Resting Cole cost game

[Scrappy3]

No blame to anyone
But we had momentum and the lead on our side.
It felt like when he went out we were just trying to survive and advance. Even though it was tied we just never got that little mojo we had back.
I feel we played a good gritty game. We had enough guys to win this game. I think that the powers that may be might have to let Cole go 20 min in 2 Nd half on tight games. The margin for error against good teams on road is always thin. I would’ve loved to pull this game out.
I think coach Hurley I’d great but the little things have cost us down the stretch in our two losses.

 

[LIuconn]

Cole will be cooked by February if he has to play 35 hard minutes a night. So much for all that depth

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Paige Bueckers says hello.

 

[McLovin]

Cole will be cooked by February if he has to play 35 hard minutes a night. So much for all that depth

Kemba averaged 37 min per game his final year and Bazz averaged 35 per game. With a decade in advancement of sports therapy & recovery methods, asking Cole to play 35 min per game is not a big deal. We need it and should expect it of him.

 

[RichCTBB]

Horrific shooting cost us the game. @Auror…what has been our worst 3pt shooting % in a game since Hurley came on board?

 

[dennismenace]

Kemba averaged 37 min per game his final year and Bazz averaged 35 per game. With a decade in advancement of sports therapy & recovery methods, asking Cole to play 35 min per game is not a big deal. We need it and should expect it of him.

Agree on the necessity down to the last part of the game. Since he is the only real PG/ballhandler and excellent clutch free throw shooter who can penetrate late in the game he has to be in there. Especially in a zoo like WV.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Kemba averaged 37 min per game his final year and Bazz averaged 35 per game. With a decade in advancement of sports therapy & recovery methods, asking Cole to play 35 min per game is not a big deal. We need it and should expect it of him.

Exactly. They’re 18/20 year olds. They play two games a week.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Someone can time check where the game was when at 8:25, I txted, "Cole's a baller. Just don't make him do everything"

The ability to win when we don't have him is what will determine if this can be a Top 10 team.

 

[LIuconn]

Kemba and Bazz had help. If Martin and sonogo are out it’s asking a ton of Cole at 35+ per night

 

[HuskyHawk]

That didn't cost them the game. We should have been able to put the walk ins in late in this game. Epic failure to make easy open shots all night long. Failure to make passes that went to the intended target. Failure to aggressively attack the basket and draw fouls. Failure to pay off the refs pre-gram, as WVU seems to have done.

 

[navery12]

So does Cole need to play 40 minutes or does Diggins need more minutes? Can't keep the narratives on this board straight

 

[Ricker]

Cole hit a 3 at 13:01 and then again at 12:39. He was taken out at 12:06 during a foul shot. The kid may have needed a break, and we were past the immediate momentum of his shots. Taking him out up 43-38 was a calculated risk that could have worked out. At 7:52 we were still up 47-43. Cole had been rested for 2 minutes of running time plus a couple more for 3-4 dead balls in that 2 minutes. Then West Virginia called a time out and he got a couple more minutes. I said to my wife that that time out played right into our hands because we can get Cole back into the game with rest. Wrong again Ricker. Let's rest him until he stops sweating. For me, Hurley took a risk, got away with it, then blew it. Maybe he didn't screw up because nothing guarantees we win putting Cole back in, BUT, I'd rather tie my chances to my best player. For me, not getting him back in the game at the first opportunity is my complaint.

As a general narrative 2 ball handlers is better than 1. Diggins should have a chance with Gaffney when we're trying to steal minutes and the offense is a slugfest. We weren't getting to run offense until there was 15 to 18sec left on the clock. A reason, we only had 1 guard for long stretches who could initiate and they pressured that player with and without the ball, Cole or Gaffney. Cole and Gaffney playing together relived some of that. Cole hit the shots, but the lead came with both on the floor. Maybe try subbing a guard into the game and the shot clock might not run out? Just a thought.

 

[auror]

.

Horrific shooting cost us the game. @Auror…what has been our worst 3pt shooting % in a game since Hurley came on board?

We were 0/15 from 3 against South Florida his first year. But Mich St and this game were tied for 2nd worst.

