KO Loses Some of His Luster

[UConNation]

Hard to win any game when you score 13 points and shoot, what, 5 for 30 in the second half?

 

[Husky25]

If we're relying on DD, we're screwed. Can you say NIT? If we're lucky?

Sarcasm? I can't tell.

SOS of 57 and RPI or 24 (was 9). Oh and UConn has won 90% of their games so far vs. an OOC schedule fairly devoid of creampuffs so far.

 

[freescooter]

Sarcasm? I can't tell.

SOS of 57 and RPI or 24 (was 9). Oh and UConn has won 90% of their games so far vs. an OOC schedule fairly devoid of creampuffs so far.

Take a breath. As long as we win 12 of the remaining games we're not going to the NIT. FYI, the conference schedule is the one full of puff pastry so that won't be an issue.

 

[Goat]

KO is still shiny.

I am just amazed by the diversity of opinions and the alacrity with which people jump the ship based on one half..

There was a long layoff and we played a strong first half, but did not look particularly smooth. The last minute was very good, but there was a lack of flow compared to our games before the break which resulted in multiple players shooting way below their averages. In the second half there was a new defensive wrinkle that took the ball out of Shabazz' hands which made the others uncomfortable. There were awful shots and well executed second half plays that both mostly ended in misses. I disagree with those who conclude that Ollie had nothing, I think the execution was lacking.

There was tenacious defense. Stanford is on the rise, they will be a tournament team come March. The bigs inside were tossing up balls hoping for fouls, not really taking shots. That because of UConn pressure. I was pleased by the interior defense, surprised even.

Weaknesses were revealed. We will see in Washington if there is a quick remedy for them.

This should motivate hard work and advance goal number 1, the NCAAs in March. With developing bigs, was anyone really thinking we'd go undefeated?

 

[Tenspro2002]

KO is still shiny.

I am just amazed by the diversity of opinions and the alacrity with which people jump the ship based on one half..

There was a long layoff and we played a strong first half, but did not look particularly smooth. The last minute was very good, but there was a lack of flow compared to our games before the break which resulted in multiple players shooting way below their averages. In the second half there was a new defensive wrinkle that took the ball out of Shabazz' hands which made the others uncomfortable. There were awful shots and well executed second half plays that both mostly ended in misses. I disagree with those who conclude that Ollie had nothing, I think the execution was lacking.

There was tenacious defense. Stanford is on the rise, they will be a tournament team come March. The bigs inside were tossing up balls hoping for fouls, not really taking shots. That because of UConn pressure. I was pleased by the interior defense, surprised even.

Weaknesses were revealed. We will see in Washington if there is a quick remedy for them.

This should motivate hard work and advance goal number 1, the NCAAs in March. With developing bigs, was anyone really thinking we'd go undefeated?

Stanford may be a better team than we thought, but this was still a game we should have won handily.

I don't think anyone had illusions of going undefeated, but a home loss to a bubble team could be the difference between a #2 seed at MSG and a #3 seed on someone else's home turf.

 

[Husky25]

Take a breath. As long as we win 12 of the remaining games we're not going to the NIT. FYI, the conference schedule is the one full of puff pastry so that won't be an issue.

Me?!? I didn't say it. 68 did. I'm pretty confident UConn will be playing in a post-season tournament.

 

[willie99]

REALLY?

yes

 

[willie99]

KO used 3 TO's in the 2nd half and we didn't get one good shot

JC would have gotten 3 good shots, 2 guaranteed

KO is still a novice growing into his position, he's still on a learning curve

I love the man

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

KO used 3 TO's in the 2nd half and we didn't get one good shot

JC would have gotten 3 good shots, 2 guaranteed

[Rolls eyes.] Stop with this "guaranteed" nonsense, man. You can't guarantee some hypothetical that exists in your head. Calhoun had plenty of nights where his team looked listless and uninspired. He even - gasp - had teams that quit on him. Ollie's actually been pretty terrific at set plays out of timeouts this year. Didn't happen last night. That's how it goes. But when you "guarantee" something that dumb you just sound like a petulant kid.

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

KO used 3 TO's in the 2nd half and we didn't get one good shot

JC would have gotten 3 good shots, 2 guaranteed

KO is still a novice growing into his position, he's still on a learning curve

I love the man

Good point on the Time Outs. We could have used one with 7 seconds left. But, we used one with a minute and half left. I would have been fine with that had we come out of the timeout and run a solid play. Instead we got Bazz shooting a 18 footer while contested (on a night when he wasn't hitting in the first place). I hate Bob Knight, but he was right. Where was the dribble penetration?

 

[aceboon]

KO used 3 TO's in the 2nd half and we didn't get one good shot

JC would have gotten 3 good shots, 2 guaranteed

KO is still a novice growing into his position, he's still on a learning curve

I love the man

Yet you didn't make this same post after the UF game when the team consistently scored after TOs. You guys kill me with this revisionist history like a JC team never played crap, when we saw the 11-12 team consistently give listless efforts over a full season. It happens, you move on to the next game and hope the team puts it behind them.

