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Generally, it's tough to draw too many conclusions one game into the season, but I think this is a rare instance where we learned an awful lot in just one game. Here is what we know, or what I think we know, after just one game:
1. Shabazz and Boatright are both extremely good
Maybe this seems premature, but there wasn't a whole lot these two didn't do in yesterday's game. There were several things these two did to impress me yesterday, but I must start with the excellent defense I thought both played. Granted, I haven't watched the tape, so I can't account for any subtle, blown assignments that may have occured, but the ball pressure was relentless, and very rarely did either get beat off the dribble. Boatright most certainly set the tone right away with his strip of Appling - he basically said, "here I am, I'll be in your jersey all game, have fun". Combined they accounted for five steals, and probably forced more turnovers than even that number reflects. It's also comforting knowing they locked down a Michigan State backcourt that certainly had a few inches on them - MSU didn't seem to be able to take advantage of their size. Shabazz's defense really dropped off last season, from what I could tell, but yesterday it looked like he had re-gained that extra half-step, and he did not show any effects of the foot injury he recently had surgery performed on. That was the 2010-11 Napier we saw yesterday.
Offensively they both appear to be able to beat their man off the dribble whenever they want, and considering MSU looks to have one of the best perimeter defenses in the country, it's extremely re-assuring to know we have two guards to bail us out whenever the offense breaks down. If Boatright can improve his mid-range jumper, he could be a slighly less wealthy version of Kemba, IMO. If he sticks around for another year I'll be salivating. One last thing I will add, is that I don't think Boatright has gotten enough credit for checking back in after badly rolling his ankle. There are certain degrees of rolled ankles, and that definitely looked like a bad one. To check in five minutes after rolling in the ground in pain is a major testament to the toughness and character of this kid. Obviously he was a bit hobbled, but he managed the game well, and hit a huge three to extend the lead to four with three minutes left.
2. They will protect the rim better than we expected
I challenge you to find me a guy who thought Tyler Olander would have four blocks yesterday. He looked overpowered against stiffer competition last season after playing well against the cupcakes, and that was quite the bit different yesterday. In fact, you could make the argument Olander deserved the game ball, despite only scoring four points. He grabbed six boards, dished out four assists, had two steals, and played some pretty good post defense.
Deandre Daniels added three blocks as well, and Evans added two, accounting for ten in total. Deandre did an excellent impression of Roscoe circa March 2011 yesterday with his activity around the rim. If Wolf can be a serviceable backup center, this frontline might not completely suck like we all thought it would.
On the topic of Daniels, who the hell was that guy in the first half yesterday? He really brought out the full arsenal of moves: a baseline dunk, a spin to the middle, a stepback three, and I think he might have even had a hook shot that went down if my memory serves me correctly. I do think the four is where he'll be better off - he looks a little bit slow for a small forward, and his handle (5 turnovers) definitely needs some improvement.
3. There are still a lot of improvements that have to be made
This one is obvious, I suppose. Hopefully nobody gets overly excited after yesterday, because there are a lot of weaknesses on this team that Michigan State just didn't exploit yesterday. Let's start with the rebounding: you're not going to win a lot of games if you're a -13 on the glass. UConn was fortunate that MSU's offense was in dis-array for the better part of yesterday's game. Generally, when you give up that many second chance opportunities, you won't live to tell about it.
The half-court offense was a thing of beauty in the first half, but in the second half it regressed to what we expect UConn half-court offenses to resemble: the point guard pounding the ball into the floor at the top of the key, three guys standing around, and one big man coming to set a ball screen that everybody in the building knows is coming. Calhoun will go down as one of the better coaches of all-time, but the latter part of his career were not his finest moments in terms of offensive originality. Of course, give some credit to Michigan State - they're one of the toughest defense we'll see all season. But in most cases you won't win by scoring 26 points in the second half. Hopefully they can improve on that.
