Post Game Thoughts on Temple Game

[mauconnfan]

I agree, but I just don't get the rationale of making declarative statements about the long term success of the team without Boatright. We're not going to, and we shouldn't, "play through the bigs" this year. If they don't play through Boatright something is wrong.

I get that, but today was one we win without Boat if people do their jobs. And we found out some can't do their jobs when called upon in big spots!

 

[zls44]

4-1 isn't very good? It isn't?

Also, if you use RPI you are an idiot to begin with. Top 40 in KenPom and BPI.

 

[uchusky32]

They beat Temple at home with a healthy Boatright.

This year?

 

[zls44]

This year?

Absolutely. Or do you think Boatright doesn't score five points the last 30 minutes?

Because that's what you'd be arguing.

 

[djct1999]

They may have 6 or 7 more games against RPI top 50 teams. They'd probably have to win 4 of those and then hope Dayton stays pretty good to have an at large. It'll be tough, but certainly doable.

And do you really feel they can win those 4? Forget about today's result, the most alarming thing to me is their lack of depth. Our starting five is legit, but it ends there. It really ends there.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Wow I'm not sure what UConn team you've been watching xls. Love ya man but 13-5 would be unbelievable I'm thinking 11-7 in conference. The margin for error despite the great defense is so little even against lesser teams it's going to be a real rough ride.

How much can you love him if you don't even know his handle Mau?

 

[Milo65]

This team is young and will get better. Omar looks like he is starting to come around. Purvis is not as advertised, TSam is limited, our frontcourt is getting better. Freshman Boat, Freshman Napier and Freshman (insert player) all have given us fits. This team will mature. It's tough to win when you are starting mostly Freshmen and Sophomores.

 

[huskymagic]

Anyone who thinks they're even close to HAVING to win the tournament clearly hasn't watched any CBB this year.

They'll win 15+ in the AAC and one of the OOC games.

your out of your mind if you think this team is going to make the tournament beating unraked teams in the American conference. Sure if we had beaten Texas it wouldn't have been so dire, but for this team it is. This team is not capable of winning the AAC tournament anyway so maybe your prediction will come true.

 

[Ripper32]

This team isn't a tournament team. While they are there defensively, they are so disjointed on the offensive side. We don't have enough ball handlers or shooters.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

I don't want to over-react to the slow start so far, but our biggest obstacle for getting into the tourney is the fact that we aren't in the old big east anymore. In the past, we could weather a slow start because we had resume building games on the schedule against the likes of Syracuse/Pitt/Nova/GTown/Marquette/WVU that we could fall back on. It is going to be extremely tough for us to improve the resume without any signature OOC victories this season. I know that we have an RPI/BPI in the 40's (soon to drop), but it won't improve when we play teams in conference with 150+ RPI's

 

[Hi-Low]

Anyone who thinks they're even close to HAVING to win the tournament clearly hasn't watched any CBB this year.

They'll win 15+ in the AAC and one of the OOC games.

Stop it....16-3 the rest of the way and 15-2 in AAC?...have you watched THIS team? We have 11 road games....I don't care who you play on the road, not easy. This team will struggle to get 20 wins and need to win AAC tourney otherwise best-case we are a "play-in" type team.

Not saying we are horrible but we have 1 "good" win. Hamilton, Brimah & Facey are raw talents but we need them to be great right now and they're not. Purvis is still an unknown, 1 game great, next not so much.

I feel for Boat....the team is a year away...if he's healthy we have a shot still for some magic but it won't be easy.

 

[1999.2004.2011]

As it looks right now, the AAC may only be a two or three bid league (generously). Remember how the tournament committee looked upon our league last year with Louisville/UConn being vastly underseeded and SMU getting left out of the tournament entirely

 

[Gurleyman]

Uconn is 2-5 without the full team. They're 4-1 with them. This isnt freaking complicated

I usually skew towards sunny optimism, but we are 0-1 in the AAC (with a home loss), so 17-1 is the best we can do, and the only way we can win more than 15 in league is to be almost perfect - and in a league that won't raise our RPI much as we go. I don't expect Boat to be himself at Florida (if he plays), so I'm not expecting a win there, and it might not help much anyway since they are on the same slippery slope that we are down around 100 in the RPI (at least they have a couple chances against Kentucky). If we win both Florida and Stanford on the road, I'll adjust my analysis upward.

