My Not So Expert Reactions

[I Bleed Blue]

1) Iowa is good team. Well coached, solid all-around. Give them major credit. They’ll be Top 5 in the Big 10.
2) They finished 4-21 on 3s. Just like people said were shocked when we shot over 50% from long range last night, this is well below what we should expect on average. Just a very off night offensively.
3) They need to work on ball security. Way too many turnovers for a guard focused team with their level of talent.
4) This team was on cloud 9 after yesterday. They were going to come down to earth at some point.
5) There will be ups and downs all season. They’ll bounce back.
6) Eric Cobb is a player. He’ll be a great unexpected contributor for us this year.
7) F these Refs. Hurley’s a gangsta for getting tossed that late.

I’m out. Goodnight Yard.

 

[Huskyforlife]

This

 

[deedougie]

UConn didn't adjust to Iowa's game plan early (spread the floor, dribble into the paint and either attack the rim or dish out for 3)

Hopefully Hurley gets after them good in practice.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Frustrating night. But big takeaway these last two nights. We may have something in Eric Cobb. If he can do this again Syracuse/Iowa, he could have a field day in the American.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I did’t watch I was traveling AZ kept me posted
I will watch the replay in my room tonight
Looking at the score I don’t think Hurley will be as upset with the shooting as giving up 89 PTS ouch
Apparently Iowa dismantled a highly regarded Oregon team similarly.
so at least at this stage they’re much better than us or a least bad match up.
We’ve just got to continue to improve.
The talent is there the team is a WIP

 

[JMick]

I did’t watch I was traveling AZ kept me posted
I will watch the replay in my room tonight
Looking at the score I don’t think Hurley will be as upset with the shooting as giving up 89 PTS ouch
Apparently Iowa dismantled a highly regarded Oregon team similarly.
so at least at this stage they’re much better than us or a least bad match up.
We’ve just got to continue to improve.
The talent is there the team is a WIP

trust me, don't watch it

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Any chance cobb wants a masters degree?

 

[Mots010]

Oregon only lost by 8, but they were non competitive. It wasn’t that close. I don’t know how good Iowa will be, but they sure looked solid in this tourney.

 

[nomar]

trust me, don't watch it

Maybe he's a masochist?

 

[Jaker]

we are still looking for a floor leader, Kemba or Nappy would have settled the team early.

 

[superjohn]

I don't think Iowa or Oregon are all that good. Oregon will most likely become good later in the season when Louis King and Bol are rolling. Iowa is your classic team that looks pretty good early on when other teams aren't prepared but I don't think they will improve much/have much upside. Oregon and UConn made them look way better than they are, IMO.

 

[JB75]

I think Iowa is pretty solid- they deff are a top 25 team. Tonight was 50% us playing terrible , 35% Iowa playing good, 15% refs. We ll bounce back. Whaley Carlton polley And yawke cannot guard dudes like cook. I’m not saying diarra and sid can - but we can’t get them back soon enuff.

 

[JB75]

Yawke.

 

[JB75]

Yakwe. Damn spellcheck

 

[Rich]

The team was emotionally EXHAUSTED. There’s no way the6 we’re winning this.

 

[LStudfellow]

Frustrating night. But big takeaway these last two nights. We may have something in Eric Cobb. If he can do this again Syracuse/Iowa, he could have a field day in the American.

One of the tell tale signs of how good Hurley and this coaching staff is going forward will be - will they emphasize getting the ball to Cobb on a consistent basis going forward? And on nights when the guards start playing like last year (which was one of the frustrating parts about last night's game... our guards as a collective were bad, and they seemed to devolve into last year's bad habits and bad offense all at once) will Hurley pull them up short and remind them emphatically to GET THE BALL TO THE BIG DOG... and KEEP HIM FED.

If Cobb is getting the ball as a consistent part of our offense going forward because the guards are making a conscious effort to get it to him, we are going to win a lot of ball games this year. Getting and keeping a good big man involved opens up so much for the guards... it is a virtuous cycle of good offense.

 

[Chief00]

One of the tell tale signs of how good Hurley and this coaching staff is going forward will be - will they emphasize getting the ball to Cobb on a consistent basis going forward? And on nights when the guards start playing like last year (which was one of the frustrating parts about last night's game... our guards as a collective were bad, and they seemed to devolve into last year's bad habits and bad offense all at once) will Hurley pull them up short and remind them emphatically to GET THE BALL TO THE BIG DOG... and KEEP HIM FED.

If Cobb is getting the ball as a consistent part of our offense going forward because the guards are making a conscious effort to get it to him, we are going to win a lot of ball games this year. Getting and keeping a good big man involved opens up so much for the guards... it is a virtuous cycle of good offense.

Good insights - of course Chief’s all for getting Bigs the ball in the post.

