Pros, Cons, Conclusions vs. Buffalo

[Hurleyman216]

Con: we shoot it poorly at the XL. Tight rims or strange sight lines? Don’t know but so far we’ve shot it well at GP and poorly at XL. I believe last year’s stats may have been similar

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You know the game was an easy win when the usual suspects have to complain about the game chat.

UConn was missing two of its 3 best players and cruised to an easy win against Buffalo that could have been even more of a blowout if not some showboating in the last 10 minutes. No biggie, let the bench have some fun.

A hit dog will holler, is that the expression?

 

[SixRings]

Con and pro; Buffalo is not very good this year.

 

[Brandon86]

Pro - DH showed a little JC. Pulled Sanago for not giving up the rock to Newton and pulled Hassan after that crazy pass to Adama.

As he should have. I was yelling at the TV. That was a shellfish play. Lesson learned that shouldn’t have to be taught.

 

[uconngb]

3 Pros -
1. Tristen Newton triple double!! Sure he couldn't get the jumper to fall, but he started us off with some solid passing and early scoring. He kept us afloat for that stretch in the 1st where nothing was going down. And he finished with a monster statline - 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block. Mostly impressed by his ability to grab a rebound, push a fast break, and find open shooters. He should have had at least 15 assists tonight if some of the open shots went in
2. I had Joey C in the Cons section after last game, but he played great. He still can't guard a traffic cone, but he hit some great shots to help us pull away from a really rough offensive stretch. 2nd leading scorer for us off the bench tonight, credit where it's due
3. Clingan is a monster. I remember two times that he grabbed a rebound over THREE Buffalo players. A couple of great blocks as well. There are still some freshman mistakes, but he's going to be a great player with some experience. He's so much more agile than I expected

3 Cons -
1. That shooting was miserable. Most were pretty good shots that just didn't go in. Alleyne/Newton/Karaban combined for 2-16 three point shooting, 6-23 overall.
2. Sanogo had a rough game. Part of it is because Buffalo swarmed him and we couldn't hit the shots to make them pay, but Buffalo has nobody that should be able to stop Sanogo from scoring 20+ with ease. He missed some bunnies, looked tired pretty early in the game, missed a wide open fast break dunk, and even tipped a Buffalo miss in for them on accident. He did control the paint defensively, but he'll be ready to put this game behind him
3. Every team goes through cold spells, but it always is a little more painful to see ours. The first 15 minutes of the first half was some of the worst UConn basketball I've watched in years. It was a 1 possession game for a while and we were even down at a point before Newton and Calcaterra got us some space. I get that it happens to even the best teams, but that was rough. Still managed to hang 44 in the first half though!
HM. The refs. They should be embarrassed after that. A very poorly and inconsistently called game for both sides

Conclusion -
If we hit our open shots at even a slightly below average rate, we'd have won by 40+. Offense was stagnant and sloppy at times, which was tough to watch because half of Buffalo's players looked like they don't know how to play basketball. BUT we won by 20 points so can I really complain about it? 3-0 baby, let's go Huskies!

Joey C makes Bouknight look like Ricky Moore on defense. Man does he get abused.

 

[auror]

In football they talk about catch radius. Clingan's rebound radius has been impressive so far. I'm anxious to see how many he gets against higher level competition.

Basketball they usually use the term "out of area rebounds". But his area is the whole paint.

 

[HooperScooper]

As he should have. I was yelling at the TV. That was a shellfish play. Lesson learned that shouldn’t have to be taught.

 

[MTBingNinja]

Watching in person, Newton does his work quietly. I looked up at halftime and realized he had 12, 7, and 5. Would have never guessed.

Agree. Me as well. Was sitting close to the floor and still didn’t see the whole package of Fig Newtons.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Only cons are that our bigs put the ball down below their waist when catching it and when they're surrounded they never kick it out. They try to go right back up,

Also, is there a reason why Sanogo doesn't dunk? Is he unable to?

Edit: Sorry for the confusion. Yes, he dunks a few times a game. He lays it up much more than he dunks. Lower percentage shot

adama has top shelf, soft shooting hands. the best! he flicks it, shoots it, hooks it, taps it, and all the rest with a gentle touch. of course it was only a matter of time until he extended his range. great paws ...

...worth protecting. many ballers who can easily dunk won't do it as often as it looks like they should, cuz they remember, and don't want to screw up a hand, short or long term, by whacking it again on the iron. it hurts when that happens.
the other minority of dunkers are complete opposite. they don't care, or have kevlar coated mitts, and want to rip the thing down every time, even if they bleed afterward. they go in knowing the possibility and don't care. i am constantly amazed by mechanics who do a job knowing the chances of a knucklebuster are high. much respect.
go ahead. misjudge ever so slightly on sticking the dunk, and u can have a sore wrist for a quarter, or a week. a couple of mishits where the iron crosses your palm unexpectedly, followed by the dreaded wrist direct whack? yeah, ur thru with that shot for the day.
i don't know why adama doesn't crush more, and im not asking him to, but i do know that more than a few avoid those potential stingers like the plague.
the winning dna for dunkers, or any baller for that matter, has a bigger hand with long fingers. then, owning the ball with grip allows them to more place it, including last second change of location, rather than just smashing it with no ability to change its direction. we're talking very small distances here, like an inch or two, on last minute change of plans. even the simplest straight up and down requires practice to do it instinctively for most. adama is not 'chocolate thunder.' you may plan one thing on the rise, then get an unexpected bump from a defender, and in a heartbeat, plan a goes out the window. if it were easy, every 6-5er and up would do it. many don't, can't or won't.

