really fired up to swat low-major shots, but he's plain intimidated against better competition - it's way too predictable these days. Given that Nolan and Enoch are not really options, we desperately need Brimah to play to his potential.

So, to recap, we played on half of basketball. Fourth straight game going down double-digits. We were outscored from the free throw line by 14 and out rebounded by about 25. We still managed to get within 3 before the head coach emerged from his coma and depth-charged the rally.

And we lose by ten.

Someone try to defend that performance.

The substitutions were horrible...we had an awful ugly line up out there in the first half.. We need continuity..We need core guys to make it their game. Its not an effort thing so quit subbing every 2 minutes. Pick 7/8 guys and live die with the. We have talent.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

This has been our offense for ollies entire tenure. No off the ball movement. Barely any ball movement. Doesn't seem like we ever run any sets. Just stand around until eventually someone goes one on one.

As others pointed out bazz saved us so many times. How many times did he drain crazy deep threes at the end of the shot clock? That's not good offense. And if you don't have a guy like that (we don't and most teams don't) then you're screwed running whatever offense it is we run.

How many open shots did we get tonight? How many easy buckets do we get on offense? It's all individual skill or one on one ball.

At least Ollie's past teams played defense. This team can't defend either. The coaching staff deserves every bit of criticism it's getting.

We don't come ready to play. We don't play defense. And we don't run any offense. And player development has basically been non existent. The players deserve some blame but the coaching staff, prticulary the Head Basketball Coach need to start doing their jobs.

 

[8893]

Nothing really shocks me as much with this team as Gibbs's underperformance. First time seeing him in person and he just doesn't look calibrated for this team imo.

Put me firmly in the Jalen gets most of the PG minutes camp. Not sure if he's ready but he will grow up quick. I'm not sanguine that things will improve if Gibbs keeps running the point.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Brimah needs to stop blocking the ball out of bounds so much -when you do that there is 100% chance the other team will get the ball back.

Tonight's John Madden Award goes to.....

 

[Gurleyman]

Yep I said he was awful first 5 minutes, didn't guard too many people but no the only one there. But overall not bad, not our worst player on the court tonight that's for sure.

We need a fifth-year senior lead guard to be more than a 3 and D guy without the D.

 

[BUHusky]

2) He's been a statue for three years and he gets a technical foul now?! Oh, my lord. What in the holy f--- was he thinking?

Did you actually watch the Louisville game at Gampel?

Great hot takes though.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Did you actually watch the Louisville game at Gampel?

Great hot takes though.

And the whole championship run, he was running up and down the bench like a madman. I remember announcers commenting "KO looks like he's actually out there playing defense himself"

 

[Silk31]

I was at the game and I really felt like Ollie was struggling in that 1st half along with our players. His subs were odd and our lack of D again was unacceptable. It was open season on our perimeter D and we had no answer or adjustment the whole game.

Just too easy for the Terps and when we finally were able to get some stops it was too little too late. This team doesn't play UConn D and we have the capability to do so...we are all waiting for it to come together but why we continue to no-show for a solid half vs every good opponent is still a mystery...

 

[3rdbass]

This guy wouldn't improve his offensive game if he lived with Pete Newell and his staff every summer. What are you guys watching. If he was any good at all on offense and even if Coach Miller does suck he'd be better for he fact he's played 2 1/2 years - he's not. It's not coaching he's no good on that end because he retains zero and has no natural instincts except blocking shots. It's the sam thing on both ends, either block a shot or get beat on a pick and roll, or late to help. The offense isn't as good!

He's not getting better and it's not on the staff. Purvis is better, Hamilton is better, Facey is even better, Enoch will be better. He is what he is accept it because it's not getting better. Keep hammering Gibbs!

What is all this piling on AB when he plays a half decent game. I know he didn't score but when has UCONN really had a big man that has scored. I guess maybe JA/HT days. The problem we lost this game is our guards. If SG/RP/JA play half decent we have a real chance to win it. They all plays pretty subpar and of course we lost. We will live and die by our guard play all year long.

 

[Rocktheworld]

What is all this piling on AB when he plays a half decent game. I know he didn't score but when has UCONN really had a big man that has scored. I guess maybe JA/HT days. The problem we lost this game is our guards. If SG/RP/JA play half decent we have a real chance to win it. They all plays pretty subpar and of course we lost. We will live and die by our guard play all year long.

You can never expect to win a game when you lose the rebounding battle 45-24.

