Outclassed in every way.

[August_West]

Too many role players playing major minutes who don't contribute

I expected WAY more out of Polley this year. Bad take on my part.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I expected WAY more out of Polley this year. Bad take on my part.

Your comment is a model of simple, responsible, clear, and effective communication. I'm surprised that it's not more commonly done. It's not like this board lacks for bad takes.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Nova shredded our defense, inside and out. On offense, they turned us over, contested our shots, and slowed us to a crawl.

Wright got Whaley and Sanogo in early foul trouble by going at them (and we helped with stupid fouls away from the basket). Hurley had no answers.

It was a clinic. As the announcers said, they ran us out of the gym. I'm sure there will be some upside posts about Hawkins or some such nonsense. But there was no upside to this game. They sagged on Sanogo like everyone will and no Husky stepped up. Back to the drawing board. It could get late early if there isn't some serious soul searching after this beat down.

And some thought i was crazy saying we could lose this game by 15.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

And some thought i was crazy saying we could lose this game by 15.

You don’t get credit if you say it before every game.

 

[TheChamps990411]

You don’t get credit if you say it before every game.

Agree. ONly its the first time ive said it. Go find me a quote where i predicted a 15 point loss before a game this season. Ill wait.

 

[JB75]

Oddly enough this current team has to go through these struggles particularly against better teams and better coached teams in order to grow. There are no skipping steps. Without a bonified Alpha Dog on offense this is the only way.

Against better teams the lack of a true point guard is hurting us. No player on the team is really consistent and certainly not consistent when needed and is why this team lacks a true identity on offense where certainty is needed.

There passing is very sloppy, unfocused and this has not improved all year. It essentially kills momentum.

St the end of the day we are lacking a piece or two. We are simply not getting the best out of the talent we have i.e. Gaffney, Akok, Hawkins, Polley and Whaley. Out of those 5 players we need 2 of them to elevate their game to the next level this year.

Our coaching staff has to figure out a way to put these guys in position. Maybe by the Big East Tournament we will see something but for now we have to be honest about where this team is right now. The loss to Creighton was telling.

That loss to Creighton was a killer. Made every game the rest of the way much more important and pressurized

 

[freescooter]

The reality of things is that we have a 2 guard that produces absolutely nothing. How can you have a starting 2 guard that routinely doesn’t score? How good can we really be with only 1.5 perimeter shooters that can consistently hit shots (Martin isn’t exactly consistent) This team is severely flawed and opposing teams know it. The Ajax experiment needs to end. He can’t shoot or defend at all. Hawkins needs all his minutes going forward.

I’m not sure that giving Hawkins Jackson’s minutes solves the problem, but I agree it needs to happen. When teams don’t even pretend to guard him at the line and he still won’t shoot, I just can’t see what Jackson brings us. Maybe we give up a rebound or two, and a showtime dunk, but not much else. Kid has zero basketball iq if you will.

 

[freescooter]

You can't be serious.

He means after Gillespie went to the locker room and they were without both their #1 and #2 scorers. Yeah we looked better against their #3 point guard, though he had a career day just to be fair.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I expected WAY more out of Polley this year. Bad take on my part.

Except for Sanogo and Cole that statement applies to everyone else in the rotation, no?

 

[August_West]

Except for Sanogo and Cole that statement applies to everyone else in the rotation, no?

Almost, Im not fussed about Ajax's progress. I see improvement.

Gaf definitely expected more out of.

Whaley, no, maybe slightly, but he's not been terrible.

 

[auror]

Hurley's Big East record, without the DePaul and Butler freebies, since saying "you better get us now" two years ago? 10-11.

11-0 vs Georgetown, Butler and DePaul. 7-11 vs everyone else.

Butler went 9-11 in the Big East last year (in games not against us) and beat 7 different top 80 teams including Nova and Creighton. Butler is 4-4 in conference games not against us this year also. Georgetown went 11-7 in the Big East last year (in games not against us) and made the NCAAs by beating Nova, Creighton, and Seton Hall in a row right after we beat them by 15.

If you include decent teams in the freebies, then sure, it looks bad.

Depaul, sure, you can exclude them. And Georgetown this year.

 

[navery12]

Except for Sanogo and Cole that statement applies to everyone else in the rotation, no?

I think I'd throw Martin in with them too. Jackson is a tough one because I'd have signed up for where he is now before the season, but he played so well early that he raised the bar

 

[HuskyHawk]

The reality of things is that we have a 2 guard that produces absolutely nothing. How can you have a starting 2 guard that routinely doesn’t score? How good can we really be with only 1.5 perimeter shooters that can consistently hit shots (Martin isn’t exactly consistent) This team is severely flawed and opposing teams know it. The Ajax experiment needs to end. He can’t shoot or defend at all. Hawkins needs all his minutes going forward.

