Kansas Post Game Thread

[Fan1978]

We all love DC but he’s not 100% right now, the foot, the conditioning. We‘re a better team with Slamson at the 5 for the time being.

They are both going to play so this who is better is ridiculous. Depending on matchups and whether they are on that day will dictate who is better. Both will do well. People said clingan was better last year and he was in some aspects or on occasion. Be happy we have both and they get rest

 

[Edward Sargent]

Setting a screen IS an offense and it DOES force Dickinson to defend. By the end of the game, Dickinson was exhausted from having to defend screens. It was the timely late 3s that beat us, not Dickinson's interior skill on either end.

Clingan can't post up effectively against a 7'2 beast of a man. He's not that good yet. His feet aren't coordinated enough unless he has exactly the right spacing, and he has meatloaf hands. You screen and roll hard and get Clingan the ball moving towards the hoop or give him an off-ball screen to get him to his strong hand. This worked twice with Clingan and once with Johnson IIRC.

This is exactly what the NBA wants from Clingan anyway. I doubt he spent last summer learning to post up like Sanogo. If he wants a paycheck, he needs to defend like a madman, rebound, be excellent in the screen and roll, and show some propensity for shooting from distance.

Dickinson is a darn good defender and with limited spacing last night because our shooting was so off, we didn't get as many opportunities as we would like putting Clingan in those positions he's comfortable in. It's unlikely we face a 5 as big, strong, and talented as him again unless we play Edey.

What we CAN'T have Clingan doing is banging for position in the low-post and making a post-move with 1-2-3 fakes to get a tough layup in. He's not Sanogo, and that's simply not part of Clingan's arsenal. We need to find him for a quick catch and turn or 1-dribble for a dunk, lay-in, or up and under. Otherwise, kick to it to a shooter. The longer he has the ball, the worse he looks.

Samson doesnt hold the ball for very long either!

 

[upstater]

I wonder if Solo Ball could drive more. I had the sense he could easily take his guy but it's also clear they don't trust him to do that.

The way to loosen up the tough D is to have your 4th and 5th guys take that space. Maybe Dickinson inside prevents that from happening, but Diarra was very willing to take him on, Ball much less so.

Anyway, I want to know if this kid can drive.

 

[husky429]

I wonder if Solo Ball could drive more. I had the sense he could easily take his guy but it's also clear they don't trust him to do that.

I doubt it's about the staff's trust, and more Solo's trust in himself. He has the capability to be driving hard and putting dudes on a poster, but is just timid and deferring right now. He'll get there.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Damn it... Damn it... so many missed opportunities. So close. But at the end of the day - It's a game in early december against Kansas that you lost by 3 at their packed house. Nothing to feel bad about.

This game will pay dividends come March and April. And that's when we RULE!

 

[Jaydumo20]

One thing I‘ve said for awhile now, is UConn is not well liked by referee crews around the country. We just don’t get good games called, especially on the road. Frankly at critical moments the refs stuck a fork in us, one was Karaban’s mystery 4th foul and the one where I think Johnson was tackled from behind on a loose ball. All critical calls went their way.

But I am not complaining? You know why?

It makes us tougher because that sh@t doesn’t happen in the NCAA Tourney. How does UConn win tourney as low seed? Because we play 7 on 5 a good part of the season and then we go in and kill it in the tourney.

And actually, for Kansas, don ‘t think that home cooking toughens them up - seemed like a good thing to win - but maybe not really????

I could care less we lost - on we go - let’s practice FT under pressure and last second shots when you’re down by 2 (newsflash we didn’t need that 3 from Spencer / Clingan had a dunk there.)

100% This point can't be stressed enough. I think we'd all take more nattys under Hurley in exchange for a regular season win in Lawrence, or a big east title, especially if the officiating in those games are less than consistent.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The way we need to look at this:

It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that we will be in the NCAA tournament this upcoming March. When the tournament starts, beyond having endured the (very top heavy) cauldron of the BE (regular season and tournament), we will have under our belt games at MSG against Indiana, Texas and North Carolina, a trip to Allen Fieldhouse where we played Kansas and a trip to the Pacific northwest to play Gonzaga.

The above, on a team that returns two starters a significant contributor and a ball handler who played decent minutes in a national championship run puts us very well positioned for another deep run.

I like the way this is unfolding.

 

[Huskymagic]

I don’t know why so many are confident based on what we saw last night that we would beat Kansas on a neutral court.

We were a Tristen Newton away from being blown out.

We lack foot speed and athleticism. Spencer, Karaban, and Clingan struggle against elite athletes.

Kansas swarmed us on the perimeter defense and we struggled to run offense. We needed to feed the post to relieve some pressure on the wing players and couldn’t.