 

[3rdbass]

You can never expect to win a game when you lose the rebounding battle 45-24.

Yes but don't you think our guards had a bigger impact on the game? I do especially when they shoot a combined 10-26, with 4 assists and 5 Turnovers. That is awful guard play.

 

[Towney007]

I'm sorry it's all on the coaching at this point. There's too much talent on the floor. It's just a misuse of resources.

No one - and I really mean NOBODY - knows how to run the offense. It's hard to even decipher whether they're even *running* an offense half the time. It's penetrate, kick, brick, repeat. No focus on getting a particular guy the ball, no way to reasonably incorporate guys into the the flow - the offense is garbage. Sure, we shoot well for the most part and go on runs - but it's really just getting by on talent at this point. Watching Purvis, Hamilton, etc. pass on wide open shots is just unacceptable. Shoot the ball.

Gibbs shouldn't be anywhere near the point right now. It's so obvious it's painful at this point as there's just a totally different energy and cohesion to what's going on on the floor when Adams is running the show. Could Gibbs evolve into that guy? Maybe. But right now it's not working.

Defensively - I'm sorry - just out of excuses. Team's not up to scuff.

The ultimate weakness though - just no presence down low. It's obvious at this point. Brimah is a nice shot blocking bit-player who can go off every 7-10 games when he's feeling a stroke - but he's not any kind of real presence down low. I had a lot of hope heading out of last year that he'd take a step forward and he hasn't.

The idea of spreading things around is great - but this team just lacks a focal point despite having any one of like... 4-5 guys who could serve as that.

 

[uconngb]

I don't know what Kevin Ollie is doing right now.

1) He insists on putting Nolan, Cassell and Calhoun on the court....at the same time. I'd love to see the +/- numbers there. It takes our offense long enough to get into the swing of things and it just completely derails when he's off on his bizarre rotation binges.

2) He's been a statue for three years and he gets a technical foul now?! Oh, my lord. What in the holy f--- was he thinking?

He managed to have get his first two teams to play well over their heads - gotta get back to whatever magic dust he was sprinkling on those teams.

On the front court....jesus. It just hasn't gotten any better. Everyone wearing a suit on our bench is to blame there. I'm on Team Chief - bring back Clyde or anyone who can convince one of these kids to actually rebound. It's full-blown coaching malpractice at this stage.

Amida was scared of Stone before the game started. He's really fired up to swat low-major shots, but he's plain intimidated against better competition - it's way too predictable these days. Given that Nolan and Enoch are not really options, we desperately need Brimah to play to his potential.

So, to recap, we played on half of basketball. Fourth straight game going down double-digits. We were outscored from the free throw line by 14 and out rebounded by about 25. We still managed to get within 3 before the head coach emerged from his coma and depth-charged the rally.

And we lose by ten.

Someone try to defend that performance.

I'm shocked one of the assistants didn't grab him when that lineup was on the floor and say "do you realize our lineup?". Everyone in my section was like WTF?? And it seemed like Maryland ran off 10 straight, although I'm sure they didn't. Other observation is that Gibbs is not a leader. Not a calming influence at all when down, and took it upon himself to make some really bad plays. I'm very disheartened w this performance. Third time in a row we let a quality team take it to us before we fought back. That is a recipe for disaster...

 

[uconngb]

Nothing really shocks me as much with this team as Gibbs's underperformance. First time seeing him in person and he just doesn't look calibrated for this team imo.

Put me firmly in the Jalen gets most of the PG minutes camp. Not sure if he's ready but he will grow up quick. I'm not sanguine that things will improve if Gibbs keeps running the point.

This

 

[dennismenace]

Gibbs not being a pg is killing us. I think we all expected more there at this point. Adams is the answer but I'm not sure he's ready yet.

Sometimes you just have to admit that your plan (Gibbs - PG) was not correct and make the change (Adams). It is ok to change a plan, you created it in the first place. The first plan is not working. Is it just poor execution or motivation? Or is it a case of what was drawn up on paper was just that; a paper plan. What we are seeing unfold is redundant predictability. I don't see the fire in Gibbs. That has always been a hallmark of UConn teams. Either quietly (Talik) but always leading by example or very verbal and example (Kemba, Bazz, Boat). To me, what do we have to lose? Let the kid play point and Gibbs the SG. Purvis off the bench. If we are ever going to make a go of this season now would seem the time to experiment. I don't want to say it is throwing in the towel to change. Not changing seems to be throwing in the towel. I want to see a LEADER on the floor and that position is PG.
Most of what I have seen of Jalen A. is very good; especially considering his lack of experience. He also plays D which is where it all starts. Love KO and do have faith in him. He is the one with " a PHD in basketball"; not me. Hope he can figure it out and pull the trigger. Many great comments made by others in this thread about bigs etc., working the officials. Not too late to turn this around. We need leadership on the floor.