 

[UCfor3]

Cole hit a 3 at 13:01 and then again at 12:39. He was taken out at 12:06 during a foul shot. The kid may have needed a break, and we were past the immediate momentum of his shots. Taking him out up 43-38 was a calculated risk that could have worked out. At 7:52 we were still up 47-43. Cole had been rested for 2 minutes of running time plus a couple more for 3-4 dead balls in that 2 minutes. Then West Virginia called a time out and he got a couple more minutes. I said to my wife that that time out played right into our hands because we can get Cole back into the game with rest. Wrong again Ricker. Let's rest him until he stops sweating. For me, Hurley took a risk, got away with it, then blew it. Maybe he didn't screw up because nothing guarantees we win putting Cole back in, BUT, I'd rather tie my chances to my best player. For me, not gettig him back in the game at the first opportunity is my complaint.

Agree 100%. Said same in another thread. Hurley got greedy after the timeout. He doubled down and lost.

 

[BGesus4]

Cole hit a 3 at 13:01 and then again at 12:39. He was taken out at 12:06 during a foul shot. The kid may have needed a break, and we were past the immediate momentum of his shots. Taking him out up 43-38 was a calculated risk that could have worked out. At 7:52 we were still up 47-43. Cole had been rested for 2 minutes of running time plus a couple more for 3-4 dead balls in that 2 minutes. Then West Virginia called a time out and he got a couple more minutes. I said to my wife that that time out played right into our hands because we can get Cole back into the game with rest. Wrong again Ricker. Let's rest him until he stops sweating. For me, Hurley took a risk, got away with it, then blew it. Maybe he didn't screw up because nothing guarantees we win putting Cole back in, BUT, I'd rather tie my chances to my best player. For me, not gettig him back in the game at the first opportunity is my complaint.

Thought the exact same. Huggins screwed up calling that timeout before the tv timeout could be hit on its own, and I thought, wow, what a stupid mistake for a coach like Huggins. Now, we can get Cole back into the game on this possession.

Easy to Monday morning quarterback it given how it played out, but definitely tough to understand why you would just sit him at the scorer’s table like they did until the next dead ball instead of putting him right back in. I actually thought Gaffney played a solid game when put in a position to succeed - as a secondary ball handler, opportunistic scorer and perimeter defender. Having him run the offense as the primary ball handler is not putting him in a position to succeed any more than asking Cole to be a wing defender is putting RJ in a position to succeed.

It’s a tough spot given our lack of people other than RJ who can run a halfcourt offense. I’m not in the camp that we should just throw diggins in there until he has a few turnovers in a row as someone suggested (facepalm). Would definitely like to see him be developed more but it’s not exactly clear where the opportunity is to do that. OOC at WV is not the time to do that. You’re risking his confidence and the outcome of a game on him doing something extraordinary. I.e., coming in essentially cold in terms of experience as freshman to run a team in a hostile road game.

I actually think Andre is our second best option for getting our offense going right now. When Cole is out, I would run the offense more through him with Gaffney playing off the ball.

 

[Frank06830]

That didn't cost them the game. We should have been able to put the walk ins in late in this game. Epic failure to make easy open shots all night long. Failure to make passes that went to the intended target. Failure to aggressively attack the basket and draw fouls. Failure to pay off the refs pre-gram, as WVU seems to have done.

BINGO. IMHO Huggins won. Hurley lost. Huggins won the game like JC used to win when UCONN was shooting like crap. Get to the foul line. So many games with I remember JC won with big advantage at FL. IMHO Huggins made similar second half adj.
Lastly. I’m tired of waiting for Polley to shoot the three. He more than other player lost us the game . YIKES. Sure sometime sooner or later this season he will have a sparkling game hitting his open shots, but depending on this guy as a senior to show up consistently is crazy.

 

[JamesinGR]

Someone can time check where the game was when at 8:25, I txted, "Cole's a baller. Just don't make him do everything"

The ability to win when we don't have him is what will determine if this can be a Top 10 team.

Only way this is a top ten team is if we get Martin and Sanogo back and healthy enough to pick up where they left off, and….. Akok, Hawkins and Polley consistently contribute the way we all hoped they would when the season started. That’s a lot of hoping and hoping is not a strategy. I’ll be over the moon with Sweet Sixteen run and call it a very successful year.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

BINGO. IMHO Huggins won. Hurley lost. Huggins won the game like JC used to win when UCONN was shooting like crap. Get to the foul line. So many games with I remember JC won with big advantage at FL. IMHO Huggins made similar second half adj.
Lastly. I’m tired of waiting for Polley to shoot the three. He more than other player lost us the game . YIKES. Sure sometime sooner or later this season he will have a sparkling game hitting his open shots, but depending on this guy as a senior to show up consistently is crazy.

