Memphis Post Game Thread

[pj]

The problem is I'm just not sure Mahaney is going to turn into a very good point guard and it makes us a lot less athletic because it's keeping one of Liam, Solo, Jaylin off the floor and it's keeping Hass off the floor when he's in there.

People bring up Tristen but Tristen was a point guard coming in. He had a 22 point triple double with 5 steals in his fourth game at UConn against Buffalo. He's just a lot bigger/more physical than Mahaney and he wasn't getting targeted all the time on defense. Mahaney has a couple things working against him. He's trying to learn the toughest position for the most advanced offensive team in the country as someone who isn't a natural point guard. At the same time he's getting targeted on defense because he's the slightest and least athletic guy on the court.

I just worry they may be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The team and Mahaney are too talented to have the whole season depend on something that may not be a fit. I trust the staff because they've been right about basically everything but we're really going to have to start seeing it work and 6 of the next 7 games are against big time teams.

All this is true, but I'm sure they have backup plans. They have two quality PGs behind him in Diarra and Nowell, and Hurley has talked about Ross possibly being able to play point. Mahaney's difficulties are baffling, but he has time to learn how to fit in better and fill a role. I don't see him as a backup shooting guard, that may be his personal strength but the team doesn't get better with him pushing Ball/Stewart/McNeeley/Ross to the bench. He has to succeed as a PG or he doesn't have a role.

He's not the only one who has to grow, other guys on the team do too. Solo Ball's every shot was a 3 pointer, and had 0 rebounds, 1 assist, and 5 fouls. Ross had 0 points and 0 rebounds. Between the two of them they played 39 minutes. The whole guard group has to get better.

 

[Zonepress]

It's been interesting to see Hurley manage his growing ego with his ongoing success as a coach. Might be time for some therapy...

Lol

 

[Icehawk]

Forgot to post this:
Last February my son said I couldn't cut my goatee until they lost… so one good thing came from this.

 

[TheHorde]

All this is true, but I'm sure they have backup plans. They have two quality PGs behind him in Diarra and Nowell, and Hurley has talked about Ross possibly being able to play point. Mahaney's difficulties are baffling, but he has time to learn how to fit in better and fill a role. I don't see him as a backup shooting guard, that may be his personal strength but the team doesn't get better with him pushing Ball/Stewart/McNeeley/Ross to the bench. He has to succeed as a PG or he doesn't have a role.

He's not the only one who has to grow, other guys on the team do too. Solo Ball's every shot was a 3 pointer, and had 0 rebounds, 1 assist, and 5 fouls. Ross had 0 points and 0 rebounds. Between the two of them they played 39 minutes. The whole guard group has to get better.

I’m not convinced Nowell won’t have a much bigger role playing 12-15 minutes a game at some point this season.

 

[Hunt for 7]

How many games do you watch with this amount of fouls?

40+ free throws for one team?

I bet you could look at every Duke box score for thirty years and not find one game were they had that large of a difference in free throw attempts…..I might do the research just to take my mind off this game.

 

[pj]

We need 1 guy that can go get his own. We don’t really have that right now. Nowell has attacked the rim nearly as much as most the perimeter guys and he has played a fraction of the minutes. That’s why I wanted Meleek or Acaden. I think Braylon and Adams will be great, but they aren’t really guys that will break down their guy off the dribble. Tristen and Cam were so crafty and Steph was so explosive. We need that guy bad on this team.

It often seems like coaches who used to be PGs think they can teach anybody how to be a PG, and so they try to recruit scorers/combo guards and teach them to be PGs, and it doesn't always work.

But, there's time for Hurley to bring this crop of guards up to speed.

 

[freshler40]

The pressure erupted today. Samson Johnson and Dan succumb to it. The rotation is not set. Dan tried to force it. He has told us he is trying to force it. Xant force it. Mahaney didnt look ready. We are not a quick as last year. Slow footed in manu positions on D. Need someone who can go to the hole and finish.

Amen! Our guards were passive until late in regulation, that is why we didn't shoot may foul shots. Memphis pushed inside the whole game.

 

[TheHorde]

I bet you could look at every Duke box score for thirty years and not find one game were they had that large of a difference in free throw attempts…..I might do the research just to take my mind off this game.

Imagine the Kansas City Chiefs getting officiating that bad. Nah wouldn’t happen.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Imagine the Kansas City Chiefs getting officiating that bad. Nah wouldn’t happen.