The bottom line is I just don't think this team is capable of navigating through 20 games without a couple hiccups, as offensively challenged as we are. There will be days, especially on the road, when we can't buy a bucket. I think we are better served to develop Hamilton as much as possible to be a go to guy late in the year, even if we lose another tight one or two as we live with his mistakes. He'll have to learn how to shoot the 3 with confidence consistently (I.e. forget about the last miss) and tighten up his dribble in traffic/read the collapsing D. I love Boat and know he'll leave it out there in his last game - be it early March or early April - but even healthy, he can't be the only guy who wants the ball late - only so much a 5-10 guy can do. Kemba did a lot himself, but he needed Lamb. Hamilton has all of the tools, but he just tends to let his last mistake or miss make him too hesitant to do it again. We don't have enough weapons for him to be hesitant.

I'd like to say that Purvis could develop too, but I just don't see it with him. He can't even get his shot off most of the time when he's got a defender matched up with him. He can be the third guy who attacks a broken down defense or shoots open shots on kickouts, but I'm not seeing a guy who can create on his own.

 

[huskymagic]

I agree to a point on KO, they are his players and his team. They have limitations in many areas which are the result of their own inabilities as well as his recruiting. They play really really fn hard though and this was the same team who beat Kansas by almost 30 and we had a chance despite our inability to put the ball in the hole never mind hold onto it. The defense made Temple work their butts off. That is the key for all games here forward.

Mauconn I agree Kevin Ollie needs to take a lot of blame for this loss. Omar playing well and he doesn't play last 12 minutes of the game. Kentan and Amida playing well throughout dominating the paint, and he subs Kentan or Amida at inopportune times for T-Sam or Sam Cassel Jr etc. It's crazy to do that when you have nonfactors coming in from the bench. The only guy that Kentan or Amida should be subbed for is Nolan when their in foul trouble or Rakim. Kevin Ollie thinks small ball with guards that can't play high D-1 level is the solution. We have two legit big men in Facey and Brimah and they need to get fed the ball a lot. Not only are they great talents but also positive energy individuals.

I cannot wait for Jalen Adams to come in next year that's all I have to say.

 

[UConn_Top_Dog]

If anyone deserves to be called the "X-Factor" its Facey. That kid brings a toughness and consistency lacking in our front line. His rebounding, defense, and flashes of offensive production are vastly underrated.

 

[mauconnfan]

If anyone deserves to be called the "X-Factor" its Facey. That kid brings a toughness and consistency lacking in our front line. His rebounding, defense, and flashes of offensive production are vastly underrated.

He and Hamilton both played good and rebounded great, thank God. But both left a few plays on the court and just need more minutes and confidence. They are good players to be building off for sure.

 

[Stainmaster]

Mauconn I agree Kevin Ollie needs to take a lot of blame for this loss. Omar playing well and he doesn't play last 12 minutes of the game. Kentan and Amida playing well throughout dominating the paint, and he subs Kentan or Amida at inopportune times for T-Sam or Sam Cassel Jr etc. It's crazy to do that when you have nonfactors coming in from the bench. The only guy that Kentan or Amida should be subbed for is Nolan when their in foul trouble or Rakim. Kevin Ollie thinks small ball with guards that can't play high D-1 level is the solution. We have two legit big men in Facey and Brimah and they need to get fed the ball a lot. Not only are they great talents but also positive energy individuals.

I cannot wait for Jalen Adams to come in next year that's all I have to say.

Omar's impaired vision? Nolan being hobbled?

We think these guys are immortal but sometimes that's not the case.

Also, if you're relying on Adams to completely fix the myriad of issues that were on display today, good luck with that.

 

[UconnU]

we are a terrible offensive team in the half court, luckily we are a great defensive team. Very surprising as guard depth was supposed to be our strength going into this year. As stated, we need another ball handler and another shooter(would love to add another guard who can do both for 2015 if they're any out there). I don't trust anyone other than Boat with the ball right now. Purvis is a turnover machine when he tries to create w/ the ball and he knows it, it's like hot potato when he gets the ball he looks to pass immediately because he has no confidence in his own handle. T-Sam has below average handle for a 1-2 but is serviceable, he just has no shot what so ever (although I thought today his stroke looked better, seems as though they have worked with him on mechanics). SC brings nothing right now. D-Ham is our best 2nd option but continues to make freshman mistakes and is a little streaky. Scoring from the 4-5 has been adequate.

