Providence Post Game Thread

[Vancat]

Anyone else at the game think the new added music was kind of awful?

 

[karstenkibbe]

Hurley made a great point in the post-game presser. The expectations are so high. Media, fans, everyone. We all got used to the blowouts from the ‘23 and ‘24 teams. Even some of the great JC-coached teams had flaws. This team has a lot of warts. But they are 20-1. They do look tired and a step slower than they looked in the non-con part of the schedule. But they also appear to be one of the more composed UConn teams I have ever watched. I attribute that to guys like Silas, AK and Solo. Zero panic. Lots of maturity. February is a few days away. They need to start cleaning things up if a serious March run is in the cards.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

One thing that I could only shake my head and laugh at last night was Daniels, an end of game garbage minutes guy comes in because Floyd got shaken up and absolutely drains the two three-point looks that he gets… completely standard whenever teams play us!

 

[Excalibur]

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.

This would be a valid point if Ross made plays at the same rate that Karaban does. He doesn’t, so it isn’t.

Ross, and to a lesser extent Stewart, are the only guys who I can think of under Hurley that play as if they are afraid to make mistakes, so my conclusion is that it’s a Ross/Stewart problem and not a Hurley problem. Calhoun had plenty of guys who played that way, but it was a great way to weed out who was mentally tough enough to play for him.

 

[RuffRuff]

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.

Spot on. We have very little athleticism. And zero mean streak, a lot like last year. We let one of the better athletes go in our own backyard this last cycle. The two kids we grabbed don’t seem to fit the bill. Silas is more of a football player in how he plays. Our rep right now outside the BY is that we’re soft. We stink in transition.

This team has one chance and it’s to take a blueprint of what we did against Florida for one game, with a PG upgrade in roster, and make shots. And do it for 6 games. Can it numb 6 teams down in March with its deliberate execution and make enough shots? This team is going to have to bore opponents down. It’s not going to over power, out run/jump, out shoot. The one advantage is the Hurley scheme and to continue playing strong D. There is nothing sexy about this team, but they have the best staff in the sport. N

 

[Excalibur]

I think people think that anyone not named Ricky Moore isn’t a great perimeter defender, when the reality is that under current rules and officiating, Moore would be committing 20 fouls every game.

Silas is an awesome defender

 

[prankster]

I

Totally agree. Really frustrating when he's just dribbling the ball all over the court and wasting the shot clock. Tonight was great when he was getting dishes from Silas and lighting it up from three

I felt that Smith was purposed much more as a 2 guard last night. And he seemed much more narural and comfortable in that role.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm going to say something controversial. It's really strange given that UConn is 20-1 and #2, but I don't really enjoy these games. I barely look forward to them, and while I am glad we win, actually watching them isn't all that fun. I'm not sure if it's this team, or merely the fact that Big East games devolve into free throw shooting contests when even when no foul is called, fouls are often committed.

I am looking forward to March and hoping this team can play an exciting and enjoyable brand of basketball when liberated from conference play.

 

[jibsey]

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.

These are great points and it’s difficult to stop guys like that with that elite physical ability without fouling. Give Providence credit.Who on our team has that driving ability with that kind of strength? No one. Our offense mirrors the strengths and deficits of our players.

Stew should be able to but hasn’t really. The closest we have is Silas but at 6’4” even he has limitations. Our offense is based on screening, penetration, dishing, getting 3 opportunities and putbacks. And we get tons of assists. Mullins will someday have the bulk to do this but not now and not with a Husky uniform on.

Many teams have presented players who have done this to us lately.
Last night we got 28 free throws, they got 31. They missed 7 and we missed 10. That can’t happen either and with 4-5 more makes this game would look different down the stretch.

 

[Inyatkin]

Like everyone, I want Ross to succeed

Exactly, which is why it's so annoying to hear the "You guys just want to be right about Ross not being good enough" over and over again.

Man, I want UConn to win games. If that means Ross puts up 30 points and I look dumb for doubting him, great.

 

[TheShot1990]

The "short leash" will disappear if we can just blow out a few teams. I don't think Danny wants to continue to exhaust his over-used and banged up starters, but he has to.

 

[FightOnCT]

I'm going to say something controversial. It's really strange given that UConn is 20-1 and #2, but I don't really enjoy these games. I barely look forward to them, and while I am glad we win, actually watching them isn't all that fun. I'm not sure if it's this team, or merely the fact that Big East games devolve into free throw shooting contests when even when no foul is called, fouls are often committed.

I am looking forward to March and hoping this team can play an exciting and enjoyable brand of basketball when liberated from conference play.

The team plays boring because we don’t go on huge runs, which are usually because we become momentarily inept on offense whenever we have momentum. But I wouldn’t say I don’t enjoy the games, I enjoyed beating Nova despite it coming down to OT.

Providence though, I always hate those home games. Not good enough for a top tier matchup but they always drag games in the mud with ref fests. I’m still traumatized from 2 years ago.

 

[Chuck]

This may be one of the most confusing UConn teams ever. I'd go further and say it's one of the most confusing #2 ranked, 20-1 teams ever. We've looked pedestrian in just about every game other than the true cupcakes. And the issues could be different in every game. We can't shoot, ball movement is stagnant, other team makes shots they don't usually make. Just about every team's fans say "we choked that game. We were the better team than UConn today" and they aren't really wrong.

The Big East isn't bad, but these are not great teams we are squeaking by. But when you squeak by 20 teams, and only lose to the #1 team without 2 of your best players, you are doing something right and who am I to doubt that we can keep doing it.

