OOC schedule has hurt team development

[MuchoDogYears]

The out of conference schedule has games against teams whom fall into one of two categories.

5 games against teams in the top 50.
8 games against teams in the bottom 250 - 350.

The lessons Hurley has been pushing in practice aren’t required to beat the bad teams. In these games the team slacks off, doesn’t run crisp offense, doesn’t play smothering D, settles for 3’s, bad TO’s, bad fouls, etc. They still win these somewhat comfortably.

Then they play a top 50 team and all of a sudden the bad game habits “learned” against weak teams show up. They’re unable to sustain what Hurley has been preaching in practice throughout the whole game. The result has been losses.

In order to reinforce the good habits being taught in practice, next years OOC schedule needs to be drastically overhauled.

Keep the 5 or so games against top 50 teams. But replace the other 8 games with 2 early games against cupcakes and the other 6 against teams in the 100 to 200 range. If you’re going to play a midmajor at least play a top one who’ll challenge the team to play at a high level throughout the game.

Too many bad habits being reinforced by playing non-competitive teams.

 

[polycom]

Yes, because you know more about scheduling and team development than a head coach and AD. This place is just crazy.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Alternate theory: good teams are better than bad teams and thus harder to beat.

 

[CL82]

Yes, because you know more about scheduling and team development than a head coach and AD. This place is just crazy.

Bah, everyone has opinion on everything and the BY is the place to post it. If we waited for people to know more that the staff to be able post, Tom would have to shut down the place.

Did Hurley have anything to do with this schedule, or was it done before we made the coaching change? I don't love it but I feel like we have to lay that at DB feet more than Hurley.

 

[Kenny11]

I don't think there is any slacking going on in their physical effort. The team is always playing hard and guards are always applying serious ball pressure regardless who we have been against. We foul too much against everyone, good teams and bad teams, but that style is just part of Hurley's system that is going to take some time for us to play that way without fouling.

 

[Waquoit]

I've seen plenty of development and have no problem with scheduling for success this year. I think it's too early to make the OP's declaration. This season is about how we do in conference.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I've seen plenty of development and have no problem with scheduling for success this year. I think it's too early to make the OP's declaration. This season is about how we do in conference.

...in addition to being a new coach's first season coming after two arguably unwatchable seasons

 

[MuchoDogYears]

Wasn’t implying that Hurley put this schedule together.

My only point was that when you play really bad teams you don’t need to play at your best to win, and that’s what has happened. Bad habits on the court not being punished by a weak opposing team who simply isn’t talented enough to take advantage.

Then against a Florida State, an open 3 pointer is hit instead of clanged. A lazy pass is turned over instead of resulting in a short jumper in the lane. A missed put back is rebounded by the opposing team instead of Carlton getting a second and third chance at a put back.

 

[polycom]

Bah, everyone has opinion on everything and the BY is the place to post it. If we waited for people to know more that the staff to be able post, Tom would have to shut down the place.

Did Hurley have anything to do with this schedule, or was it done before we made the coaching change? I don't love it but I feel like we have to lay that at DB feet more than Hurley.

OP declaration makes is filled with the assumption that the way the staff is doing things is wrong, yet we have no idea how it is going to go over the course of the second half the season.

 

[Hi-Low]

Don't completely disagree.....I think we would have been helped by replacing 2 of our games with teams just slightly "below" us. In general I think you want to keep the OOC to at most 6 cupcakes not 8 games that will basically provide no resistance. Hard to find the "mid" games sometimes maybe, but our OOC teams are either really good or really bad.

I think the AAC for the most part is pretty good this year with only a couple of bad teams so most of the AAC games will be meaningful. Not going to judge Hurley on this years OOC but next year I hope to see a limit of 6 low-major games.

 

[CTBasketball]

You’re right this is all Hurley’s and the players’ faults.

 

[Stainmaster]

Coach? Doesn’t matter. Players? Don’t matter. The sky is always falling, and there must be something to complain about.

 

[Candyman]

If we played all but 2 ooc against top 100-200 RPI opponents we would risk losing a buy game and you want to avoid those. You play 4 or 5 games against top teams then load the rest with low to mid majors and hopefully one of them is better than expected and also hope you beat a few of those top teams.

We ain't good enough to stack the ooc schedule with top Mid-Majors.

 

[Walker11]

I don't agree with OP but I do wish we gamed the system (RPI then, NET now) by scheduling cupcakes in the 150 range.

 

[MuchoDogYears]

You’re right this is all Hurley’s and the players’ faults.

Reading comprehension, not for everyone.
What I said, to summarize, is that the schedule has been a factor behind this team not playing at it’s best. Did not implicate the players or Hurley.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

I think the most important thing with a new coach and a new system is Ws in the early going. Get the team accustomed to winning again and help build momentum for Hurley as a coach.

We lost a lot of games to RPI 100-200 teams over the past two years. The danger in these games is that the team is not only “challenged,” but loses. And then loses again. And then Hurley maybe doesn’t look so great any more in the eyes of the team and recruits.

So are our wins mainly against cupcakes? Sure. But the perception around UConn is changed and Hurley is being portrayed as a great turnaround coach - and that helps land recruits and improve the team going forward.

Realistically, Hurley was never going to completely remake the team and break any bad habits in a matter of a few months, regardless of who we played. I’ll take the bad Ws against cupcakes this year and actually think our scheduling has been quite smart.

Next year is when I’d like to see the OOC strength of schedule strengthen up with less cupcakes and more games against mid-tier opponents.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

....Damn

 

[selles]

Wasn’t implying that Hurley put this schedule together.

My only point was that when you play really bad teams you don’t need to play at your best to win, and that’s what has happened. Bad habits on the court not being punished by a weak opposing team who simply isn’t talented enough to take advantage.

Then against a Florida State, an open 3 pointer is hit instead of clanged. A lazy pass is turned over instead of resulting in a short jumper in the lane. A missed put back is rebounded by the opposing team instead of Carlton getting a second and third chance at a put back.

I don't disagree with your point as a general principle, but it's not applicable to this year's team or schedule.
Our bad habits were picked up over the last two years, not this one.

What this particular group of guys most needed this year, coming off two losing seasons, was to gain some confidence. To have some success and to see a lot larger number in front of W than in front of L. Given that, the non-conference scheduling was wise. Plenty of opportunities for blowout wins, but also several chances for the team to measure itself against quality competition.

I suspect that as the Hurley era advances we will see a lot more of the 'challenging but not top level opponent' games you're talking about.

 

[polycom]

Reading comprehension, not for everyone.
What I said, to summarize, is that the schedule has been a factor behind this team not playing at it’s best. Did not implicate the players or Hurley.

Based on what? This does not make sense. If we played more good teams you think we would have played better? Based on what?

 

[Robertelamin]

I don’t see them scheduling a mid major anytime soon. It’s not worth the risk. I could see them adding another P5 or Big East game though.

 

[HawkHusky]

Fire Hurley.

 

[kobe]

forwarding to your AD. good post op

 

[ucp990411]

I agree. I was an assistant high school coach and would disagree with the head coach on this. What is the point of running up the score vs the weak teams doing things that would not work against the good teams. An example is that we would press full court and win by 50 but then try to do that against the top teams and they just go right through it and beat us by 30.

 

[Guapo]

@Chief00 the casual fans are back, baby.

 

[UconnFanDC]

(Scratches head) The unexpected happens every year. Good teams surprise us and loose games and bad teams pull off upsets. A team you'd think be top 50 ends up 150-200 range. Team 200-300 range ends up 50-100. Like all uconn fans, I'd like light at the end of tunnel in route to NC #5.