Providence Post Game Thread

[huskiesNhoos]

I do not want this conversation to become to critical of Alex so I’m stopping here.

Yes, he is more talented. This treatment he’s been getting has also done nothing to actually make him a better player. This is a two folded issue for everyone involved and I’d like for the focus to stay there.

Nobody gets better by babying them.

It's weird to ignore that Hurley has watched and rewatched these guys play thousands of hours of basketball at this point. It's not like these games are the first time he's watching these guys play. Id wager he knows how each of them will typically react individually to rough patches and how the team reacts to them, too. Based on his decisions on when to keep players on and sub out Id say he's probably showing us that understanding of what those players are likely to do, or not do.

Hurley certainly has a responsibility to make these players better, but ultimately his priority is to win games, and the decisions he makes are to further that goal first and foremost. Obviously he's not going to be infallible with his decision making but I'd say his results speak pretty well for themselves. So maybe get off your soap box and let the guy who clearly knows what he's doing coach

 

[caw]

Ross had an easy open lane jumper today that he didn’t pull, then dribbled up when he didn’t need to, looked indecisive and proceeded to miss a 5 footer. The entire time he looked unsure and awkward. He’s a role player and a specialist.

I'm not trying to butt into this argument but he's still rusty. He is slowly looking better every game since he's been back. He is a role player that hasn't gotten a ton of actual game reps in his first two years, he is going to take some time to actually get back to where he was (which was a very good role player who a 3/D with some decent midrange). Mullins being out a few games is really a good opportunity for him to get back to game speed.

 

[dennismenace]

Sellers, Jones, and Vaaks got to the rim early, often, and at will. Our defense on dribble drives was not good at all.

Those guys are all very long ( 6-7) and are really good at driving to the basket. Since charging fouls are practically non existent you need to have either good shotblockers or mobile forwards to stop them. I see our centers both too far from the post area to timely help out. Jayden and Jaylen (one or the other) are not enough to stop multiple guys like these.

BTW, How about a standing ovation for a flagrant foul being called for jersey grabbing! When did anyone see this last time? Is Hurley or our AD getting to someone upstairs? Mullins and Solo probably will probably need skin grafts after the season.

 

[cp176]

It was a tough game to watch once again for sure but a win is a win. They are still a dominant team in the country. Reibe, Smith, Demary were fun to watch tonight though. When Reed gets the ball in the right spots he is very very tough. I hate seeing him receive the ball at the mid post. Not to be particularly critical of either Ross or Stewart, but no way should Karaban take a seat for very long for either of them to get minutes. Even in a bad game, Karaban’s leadership and steady influence on the floor is really needed. When you enter the game in critical situations, you can’t immediately turn the ball over and expect to be able to be allowed to play through it. That is just the way it goes if you want to win.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

The good: 20-1

The bad: This is the worst we’ve looked all year and I don’t like the trend over the last 5 games. Ross and Stewart aren’t giving much.

Fair take.

Last night was a prime example of how not having a full squad affects the synergy of the halfcourt offense.

For example, not having Mullins on the floor didn’t really have an affect on the centers because their roles don’t change as much with the guys around them. Personally, I loved seeing Reed out on the perimeter early in the game to mess w/ Oswin’s one-man zone low post hawking. It worked and got him in foul trouble.

But Mullins is such a confident all-around player while Ross/Stewart just don’t have that red-eye confidence on offense, and then that puts more pressure on Karaban, who started OK, but had an off night. Then if that layer is affected, then spacing for the guards is hindered…compounding effects.

Bottom line, I’m confident this staff can adjust over time with injuries, but it makes sense that the first game without Mullins would be trying.

Just keep winnin’

 

[willstafa24]

Silas FGA's need to be in the dbl figures, especially with Braylon out. No reason for Solo to be firing away with a jacked up wrist when it was clear he didn't have it from long range.

Malachi 3s were the difference tonight, we'll ignore another botched wide open layup and free throw shot with zero confidence.