 

[blackbird]

We have had many of these types of games with Calhoun too. It happens.

Yea, Uconn has traditionally struggled against a zone. Price had it figured out, and Kemba would just shoot out of his butt.

Typically though, this specific team is filled with too many good shooters for that sort of defense to be as successful.

 

[intlzncster]

Yea, Uconn has traditionally struggled against a zone. Price had it figured out, and Kemba would just shoot out of his butt.

Typically though, this specific team is filled with too many good shooters for that sort of defense to be as successful.

I don't know, we've beaten Syracuse way to many times to say we traditionally struggle with zone. Some teams did, but others crushed it.

 

[Husky25]

Calhoun's teams were always better in transition than in the half court. It is hard to start a fast break from out of bounds and this team is consistently inconsistent on the glass.

There are three ways to beat a zone: 1) shoot over it, 2) drive and pass to the wing for a jumper 3) penetrate and dish to a 4/5 in the slot. #3 was tried multiple times with a weak move by Olander. He was rejected almost every time. Missed shots negated Options #1 & #2. It is what it is. UConn is a jump shooting team. They will have on nights and off nights. I still think UConn makes the Dance, but I am no longer confident they will advance passed the second Friday.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Calhoun's teams were always better in transition than in the half court. It is hard to start a fast break from out of bounds and this team is consistently inconsistent terrible on the glass.

There are three ways to beat a zone: 1) shoot over it, 2) drive and pass to the wing for a jumper 3) penetrate and dish to a 4/5 in the slot. #3 was tried multiple times with a weak move by Olander. He was rejected almost every time. Missed shots negated Options #1 & #2. It is what it is. UConn is a jump shooting team. They will have on nights and off nights. I still think UConn makes the Dance, but I am no longer confident they will advance passed the second Friday.

Fixed your first paragraph there.

The frustrating thing is this was supposed to be the team we've been waiting for for years, the one skilled at so many positions that we could break down zone defenses and banish the days of Alex Oriakhi playing hot potato with passes to him at the foul line.

Except nobody had the confidence to go attack the zone from the middle. DD -- despite being a top 10 recruit at the wing -- has a horrible handle and bad passing instincts, he's not comfortable in there. Omar is too slow and stiff to do anything, and his shot is woeful right now. And time after time, screening the zone did nothing to enable penetration and open up room for shooters.

It was just a horribly designed offensive attack, if you can call it that.

 

[willie99]

Yet you didn't make this same post after the UF game when the team consistently scored after TOs. You guys kill me with this revisionist history like a JC team never played crap, when we saw the 11-12 team consistently give listless efforts over a full season. It happens, you move on to the next game and hope the team puts it behind them.

I actually posted how that was an amazing timeout in the FL game, not the case this time. geez

and I know JC's teams struggled, especially early in the year when he was trying to impose his will on them. But when he called a timeout in a big spot, we scored

not sure why someone can't be honest around here. I'm not hating, I think we're lucky to have KO

but at the end of the day, experience is the greatest teacher. That's life

 

[David 76]

I'm in between the doom-and-gloom crowd and the people who were sure we were going to the final four before last night,
We have a great back court. Bazz, Giffey, Kromah and sometimes Boat, are great. Hopefully Calhoun will join the club. He was a player last year.

But we have a glaring deficit at center where we can't count on points or rebounds. That plus a talented 4 who is more of a 3, will catch up to us.
Last night's difficulty with the zone bothers me much less than our front court

We have a great transition game, great team spirit and , except for last night, great hustle. But I think our front court limits us to a sweet 16 team. I hope we improve. I don't see hope from our 5s this year. My hope is for Facey to take the 4 with DD at the 3

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We have all had bad days at the office. Ollie had a very bad day at the office last night. The good news is uconn can only lose the game once. Need to learn and move on.

 

[aceboon]

I actually posted how that was an amazing timeout in the FL game, not the case this time. geez

and I know JC's teams struggled, especially early in the year when he was trying to impose his will on them. But when he called a timeout in a big spot, we scored

not sure why someone can't be honest around here. I'm not hating, I think we're lucky to have KO

but at the end of the day, experience is the greatest teacher. That's life

Yes, every single time during his coaching career, UConn scored in a big spot following a timeout...

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I need to learn how to post a gif.

 

[RayRay34]

REALLY?

Really.

 

[Kitaman]

[Rolls eyes.] Stop with this "guaranteed" nonsense, man. You can't guarantee some hypothetical that exists in your head. Calhoun had plenty of nights where his team looked listless and uninspired. He even - gasp - had teams that quit on him. Ollie's actually been pretty terrific at set plays out of timeouts this year. Didn't happen last night. That's how it goes. But when you "guarantee" something that dumb you just sound like a petulant kid.

Relax BigErn, hard to dispute his post, he was referring to .

