No TO thread?!

[UChusky916]

Really surprised to come on here this morning and not see a thread on TO. I will be the first to say that I thought his time here had basically run out and that he should only be a situational 5 min per game player for us.

Well, the past few games have showed that Tyler isn't giving up. At times when I thought that we'd never get a rebound, TO did. Brimah and Nolan combined for 1 rebound. TO was full effort all of the time and really impressed me with his desire to actually crash the boards. Defensively, he's not as good as Brimah or Nolan and TO made a bone-headed play here or there, but everyone did last night. I think TO fits in better with our pick-and-roll game than Nolan or Brimah do.

I remember a big offensive rebound down the stretch that gave us another possession. And his steal with 1 min left probably won the game for us, honestly.

Until other bigs can prove that they can stay out of foul trouble and grab some boards, TO should be more than a situational big man. He earned his minutes last night and I hope he continues to do so.

 

[upstater]

Really surprised to come on here this morning and not see a thread on TO. I will be the first to say that I thought his time here had basically run out and that he should only be a situational 5 min per game player for us.

Well, the past few games have showed that Tyler isn't giving up. At times when I thought that we'd never get a rebound, TO did. Brimah and Nolan combined for 1 rebound. TO was full effort all of the time and really impressed me with his desire to actually crash the boards. Defensively, he's not as good as Brimah or Nolan and TO made a bone-headed play here or there, but everyone did last night. I think TO fits in better with our pick-and-roll game than Nolan or Brimah do.

I remember a big offensive rebound down the stretch that gave us another possession. And his steal with 1 min left probably won the game for us, honestly.

Until other bigs can prove that they can stay out of foul trouble and grab some boards, TO should be more than a situational big man. He earned his minutes last night and I hope he continues to do so.

Tyler deserves kudos so far this year. A lot of fans are focusing on the Farrell drive which Tyler blew. But he has come up big otherwise in both the Indiana and Maryland game.

 

[Marty Jackson]

TO had a couple plays and made a huge steal towards the end of the game. Had Uconn converted, it would have been more magnified.

TO won't be a star on this team, but he adds much needed size and depth up front. both are needed for a deep run in March

 

[GemParty]

I'm still trying to figure out, where Tyler fits in. Ollie seems to let him shoot from anywhere, and just be a player. It's actually worked out. If you count yesterdays Huge steal as one of the game winning plays (plus Bazz all night) and his Huge 3 pointer a few games back, TO has personally saved 2 games for us. Phil, needs to look over his shoulder. I like Brimah, right where he is. He can't stay on the floor long anyhow, until he feels out what's worth blocking. Therefore, Brimah is best in spurts and available for late game situations like yesterday. With this in mind, I think Ollie at 6-0 won't change the starters. That can mess with guys heads. He will change their playing time. No clue, how to keep Facey involved, but need to start working him in too. Front court platoon.

 

[uconn_jack]

TO can be a defensive liability, that's for certain. However, he is the best rebounder of the bigs (granted that's a low bar), and he if far and away the best contributer to the offense. I don't necessarily mean scorer (although he is at least as productive or more that PN and Brimah), but I mean being part of the offensive sets. He sets the best screens, is typically in the best offensive positions, and is a good distributer both in the high and low post.

I agree that him being our best big is a bit of a problem, but when he plays smart and with energy, he is our best option. I think he deserves more playing time, but I like the way he is used in the rotation. As someone else stated, be does seem to lose his energy and focus the longer be stays in, so using him as the third big in the rotation such that he is in the game during the last 7-10 minutes of the halves when his experience and energy matters most is a smart way to utilize him.

 

[Kitaman]

He's a senior with very good experience. He has value. He's playing better than Nolan.

 

[Matrim55]

I think the "defensive liability" thing with Olander is mostly incorrect. He doesn't protect the rim, of course -- that's obvious -- but he understands what KO's schemes are, his rotations are always on point, and he doesn't take stupid risks. He also handles high pick and rolls surprisingly well.

Of the guys in the mix at the 5, he's been the best all around player this year. I just wish we could give him Amida's arms.

Hoping to see some of Olander and Facey together next time out. They're by far our best rebounding bigs right now.

 

[boog204]

Tyler deserves kudos so far this year. A lot of fans are focusing on the Farrell drive which Tyler blew. But he has come up big otherwise in both the Indiana and Maryland game.

I wouldn't say TO "blew" that play. He was definitely a bit late on the rotation and didn't contest, but Bazz let his man go by him with ease as he has done countless times this year. That was who "blew" the play imo.

 

[BearJWS]

Tyler played well in the minutes he had last night. He had some key plays in the game. I always think he "over thinks" too much. It seems if he has a shot to take, if he hesitates, he always misses, but if he just shoots it, he's much more fluid offensively. No more 2nd guessing himself & worrying about if he's going to be benched. It's his 4th year, he just needs to cut lose & go with it. There is no next year. Enjoy it now...

 

[johnhuskies95]

I think the "defensive liability" thing with Olander is mostly incorrect. He doesn't protect the rim, of course -- that's obvious -- but he understands what KO's schemes are, his rotations are always on point, and he doesn't take stupid risks. He also handles high pick and rolls surprisingly well.

Of the guys in the mix at the 5, he's been the best all around player this year. I just wish we could give him Amida's arms.

Hoping to see some of Olander and Facey together next time out. They're by far our best rebounding bigs right now.

He's a decent team defender, but he can get absolutely dominated at times when he's defending a guy one on one. The BU game is an example of that.

 

[mauconnfan]

I wouldn't say TO "blew" that play. He was definitely a bit late on the rotation and didn't contest, but Bazz let his man go by him with ease as he has done countless times this year. That was who "blew" the play imo.

Sorry boog he blew it......he was there in plenty of time and his choice to stand there sideways was awful......as I said a charge was easy, if not that then hammer him but do not stay there and walk into him sideways.

Having said that, he played a solid part in a game where Nolan and Brimah struggled to stay on the court. He fought for rebounds, kept balls alive and set his screens as well as not turning it over. That one play did not define the positive piece he was during most of the game.