On a positive note (defense) teams are extremely hesitant to go in the paint and our guards do a good job of ball pressure funneling opponents to our shot blockers. Teams are forced to make contested mid-range shots or deep 3s. Its very difficult to score against us. Teams know that they are going to be in a dog fight every game vs us.

 

[mauconnfan]

Good call on the other teams hesitancy getting into the lane or to the rim. A couple of blocks by AB and why were checking out the lane as they were dribbling in and either threw it back out or threw up a shot which had not chance. He does change to there when he's in there, this is why it's SO important to keep him out of foul trouble so he is roaming free at the ned when we have a chance.

 

[PAHusky]

we are a terrible offensive team in the half court, luckily we are a great defensive team. Very surprising as guard depth was supposed to be our strength going into this year. As stated, we need another ball handler and another shooter(would love to add another guard who can do both for 2015 if they're any out there). I don't trust anyone other than Boat with the ball right now. Purvis is a turnover machine when he tries to create w/ the ball and he knows it, it's like hot potato when he gets the ball he looks to pass immediately because he has no confidence in his own handle. T-Sam has below average handle for a 1-2 but is serviceable, he just has no shot what so ever (although I thought today his stroke looked better, seems as though they have worked with him on mechanics). SC brings nothing right now. D-Ham is our best 2nd option but continues to make freshman mistakes and is a little streaky. Scoring from the 4-5 has been adequate.

On a positive note (defense) teams are extremely hesitant to go in the paint and our guards do a good job of ball pressure funneling opponents to our shot blockers. Teams are forced to make contested mid-range shots or deep 3s. Its very difficult to score against us. Teams know that they are going to be in a dog fight every game vs us.

Our team this year reminds me in a lot of ways of Cinci last year. Fairly atrocious in the half court on offense with one proven scoring option (Kilpatrick/Boat), but every game turns into a rock fight because the defense is on point

 

[joober jones]

Ollie probably provided them all with a New Year's Shakin' Eve in the locker room post game.

 

[August_West]

We're

 

[Marty Jackson]

This team isn't a tournament team. While they are there defensively, they are so disjointed on the offensive side. We don't have enough ball handlers or shooters.

Tell me this wasn't the typical sentiment after the smu game last year.

No doubt this team needs to win given the situation and lack of ranked teams on the remaining schedule, but I'm not going to count an Ollie coached team out. Ever.

 

[storrsroars]

your out of your mind if you think this team is going to make the tournament beating unraked teams in the American conference. Sure if we had beaten Texas it wouldn't have been so dire, but for this team it is. This team is not capable of winning the AAC tournament anyway so maybe your prediction will come true.

In pretty much any other year it wouldn't bother me that UConn misses the dance. It's not a great team and arguably not even a good team at this point. Certainly they can get better and I'd expect they will come mid-February. But it'll be too late to make up missed opportunities. Hopefully they can at least pull out an NIT bid.

However, in past years you could simply say, "Wait till next year". You knew UConn would recruit well, the team would bounce back and the projected stars would become actual stars. With the portapotty conference we're now in, I'm not sure that's going to be the case. A losing season coupled with a loser conference is not going to be a positive for recruiting. Color me concerned.

 

[mauconnfan]

In pretty much any other year it wouldn't bother me that UConn misses the dance. It's not a great team and arguably not even a good team at this point. Certainly they can get better and I'd expect they will come mid-February. But it'll be too late to make up missed opportunities. Hopefully they can at least pull out an NIT bid.

However, in past years you could simply say, "Wait till next year". You knew UConn would recruit well, the team would bounce back and the projected stars would become actual stars. With the portapotty conference we're now in, I'm not sure that's going to be the case. A losing season coupled with a loser conference is not going to be a positive for recruiting. Color me concerned.

You'd be crazy not to be I guess. KO and staff have it figured out but it gets much tougher to close if his 3rd is not successful in a down conference, I totally agree. Not on him, but the ammo for the opposing recruiters is now full.