4. Ollie wasn't kidding when he said this team was going to run, run, and run some more
This team ran yesterday even when they didn't have numbers. They looked to run off rebounds, off turnovers, and even off made baskets. It was certainly refreshing for those of us who had been clammoring the days of "We have one gear: go". Ultimately the transition game will be predicated upon the ball pressure this team manages to get. Turnovers are critical: in 2010-11, the ball pressure Walker and Napier constantly put on their opponents was the most important aspect of that team. Last year the defense was effecive, but it didn't create any turnovers. This season the defense might not be as good in terms of FG%, but they'll constantly create havoc with their pesky guards.
Brief player notes on guys I haven't mentioned:
Omar - Really struggled, and didn't have an impact on the game at all. He looked a step slow, his shot was woefully off, and he just seemed a little bit out of sorts. It's just his first game, though. It takes even the most talented freshman time to adjust.
Giffey - Just the usual game from Giff. He was a calming presence. He hit a huge three when things were slipping away in the second half, he played good defense, and didn't force anything. His contributions won't show up in the box score, but every team needs guys like this.
Wolf - He'll just be another big body, and that's all we need from him. He hit a jumper, grabbed two rebounds, gave three fouls, and even blocked a shot in his 11 minutes. We just need a Charles Okwandu type impact: good post defense, some timely rebounds, and sound defensive rotations.
Evans - I think he's really going to contribute this season. Yesterday was my first time seeing this kid play, and man, he's built like a bull. I don't think anything summarizes his game more than when he bulldozed that State defender on his way to the rim. He also played good defense, chipped in six points, and even blocked two shots. It seems like he'll be a rich man's Donnel's Beverly for thsi team.
Overall, it was an inspiriing performance, and extremely encouraging. It was pretty much what the ultimate optimist would have envisioned before the season: gritty play in the paint, heroics from the guards, and a lot of forced turnovers. Let's not get carried away, though. The offense needs to improve by leaps and bounds if this team is going to make any noise in the Big East, and the rebounding needs to be cleaned up, as well. I do think this team will not be very fun to play though, because nobody will play harder, and nobody will be more relentless. It will be a fun season no matter what happens.
1. Shabazz and Boatright are both extremely good
Maybe this seems premature, but there wasn't a whole lot these two didn't do in yesterday's game. There were several things these two did to impress me yesterday, but I must start with the excellent defense I thought both played. Granted, I haven't watched the tape, so I can't account for any subtle, blown assignments that may have occured, but the ball pressure was relentless, and very rarely did either get beat off the dribble. Boatright most certainly set the tone right away with his strip of Appling - he basically said, "here I am, I'll be in your jersey all game, have fun". Combined they accounted for five steals, and probably forced more turnovers than even that number reflects. It's also comforting knowing they locked down a Michigan State backcourt that certainly had a few inches on them - MSU didn't seem to be able to take advantage of their size. Shabazz's defense really dropped off last season, from what I could tell, but yesterday it looked like he had re-gained that extra half-step, and he did not show any effects of the foot injury he recently had surgery performed on. That was the 2010-11 Napier we saw yesterday.
Offensively they both appear to be able to beat their man off the dribble whenever they want, and considering MSU looks to have one of the best perimeter defenses in the country, it's extremely re-assuring to know we have two guards to bail us out whenever the offense breaks down. If Boatright can improve his mid-range jumper, he could be a slighly less wealthy version of Kemba, IMO. If he sticks around for another year I'll be salivating. One last thing I will add, is that I don't think Boatright has gotten enough credit for checking back in after badly rolling his ankle. There are certain degrees of rolled ankles, and that definitely looked like a bad one. To check in five minutes after rolling in the ground in pain is a major testament to the toughness and character of this kid. Obviously he was a bit hobbled, but he managed the game well, and hit a huge three to extend the lead to four with three minutes left.
2. They will protect the rim better than we expected
I challenge you to find me a guy who thought Tyler Olander would have four blocks yesterday. He looked overpowered against stiffer competition last season after playing well against the cupcakes, and that was quite the bit different yesterday. In fact, you could make the argument Olander deserved the game ball, despite only scoring four points. He grabbed six boards, dished out four assists, had two steals, and played some pretty good post defense.