We couldn’t drive and dish to open players either.

 

[Excalibur]

Cam took the shot with 5.5 seconds left. When TN passed him the ball there was plenty of time for Cam to fire a pass back to Newton who was totally unguarded at the time.

But, still amazing that UConn had a chance to win with the ball in the hands of our leading three point shooter. The foot hampered his shot all game.

McCullar had the pass back covered. He would have intercepted it, especially given that Spencer would have had to throw it over Harris.

On the pick, Harris moved off of Spencer to cut off Newton as Dickenson dropped. McCullar got over the top of the pick. The whole thing was executed poorly, but Newton made the right basketball play.

 

[temery]

Spencer, Karaban, and Clingan struggle against elite athletes.

'Two of those three won a national championship less than a year ago, as teenagers.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Stewey ain't ready for that moment. Come on man. You roll with a dinged up Cam.

Come on man.

How do you know until you try? I’m not saying to play him the whole game. Give him a few minutes and see what happens.

How many times have we been lit up by random players from other teams who haven’t contributed much prior for us to realize we can do the same thing.
It surprises the other team if someone not on their scouting report radar, suddenly makes an impact

 

[Marat]

I don’t know why so many are confident based on what we saw last night that we would beat Kansas on a neutral court.

We were a Tristen Newton away from being blown out.

We lack foot speed and athleticism. Spencer, Karaban, and Clingan struggle against elite athletes.

Kansas swarmed us on the perimeter defense and we struggled to run offense. We needed to feed the post to relieve some pressure on the wing players and couldn’t.

We couldn’t drive and dish to open players either.

Castle would have really helped .

 

[Shamon30]

What have Ross or Stewart shown so far this season that makes you think they would have played well? Neither of them are ready.

It's less that I'd expect them to play well and more that I could see Spencer wouldn't be able to with the amount of pain he was in. I know he's played through injuries before, but it clearly wasn't working out last night.

 

[Hunt for 7]

'Two of those three won a national championship less than a year ago, as teenagers.

I hope we don’t start with that thinking again. Our roster is constructed to deal with elite athleticism. As noted we won a chip with two of the players called out by the OP. Clingan and AK have and will continue to win games with their play. I thought Clingan did just fine against their athletes. He was a plus defender against all of them at the rim. He also changed a few HD shots with his presence. And if a few more of those AK shots go in then we are having a whole other conversation about him.

 

[kemba]

How do you know until you try? I’m not saying to play him the whole game. Give him a few minutes and see what happens.

How many times have we been lit up by random players from other teams who haven’t contributed much prior for us to realize we can do the same thing.
It surprises the other team if someone not on their scouting report radar, suddenly makes an impact

Because in a game like this every minute matters. We had a shot at the end to win the game so that’s previous statement that we had nothing to lose just isn’t true. It’s a long season with plenty of chances to experiment that spot was not one of them

 

[ctchamps]

How do you know until you try? I’m not saying to play him the whole game. Give him a few minutes and see what happens.

How many times have we been lit up by random players from other teams who haven’t contributed much prior for us to realize we can do the same thing.
It surprises the other team if someone not on their scouting report radar, suddenly makes an impact

Let me get this straight. We have a coach who just won a national championship with a team that was not ranked pre season. Who has worked his butt off in spite of that accomplishment in order to get back to back championships. Who is tortured by losing any games. And you're doubling down on your suggestion?

Of course "we" don't know if "we" don't try. And of course occasionally role players have been in situations where they outperformed expectations. But that is the exception rather than the rule. This was a winnable game. Certainly it's possible that playing Stewart or Ross could have benefited the outcome. But hasn't it crossed your mind that this idea might have made the situation worse? Do YOU know otherwise with certainty? Are YOU observing them over more time than Hurley? You don't think that one of the best coaching staffs in the country considered this idea and decided against it?

Presenting an idea is one thing. Arguing something that cannot be tested or proven as if it's a fact is another.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

99% of the time that reach-in from behind .on the Diarra drive , is an automatic foul . They got possession when it went off his hip . That was a huge play.
As far as Karaban’s effectiveness
10-6 on a night when the shooting guard is injured 2-10 and Castle is out he was their focus and he still got 10 . Tells me he is a guy we need out there.
His foul was stupid and him not being there when we had a chance to win was huge
Clingan’s still needs to physically mature and get stronger as well as developing a little shot.
Samson also needs more dimension to truly actualize his athletic gifts .
This team is better than I thought ( now , not to be confused with potential ) and has a lot of heart .
However concerning , is the lack of confidence in the freshman as Hurley only played 7 guys even with Spencer less than 100%. . Injuries could be huge. We need another freshman to step up besides Ball .
Newton is a different type of kid who has immense talent but is not comfortable being the man.
Passing up that last shot is something that no number 1 Huskie of recent memory would do
even less talented guys .
Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I couldn’t visualize guys.
like Cole , Adams, RB , Bazz, Kemba , Dyson, Price , Williams , Brown , Gordon , Butler , Khalid not taking that shot
That’s why Karaban has to be the man Newton is the reluctant hero.
* Ricky would defer to Rip and KO to Ray . Although even KO went end to end to beat PC when they doubled or tripled Ray.

