Looking Forward

[Towney007]

I’d signup for that, its a path to 20 wins and a visit to the NIT with a potential home game. Of course we could grab a 2nd round win, but we are playing with 7/8. The back to backs will be tough. I dont think a 2nd round win and 21 wins get us into NCAA tho.

I think our chances of going deep in the AAC tournament were pretty well smooshed with Akok going down. We just don't have the bodies to play four straight days of basketball, I don't think; and that's not knocking the kids - we just play HARD as a team. Us playing a fresh Tulsa or SMU in round-2 down Polley/Akok and having played a basketball game the day before? Eek.

 

[metsfan2323]

Right now nobody cares about the NIT.. The Big Dance is still attainable. Win the next six and get a decent seed in the AAC tournament.

 

[Stainmaster]

Right now nobody cares about the NIT.. The Big Dance is still attainable. Win the next six and get a decent seed in the AAC tournament.

Sure.

 

[FatHank]

I'm getting depressed thinking our season is coming to an end. Not saying we don't have the AAC or other post-season play to look forward to, I just want more!

 

[UCLJ0211]

Not sure if he'll start or not but I don't think it's a knee jerk reaction. Whaley has been playing pretty well (probably our best big) for a while now.

Let’s refrain from using any more analogies that could symbolize injuries!

 

[gtcam]

This has turned out to be a very pesky team BUT it is a very thin team at this point.
DH didn't need to tell us that Sid is struggling with his injury, you can see it in the last few games he has tried to make a go at it - his instincts and speed are just not there
The once fairly stacked 3 and 4 positions are now the weak links
Pork Chop, Bouk and maybe Adams will have to hold fort for the rest of the season - the team will be really small
I have no doubt the team will be game but would have been a very likely 5-1 finish may turn out to be 3-3
The team has mojo on it's side and hopefully that will be what carries it to the NIT at least

 

[Husky25]

Right now nobody cares about the NIT.. The Big Dance is still attainable. Win the next six and get a decent seed in the AAC tournament.

I do. Any postseason play would be welcomed after the past three seasons of having to manufacture skin in Late March basketball.

 

[intlzncster]

@Temple
USF
UCF
@ECU
Houston
@Tulane

Every game is winnable.

As far as replacing Akok, short answer is Whaley has earned those minutes. Have to realize Hurley may like bringing him off the bench for flexibility if Josh gets in foul trouble.

Only other option is Adams or Sid.

Short answer is really that there are no other options. We have exactly two posts. Whaley could not guard anybody and score no points and he'd 'earn' those minutes.


Sid Wilson is our backup four. No Sid, and Brendan Adams is playing the four.

That's crazy town.

 

[auror]

I think we'll lose at Temple (bad shooting game on the road) and sweep the rest of the games, including beating Houston at home..

 

[JB75]

Should be riding a 4 game win streak into senior night at Gampel. Knock off Houston and we have serious momentum into the conference tourney on a 7 game win streak and probably the 5 or 6 seed

Getting ahead of ourselves here but if we win out we shud grab the 4 seed and first round bye 11-7 shud do it. It’s fun to hope Just need whalley to keep balling and Josh to step up

 

[JB75]

If we do go 5-1 do we have a chance at getting a top 4 seed in the AAC tournament and a bye? Probably not, right?

I think we need to win all 6 to slide into 4 spot. Smu and Memphis need to keep losing. Top three seeds are pretty much locked

 

[tzznandrew]

Getting ahead of ourselves here but if we win out we shud grab the 4 seed and first round bye 11-7 shud do it. It’s fun to hope Just need whalley to keep balling and Josh to step up

Play around with it. Even winning out it's hard to get that bye since we don't own the tiebreakers against anyone and lose them to SMU and Wichita.

mred's AAC MBB Tournament Seeding Tiebreaker

American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Seeding and Tiebreakers

bball.notnothing.net

 

[Husky25]

Short answer is really that there are no other options. We have exactly two posts. Whaley could not guard anybody and score no points and he'd 'earn' those minutes.


Sid Wilson is our backup four. No Sid, and Brendan Adams is playing the four.

That's crazy town.

Brendan Adams would not play the "4." They would play a 4 guard lineup like they did down the stretch yesterday.

 

[intlzncster]

Brendan Adams would not play the "4." They would play a 4 guard lineup like they did down the stretch yesterday.

LOL which is the same damn thing man. It doesn't matter what you call it. Who is guard the four on the other end? It would be BA.

