Mustang SallyThoughtZ™

[RichZ]

1. SMU Coach looks like a detective junior grade on the bunko squad.
2. 4 of 5 shots to start the game went in and out. Bad break or omen?
3. 9:55 in first half, Polley got hammered on a putback attempt. No call.
4. Cobb may be the worst defensive center in the history of Husky hoops, so the only rationale for playing him (other than Carlton being in foul trouble) is his supposed offensive skills. Given that line of thought, it sure would be nice if he would jump higher than 3 inches on layup attempts. He seems to jump reasonably high on rebounds and when attempting that half-hook 8 foot shot he likes. But put him under the boards and pass him the ball, or let him get an offensive rebound under the rim, and instead of powering up and dunking it, goes up so weak and stays so close to the floor that he might as well be a 5-10 guard. I wouldn't be surprised if half of SMU's 8 blocks were blocks of Cobb shots from 2 feet away.
5. Alterique was playing soft and deferring at first. To be expected, given the injury and layoff. But when he finally took and made a shot (It didn't count because of a whistle for a non shooting foul on his drive), Hurley took him out before the ball was inbounded. I thought that was a big mistake. He'd finally felt comfortable enough to drive to the hoop and saw the ball go in. Confidence booster! I thought he was ready to go off at that point. Can't go off from the bench, and there's no guarantee that he'll still have that confidence when you put him back in however much later. As it turned out, when he got back in, he was back in passive mode, and when he missed a couple, he started to disappear.
6. I was so disgusted by it, I didn't make note of whether it was CV or Terrance Myth, but at about 6:13 left in the 2nd half, one of them made the worst pass of the season. Maybe the worst pass of the decade. 4 defenders between the ball and the lone Husky in the paint. Guard with ball throws such a weak- pass that the defenders had time to do a rock/paper/scissors round robin to see which one of them was going to intercept it. I had to get some sleep, so I figured I would check the replay to see who it actually was when I got home today, before posting this. Evidently, the game was so awful that ESPN didn't bother to put up a replay of a game on their own damned network.
7. Mid-second half, on I think 4 of 5 consecutive SMU possessions, I saw some of the worst defense I can remember a UConn team playing. Just too many bad things happened in that stretch to even think about. Came very close to turning the game the hell off.
8. The way they fell apart the last 5 minutes, I wish I had turned it off.
9. We outrebounded SMU 18 to 5 on the offensive boards! Of course that number is fueled by the 49 opportunities for offensive boards that our 30% field goal accuracy produced. We missed as many shots as SMU took!

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Thanks Rich. Appreciate the insights.

A question, relating to your point #5, about our layups, because it seems to be an epidemic on the team. How is it that there are no players on this team who know how to get their feet underneath them, go up balanced and take the contact, and finish through it?

People will say they just aren't strong enough, and while that is true it's not just that. The technique is awful. Nobody seems to have ever heard of a pump fake, or pass fake. Polley often will try to quick-shot before the defense is ready to block him, but because his legs aren't in an athletic posture he gets no elevation, and blocking him can be done by much shorter people. Carlton, Cobb, same thing. Vital drives hard but gives it up or misses wildly when challenged. Gilbert often gets knocked to the floor when trying to get his layup off inside. Smith may be the best of the finishers not named Jalen, and the latter avoids the contact like the plague. Even Wilson, who is an explosive dunker, gets knocked off balance inside when challenged, and misses the bunnies. TBH, Whaley might have been the best finisher inside yesterday.

How is it that on the entire team, nobody either knows how or has worked on this? It's a skill, like anything else. You can get better at it. Have the managers or walkons use blocking pads and bang you as you practice. I used to tell my kids that in basketball, even if you're not a shooter or ball-handler, if you can make layups, rebound and play defense there will always be a place for you on any team. Well, guys? How about we make layups?

 

[RichZ]

Even Wilson, who is an explosive dunker, gets knocked off balance inside when challenged, and misses the bunnies.

Sid seems extremely explosive when he has the luxury of a clear approach to the rim for a step or two, and he goes higher for rebounds near the rim than anyone else on this team. But when he gets the ball AT the rim, he goes up weak, too. His length and reach disguise it, but in that situation, his feet are pretty close to the floor, kinda like Cobb. And he's so slight that he gets bumped sideways pretty easily while going straight up .

TBH, Whaley might have been the best finisher inside yesterday.