Yup I was thinking that as well. We just have never been that team.

 

[GoConn]

I will defend our national championship HC anywhere, anyday.

 

[TheHorde]

Yup I was thinking that as well. We just have never been that team.

And that’s why I have less of an issue with Danny doing what he did to demand respect for his team. It sounds like the first bench tech was weak .

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Forgot to post this:
Last February my son said I couldn't cut my goatee until they lost… so one good thing came from this.

View attachment 105020

Seeing that thing, the loss might actually be a good thing.

 

[uh-no]

Forgot to post this:
Last February my son said I couldn't cut my goatee until they lost… so one good thing came from this.

View attachment 105020

yeah hurley gonna need some new undies now

 

[my2cents]

The ref's bad calls did cost us the game, to say otherwise is total BS.
Reed and Diarra should start. Johnson looks like he is playing on ice with frozen hands.
Mahaney has not been good of defense and he doesn't seem to be able to get by anyone with the dribble.
Stewart stepped up and will only get better.
One loss does not kill our year.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Final question to Dan Hurley was why didn't Stewart play more in 2nd half

at 8:15 He said he looked "out of rhythm" and "skittish" (twice) in 2nd half

I didn't see that

Also, I dont think anyone mentioned him playing 2-3 in OT. I'm assuming it was to protect Samson and foul trouble in general. It was interesting though

 

[uh-no]

I bet you could look at every Duke box score for thirty years and not find one game were they had that large of a difference in free throw attempts…..I might do the research just to take my mind off this game.

Even in this game: Wake Forest 86-73 Duke (Feb 17, 2008) Box Score - ESPN where duke's entire starting lineup fouled out, the number was only 25-38.

TBF, we were not disciplined on our 3pt closeouts....but that's a pretty big cope.

 

[superjohn]

Is Liam going to be our vocal leader?

He looked a lot like Cam out there ripping into Samson telling him to be accountable and urging guys on in the huddle.

 

[superjohn]

The best fix appears to be insert Hass, instruct him he doesn’t need to be the energizer he is off the bench and tone it down a bit, and have Aiden spell Solo and play off ball.

Could be but I don't see Hurley doing it, he loves Hass off the bench. It's just a weird situation because the best roles are Hass being Mister energy off the bench and Aidan's best role is coming in at shooting guard and filling it up.

We're probably just going to have to deal with the point guard position not being ideal this season.

 

[housekeys]

The refs did not affect and determine Memphis playing lights out on offense. They made the shots. All credit to Memphis.

The refs do affect and determine how teams play defense. Apparently, UConn fouled and did not defend. Memphis defended and did not foul.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Is Liam going to be our vocal leader?

He looked a lot like Cam out there ripping into Samson telling him to be accountable and urging guys on in the huddle.

Yes it looked like that. He definitely had that assassin look to him late in the game. He is not going to shy away from big moments.

 

[mauconnfan]

I really remembered Mahaney being bigger and more athletic at St. Mary’s. Worried he will get exposed in the big east - got abused by Hunter

Everyone got abused by Hunter, he was 7-10 from 3, he made Diarra look silly a couple times he was playing out of his butt.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Singare needs to get Johnson’s minutes

 

[mauconnfan]

The quality won't be too bad. We'll get Colorado or MSU, which is a wash, basically, and then we could get either Auburn or ISU, another wash.

My fear is that this is another 2006, where we have a massively talented team with one unfixable Achilles heel. In 06, it was Marcus being the only ball handler. This year, unless Nowell can be the fix, we're going to have trouble with our perimeter D, and that's just how it's going to be. We're not big enough to guard big guards, and we're not quick enough to guard quick guards. We may be able to overcome this if Mahaney's offense balances out his D, but that's not happening yet.

Start Hassan, Solo, Stewart, AK and Reed tomorrow. Love McNeeley, but show Jaylin how much you appreciate the effort.

They didn’t do much of that after the first half. Not sure why Stewie didn’t play more 2nd half and OT, puzzling.

 

[bendm]

and Hurley has talked about Ross possibly being able to play point

Please no

 

[uconnfan68]

I really remembered Mahaney being bigger and more athletic at St. Mary’s. Worried he will get exposed in the big east - got abused by Hunter

Will Hunter go 7-10 from 3 again this year?