You can have 5 guards on the floor, but somebody is playing against the opposing 5.

 

[Husky25]

LOL which is the same damn thing man. It doesn't matter what you call it. Who is guard the four on the other end? It would be BA.

You can have 5 guards on the floor, but somebody is playing against the opposing 5.

No exactly. I see a bit more nuance than just plugging Adams in at the 4.

 

[auror]

Play around with it. Even winning out it's hard to get that bye since we don't own the tiebreakers against anyone and lose them to SMU and Wichita.

mred's AAC MBB Tournament Seeding Tiebreaker

American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Seeding and Tiebreakers

bball.notnothing.net

Yeah losing to SMU was the killer for this. If we win out now, best we'll do is 6 without upsets. Before, we'd have been the 3rd seed.

We can get to 5 if SMU beats Wichita. Then we can get the 4 if SMU loses 3 other games they're favored in (@USF, @UCF, home to Memphis).

 

[Fatroony5]

Even with Akok down - I think we go 5-1 down the stretch here.

What's more interesting is everyone else's schedules:

Wichita has:
USF
@Cincy
Temple
@SMU
@Memphis
Tulsa

Memphis has:
ECU
Houston
@SMU
@TUlane
Wichita
@ Houston

SMU has:
@Tulane
@Tulsa
Memphis
Wichita
@UCF

Tulsa has:
@Houston
SMU
Tulane
UCF
@Temple
@Wichita


I think we'll finish ahead Memphis, but passing Wichita is a real possibility. I think passing Tulsa is pie in the sky but there's an outside shot we sneak into a 4-seed, but unlikely. Our schedule is mostly lollipops from here on out - i'd assume we get the five seed for the conference tournament.

That'd give us Tulane in round-1, likely date with Tulsa/SMU in the second round. That's... 19-12 heading ino the AAC tournament. One win there, say SMU/Tulsa bounces us - we're 20-13 - shoe-in for the NIT.

This seems like a realistic, good goal to have. With how this season has gone, if they can somehow will their way to 20 wins prior to any postseason play, that’d be a major success. These kids are busting their ass, they deserve some breaks and hopefully it means an NIT birth. Who knows what can happen from there. But one thing is very clear, this has been a major improvement from last season and the tidal wave of support seems to be growing daily.

 

[JB75]

Play around with it. Even winning out it's hard to get that bye since we don't own the tiebreakers against anyone and lose them to SMU and Wichita.

mred's AAC MBB Tournament Seeding Tiebreaker

American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Seeding and Tiebreakers

bball.notnothing.net

That’s cool. But yes. See what yer saying. So we basically need to win out and then have witchita st/SMU lose some games they are not supposed to fir us to get a bye. Fun to have hope tho

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Our schedule is the other geographic outlier seeking revenge, 4 trap games (Including 3 directionals), and Senior Night.

The mission is for DH & staff to crystalize focus & prepare the players for one game at a time. We as fans can do the same.

I will do my best
to support this year's Huskies
Mojo demands it

 

[intlzncster]

No exactly. I see a bit more nuance than just plugging Adams in at the 4.

Who guards the other teams four then? Hollow man? There's zero nuance in that.

 

[Ts5034]

I think its going to be hard to top Wichita. They are 7-5, and we are 5-7, but they are essentially 3 games ahead of us since they hold the tie breaker. I wish we got another crack at them in the regular season, but maybe we will have a chance to play them in the tournament.

 

[bendm]

Who guards the other teams four then? Hollow man? There's zero nuance in that.

zone?

 

[Husky25]

Who guards the other teams four then? Hollow man? There's zero nuance in that.

Why is it just assumed that the other team dictates who is on the floor? Why wouldn't the opponent have to react to UConn's 4 guards (like they did yesterday)?

Either of these, or any, questions open the door to nuance. There is no rule that basketball must be played with 1 center, two forwards, and two guards.

 

[cap10dingus]

No exactly. I see a bit more nuance than just plugging Adams in at the 4.

His point was traditionally counting 5 players on the court, 1,2,3,4,5 BA will have to play the "4" which is also traditionally "nuance" or not called the 4. The other team in their base will force a uconn guard to play their 4. Y'all are saying the same damn thing you're just being a PITA and making 0 point.

 

[wheelerdog]

I've been nervous about the Temple game since they beat SMU a couple weekends ago. Losing Akok makes it worse. Going to be tough for these guys mentally on Thursday. Or maybe I'm not a D1 athlete so I don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm still hoping for 9 wins.