 

[jibsey]

We’re not a good shooting team especially from 3. That could change if Hawkins returns. Joey C. Is going to get a lot of minutes because he can actually shoot.

 

[HuskyHawk]

We’re not a good shooting team especially from 3. That could change if Hawkins returns. Joey C. Is going to get a lot of minutes because he can actually shoot.

They will get better.

 

[superjohn]

We’re not a good shooting team especially from 3. That could change if Hawkins returns. Joey C. Is going to get a lot of minutes because he can actually shoot.

He's a nice weapon to have off the bench because of his shooting but I think his minutes will be dependent on who we're playing. There just won't be big minutes when we're at full strength.

 

[MrSec224]

Thought the defense was good. Buff had their runs but they are supposed to be a very fast offense and it took a late surge for them to get to 64

Very impressed by Alleyne’s tanacity. He will guard any one, any size, any time.

 

[RichZ]

Con… third game in a row where there was a UConn player ahead of the ball handler in the offensive zone where the ball was not passed to the open man ahead of him for a uncontested layup. Saw the frustration on Hurley’s face after Sanogo did that and missed the dunk. I’m positive this will be addressed by the coaches.

To me, it looked like he was trying to give it up for Tristen to get the rebound.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

In the post game radio show, they kept talking about how Karaban had the highest +/- on the team with +28. Guy just does a lot of things even when he isn't shooting particularly well. Seems to have a high bball IQ.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Once AK, Alleyene and Newton (hopefully) all start shooting better, we’re gonna be really, really good.

Joey C shut me up in the chat and hit some big shots, but boy, like some others already mentioned, he is a BAD defender. Not sure how much Hurley will be able to put up with on that front.

Adama had one of those games he has every so often where becomes a black hole, doesn’t think to pass, and just doesn’t help that much overall. He’ll be fine, but I have to wonder after all this time on campus how the coaching staff still hasn’t taught him to kick out after being denied on moves A,B,C. Maybe they have and he’s just stubborn, but it’s time to learn.

Newton lives at the line, had an amazing overall game as well. It is a bit worrisome how often he falls hard on drives though, can’t afford to lose him, especially if Diarra plays the way he did tonight.

DC and AK, not much more needs to be said. Hugely impactful players and only going to improve. Clingan could learn a thing or two from Adama about taking his time in the post, not rushing his shots. AK will start to shoot better, and when he does it’s gonna be tough to keep him off the floor.

Good win, no wins really come without flaws. Also wanted to mention the press break did not look very good, back to the drawing board on that one Coach.

 

[storrsroars]

Joey C makes Bouknight look like Ricky Moore on defense. Man does he get abused.

OMG, our 5th guard isn't a completely well-rounded player! What was Hurley thinking?

 

[caw]

OMG, our 5th guard isn't a completely well-rounded player! What was Hurley thinking?

He’s actually much better than I expected as a ball handler and defender. I had low expectations. He may not break anyone down but he doesn’t dribble the ball off his feet either. He communicates well on defense and does well positionally.

 

[UCSouth]

OMG, our 5th guard isn't a completely well-rounded player! What was Hurley thinking?

People seem to forget that Hawkins played lousy defense at the beginning of last season...he got better as the year went on. Give it a rest about Joey C. and his defense.

 

[Travelman6]

Ya, it is ok. Just one of those early-season games we will (likely) soon forget against a poor team. No cause for concern but nothing to be over the moon about either. Would it have been nice to win a little more convincingly, by 30 for example, sure. But nothing to lose sleep about.

 

[Verne]

Alleyne. Had a bad shooting night

It's kind of insane to me that Alleyne shot nearly 40% from three before he got here. That shot is... Not good. His footwork is almost never the same shot to shot. His elbow is not at all where you would teach it to be and he sometimes twists his body completely sideways when shooting. Very strange shot for someone with such a good percentage.
All that matters is it goes in.

 

[CTBasketball]

I thought we played poorly, but ended up winning by 20 down 2 starters. That’s a good feeling.

I’m interested to see rotations when Jackson and Hawkins get back. Would prefer that to be gelling two games before the PK Tournament.

 

[ValleyGuy]

OMG, our 5th guard isn't a completely well-rounded player! What was Hurley thinking?

LOL as if he was brought here to play defense. He’s already made more threes than Polley did by Christmas time last year

 

[REB1094]

Alright y’all I’ve had a night to sleep on it and I think I was too critical in my conclusion.

Missing 3 starters, played the worst first half of the season, still won by 20. That’s a solid game no matter how many shots didn’t fall.

 

[Thirty Three]

It's kind of insane to me that Alleyne shot nearly 40% from three before he got here. That shot is... Not good. His footwork is almost never the same shot to shot. His elbow is not at all where you would teach it to be and he sometimes twists his body completely sideways when shooting. Very strange shot for someone with such a good percentage.
All that matters is it goes in.

His shot is really, really ugly. I wonder if his form looked this bad last year when he was hitting threes at 40%.