Deandre Daniels added three blocks as well, and Evans added two, accounting for ten in total. Deandre did an excellent impression of Roscoe circa March 2011 yesterday with his activity around the rim. If Wolf can be a serviceable backup center, this frontline might not completely suck like we all thought it would.
On the topic of Daniels, who the hell was that guy in the first half yesterday? He really brought out the full arsenal of moves: a baseline dunk, a spin to the middle, a stepback three, and I think he might have even had a hook shot that went down if my memory serves me correctly. I do think the four is where he'll be better off - he looks a little bit slow for a small forward, and his handle (5 turnovers) definitely needs some improvement.
3. There are still a lot of improvements that have to be made
This one is obvious, I suppose. Hopefully nobody gets overly excited after yesterday, because there are a lot of weaknesses on this team that Michigan State just didn't exploit yesterday. Let's start with the rebounding: you're not going to win a lot of games if you're a -13 on the glass. UConn was fortunate that MSU's offense was in dis-array for the better part of yesterday's game. Generally, when you give up that many second chance opportunities, you won't live to tell about it.
The half-court offense was a thing of beauty in the first half, but in the second half it regressed to what we expect UConn half-court offenses to resemble: the point guard pounding the ball into the floor at the top of the key, three guys standing around, and one big man coming to set a ball screen that everybody in the building knows is coming. Calhoun will go down as one of the better coaches of all-time, but the latter part of his career were not his finest moments in terms of offensive originality. Of course, give some credit to Michigan State - they're one of the toughest defense we'll see all season. But in most cases you won't win by scoring 26 points in the second half. Hopefully they can improve on that.
4. Ollie wasn't kidding when he said this team was going to run, run, and run some more
This team ran yesterday even when they didn't have numbers. They looked to run off rebounds, off turnovers, and even off made baskets. It was certainly refreshing for those of us who had been clammoring the days of "We have one gear: go". Ultimately the transition game will be predicated upon the ball pressure this team manages to get. Turnovers are critical: in 2010-11, the ball pressure Walker and Napier constantly put on their opponents was the most important aspect of that team. Last year the defense was effecive, but it didn't create any turnovers. This season the defense might not be as good in terms of FG%, but they'll constantly create havoc with their pesky guards.
Brief player notes on guys I haven't mentioned:
Omar - Really struggled, and didn't have an impact on the game at all. He looked a step slow, his shot was woefully off, and he just seemed a little bit out of sorts. It's just his first game, though. It takes even the most talented freshman time to adjust.
Giffey - Just the usual game from Giff. He was a calming presence. He hit a huge three when things were slipping away in the second half, he played good defense, and didn't force anything. His contributions won't show up in the box score, but every team needs guys like this.
Wolf - He'll just be another big body, and that's all we need from him. He hit a jumper, grabbed two rebounds, gave three fouls, and even blocked a shot in his 11 minutes. We just need a Charles Okwandu type impact: good post defense, some timely rebounds, and sound defensive rotations.
Evans - I think he's really going to contribute this season. Yesterday was my first time seeing this kid play, and man, he's built like a bull. I don't think anything summarizes his game more than when he bulldozed that State defender on his way to the rim. He also played good defense, chipped in six points, and even blocked two shots. It seems like he'll be a rich man's Donnel's Beverly for thsi team.
Overall, it was an inspiriing performance, and extremely encouraging. It was pretty much what the ultimate optimist would have envisioned before the season: gritty play in the paint, heroics from the guards, and a lot of forced turnovers. Let's not get carried away, though. The offense needs to improve by leaps and bounds if this team is going to make any noise in the Big East, and the rebounding needs to be cleaned up, as well. I do think this team will not be very fun to play though, because nobody will play harder, and nobody will be more relentless. It will be a fun season no matter what happens.