I couldn't agree more. Silas is our best playmaker; as facilitator and scorer and I would just love to see 12-14 shots p/g. I could have sworn he took more tonight but that's bc he took all of his shots in a few minute period. One 2 point attempt for the game is wild.

More usage for Silas and the offense will be more efficient.

 

[Captbluefin]

Karaban did the same exact thing. And he missed a layup afterwards. Few plays later had his shot blocked.

Ross had one TO today. Karaban had the same type of turnover. I promise you whatever play you complain about with Ross Karaban has done three times over.

Nobody is saying Ross needs 35 minutes and Karaban needs 12. Just let these guys play freely and hold everyone to the same standard. It’ll help EVERYONE including Karaban be better.

Stop having your heads in the ground about this just because you all want to write off Ross and Stew so bad.

Mr. Ross while your commitment to your son is admirable. He has not earned any equity for his errors like AK. As it is Hurley gives him way more opportunities than he should and we all hear how great he is in practice.
Plus he took on your other son.


That’s how you honestly look HW

 

[Edward Sargent]

I think we need to be very concerned about the lingering impact of Solo's wrist. It clearly is affecting his shooting. He reinjured it in a fall in the first quarter and kept rubbing it the rest of the game. What resulted from that is that Malachi had to take over and his shot is pretty. We had an interesting stat last night that I am seeing a lot more in the NBA that our 3 pt shot percentage is higher than our 2 point shot percentage.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Karaban did the same exact thing. And he missed a layup afterwards. Few plays later had his shot blocked.

Ross had one TO today. Karaban had the same type of turnover. I promise you whatever play you complain about with Ross Karaban has done three times over.

Nobody is saying Ross needs 35 minutes and Karaban needs 12. Just let these guys play freely and hold everyone to the same standard. It’ll help EVERYONE including Karaban be better.

Stop having your heads in the ground about this just because you all want to write off Ross and Stew so bad.

I’m probably the 2nd-biggest JRoss Stan after you, but even I can admit he had an overall bad game last night.

The good things he did do: He made an amazing entry pass in to Tarris, drove and dished to Tarris. Did a couple nice ball fakes and then started to drive into the lane.

The not so good things he did: once he got into the lane, he visibly froze up. Passed up an in-flow 8ft jumper to awkwardly dribble 2 more feet to then force up a brick, made a very bad entry pass to Reibe (who had a major mismatch guard defender)

Then, his bread and butter (tough perimeter D) was essentially non-existent. He overplayed passing lanes, was on bad defensive positions, got hung up on too many screens, and fouled trying to recover vs his missed assignments.

It was a real bad game for Ross. And he had plenty of opportunities to play through those mistakes he made.

 

[SLY63]

The good news is this team can win close games
The bad news is, if we play a top 10 team, it might not be close.

 

[Deepster]

Let’s be honest. Defensively, Reed is not a rim protector and PC consistently drove the lane for made layups and dunks. He doesn’t provide great weak side help (Reibe is much better there). No one is afraid of coming into the paint against us.

 

[Dove]

Last night's chat was sad. Many Yarders jumped off the ledge. We're not winning a Title this year. Tarris is soft. We can't make bunnies.

 

[RuffRuff]

So disingenuous when I’m not pulling this stuff out of nowhere. I’m referencing a true basketball genius in Jim Calhoun. But you’d rather avoid that and attack me instead.

You're speaking on behalf of Jim?

 

[Vancat]

Did you watch the game tonight? Seems like an odd comment because it was obvious he aggravated it tonight.

Was there, and saw him step off the court, grab his wrist and grimace at one point during the game.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Two questions:

1 - Why does it feel that if we were currently 16-5 overall, 7-3 in conference people on this board would be less miserable?

2 - How is it possible for people to be this miserable over 20-1, 10-0?

