Overall thought on the game:
AK was efficient and reliable as always. Easy to take him for granted. He's not flashy, but by the end of the game you look up and you see that he dropped 17 pts and stuffed the rest of the box score with things that helped the team win.
McNeeley was solid, also filling the box after a slow start. After he knocked down that seriously deep three, I thought, maybe he needs to take all of them from that zip code.
Ball was MIA most of the game. Granted he struggled to stay on the floor and managed to foul out against low major program. He had one electric spurt in the second half, but we need more of what he did in the first game of the season. When he is dialed in, UConn will be be hard to beat.
SJ is dynamic and disruptive. Would like to see him hedge and get back to his man more quickly. He did find a way to stay out of foul trouble. It's amazing what happens when you don't reach in all the time. I'd also like to see him being better position to pull down more defensive rebounds. He tries to block too many shots and finds himself out of rebounding position. Just a little improved decision making would go a long way. I want him to continue to be aggressive but just be smart about it.
Reed seems to be getting better each game and is a force out there.
Diarra was my choice for player of the game. He was under control and efficient. Had 6 dimes and got the team playing at the speed Hurley wants.
Stewart did a nice job of contributing tonight especially setting up his teammates. Would like to see him a little more assertive with his own shot, as long as he doesn't force it and scores within the flow of things. I think he's starting to find his way.
Ross again looks very dynamic on both ends of the floor. His three-point shooting was off tonight, but made a lot of very nice plays. He had one drive through the lane that was Dr J-ish where he covered an immense amount of floor in just two steps. It's going to be exciting to see him continue to improve as the season goes on. I think he's going to be very special, something that none of us predicted.
Mahaney still seems to process things too slowly which seems to bog down the multi-action motion offense. I hope he steps up his learning and starts delivering the ball and getting to his spots more quickly. He looks best when he has the ball in his hands and is attacking the gaps getting to the basket. I just hope he gets the O soon and helps the team get out of the gate more quickly. He also seems a tad streaky from deep. Would like more consistency with that part of his game.
Abraham and Nowell have to be two of the best end of the bench players in the country. The five that were out there at the end of the game was running the motion offense better than the starters looked at the beginning of the first half. Usually mop up time is helter skelter, but these guys are actually running the set and finding their open teammate. Makes me wonder that if they're ever called upon for some meaningful minutes, they'll be able to seamlessly execute their part of the offense. Not sure how they would be on defense, but nice to see that they could be counted upon if needed for any reason. They'll both play prominent roles on next year's team, that's for sure.
Singare looked great running to and from the scorers table, never finding his way on the floor. Not sure why DH always sends him in after putting in the other bench players. When he's out there he always seems to make plays. Maybe he's Hurley’s secret weapon, or DH reads the Yard and doesn't like that some of us would like to see him get a little run with the rotation players.
Could he be afraid that if programs see how much he's improved, they'll try to pillage him next season? (Yeah, don't bother replying DH sees him in practice and knows he's not ready.) Singare must be fooling everyone, including his coach by looking like he belongs out there.
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