 

[mjmoney23]

To be fair BYU was playing their biggest game of the year vs the #1 team in the nation.

There seemed to be a lot more students than usual wandering around the concourse. $2 beer night may have something to do with it.

There looked to be an almost empty stusent section. I think it was the one closest to the Uconn bench.

 

[DogMania]

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’

That's a good take.

Let me add one thing. Due to the limited playing time and role that both players normally get, they are more complimentary parts. It seems a lot of pressure is put on them when the primary starters are struggling and it's a close game. If Ball and Karaban are knocking down their shots and the team either has a nice cushion or is maintaining the lead, Ross and Stewart would be playing with more offensive confidence and probably knocking down more shots. Instead I'm sure they're feeling a lot of pressure to not make mistakes or miss shots. They're not showing much confidence and not being assertive, constantly deferring to their teammates.

Keep in mind, that their role isn't instant offense, where their coach wants them to create shots for themselves and not worrying about being pulled from the floor. Neither are asked to be the next Joey California.

To put it simply these moments are just too big for them right now. Should that be the case? Probably not. Some bench players seize the moment and contribute. This is their 3rd season and thry need to figure it out.

It would help them dramatically if Alex and Solo do what they're supposed to do, so that these two rotation players have a lot less pressure on them and can ease themselves into the offense. I do wonder if they were starters getting a lot more minutes, if they would be playing more effectively and with more confidence, but the reality is they need to give the team more offense within the role they're given. Makes me wonder if a team is better off bringing in an experienced player who has an offensive edge to their game. It's not just about talent. It takes a certain mentality to play that role. If Mullins is out this weekend, let's see how these two respond. We've seen them both knocked down some big shots, so we know they have the talent. They just need to somehow get their minds right. Just not sure they have it in them.

 

[woodchuck68]

I dont understand all the hating in the three juniors.

Ball has an injured shooting hand

JR & JS are the 8th and 9th bench players. And Ross is also coming off of a hammy injury.

 

[ctfjr]

My $.02
My friends and I started buying seasons tickets when we joined the BE - uh, that would be 1980. Now that we are spending winters in FL I can only watch the games on TV. I miss being there. Last night's game was a typical BE slugfest. Reed is a monster down low.
I think Hurley's passion for the game speaks for itself. There are a lot of parallels to Jim C. I'm not sure who is crazier but I love them both.

 

[superjohn]

This may be one of the most confusing UConn teams ever. I'd go further and say it's one of the most confusing #2 ranked, 20-1 teams ever. We've looked pedestrian in just about every game other than the true cupcakes.

We beat #7, #13, #18, #21, and #25. Our only loss was a 4 point loss to #1 when we were missing Reed and Mullins.

 

[Deepster]

Here are a couple things that are causing the reactions from the fans.

1) I'm a long time Gampel season ticket holder and the fans there (and I'm assuming at home) are on the edges of their seats waiting to erupt. Every single time the team goes up 7-8 and looks like we might make a run? We turn the ball over. Or we foul. Or the other team gets a quick bucket. I "joke" that every time I stand, I sit right back down. It's an odd phenomenon.

2) Our offense is brilliant. If you're an X and O nerd? Our halfcourt sets are amazing to watch unfold. But how often do we get breakaway dunks or sexy, flashy, easy fast break pts? Or lob/alley oops? We don't play fast and we don't play exciting basketball. Most times, our possessions go very deep into the shot clock.

So we end up winning with great coaching, execution, defense and half court buckets when we need them.....but there's no highlight reel.

 

[jibsey]

This may be one of the most confusing UConn teams ever. I'd go further and say it's one of the most confusing #2 ranked, 20-1 teams ever. We've looked pedestrian in just about every game other than the true cupcakes. And the issues could be different in every game. We can't shoot, ball movement is stagnant, other team makes shots they don't usually make. Just about every team's fans say "we choked that game. We were the better team than UConn today" and they aren't really wrong.

The Big East isn't bad, but these are not great teams we are squeaking by. But when you squeak by 20 teams, and only lose to the #1 team without 2 of your best players, you are doing something right and who am I to doubt that we can keep doing it.

Just because these BE teams aren’t ranked or recognized nationally does not mean they don’t have elite and talented players that can burn us and make us look bad at times. And remember, these are the games of the year for them.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

TNT crew talking about UConn as a title contender - take is F4 potential but not title.

This is not a shot at you but saying a team has F4 potential but can’t win a title is such a moronic, arbitrary statement.

 

[FightOnCT]

You think Stewie is more talented than Karaban? Lmao

I think talent-wise Stewie is not that much different, he’s more athletic. But skill-wise it’s no contest which is why both players get their respective playing time.

 

[NJHusky]

The first 1 minute or so of his presser is nice to say about another coach but it's pure nonsense.

Sounds like English’s agent.

 

[jonbones220]

What it comes down to with this team is Silas becoming more of a primary scorer, along with expediting Mullins into his primary role. We need him launching at the same rate Solo does when he's in. Solo may not make many shots, but he finds them. Now we need Mullins to find them and make them.

You are right, Mullins plays too conservative….”sometimes playing the right way, is not the right way”.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

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.

Honestly guy your Calhoun references are some of the strangest things you’re saying. Are you relating this Calhoun stuff from memory or is this something you read about because you were too young to actually see it because nothing you say about Calhoun ever tends to bear any resemblance to what I watched for a couple decades.