 

[freescooter]

This team has been playing it way too close all year. I mean we beat BC by 2...the same BC that had to go to overtime to beat mighty Sacred Heart...in basketball not hockey. I don't know if they lose focus, don't play all out for 40 minutes, play to the level of the competition or what but when you let teams hang around, eventually one of them makes a play or you don't make one. This time we didn't.

 

[freescooter]

Actually, this whole thread is pretty funny. Here we have the vast majority of posters who were about ready to lick the floor Ollie walked on, and marry his dog and live on his back steps just o say they were near him, and a team finally takes advantage of UConn's clear weaknesses so now he doesn't know how to use time outs, can't figure out how to substitute, can't get his team inspired, never makes adjustments...and is even compared to George DeLeone. Not that that last is just about the worst thing you can call a UConn coach!!! Boy, we best not lose to Washington or there will be people on here calling for them to just leave him in Seattle.

 

[Strummer]

The Making of Paul Bunyon

It's hilarious reading this thread, and others. It really provides depth to the expression, "filling a man's shoes."

So KO is taking over for a guy who has 3 NCs and is the greatest program builder in the history of the NCAAs.

And what kind of comments does he get from some BY knuckleheads?

"A JC team would never have come out of a time out and not gotten a good look."
"JC teams never had this kind of problem with a zone."

Holy Jesus. How long have you people been UConn fans?

Anybody who makes a reference to how JC "did things" or "would have done" things while criticizing KO should have their nuts put in a rubber band constriction device for a couple hours as punishment for such dickwadery (unless female, then boobies).

If you have any doubt that JC teams can't be cited as always or never doing good things or bad things, respectively, go watch replays of the 06 season, the Drummond season, and the last year Dyson and Sticks played, and maybe you won't be so proud or loud.

At the current rate of bullsh-tting up the legend of Jim Calhoun, I'll give it a few years before he's known as the guy who never yelled at his players or quick hooked them, never lost on a last second blown play, never had a prospect not work out, and never had a player with off court issues.

Jeez Lou-EEZE.

 

[Inyatkin]

Actually, this whole thread is pretty funny. Here we have the vast majority of posters who were about ready to lick the floor Ollie walked on, and marry his dog and live on his back steps just o say they were near him, and a team finally takes advantage of UConn's clear weaknesses so now he doesn't know how to use time outs, can't figure out how to substitute, can't get his team inspired, never makes adjustments...and is even compared to George DeLeone. Not that that last is just about the worst thing you can call a UConn coach!!! Boy, we best not lose to Washington or there will be people on here calling for them to just leave him in Seattle.

You're doing it wrong. You're supposed to at least pretend you don't take joy in the team's problems.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The Making of Paul Bunyon

It's hilarious reading this thread, and others. It really provides depth to the expression, "filling a man's shoes."

So KO is taking over for a guy who has 3 NCs and is the greatest program builder in the history of the NCAAs.

And what kind of comments does he get from some BY knuckleheads?

"A JC team would never have come out of a time out and not gotten a good look."
"JC teams never had this kind of problem with a zone."

Holy Jesus. How long have you people been UConn fans?

Anybody who makes a reference to how JC "did things" or "would have done" things while criticizing KO should have their nuts put in a rubber band constriction device for a couple hours as punishment for such dickwadery (unless female, then boobies).

If you have any doubt that JC teams can't be cited as always or never doing good things or bad things, respectively, go watch replays of the 06 season, the Drummond season, and the last year Dyson and Sticks played, and maybe you won't be so proud or loud.

At the current rate of bullsh-tting up the legend of Jim Calhoun, I'll give it a few years before he's known as the guy who never yelled at his players or quick hooked them, never lost on a last second blown play, never had a prospect not work out, and never had a player with off court issues.

Jeez Lou-EEZE.

I never put JC on a pedestal when it came to X's and O's design, creativity, and execution. His last 3 years in particular were some of the worst we've had in terms of half-court offense.

I am hoping that with KO's point-guard expertise and NBA experience, he'll grow to become a better offensive coach than JC was. Wednesday's game showed that he's not necessarily there yet, but it's very early in his coaching career and this sort of learning-curve process was expected when we signed up for a guy with minimal on-bench experience.

 

[freescooter]

You're doing it wrong. You're supposed to at least pretend you don't take joy in the team's problems.

LOL, 9-1 is hardly how I define a team with problems. The have certain weaknesses, some of which we identified back before the season began, and some like losing focus against mediocre teams seem to have developed, or intensified as the season has gone on. But I have every confidence that UConn will be dancing come March unlike some people here. How long they dance I am not certain at this point. But hey, I didn't want to marry Ollie's dog and move into his backyard so I could say I was near him. I have taken a 100% wait and see attitude toward his abilities to coach this team and future teams. My gut tells me he's Herb Sendek. Good enough that you can't really get rid of him but not so good that you're ever going to have to worry about making plans for the first Monday in April. But we'll see.