OOC schedule has hurt team development

[polycom]

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.

Wining helps set a culture... It doesn't matter who you beat the team needs to learn how to win. It hasn't even been a year and we are "disagreeing with the head coach." I want to be clear, I do not think that it's wrong to have an opinion. The logic behind all of these disagreements isn't sound at all.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

...

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.

...

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

The cupcakes are fine - if, and only if, as games progress the team gets a sense of who it is and wants to be, and develops multiple options and flow that can allow them to compete with better competition. I'd like to have seen that by now, but I'm fine if it comes together early in the AAC season.

 

[StepbackCity]

The schedule was set before Hurley got here so let’s get that out the window. Yes, Hurley is going to drastically overhaul this schedule next year but this years schedule has been good to ease the guys into AAC play. As we saw last year, they were knocked on their backside right away and never recovered from it.

 

[BFieldHusky]

Tom Moore is also doing a lot of the scheduling from what I have heard. Expect a difference next year.

 

[Madmannsucks]

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

Then why did you watch...

 

[Mokum]

(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.

I agree. These schedules are made in advance, things happen and someone you thought was a quality opponent ends up not so good. Hurley himself I would bet had not much to do with it, it was mostly already in place. 5 or 6 OOC games against top quality programs is good. A couple of cupcakes, preferably the likes of Hartford or Sacred Heart so we get more people at the game. Then teams like Vermont, URI, and others at that level and be in a good tournament. I would bet that is what Hurley has in mind. But don’t blame him for this years schedule. NC is the ultimate goal and based on what Hurley has accomplished with this team and with recruiting I am optimistic we will get back there. Patientce!

 

[gtcam]

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.

Arsenine reply and head scratching post
If the team doesn't play as hard vs the lower tier teams it's due to the schedule?
I understand that Carlton may get more opportunities to score and rebound vs Manhattan than Iowa BUT doesn't every team face this same type of idiosyncrasies due to having to schedule some 30 odd games during the season?
I have a feeling I somewhat get what you are trying to get at but it just doesn't register
I really don't think CTBasketball has a reading comprehension issue; its what you are saying and how you are trying to explain it that gets lost to some of us- JMHO
Happy Holidays

 

[Tenspro2002]

The ideal OOC schedule would be composed as follows:

- 5-6 games against Top 50 opponents, evenly distributed between home/neutral/road, and including against some of the biggest names (e.g. I'd rather face a brand name like Arizona in a down year than a team like Nevada in a good year). This has been OK this year, though unfortunately most of the top names on our schedule are down.

- 3-4 games against regional mid-majors (not cupcakes) in the 80-150 range -- think A-10 or CAA, including maybe an occasional road game in a 2-for-1 arrangement

- 3-4 games against true cupcakes, 200 and above, all at home

The bifurcated schedule doesn't really help, though I understand why we have it this year.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Then why did you watch...

The argument was made with some regularity that the games were unwatchable, and sometimes I agreed. I still watched much more than not, though much less than in previous decades (not even years). A lot of the time it was a pretty unpalatable entertainment product, and it left me questioning whether there were better ways to use my time. When I watched, it was because I'm a fan, and because I retained hope or wished to he part of this community. I also experienced what it's like to follow a crummy team. I don't do that elsewhere. Some people do it year in and year out.

I think that covers it. Hope it helps.

 

[BlueMAB]

We don't look great against very good teams. We don't look great against very bad teams. Maybe we just aren't a great team?

It's a new team still trying to shed the bad habits from the last 2-3 years. Why would we blame the schedule?

Very odd.

 

[Chief00]

@Chief00 the casual fans are back, baby.

But, we love and welcome them. UConn needs them.

 

[Madmannsucks]

The argument was made with some regularity that the games were unwatchable, and sometimes I agreed. I still watched much more than not, though much less than in previous decades (not even years). A lot of the time it was a pretty unpalatable entertainment product, and it left me questioning whether there were better ways to use my time. When I watched, it was because I'm a fan, and because I retained hope or wished to he part of this community. I also experienced what it's like to follow a crummy team. I don't do that elsewhere. Some people do it year in and year out.

I think that covers it. Hope it helps.

It does not. It does seem to indicate you have way to much free time on your hands.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

It does not. It does seem to indicate you have way to much free time on your hands.

Enough to note you couldn't even spell "too" correctly. Thanks for sharing. I'll accept responsibility for answering a rhetorical question literally.

 

[Towney007]

I'm so happy casual fans are back.

 

[BlueMAB]

Enough to note you couldn't even spell "too" correctly. Thanks for sharing. I'll accept responsibility for answering a rhetorical question literally.

You should have just said "Because I wanted to" and let the dumb question be a dumb question.