Our SG scored the first 5 points of the game. He's one of the best defenders on the team. Not sure what you are talking about.

 

[JeffConn]

Oddly enough this current team has to go through these struggles particularly against better teams and better coached teams in order to grow. There are no skipping steps. Without a bonified Alpha Dog on offense this is the only way.

Against better teams the lack of a true point guard is hurting us. No player on the team is really consistent and certainly not consistent when needed and is why this team lacks a true identity on offense where certainty is needed.

There passing is very sloppy, unfocused and this has not improved all year. It essentially kills momentum.

St the end of the day we are lacking a piece or two. We are simply not getting the best out of the talent we have i.e. Gaffney, Akok, Hawkins, Polley and Whaley. Out of those 5 players we need 2 of them to elevate their game to the next level this year.

Our coaching staff has to figure out a way to put these guys in position. Maybe by the Big East Tournament we will see something but for now we have to be honest about where this team is right now. The loss to Creighton was telling.

DMIL, you nailed it!

 

[UncleSpliff]

Our SG scored the first 5 points of the game. He's one of the best defenders on the team. Not sure what you are talking about.

So you’re splitting hairs? What position does Jackson play then??

 

[HuskyHawk]

So you’re splitting hairs? What position does Jackson play then??

Small forward. Has been that way all season. But calling Jackson a bad defender is insane, especially compared to Hawkins, who has been awful. Jackson is probably the best on ball perimeter defender we have and most disruptive. He's also a good shot blocker and great rebounder. He's a one man press break.

Hawkins needs more minutes, but there is no easy way to slot him in the starting lineup without sitting somebody who has more impact overall. If he was defending and rebounding, and wasn't deficient handling the ball, then maybe.

 

[98Uconn]

And end of last season there was a lot of talk on this board that this year could be a struggle and possibly not as good as last season. We lost a lottery pick and have a weak backcourt which leads to not being able to take advantage of a good frontcourt. We have a bunch of solid role players and no true go to leader. Yes, Dan Hurley can be criticized for not getting a shooter via portal (if we even truly had a shot at top tier player.. and it would have been reasonable to assume more growth from TP). He can also be criticized for some X's and O's. ... but to say this team is a disaster and Dan Hurley should be on the hot seat seems crazy to me. We are a pretty good time (much better than we had been when completely irrelevant) but not a great team... and I feel like we play to that ceiling. We can be very good when hitting shots, but without a go to and someone that can beat the D off the dribble, we are what we are. When shots don't fall, it's a grind. Frustrating,I know, but understandable given our roster.

 

[SwingDog]

How a team responds to a loss or poor performance is key. Villanova is 17-6, and not all of their losses are "good" ones. It's how Jay Wright and his staff and players have learned from the losses and made adjustments and improvements which has made the difference between us and them.

 

[UncleSpliff]

Small forward. Has been that way all season. But calling Jackson a bad defender is insane, especially compared to Hawkins, who has been awful. Jackson is probably the best on ball perimeter defender we have and most disruptive. He's also a good shot blocker and great rebounder. He's a one man press break.

Hawkins needs more minutes, but there is no easy way to slot him in the starting lineup without sitting somebody who has more impact overall. If he was defending and rebounding, and wasn't deficient handling the ball, then maybe.

It literally says on the Uconn depth chart (which comes from the team) that he’s a “guard.” Several other list him as “sg” As far as defensive capabilities… he played Gillespie most of the game when he was in there on Saturday and gave up 20 points in a little more than a half until he sprained his ankle. Gillespie got by him at will for finishes and assists and posted him up inside the key for several and 1s. Yes he’s much better than Hawkins on defense but we gave up 85 points on Saturday… Can Hawkins’s defense be that much worse when he’s in there compared to a starter who routinely go scoreless or scores 1-3 points?? Yes he’s an excellent rebounder and has great court vision but his handle is terrible which forces him to play sg except he can’t shoot. He really needs to develop a handle and distribute similar to Ben Simmons.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It literally says on the Uconn depth chart (which comes from the team) that he’s a “guard.” Several other list him as “sg” As far as defensive capabilities… he played Gillespie most of the game when he was in there on Saturday and gave up 20 points in a little more than a half until he sprained his ankle. Gillespie got by him at will for finishes and assists and posted him up inside the key for several and 1s. Yes he’s much better than Hawkins on defense but we gave up 85 points on Saturday… Can Hawkins’s defense be that much worse when he’s in there compared to a starter who routinely go scoreless or scores 1-3 points?? Yes he’s an excellent rebounder and has great court vision but his handle is terrible which forces him to play sg except he can’t shoot. He really needs to develop a handle and distribute similar to Ben Simmons.

