New Mexico State Post Game Thread

[polycom]

UConn had no leaders on this team! If they did, someone would’ve stepped up to Allen and gotten in his face! Kid was running his mouth and our guys just took it. Believe it or not, that says a lot about the mental toughness of this team. He just showed us up, peacocked, ran his mouth and… crickets from our guys! Come on - someone show some fire and pride!

He scored 37 and not a single player took it personally. Yet hurley gets mad when the refs make an obvious foul call...

 

[gsmooth]

Kalkbrenner out

Yeah thatinjury looked awful

 

[Jbirdp5]

First all the scorching hot takes and now you don’t even know the definition of a directional school. Give it a rest

 

[UconnU]

All these teams doing well today are reliant on transfers. We were one of the only teams not to take a transfer.

 

[Frank06830]

Add him to the list of players having their best game against us.

 

[uconnfan68]

Actually, I think Hurley did a really good job with the cards he was dealt this year.

You know how this works, right? Hurley recruits the guys he wants. He gets to determine if they come back the next year. He even has a portal now to facilitate easy transfers. He’s the dealer and they’re his card.

 

[cohenzone]

All these teams doing well today are reliant on transfers. We were one of the only teams not to take a transfer.

Well, maybe no transfers this year, but if weren’t reliant on Cole and Martin. I don’t know what we were.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The pejorative “directional school” implies that there is a “direction” in the name of the school (i.e. “north” or “south”). Do you see one of those words in “New Mexico State University”?

Other than that you seem great and I, for one, am glad you chose tonight to post for the first time.

 

[oshkosh]

Seton Hall/Kadary Richmond Part II.

An inexcusable lack of adjustments from Hurley on Allen. I do not understand how a coach being paid millions of dollars cannot keep trying new things when a single player is killing you. I don't really get fired up about sports anymore, especially when it comes to losses, but this one is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I have a feeling in my gut that Hurley is not the guy and that's not a reactionary statement. He's been here for four years now. There are too many concerning patterns.

Hurley's two NCAA games here are two of the ugliest basketball games I can recall watching. Tonight was just abysmal, though not as eye-gougingly bad as last year's loss to Maryland. I cannot believe how flat we came out. No energy, NMSU was tougher and played harder the entire first half. That is inexcusable. We lost so many close games this year, largely because of Hurley. He does not have the slightest clue or instinct as to when to call a timeout. Calhoun was a master. At the same time, so many stupid plays down the stretch, starting with Sanogo's foul. I'm not sure anyone besides Cole made a positive play in the last few minutes. It was terrible basketball.

Thus far, this era is the antithesis of Calhoun teams. Hurley's teams seem to play their worst down the stretch. We should have won so many close games this year that we lost. We should have won tonight. We should have beaten Nova in the BET semis.

Hurley has a ton of soul searching to do, from roster construction to game-planning to in-game adjustments. Teams that have a single reliable ballhandler are going to be terrible offensively. We have no idea what Diggins is going to be; Hurley needs to stop messing around and find a point guard in the transfer portal who is guaranteed to give us production next season. More guards, more guards, more guards. Have too many guards, not too many bigs. You can survive without enough bigs, you cannot survive without enough guards.

The "two traditional bigs" thing needs to be thrown in the trash. It's 2022. Yet, we have tons of traditional bigs on the roster and more coming in. Whaley's presence was so detrimental to the offense over the last few weeks. Teams just stopped caring about him and sagged off. He had the gravity of an ant while pretending to be a stretch 4. Combine that with a lack of ballhandlers and when your other big needs space to operate on the block and you have a mess.

I don't know how a team that was worried at the start of the season about finding PT for everyone was reduced to a six-man rotation in the postseason. Little production from a highly-touted recruiting class, Akok will never be the same after the injury.

Such a frustrating loss. I don't know how anyone can have blind faith in Hurley at this point. He can recruit but good grief he has leaps and bounds to make as an in-game coach.

Calhoun wouldn’t let things get out of hand. If he didn’t like something, then Timeout. Sometimes he’d use 3 of them in the first half. He intervened

 

[cohenzone]

You know how this works, right? Hurley recruits the guys he wants. He gets to determine if they come back the next year. He even has a portal now to facilitate easy transfers. He’s the dealer and they’re his card.

I really think our major problem is the two guard. Jackson holds that position and his skills don’t exactly fit. The result is a front court that can be overplayed. And it didn’t help Cole as it should. He is a totally not D1 shooting quality. He’s the guy everyone was overjoyed we got. So is he a mistake? I guess Hawkins is the obvious answer for shooting guard and he played like a first year guy. but with Cole probably leaving does that put Jackson at point? Excellent passer, a little loose with the ball. I hope someone works with him on his shooting technique whatever position he plays. . He would be so dangerous and that he has trouble after two years reaching even low double figures is a bad sign.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

No firepower with the starting 5 scoring 22 points at half. So Hurley then puts the same slow starting 5 out to start the 2nd half.