Not sure what happened to the bullet point about Whaley I started to write last night. Still can't understand why he's not getting minutes. In 3 minutes last night, he had 2 boards, went 2 for 2 from the field and had no TOs and committed no fouls. Probably led the team in per minute efficiency.

 

[AdamaNation]

Sid seems extremely explosive when he has the luxury of a clear approach to the rim for a step or two, and he goes higher for rebounds near the rim than anyone else on this team. But when he gets the ball AT the rim, he goes up weak, too. His length and reach disguise it, but in that situation, his feet are pretty close to the floor, kinda like Cobb. And he's so slight that he gets bumped sideways pretty easily while going straight up .


Not sure what happened to the bullet point about Whaley I started to write last night. Still can't understand why he's not getting minutes. In 3 minutes last night, he had 2 boards, went 2 for 2 from the field and had no TOs and committed no fouls. Probably led the team in per minute efficiency.

Efficiency and effectiveness do not factor in to the modern husky player mold.

 

[Edward Sargent]

take the contact, and finish through it?

Doc remember we would have to hit the foul shot another aspect we are not very good at

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Nice write up Rich.

WRT #2 - Every single one of those possible buckets was off of a nice dish from Tarin. He (and the whole team) started off the game so promisingly...tore apart the SMU zone but didn’t reward themselves by finishing off the plays.

I though the first ~10-12 min of the game (to the point where it was like 23-22 us) actually went well given that we were shooting so poorly.

Somehow, we managed to completely fall apart on the defensive end for the rest of the game (and often on offense too). Impossible to make a run/comeback if you can’t get a series of defensive stops.

This game was such a disappointment after the previous gritty games without AG & JA. Would have thought having AG back would have had the team inspired. Couldn’t have been further from reality.

 

[August_West]

Mid-second half, on I think 4 of 5 consecutive SMU possessions, I saw some of the worst defense I can remember a UConn team playing. Just too many bad things happened in that stretch to even think about. Came very close to turning the game the hell off.

That it what has been pissing me off all season. It’s almost March. We should not be THIS bad defensively still. Not impressed with Hurley on that front. And that is the one area where Jalen out doesn’t kill us. No one ever confused Jalen with Ricky Moore on that end of the floor, so despite our offensive challenges we should still be able to D up. And we are a freaking sieve.
Not good at all. yakwe was a bigger loss than we thought, because Cobb really is mind boggling bad.

 

[RichZ]

yakwe was a bigger loss than we thought, because Cobb really is mind boggling bad.

I knew that Yakwe was the most solid interior defender we had in the little bit we actually saw of his game.It had been so long since I saw someone put their feet in the right place in the paint on D that I had given up hope, and there was Yakwe, doing it like he'd been taught how or something. Then poof, he was done. I still held out hope that Diarra, even though he's not close to a defensive stud, would at least provide an imposing presence that is actually not afraid of contact. Then poof, he might as well be done. I had vague memories of Whaley being better than Carlton on D, which of course is magnitudes better than Cobb, but Isaiah now only seems to get minutes when the walkons come in, which is befuddling to me. Hell, what happened to jumpmane? Yes, his defensive positioning and footwork remind one of a chicken with it's head cut off, but at least he would occasionally be in the right place purely by chance, and he doesn't shy away from contact.

 

[3rdbass]

I knew that Yakwe was the most solid interior defender we had in the little bit we actually saw of his game.It had been so long since I saw someone put their feet in the right place in the paint on D that I had given up hope, and there was Yakwe, doing it like he'd been taught how or something. Then poof, he was done. I still held out hope that Diarra, even though he's not close to a defensive stud, would at least provide an imposing presence that is actually not afraid of contact. Then poof, he might as well be done. I had vague memories of Whaley being better than Carlton on D, which of course is magnitudes better than Cobb, but Isaiah now only seems to get minutes when the walkons come in, which is befuddling to me. Hell, what happened to jumpmane? Yes, his defensive positioning and footwork remind one of a chicken with it's head cut off, but at least he would occasionally be in the right place purely by chance, and he doesn't shy away from contact.

Jumpmam has basically been suspended for the rest of the season. I guess you missed that. We won’t see him in a Uconn uniform anymore.

 

[Danzz]

We better find a PG somewhere next season. I know most believe bigs are a priority but we lose Adams and Smith and are left with Gilbert and his questionable health. Expecting incoming freshmen combo guards to come in and run the show is way too optimistic.
Of all the transfers and de-commits Akinjo was by far the biggest loss.