Rick Pitino: UConn's only weakness is they foul too much

[SwingDog]

Good interview. Makes you wonder how much work Hurley and his staff put into getting their guys to defend without fouling. I know he's talked about it a lot.

 

[formerlurker]

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

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15 seconds of magic on that table.

 

[giddyup]

Pitino is playing head games. Plays right into the Big East dynamic. Doesn’t matter what we do, we are getting called until we back off and play no D.

 

[Citrusdog]

seed planting for referees.

 

[SwingDog]

It's not shocking that he said it. A few weeks ago he said UConn had no weaknesses. At the very least it should give the Huskies even greater motivation to get that part of their game fixed. Pitino holds no secrets regarding his strategy is to get UConn and other teams to fall into their trap so they can get a ton of free throws. He also mentions Xavier as a team that fouls too much. We can blame the referees if we want, but we have to be able to play tough but smart defense, and as cleanly as possible. If the referees are going to allow physical play or not, they need to be consistent and call it the same both ways, but the team has no control over that.

 

[uconnfan68]

Pitino is playing head games. Plays right into the Big East dynamic. Doesn’t matter what we do, we are getting called until we back off and play no D.

It’s when we play no D that we get those calls. A half step late might as well be 10 minutes. My issue is with no fouls on our opponents holding and grabbing every play. We haven’t learned to turn that to our advantage yet.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Pitino got the officials by the spaldings

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We do foul too much. Not much of an insight.

 

[freshler40]

It's not shocking that he said it. A few weeks ago he said UConn had no weaknesses. At the very least it should give the Huskies even greater motivation to get that part of their game fixed. Pitino holds no secrets regarding his strategy is to get UConn and other teams to fall into their trap so they can get a ton of free throws. He also mentions Xavier as a team that fouls too much. We can blame the referees if we want, but we have to be able to play tough but smart defense, and as cleanly as possible. If the referees are going to allow physical play or not, they need to be consistent and call it the same both ways, but the team has no control over that.

We need to body up more rather than reaching in. Reed did improve, the last game a lot, with fewer fouls and staying near the 3 point line when doubling. On offense he also cleared out down low for our guards to penetrate. He was much more involved in the team aspects of the game including so many great assists. This was perhaps his best overall game.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

We need to body up more rather than reaching in. Reed did improve, the last game a lot, with fewer fouls and staying near the 3 point line when doubling. On offense he also cleared out down low for our guards to penetrate. He was much more involved in the team aspects of the game including so many great assists. This was perhaps his best overall game.

In the St John's game fouls three and four on Reed were not fouls. Pitino is trying to ensure that the refs continue calling them even if they aren't there.

 

[Husky Alien]

 

[BGesus4]

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Can we get some tablecloth togas going in the student section in Hartford?

 

[Dibbie]

I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t hate the guy like most do.

 

[mauconnfan]

Dan needs to set up a question by a Horder next interview asking how he feels about Ricky’s comment:

“I agree with him no doubt. But that’s easy coming from a guy who’s kid do the same or more but get called much less than my kids isn’t it?”

 

[Dove]

15 seconds of magic on that table.

"The meatballs were dry."

 

[RuffRuff]

I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t hate the guy like most do.

Love beating him, but can't hate him. Imagine the BE without him? It's a fair take, we are 289th in FT's taken per game, probably lead the nation in reach ins. Mullins adds to that tendency. The 2024 team didn't do much, so it's more of a team makeup thing.

 

[Woof]

Our biggest weakness is that many refs hate Hurley and like slick Ricky.

 

[jibsey]

Love beating him, but can't hate him. Imagine the BE without him? It's a fair take, we are 289th in FT's taken per game, probably lead the nation in reach ins. Mullins adds to that tendency. The 2024 team didn't do much, so it's more of a team makeup thing.

St. John’s was in our shorts with a full court press for 40 minutes and our problem is a reach in every now and then? Right.
And yes I despise Pitino and his fanbase. I hope they lose every game they play from here out.
I’ve said this before, Yankee and Red Sox fans do not root for each other because they are in the same league or division. They root against their rivals. Always.
The BE is a bad league and they ain’t saving it, but neither will we, plus in this era of buying players does that really matter?

 

[Umami Zen]

This year- St J gets to the FT line as well as anyone. It's working for Rick so why change the narrative re: your opponents? He challenges his players to play tough physical D until or if the refs blow the whistle.

IIRC- Solo said after Butler game in post game presser that the team had been working on "not fouling" in practice leading up to the Butler game(and after the St J's game). Sometimes you gotta concede a shot and save your fouls in order to stay in the game and be on the floor at crunch time. Dan knows-the team knows- and even Rick knows-they have to clean it up in this area sooner rather than later.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Pitino is trolling the UConn fans to hype up the next game, and a lot of you are falling for it. He probably has a grad assistant or team manager or someone skim the message boards of opponents, and he knows the hot button ref paranoia that has consumed many on the Boneyard. The refs are not the target of his comments. We are.

 

[Umami Zen]

Pitino is trolling the UConn fans to hype up the next game, and a lot of you are falling for it. He probably has a grad assistant or team manager or someone skim the message boards of opponents, and he knows the hot button ref paranoia that has consumed many on the Boneyard. The refs are not the target of his comments. We are.

The refs are not the target of his comments. They are his friends.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The refs are not the target of his comments. They are his friends.

It would take about 2 minutes of drafting the right prompt to an AI bot to figure out the ref paranoia on this board.

 

[Kowalski]

Pitino is playing head games. Plays right into the Big East dynamic. Doesn’t matter what we do, we are getting called until we back off and play no D.

Agree. St John’s was physical and very aggressive with full court pressure against UConn. UConn was way too careless with passes but a lot of turnovers were also from defections on reach-ins. I guess it’s because Pitino teaches them how to reach in without fouling. I don’t think so - the refs just let them play.

 

[Lafayette]

It’s when we play no D that we get those calls. A half step late might as well be 10 minutes. My issue is with no fouls on our opponents holding and grabbing every play. We haven’t learned to turn that to our advantage yet.

Off-ball fouls are not going to be called unless egregious. The focus is on-ball fouls. Motion offenses produce good shots while St. Johns bully ball produces fouls.