OOC schedule has hurt team development

[JMick]

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

If we could switch a Harvand and Vermont for a Manhattan and New Hampshire it would have made the schedule a lot better, but this staff had little or nothing to do with the scheduling. I think it was pretty clear that some people were scheduling for their jobs.

 

[Yardigan]

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.

I think, with Hurley at the helm, the way he has them play (serious ball pressure from guards, hedging by big men), will always have to worry about fouling. I think that's a permanent part of the deal.

 

[Robertelamin]

I think, with Hurley at the helm, the way he has them play (serious ball pressure from guards, hedging by big men), will always have to worry about fouling. I think that's a permanent part of the deal.

They also get called for way too many offensive fouls. That needs to be cleaned up.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I don't think it has hurt the teams development. That said, AD Dave isn't beyond reproach for not gaming the OOC and bringing in absolute dregs instead.

 

[pj]

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.

That's why coaches schedule 2 hour practices prior to the cupcake games.