Yes, and Sango is listed as a F, despite only ever playing C. They list what the guys want to think of themselves as.

Jackson did not have Gillespie most of the game. We rotated multiple defenders at him. Yes, Hawkins' defense is worse, vastly worse since Jackson is among our best defenders. Jackson is also possibly the second best ball handler on the team after Cole. I have no idea what you are watching. Hawkins' ball handling has been abysmal. He loses the ball without even being defended.

Here are the metrics. Jackson slots just behind Whaley as the 2nd best defender on the team. Polley or course is last (except Diggins). By the way, while Jackson's offensive metrics aren't good, they are still ahead of Hawk's. Don't get me wrong, I want Hurley to build on what Hawkins did late and give him more time. But the guy who brings more right now is Jackson.

2021-22 UConn Huskies Men's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out the detailed 2021-22 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

www.sports-reference.com

 

[UncleSpliff]

Yes, and Sango is listed as a F, despite only ever playing C. They list what the guys want to think of themselves as.

Jackson did not have Gillespie most of the game. We rotated multiple defenders at him. Yes, Hawkins' defense is worse, vastly worse since Jackson is among our best defenders. Jackson is also possibly the second best ball handler on the team after Cole. I have no idea what you are watching. Hawkins' ball handling has been abysmal. He loses the ball without even being defended.

Here are the metrics. Jackson slots just behind Whaley as the 2nd best defender on the team. Polley or course is last (except Diggins). By the way, while Jackson's offensive metrics aren't good, they are still ahead of Hawk's. Don't get me wrong, I want Hurley to build on what Hawkins did late and give him more time. But the guy who brings more right now is Jackson.

2021-22 UConn Huskies Men's Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out the detailed 2021-22 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

www.sports-reference.com

Go rewatch the highlights of the game. I just did. Jackson is on Gillespie most of the game….and you’re proving my point using the “win share” metric. You’re only looking at the defensive win share which is a 1.6. Cole supposedly is our second best defender at 1.4 WS for what that metric is worth (though I don’t think anyone on this board would say that Cole is our second best defender and only slightly below the best defender on the team but I digress). When you look at total WS/40 which incorporates per possession playing time he’s our worst rotational player by a mile at .138 with even Gaffney slotting in higher at .150. So I don’t know how reliable these metrics are but you brought them out to prove a point.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

I don't think a captain will make a difference. I agree with your general sentiment though. At the heart of it - we don't have a single player you can count on when you need a bucket (like Bazz, Kemba, Hamilton, Allen, or even Jalen Adams). If our recruiting trend continues as it has been going, we will have a player that can CONSISTENTLY take over a game when needed. We are maybe 2 or 3 years away though.

we just arent the team we thought we were when we were playing all the cupcakes

 

[HuskyHawk]

Go rewatch the highlights of the game. I just did. Jackson is on Gillespie most of the game….and you’re proving my point using the “win share” metric. You’re only looking at the defensive win share which is a 1.6. Cole supposedly is our second best defender at 1.4 WS for what that metric is worth (though I don’t think anyone on this board would say that Cole is our second best defender and only slightly below the best defender on the team but I digress). When you look at total WS/40 which incorporates per possession playing time he’s our worst rotational player by a mile at .138 with even Gaffney slotting in higher at .150. So I don’t know how reliable these metrics are but you brought them out to prove a point.

Those aren't even the metrics I am looking at. Look at O and D Box plus minus. Jackson has a DBPM of 4.1, second best on the team. I'm a broken record on Akok, but he has the 3rd best BPM on the team.

 

[UncleSpliff]

Those aren't even the metrics I am looking at. Look at O and D Box plus minus. Jackson has a DBPM of 4.1, second best on the team. I'm a broken record on Akok, but he has the 3rd best BPM on the team.

I think it’s been proven in this small sample that you can get metrics to say whatever you want. Like you said Akok is the 3 best player on the team according to the metric you cited so who knows with these metrics. I need to see the inputs for these offensive / defensive box plus minus to make any judgement and it doesn’t show how it’s calculated. How can one quantify defense anyways? How do you quantify if someone beats you off the dribble and scores? You can keep track of steals and blocks obviously but no one is keeping track of defensive breakdowns or getting beat and scored on??