After last Night as critical as I seem I think this team could repeat .

 

[SeattleHoop]

Let me get this straight. We have a coach who just won a national championship with a team that was not ranked pre season. Who has worked his butt off in spite of that accomplishment in order to get back to back championships. Who is tortured by losing any games. And you're doubling down on your suggestion?

Of course "we" don't know if "we" don't try. And of course occasionally role players have been in situations where they outperformed expectations. But that is the exception rather than the rule. This was a winnable game. Certainly it's possible that playing Stewart or Ross could have benefited the outcome. But hasn't it crossed your mind that this idea might have made the situation worse? Do YOU know otherwise with certainty? Are YOU observing them over more time than Hurley? You don't think that one of the best coaching staffs in the country considered this idea and decided against it?

Presenting an idea is one thing. Arguing something that cannot be tested or proven as if it's a fact is another.

All of your questions that you presented here have gone through my mind and yes I’m doubling down on my suggestion. I think it may have worked. I am not saying for sure I personally would have liked to see him experiment with it. I am aware he just won a national championship. Doesn’t mean I have to worship every game decision he makes as all perfect.

Let’s not over complicate this. All I’m saying is try the freshman in a big game where a starter is clearly injured. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. We can agree to disagree.

 

[SeattleHoop]

Because in a game like this every minute matters. We had a shot at the end to win the game so that’s previous statement that we had nothing to lose just isn’t true. It’s a long season with plenty of chances to experiment that spot was not one of them

Cam was getting burnt in the first half defensively due to limping. I don’t see why you don’t try Stewart or Ross for just a couple minutes in that situation while he gets his foot issues worked out. I’m not saying put them in at the end of the game in crunch time

 

[ctchamps]

All of your questions that you presented here have gone through my mind and yes I’m doubling down on my suggestion. I think it may have worked. I am not saying for sure I personally would have liked to see him experiment with it. I am aware he just won a national championship. Doesn’t mean I have to worship every game decision he makes as all perfect.

Let’s not over complicate this. All I’m saying is try the freshman in a big game where a starter is clearly injured. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. We can agree to disagree.

I agree with the part in bold.

 

[ctchamps]

Cam was getting burnt in the first half defensively due to limping. I don’t see why you don’t try Stewart or Ross for just a couple minutes in that situation while he gets his foot issues worked out. I’m not saying put them in at the end of the game in crunch time

I strongly disagree with this.

Our best line up is Newton, Castle, Cam, Alex and Donovan imo. Three ball handlers and two bigs who are good passers. Take out Cam in yesterdays game and sub in Stewart or Ross and who is a playmaker besides Tristen. When Cam went out to get his ankle taped Diarra was put in. I believe that was the correct substitution.

I believe Hurley wanted Diarra to play more than Solo but needed to keep him in reserve in case Tristen got into foul trouble. One thing I haven't seen posted was how incredible Tristen avoided foul trouble particularly after getting called for a foul early in the game. I shudder to think about this game if Tristen was forced to sit on the bench for long periods.

 

[Palatine]

And by the way…Full on over reaction by me on that. Woke up briefly at this time and was still bummed about the loss and typed something out that was certainly hyperbole to the idea I had in my head. I’m not worried 1 bit about Clingan defensively, it’s the other end that worries me.

To me it seemed like Clingan did a decent job of getting position but the guards did a poor job of feeding the post.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I’m not “putting the loss” on them. 8-7 on 3/8 shooting is not gonna do it against big dogs. He has obviously very lofty expectations, like All American ones, and you are usually the man behind his hype train. This was a game to prove it IMO. Not being fully ready for those expectations is fine.

His defense is a known quantity, he’s elite there, no doubt about it. Just was hoping for a slightly bigger jump on offense.

Kind of hard to score when the guards can’t get him the ball

 

[temery]

Castle would have really helped .

'Castle would have enabled Clingan and Samson under the hoop. I've never seen the paint abandoned for so long.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Look at the games today. This is going to an interesting year. Purdue loses to NU. Marquette loses to Wisconsin. There are a few big name ACC teams struggling on the road. We may have lost but there is a chance we don’t drop much if at all. Of all the other loses and potential loses ours is the least harmful from a metrics (kenpom) standpoint.