Pros, Cons, Conclusions vs. BU

[REB1094]

Haven’t seen a thread for general discussion about the game yet, so feel free to drop your pros/cons/conclusions from yesterdays game here

3 Pros:
1. Sanogo is a monster, and if he can consistently hit threes then UConn will win games in March
2. It might just be because he’s playing garbage competition, but Clingan is dominating so far. Missed a monster putback and monster alley oop but he’s more athletic than expected.
3. Newton can get buckets. It almost feels like a confidence issue with him. He’s not really looking to score. Wonder why.

3 Cons:
1. Foul shooting is atrocious. We left 12 points at the line, against better opponents that can be the difference between winning and losing.
2. Second game in a row Newton is getting hunted on defense. He’s giving good effort, but teams are obviously looking to have him be the one guarding.
3. Joey Calcaterra’s shooting may not be worth playing him. He threw the ball into the stands twice just trying to get the ball to Sanogo in the post (AKA the core of our offense)

Conclusion:
Complete domination, with the exception of a few runs we let them go on when we got lazy, even though we immediately punched back and erased any gains they made. If RJ Cole missed a game last year, I’d think the offense would completely crater and fail. We were down 3 starters and still dominated. Not much to complain about here.

 

[jibsey]

2 of our best players out, when are they back? Announcers said that both lobbied to play.

 

[WrenchFan69]

2 of our best players out, when are they back? Announcers said that both lobbied to play.

3 starters are out

 

[ucp990411]

Seems like after 2 games Joey California is the one people want to criticize. Give the kid a chance and remember he is the 5th guard on this team. Made a beautiful pass on a fast break and hit a 3.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Seems like after 2 games Joey California is the one people want to criticize. Give the kid a chance and remember he is the 5th guard on this team. Made a beautiful pass on a fast break and hit a 3.

I think there will be spots where Hurley brings him off the bench for his range, but it’s very hard to ignore that he’s looked a bit athletically outmatched on the defensive end against Stonehill and BU. Like having a guy like him on the bench but his minutes will be pretty limited once we get to real competition if I had to guess.

 

[auror]

3. Newton can get buckets. It almost feels like a confidence issue with him. He’s not really looking to score. Wonder why.

Some of it is how the offense is structured. We're looking to get entries into the post on almost every possession between Sanogo and Donovan. And having that big guy down low does clog the paint a bit.

Also, Hurley is not very big (thankfully) on the midrange game, so our guards are encouraged to drive to the middle and kick or find the popping big in pick and pop (Alleyne did make a nice midrange jumper, but Hurley emphasizes rim and 3). Both he and Diarra have done well with this so far. Lots of wide open 3 point shots that we missed in the 1st game and made more of tonight. But iso dribble penetration into the midrange/to the rim was a big part of his game at ECU, so he's still adjusting to his new role and trying to find where the right reads are for him to score vs. pass. He had that nice baseline take from the wing, and he took a couple 3s off the dribble when defense goes under or gets caught in the screen.

 

[HuskyHoosier]

One area I think this team will be better last years is avoiding those long offensive droughts we seemingly had every game - often at the most inopportune time. Too many offensive weapons to go into prolonged droughts.

 

[Jay-Bone]

3. Newton can get buckets. It almost feels like a confidence issue with him. He’s not really looking to score. Wonder why.

The more I think about it, its almost refreshing that a previous shoot first guard has come in as a distribute first guy. He's finding his place opposed to trying to take over everything. That might not be so bad. The only thing that concerns me is him not being assertive against weak competition.

 

[husky429]

But iso dribble penetration into the midrange/to the rim was a big part of his game at ECU, so he's still adjusting to his new role and trying to find where the right reads are for him to score vs. pass.

It makes sense that Alleyne and Diarra would adjust quicker--they're basically filling the same role they had at their previous schools. I can see Newton doing what he needs to--driving to the FT line and making plays, swinging the ball, etc.--but it's taking too long because it isn't his natural instinct as a player. Everything is a half second late, so easier to defend. You can see when our offense breaks down that Newton defaults to dribbling 3 times and sizing up a defender like he's on the playground instead of moving the ball or shooting it right away.

It's going to take time, but there's no way he won't be ready for the big games. Too competitive not to be.

 

[uconnever]

I think there will be spots where Hurley brings him off the bench for his range, but it’s very hard to ignore that he’s looked a bit athletically outmatched on the defensive end against Stonehill and BU. Like having a guy like him on the bench but his minutes will be pretty limited once we get to real competition if I had to guess.

Sounds like your guessing correctly to me lol

 

[jibsey]

3 starters are out

Yeah I know Johnson was a “starter” but for this team to make noise nationally and in the tourney we need Hawkins at a high level against strong competition. That’s what I’m waiting for. AJAX and Hawkins play well along with Sanogo all the dominoes will fall in place.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It makes sense that Alleyne and Diarra would adjust quicker--they're basically filling the same role they had at their previous schools. I can see Newton doing what he needs to--driving to the FT line and making plays, swinging the ball, etc.--but it's taking too long because it isn't his natural instinct as a player. Everything is a half second late, so easier to defend. You can see when our offense breaks down that Newton defaults to dribbling 3 times and sizing up a defender like he's on the playground instead of moving the ball or shooting it right away.

It's going to take time, but there's no way he won't be ready for the big games. Too competitive not to be.

He was the leading scorer on his team and we aren’t asking him to be that. I suspect it’s an adjustment as you suggest. He‘s not used to playing with this kind of talent around him. Was glad his shot started falling. I expect he will be better and better with time.

 

[Colin G]

Seems like after 2 games Joey California is the one people want to criticize. Give the kid a chance and remember he is the 5th guard on this team. Made a beautiful pass on a fast break and hit a 3.

Agreed but it's gonna be hard to find the floor when hawk and AJ are back, especially if you're struggling to throw post entry passes.