Another thing about JC teams is they were very good at keeping the opponent off of the FT line. That is something we have have been terrible at under Hurley and nothing suggests that is going to change.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Same thought as others, Huggins forced to call the TO before 8min stoppage shoulda meant UConn gets Cole back in earlier. Why wasn't he in there = lead & momentum lost over next 2 minutes and the UConn pattern of bad offense persists which becomes the ballgame.

 

[superjohn]

Cole hit a 3 at 13:01 and then again at 12:39. He was taken out at 12:06 during a foul shot. The kid may have needed a break, and we were past the immediate momentum of his shots. Taking him out up 43-38 was a calculated risk that could have worked out. At 7:52 we were still up 47-43. Cole had been rested for 2 minutes of running time plus a couple more for 3-4 dead balls in that 2 minutes. Then West Virginia called a time out and he got a couple more minutes. I said to my wife that that time out played right into our hands because we can get Cole back into the game with rest. Wrong again Ricker. Let's rest him until he stops sweating. For me, Hurley took a risk, got away with it, then blew it. Maybe he didn't screw up because nothing guarantees we win putting Cole back in, BUT, I'd rather tie my chances to my best player. For me, not getting him back in the game at the first opportunity is my complaint.

As a general narrative 2 ball handlers is better than 1. Diggins should have a chance with Gaffney when we're trying to steal minutes and the offense is a slugfest. We weren't getting to run offense until there was 15 to 18sec left on the clock. A reason, we only had 1 guard for long stretches who could initiate and they pressured that player with and without the ball, Cole or Gaffney. Cole and Gaffney playing together relived some of that. Cole hit the shots, but the lead came with both on the floor. Maybe try subbing a guard into the game and the shot clock might not run out? Just a thought.

Was going crazy in the chat about it, that's just terrible coaching not putting Cole back in the game there. He was gifted a timeout there and still didn't get him back in the game.

Diggins seems to be on Hurley's s^^tlist, it's hard to imagine he can't find a few minutes for him as a second ballhandler who steals minutes.

 

[jayteeman]

We do have to realize the expectations of the now Akok, Hawkins and Polley contributions have really just been emphasized recently. Did we expect them to pick up the missing contributions on day one? Hawkins was a huge no-show....but he WILL be the big-show soon. I expect all the players now getting more time will take steps forward.....there will be reward with sacrifice in the end.

 

[Dogdeacon]

We do have to realize the expectations of the now Akok, Hawkins and Polley contributions have really just been emphasized recently. Did we expect them to pick up the missing contributions on day one? Hawkins was a huge no-show....but he WILL be the big-show soon. I expect all the players now getting more time will take steps forward.....there will be reward with sacrifice in the end.

Yes, there are silver linings to this game for sure. Mostly though it sucks today to have to soothe the loss by saying UConn is a much better team IF Martin & Sanogo played. But add those two back and the interim development of the freshman & unquestionably the team is better down the line.

Just wish there was a guard in that freshman development contingent.
Specifically meaning that if we can't win a game WITH Cole b/c Cole misses a key 2 minutes, what the heck do we do when he plays poorly or (please no) is unavailable!?
On the plus side of that Cole is absolutely in noticeably better physical condition this year, yet man he takes some pounding a few times every game on drives to the tin.

 

[auror]

Huggins won the game like JC used to win when UCONN was shooting like crap. Get to the foul line. So many games with I remember JC won with big advantage at FL. IMHO Huggins made similar second half adj.

This is much, much easier to do at home than the road. The refs let a lot of stuff go by them against us. Taz Sherman is very good at drawing fouls. They didn't foul our bigs down low in the 2nd half whereas we contest the rim very hard on D.

 

[TheChamps990411]

No blame to anyone
But we had momentum and the lead on our side.
It felt like when he went out we were just trying to survive and advance. Even though it was tied we just never got that little mojo we had back.
I feel we played a good gritty game. We had enough guys to win this game. I think that the powers that may be might have to let Cole go 20 min in 2 Nd half on tight games. The margin for error against good teams on road is always thin. I would’ve loved to pull this game out.
I think coach Hurley I’d great but the little things have cost us down the stretch in our two losses.

Iirc we had the lead. Gaff had just scored and we had the lead at 5 with him at the line. He missed the freethrow of course and then we had 3 or 4 straight absolutely horrendous possessions which if we had scored in half of them we win this game. That is where we lost the game and i believe Cole was on the floor most of those possessions but not all. That sequence is where we lost the game.

 

[gtcam]

Cole needed a breather not an extended stay. Coaching staff lost in what was going on the court and little else