Basketball can be a tough game if your team can’t shoot, every other mistake you make gets magnified and your margin for error is small. Too often this UConn team has that problem.
Having said that we really screwed up in that thin margin for error territory. If we didn’t have Cole/Sanogo all season or IW last night, I can’t imagine how disappointing we would be.
Our starting line-up just doesn’t work for us and is responsible for a long list of slow starts. Although, they played terrible today, I would try Polley, Gaffney or Hawkins in the starting line-up, in an effort to shake up rotations that’s have failed us. Pick one and change things up. It is clear that teams are packing the paint and giving us open 3 looks.
Of the starters, Sanogo, our best player, played the least minutes (29). Whatever crazy match-up mythology our staff was seeking backfired. Twice when he was out in the second half they scored on lay-up drives with an unprotected rim. When you let your opponent dictate the match-ups, you generally lose, as we did last night.
Our bench went 0-8 with 2 points from the line. As a team. we shot 29% from the field and 23% from the 3 line. Lots of guys are not in the gym enough. What’s enough? When you have confidence your shot is going in and it does. Until then it’s not enough.
As for Tyler Polley, standing in one corner so that your defender has an opportunity to rest before going on offense - doesn't work. Tyler needs to run off screens, go corner to corner and around loop double screens to the top of the key. Most of all he needs to take the ball to the basket or go for intermediate shots. At 6-9 he can get the ball off but as importantly get to the foul line where he’s actually been consistent. It’s also a way to gain confidence.
Hawkins is in a confidence crisis. Don’t underestimate the extent of the crisis. He is a good, talented kid who wants to do well. But, we need to figure his role out ASAP. Right now Danny obviously views him as someone who will cost you the game rather than win it. Evidence was the abscence of late gane playing time last night.
Whaley had a great game, and whoever did Creighton’s scouting report on UConn, IW should thank too.
What worked well last night? Our on ball defense was actually pretty good and we did not reach in, we played defense with our feet.
We have the best dressed assistant coaches in the Big East. Yet, far too often Chief looks up at the scoreboard half way through the first half and we have something like 13 points. Time to change things, and hope it works. Given our poor shooting everything has a handicap to it, but we need to change the offensive chemistry. I though Tom was very engaged with the players last night sensing defeat as we came out after halftime. I did not detect a sense of urgency across the board. Maybe this is subjective and unfair but that was Chief’s observation.
