Marquette Post Game Thread | Page 17 | The Boneyard

Marquette Post Game Thread

This has been the case in the BE yet they haven’t - if used right Tarris was clear cut first team BE.

This hasn’t been Hurley’s best season.
Danny has been bashing Reed most of the season about stepping up. Yet, the play calling is not getting him the ball. A lot of this on Danny for continuing to let it happen.
 
With the exception of the most recent St. John's game, this team has gradually gotten worse as the season has progressed. A poor shooting night happens to every team, but the recent number of close games and losses to weak teams, shows cracks and weaknesses that were not apparent in the early non-conference games. Perhaps it is the heightened physicality of Big East conference games where excessive pushing, grabbing and holding are allowed, but it appears to me that in general the UConn team has regressed, and lacks the dominant swagger of the 2023 and 2024 teams.
 
Made this point earlier. Defense pushes them out and they are taking longer and longer threes. The midrange was open all game long but it’s alll about jacking threes
It's lazy offensive basketball at the end of the day and not particularly high IQ basketball meaning over reliance on the 3 ball. When you have players that can make the mid-range shot at a higher clip and you have someone down on the block like Reed who was virtually ignored in the second half this could be considered gross negligence. These things tend to all work together. An effective mid-range and low post game opens up the 3 point game and produces free throws. Silas has to get Reed the ball and be that true floor general.

For example, Mullins is a multi-level player and relying on his 3 point shot limits his effectiveness in many of these games. It's not clear that he's actually earned the green light to take this many 3 point shots based on him being a freshman and simply by his play despite Coach Hurley giving him the green light. There have been other games where he has gotten his points but often it's not as efficient as it could be if he were being utilized more effectively with other aspects of his game.

There are times I feel like Coach Hurley is stuck in the past referencing his past Championship squads. Those teams were special, deep, balanced with chemistry, high IQ and elite talent. There were key players on that squad that were a reflection of Coach Dan Hurley on the floor. That pressure is a bit much and not every team can carry it unless you have the right mix of players.
 
The only way this team is going to win a title this year is playing thru strength in the middle. Period. The women's team and the Celtics have the same issue. They rather be a perimeter team and jacking up 3s. Maybe it's the analytics driving this strategy. But, it's no coincidence that the 3 teams have won Titles recently only when they played through strength on both ends down low in the middle.
 
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Hurley is a balloon knot. There was no excuse for behaving like that at the end
Agree.
For such a nice guy off the court he is an embarrassment on the court. Thank goodness for Donavan Clingan
 
Wonder if St. Johns will go on another cross country celebration tour for winning the BE regular season title.
My fear - is Pitino hearing Hurley trying to run up the score and win by 40. Still shows immaturity and insecurity - they do not need extra motivation but you know they will be ready
 
Hurley will get a 1 game suspension, it could be a good thing too. Let Kimani be the HC for 1 game, it could provide a big spark for the team. Have Hurley be away from the arena Thursday away from the media, comeback Friday for a late game refocused and re energized if we win Thursday of course.
Maybe Geno can spend some time with him
 
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My fear - is Pitino hearing Hurley trying to run up the score and win by 40. Still shows immaturity and insecurity - they do not need extra motivation but you know they will be ready
I really don't think he was trying to run up the score necessarily. Consider that this UConn team has lacked the ability and/or willingness to put teams away with the fact that St. John's has come back from deficits of at +/- 20 points more than once this season. Hurley has spoken in the past about the importance of dominating teams and "breaking their spirit" or "demoralizing" them. Look, Pitino has done the exact same thing. I believe Hurley told his team in the huddle to "kick the butts" (not the actual word, obviously) and "don't give them life." I actually agree, but I could see why Pitino would use it as motivation.
 
In-state kids paying $22k a year for tuition/fees and that's what the school's $30mil annual commitment to men's basketball looks like that. Deeply unserious, nationally embarrassing, and bordering on grotesque.


Ignore the part where she says "scam-pus".
 
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Agree.
For such a nice guy off the court he is an embarrassment on the court. Thank goodness for Donavan Clingan
After tonight's raging embarrassment of a loss, this is going to be a narrative. Especially with Clingan and Castle going beast mode in the NBA. I can't think of a spot in the history of Calhoun's tenure, where he was this strong a conference record, in a spot to ice a BE crown and battling for a one seed, and takes an upperclassmen laden team on the road against a team like young Marquette, last place team in the BE, and loses. This feels like a first for the program.
.Ice cold from three today. If they shot even close to their average, we win and all the complaints about other stuff would nearly vanish from most posters here.
Can't keep listening to this one. This was the last place team in the BE - you figure out a way to win, and win convincingly, without relying on 3 pointers.
 
Clingan was a massive get for the program and was a vital aspect of our titles (even arguably in 2023). But he’s not what’s missing from the team imo, it’s more so having redundancy in 3 different positions.

That on top of having no one dominant player is what will create issues if the shots don’t fall.
 
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Ice cold from three today. If they shot even close to their average, we win and all the complaints about other stuff would nearly vanish from most posters here.
They lost to a 19 loss team on the road with a horrid, uninspired effort missing out on the opportunity to win the Big East Regular Season Title and fumbling the #1 seed in the BET and the NCAAs after a week of rest.

There is not a scenario imagined where this was supposed to be the outcome. This was chickens coming home to roost at the worst time. Now we get to see how this team responds. Let's not act like this is a nothing burger. This team lost a lot today.
 
Providence just lost to GTown so we get the winner of Marquette/Xavier on Thursday night.
 
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The only thing I can discern after a full season is the team plays to the level of competition its faces. They seem to generally play well against good opponents and poorly against teams they should handle. There is a peculiar psychology with this bunch and Dan has not been able to improve this squad down the stretch. It’s a real enigma.
 
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If there's any consolations about today's humiliation, the bottom half of the BE bracket works out better for us, avoid Providence/Seton Hall/Creighton with a possible revenge opener vs Marquette. We may fall out of the 4-5 region setup and avoid Florida. Duke suffered a big injury tonight. Michigan lost their backup PG. And Arizona is notorious for March flops and we did almost beat them w/o Reed and Mullins. I think FL is the one I most want to avoid right now. Of course, who knows if we get there.
 

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