 

[Chief00]

My worse preseason nightmare about a front end loaded schedule is coming to fuition. I said that depth is so often a myth - and frankly fools gold. So many guys of equal ability - much prefer a couple stars and some great role players. Thus far we have one star, Hamilton , who defers too much to less talented players.

 

[Hoophound]

I'm glad people are getting on board with the fact that Jalen is the answer, I hope KO does. It has been obvious, even when Gibbs plays well, he can't be the PG. We will blossom when Jalen leads this team. Until then, we will struggle every night unless we can't miss a shot. Not only is Gibbs not the answer at point, he is the answer filling minutes at the 2/3. This team needs to go small and use Brimah only when it is working. When it isn't working, throw your best 5 on the court and let me go.

 

[mauconnfan]

What is all this piling on AB when he plays a half decent game. I know he didn't score but when has UCONN really had a big man that has scored. I guess maybe JA/HT days. The problem we lost this game is our guards. If SG/RP/JA play half decent we have a real chance to win it. They all plays pretty subpar and of course we lost. We will live and die by our guard play all year long.

Again you can't discount his blocks during the run, they were critical. But you can't dismiss the stupid 3rd foul when Trimble was out of control and he fouled him just because. If he puts his hands straight up he throws up a prayer and he gets the rebound (maybe lol). For every good thing I can name 2 plays on defense which he was late or not around. Rebounded better especially early but I can't even name a play on the offensive end where he did anything. This team can't be struggling in half court playing 4 on 5 basketball it's that simple. He never gets position to rebound in the offensive end against good, big guys. Always swinging away from behind. And the one time he gets the ball in scoring position on the low block he throws up a very weak 4 foot air ball, is this good for our offensive flow.

"half decent" games being acceptable is making this team what it is. Gibbs needs to step up too, Miller needs to do more, Adams needs to be more consistent and finish, Rodney more consistent, DHam needs to finish around the rim in the first half and he also really needs to get a left hand to be great. I mean many guys played ok and are going to play better I believe, they've done it before. But AB, same guy like it or not. Block some shots, miss his assignment because he's thinking whether or not to block the shot and then run down the other end and get nothing against good teams. Not even a damn pick of impact ever. What do you want me to say, he's going to be fine?

Knock Knock...no one's home!

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm glad people are getting on board with the fact that Jalen is the answer, I hope KO does. It has been obvious, even when Gibbs plays well, he can't be the PG. We will blossom when Jalen leads this team. Until then, we will struggle every night unless we can't miss a shot. Not only is Gibbs not the answer at point, he is the answer filling minutes at the 2/3. This team needs to go small and use Brimah only when it is working. When it isn't working, throw your best 5 on the court and let me go.

Get JA in the game and let them get to know each other, this way Sterling gets looks form the wing as Jalen starts to find his way. Agree no choice.

 

[CTBasketball]

First things first. Jalen needs to get the reigns to this team. It will benefit us in the future. Secondly, unless Gibbs decides to play defense (and that's if he's able to) he should slide into a Calhoun/Austrie spot-up 3pt shooter role.

As much as I say cut Gibbs' minute, the second KO does that I bet he starts team chemistry problems. He did it at Texas because he didn't play, he did it at Seton Hall because he got suspended and coaching staff wasn't on same page. He'll do it here.

Miller and Facey are severely undersized vs. bigger teams. It seems they out weigh us by 50 lbs. Brimah is Brimah and he won't change. Hate to say it but Enoch needs more minutes. He's raw but he'll learn 10x faster than Brimah.

Purvis is the most confusing basketball player ever. Where is his high school confidence?

Defense is all hustle. No one is displaying hustle at the moment. We're playing pick up basketball. I don't know if that's on KO or the players. Individualism is a problem.

KO not taking responsibility for the tech is laughable. We all knew we weren't going to win the game though. A good team will lock it up defensively under 3 minutes and that's exactly what Maryland did. I don't see them being a national contenders, but that 1-2 combo of Trimble and Suilamon with quality bigs down low is something to be afraid of in March. They're well-coached too. Tough out for sure.

We got work to do. Again.