I was like dude try anything Akok or Polley or Gaffney, any freakin thing!!

Anyway we got exposed. Play tough D on us and we have no answer and certainly no firepower.

I thought we were better when Gaffney and Cole were on the floor at the same time.

 

[uconntoatl]

Your emotions are running high and I understand that, but Hurley didn’t lose this game

He didn’t do too much to help us win it either

 

[uconntoatl]

Cole and Martin did not show up that first half

Felt like Martin already started talking to agents about playing in the Euro league before this game

 

[connVA]

Felt like Martin already started talking to agents about playing in the Euro league before this game

Yeah- no idea where the hell he was in the first half. We went from our normal two non-offensive players (AJ and Whalley) to having a third and, with Cole sleepwalking, we were pretty much dead on arrival.

 

[Drfla]

This team came out with absolutely no energy, almost like they didn’t want to be there. Don’t they know that this tourney is a fight for your survival. In my opinion, Martin got schooled all night by Allen and the refs bailed Allen out a few times. Also I know some people may say Hurley, but the lethargic start was Cole’s fault. He played his ass off in the second half, but he played waaaay to relaxed in the first half and the team followed suit. Also Cole dug us out of our hole but he also makes poor decisions at critical times. Sanogo has been off both of the tournament games. He missed a lot and just was off during these last two games. I know we won’t necessarily be better without the seniors, but I want to move on and get better talent and higher BBIQ players.

Agree. Cole didn’t set the tone in first half.
the team basketball IQ is not good.
Time for the seniors, RJ and Martin to move on
Sanogo is too up and down. Lots of clunkers in the second half of season.
Need a point guard. Proved it this year. RJ is a good player but he’s not a point guard. Does not make others around him better.

 

[uconnfan68]

I really think our major problem is the two guard. Jackson holds that position and his skills don’t exactly fit. The result is a front court that can be overplayed. And it didn’t help Cole as it should. He is a totally not D1 shooting quality. He’s the guy everyone was overjoyed we got. So is he a mistake? I guess Hawkins is the obvious answer for shooting guard and he played like a first year guy. but with Cole probably leaving does that put Jackson at point? Excellent passer, a little loose with the ball. I hope someone works with him on his shooting technique whatever position he plays. . He would be so dangerous and that he has trouble after two years reaching even low double figures is a bad sign.

If AJ had RJ’s game, he’d have gone to the league last year. If RJ had AJ’s game, he’d be on an intramural team.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Is Dan Hurley the right coach for UConn?

Alt-post/handle

 

[Kolumbo]

Welp, it is what it is. I'll shed no tears if we move on from Hurley, not that we can financially. Some guys have it, some don't. Apparently the NMSU coach had it.

 

[Drfla]

Has anyone ever considered the admittedly remote possibility that the teams we play want to win too, that they have players that might be equal to or a bit better than ours, that someone could go off for 37 points (even with decent defense in their face), that maybe, just maybe, we are not quite as good as fans think we are, that maybe the match up didn't favor us? We've been suspect all year -- no definitive offense. It caught up to use tonite. Actually, I think Hurley did a really good job with the cards he was dealt this year. I worry about next season. Lots of pieces to work with, but no one to organize and drive the offense.

Need a good transfer point guard

 

[storrsroars]

Not that Hurley or any coach would plan things this way pre-game, but Whaley could spot up for a makeable 10-12 footer seemingly whenever he wanted. I think it would've been a good idea to go to him a few more times while he had a hot hand. He was 3-3 inside the arc. That might've forced NMST to defend him tighter and open it up for Martin and Cole.

 

[Drfla]

Exactly where were the satellite defenders shading over to allen when he was dribbling? Allen wasn’t looking to pass and even if he did so what, the other guys were not looking to shoot

Yeah the other guys were not looking to shoot LOL. They made 7-10 threes. They were all ready and looking to shoot.

 

[cohenzone]

If AJ had RJ’s game, he’d have gone to the league last year. If RJ had AJ’s game, he’d be on an intramural team.

Yeah, but I think when he was the ace recruit it usually means a real scoring threat. If RJ at his size could pass and dunk like AJ he would start at NMState.

 

[The Frog]

Was Sanogo -10 tonight?

He needs to learn to dunk. And not make dumb fouls.

He cost us Nova. Cost us tonight.

Agreed Totally.... with the exception of some of the onus on Hurley's shoulders of fear of expanding the bench and go with the hot hand... or the hand that is not.

 

[The Frog]

In the Coach Calhoun days, how many times/games did he call a T/O and pull the whole 5 of starting line up at either tip or half. After a poor start and send in the next 5. I may be old, but I can remember quite a few... and the results...