 

[Umami Zen]

Looked to me like Solo re-injured/tweaked his left hand in first half going to the hoop. Got hit pretty hard-knocked to the ground-Holding his left hand/forearm area and winching as he was getting up. Stroke never looked the same from that point forward although he did manage to make a few shots. Prior to that play his stroke looked pretty good and fluid. When playing D-Friars were seeking out switches/match ups on Solo for James and others with ball in their hands-driving down hill.

 

[RuffRuff]

=

Two questions:

1 - Why does it feel that if we were currently 16-5 overall, 7-3 in conference people on this board would be less miserable?

2 - How is it possible for people to be this miserable over 20-1, 10-0?

Quality of play as it comes to forecasting title chances. Eye test. Our OKP is 40. It was dropping with Mullins. We're spoiled.

 

[Rocktheworld]

PG and C saved us. 2-4 had brutal games on both sides of the ball. Glad that we’re just more talented and pulled it out, but we need Mullins back. Worried about Solo longer-term if his shooting wrist is really bothering him

 

[Inyatkin]

Hilarious to watch this thread go from pure misery to shared disbelief at HW going back to the Ross well. He’s truly a uniter

 

[RuffRuff]

Hilarious to watch this thread go from pure misery to shared disbelief at HW going back to the Ross well. He’s truly a uniter

He’s also a big fan of Diana Ross.

 

[ucp990411]

Don’t put words in my mouth. It’s not right to completely bench someone over one mistake when you then let a guy play without consequence.

Just let guys play and hold them to the same standard. Whether it’s being super critical of every mistake, or allowing guys to play freely through mistakes.

But treat everyone that way.

You ever coach?

 

[DGRU]

Karaban is shooting 48/42/85 on volume this season and is the most important off-ball piece in this offense. What are you even talking about right now?

facts

 

[DGRU]

It's just weird how Reed gets so many boards on both sides; but rarely dunks in close. Odd to me

Adama was always reluctant to dunk. what a disappointment he was

 

[FfldCntyFan]

=

Quality of play as it comes to forecasting title chances. Eye test. Our OKP is 40. It was dropping with Mullins. We're spoiled.

Perhaps a bit too spoiled, especially from our two most recent titles. Too many here appear to want some guarantee that we will roll through the tournament with six double digit wins once again.

With our current attitude, if the internet was as pervasive in the early to mid 1990's as it has been from the late 1990's forward, 90% of UConn message board fans would have called for JC getting fired, claiming he couldn't get his teams over the hump.

This team has lost one game, against a team that no other school has been able to beat. They lost in the final minute while missing two starters (one who would have helped tremendously with our front court size deficiency).

It's still January. I'm exceptionally confident that Hurley sees the team's issues/shortcomings better than we do and he will be better at addressing them in practice than any of us (even 611). I also believe that being able to consistently win tight games now will help when similar situations arise during the tournament.

I have little confidence that we'll be able to win all six games by double digits (as we did in 23 & 24). If we win six games with three or four being nailbiters I'll be thrilled. If some will want to give the trophy back because we weren't dominant enough, they can feel that way. Fortunately they won't have the authority to do so.

 

[giddyup]

What is plainly obvious is we have great basketball players but not a lot of athleticism. PC hung tough because they were faster, physically more explosive, and got after us. The opo-sheet on UConn is pretty clear at this point. Be physical (hold, push and frustrate), go fast, drive penetrate, and beat your man onto the glass.

 

[ucp990411]

I missed the last 4 minutes after the game switched to TNT, so my observations may be incomplete. But let me start by saying, good game Malachi! I have been one of his biggest critics all year but he played pretty well. He is still struggling to finish in the paint. He struggles so much that he kicks the ball out for 3 on the break even when he has an open lane to the basket. That missed layup was brutal. But when you are 4-4 from 3pt range, I can live with that. (why didn't Smith get charged with a miss on that late clock attempt that was blocked?)

SD played another solid game. He has been our most consistent player. Both SD and MS did a good job getting to the paint and finding the bigs time and again.