 

[Dove]

Caterer: "And here, Mr. Mucho, I present you the best, most decadent cupcake buffet ever!!!!"

MuchoDogYears: [winces. looks at caterer. looks back at table] "Yeah, some look good, I guess, but where are the bran muffins? And I was hoping for a cheesbeggar, too."

 

[UconnFanDC]

I agree. These schedules are made in advance, things happen and someone you thought was a quality opponent ends up not so good. Hurley himself I would bet had not much to do with it, it was mostly already in place. 5 or 6 OOC games against top quality programs is good. A couple of cupcakes, preferably the likes of Hartford or Sacred Heart so we get more people at the game. Then teams like Vermont, URI, and others at that level and be in a good tournament. I would bet that is what Hurley has in mind. But don’t blame him for this years schedule. NC is the ultimate goal and based on what Hurley has accomplished with this team and with recruiting I am optimistic we will get back there. Patientce!

True and I agree with putting some of the area school on the schedule. It will gather the alumni intrest and my school is better then your school pettiness for attendance.

 

[Dove]

Mucho's kid: "Hey daddy!! Did you like the present I got you?"

MuchDogYears: "Yeah, son, I lke the UCONN Husky tuke. But, any chance next year you could get the current Husky logo? Oh, and is this it?"

 

[Madmannsucks]

You should have just said "Because I wanted to" and let the dumb question be a dumb question.

I know you are, but what am I?

 

[Madmannsucks]

Look, the schedule this year does not do much to help them get into the tournament. That is my read. The games are not enjoyable and I end up turning away. I have watched all the games against the name teams, but it seems they could have set up games against higher rated(not top 50)teams. I think the problem there is most teams are not going to come here with a return date to their place.

 

[Storrs South]

We don't look great against very bad teams.

Manhattan was the 1st game against a mid-major that they looked bad and it came after no games the prior 7 days due to finals. They looked fine against Morehead State and beat UMKC, Cornell, UNH, UMass-Lowell and Lafayette by 20-30 points and looked good doing it.

 

[BlueMAB]

Manhattan was the 1st game against a mid-major that they looked bad and it came after no games the prior 7 days due to finals. They looked fine against Morehead State and beat UMKC, Cornell, UNH, UMass-Lowell and Lafayette by 20-30 points and looked good doing it.

I agree, I think this actually reinforces my point. The OP's take was a pretty bad one.

We did look “fine” and “pretty good” we didn’t look “great”.

 

[auror]

The ideal OOC schedule would be composed as follows:

- 5-6 games against Top 50 opponents, evenly distributed between home/neutral/road, and including against some of the biggest names (e.g. I'd rather face a brand name like Arizona in a down year than a team like Nevada in a good year). This has been OK this year, though unfortunately most of the top names on our schedule are down.

- 3-4 games against regional mid-majors (not cupcakes) in the 80-150 range -- think A-10 or CAA, including maybe an occasional road game in a 2-for-1 arrangement

- 3-4 games against true cupcakes, 200 and above, all at home

The bifurcated schedule doesn't really help, though I understand why we have it this year.

I like this. And to go further, the cupcakes should be in the 200-300 range IF POSSIBLE. Can't always predict it, but there's 0 benefit to playing a 300+ team. You should beat the 200s at home every single time and 300+ tanks your SOS.

 

[Madmannsucks]

I guess I did not think these teams were "mid majors".....

 

[Hey Adrien!]

No, the OOC is not ruining the development of this team, that's ridiculous. Since their glory days, UConn has always played at least 5-6 awful teams each season and quite frankly, every top conference team does too.

If you look below, the comparison from previous years isn't that different. If you take out two cupcake teams (UNH and Morehead State for this example) and replace them with Northeastern and Vermont, the KenPom average changes from 186 to 156, which is very similar to the average OOC of what the UConn 2011 championship team faced back when they were in the Big East.

The argument that I do understand and would like to explore is: while the AAC isn't as good of a conference as the Big East was, replace some of those 250+ teams with some more challenging local mid-major teams, like Northeastern, Harvard, URI, Vermont, etc.

2019 OOC - 186 KenPom average
15 - Florida St
18 - Villanova
26 - Syracuse
35 - Iowa
54 - Arizona
237 - Cornell
247 - Drexel
259 - UMKC
260 - Morehead State
280 - UMass Lowell
319 - Lafayette
324 - Manhattan
340 - New Hampshire

2011 OOC - 150 KenPom average
5 - Texas
7- Kentucky
27 - Wichita State
45 - Michigan St
62 - Tennessee
71 - Harvard
128 - Vermont
233 - Stony Brook
268 - Coppin State
287 - New Hampshire
324 - Fairleigh Dickinson
339 - UMBC