 

[sledog]

The team was not focused on Friday. Perhaps the big Q is whether or not Thursday was a super-nova event: star blows up beoming extremely bright followed by a collapse to a black hole. Was Friday an emotional downer / hangover effect following an emtional hi, or return to status quo? We'll see what the psych of the team really is.

 

[InKembaITrust]

Watching that kid Cook in person...

Kid is an absolute beast. NBA level talent

If Kofi was on the team I doubt that Garza kid gets half of the low post position he was getting last night.

Kid could shoot though, had no answer for him.

 

[Marat]

Iowa is a tough matchup with their big/shooter and Cook, but UConn probably did have an emotional let down and it showed to start the game (including Hurley?) and refs didn't help. But, just the other week Iowa beat UKMC by 14 (competitive game most part) and UConn blasted them by 28 the other week. A couple steps forward and a step back - its all part of the upward climb. They will learn.

 

[businesslawyer]

we are still looking for a floor leader, Kemba or Nappy would have settled the team early.

This. Jalen Adams has to be the leader on this team this year. Last night was hardly his fault, but this team needs him to be Kemba. Not as good as Kemba -- he isn't that good -- but when this team is badly in need of a bucket, Jalen has to be ready to take over and either get it or create it for someone else. We didn't get that from him last night until the game was decided.

Jalen's first challenge was understanding that he didn't have to do everything for the team to have a chance to win. I think Hurley taught him that quickly and easily. Now it's to understand that there are MOMENTS when he does have to carry the load. I think there is a good chance we get there.

 

[jdb50]

All of our guards had a horrible night. The team starting out 0-8 or 9 from 3 when Iowa had made 4 put us in the big hole and the guards missed free throws. The turnover ratio was again way up with guards trying to do too much off the bounce. The results of these 2 games remind me of the last time we made the tourney beating Colorado then being non competitive vs Kansas. We have to find a better solution defensively for the front court mismatch we could not solve last night.

 

[blackbird]

I think Jalen’s instinct is to not be selfish. I’m not sure Hurley had to teach him that. He starts out passive every year, and it’s not until the team is entirely dependent on him (injuries) that he gets aggressive. He’s a reluctant leader. Fully capable. The most talented. But needs to be pushed.

What is apparent is Jalen is a sweet kid. He has the closest relationship with Hurley o his team. It’s not a coincidence that it was Jalen who was near Hurley during the techs. It’s not a coincidence that it was Jalen who Hurley had the chest bump with. Or that Jalen always has an excited comment when his teammate does well. Or that Jalen didn’t throw Ollie under the bus. He does a few dumb things, but is very agreeable to criticism. All very positive traits, but I think it can lead him to be too nice on the court.

I think Hurley needs to teach him how to have that “killer” attitude on a game by game basis. People forget that even Lebron needed to learn that. I think it’s a common trait with kids that want to be liked. And Jalen already has the positive relationship forming side of being a leader down. He just needs to recognize when he needs to take over.

 

[AntG168]

I think Jalen’s instinct is to not be selfish. I’m not sure Hurley had to teach him that. He starts out passive every year, and it’s not until the team is entirely dependent on him (injuries) that he gets aggressive. He’s a reluctant leader. Fully capable. The most talented. But needs to be pushed.

What is apparent is Jalen is a sweet kid. He has the closest relationship with Hurley o his team. It’s not a coincidence that it was Jalen who was near Hurley during the techs. It’s not a coincidence that it was Jalen who Hurley had the chest bump with. Or that Jalen always has an excited comment when his teammate does well. Or that Jalen didn’t throw Ollie under the bus. He does a few dumb things, but is very agreeable to criticism. All very positive traits, but I think it can lead him to be too nice on the court.

I think Hurley needs to teach him how to have that “killer” attitude on a game by game basis. People forget that even Lebron needed to learn that. I think it’s a common trait with kids that want to be liked. And Jalen already has the positive relationship forming side of being a leader down. He just needs to recognize when he needs to take over.

This is a great post. Jalen is a great kid. A little immature at times, but a great kid and teammate

 

[Kenny11]

My thoughts:

-Gilbert is still very rusty. Sometimes he stumbles or loses the ball for no reason or makes a move and seems surprised he didn’t blow by his guy and doesn’t know quite what to do. I’m not worried about this at all. If he stays healthy he is going to be great.

-yakwe sucks. Give Whaley those minutes.

-Iowa is a good team and a bad matchup for us. They used our aggressiveness against us and punished us for it. That’s an easy plan for a coach to try to implement but it’s very hard to execute...so much credit to them.

-We have a huge hole athletically at the 3/4 spot. Polley was getting bullied. We need Sid on this team. Sid is very slender too but he has athleticism that can make up for it in certain cases.

-I’m still feeling positive about this team.