ER had a great game and so did TR except for missed freethrows and fouls.

JS and JR were both ok but no offense to speak of. Hurley said in post game they need to be more aggressive.

AK and SB missed 23 shots! Yikes. Not a great game from AK or SB, but each contributed to the win. They were obviously not efficient, but our shots have to come from somewhere and JS and JR don't seem to want to assert themselves. I hear people say SD should shoot more but I hate to mess with his game. Whatever he is doing is working. I think we just have to live with AK and SB sometimes shooting a low percentage. Some teams have volume scorers and when you don't have a lot of offensive options, you take what you can get.

We gave up too many offensive rebounds to their center. We ended up outrebounding them but I think we were being outrebounded most of the game until the end perhaps?

I still can't understand why this Providence team doesn't have more wins. Some of you guys blame Kim English but Hurley doesn't. One thing I know, I don't want to face PC a third or fourth time this year.

Reed had a great game? He had ONE rebound in the first half. And PC’s bigs were in foul trouble. Yes, he did have a very good 8 minute run in the 2nd half. He also only played 19 minutes because Reibe was playing better.

 

[mauconnfan]

Man I’m so tired of these short leashes on guys we’re going to need later on.

If other guys are playing well while others are playing poorly, fine. But when it’s just a matter of other people are allowed to make a million mistakes with no accountability and one mistake can get a player benched is when it’s frustrating. If you want to have a standard have a standard for everybody.

I know you’re a Ross rah rah guy but he probably played more minutes than he should have and so did Stew. They both had an opportunity to show their worth and both came up immensely short of that goal. They were the reason Alex had to guard Jones, and he couldn’t. Reason being neither gave Dan Hurley any reason to put them out there with any confidence. Short leashes are bad sometime I agree, last night they were fine. Only time someone should have been yanked earlier was when we were up 10 and Solo had 3 of the worst possessions in a row leading PC back in the game. I was amazed he was still in the game. Problem was Stew and Ross blew!

 

[TheShot1990]

• I agree with Danny "we need to play Eric more." The double headed monster we had in 23 and 24 needs to come back and keep putting pressure on the post.
• Way too many blow-bys and easy uncontested layups or even dunks. Why don't we get those? I can't remember the last ally-oop we had. Did we even have a dunk in this game? Granted, Jamier Jones is a force...
• Ross and Stewart....uggg, 2 points total again? I really really want these guys to succeed but time is running out for them to "get comfortable." Calm the heck down and just play guys. You both seem terrified to shoot. Find your favorite shot 5-10 feet from the basket and go with that.
• Good in bounding. Bad final 10 seconds of the first half. We HAVE to get that shot off.

 

[superjohn]

What is plainly obvious is we have great basketball players but not a lot of athleticism. PC hung tough because they were faster, physically more explosive, and got after us. The opo-sheet on UConn is pretty clear at this point. Be physical (hold, push and frustrate), go fast, drive penetrate, and beat your man onto the glass.

Yeah, I don't think that's it at all. We're hurt and guys can't make anything lately. It's tough to win any games convincingly when you can't put the ball in the basket. So many missed layups, missed wide open jumpers, and missed ft's game after game now.

 

[Gurleyman]

Hilarious to watch this thread go from pure misery to shared disbelief at HW going back to the Ross well. He’s truly a uniter

Like everyone, I want Ross to succeed, since he provides an element of athleticism on the wing nobody else does … and our ceiling involves him being a rotation piece who can change games. But his job yesterday was to play man to man defense against a PC offense that was largely just “take the ball and go” and he couldn’t guard. Vaaks was getting whatever he wanted.

If he’s not contributing on defense, he can’t really play at the moment. Offensively, he has one basket in the entire month of January (60 minutes played). The hammy might be bugging him (or has sidetracked his confidence), in fairness, but we can only play the guy who’s suiting up - not an imaginary healthy and confident version.