Saturday

[uconngb]

If past is prologue this game is going to be played at Villanova's pace. I don't see us finally forcing a team to play our preferred style against a team this well coached. So. Long possessions, they're going to have to score in the half court. I'd like to see Hurley start one of Hawkins or Polley and bring either Jackson or Martin off the bench. I know Hawkins has been bad and he hasn't "earned" a starting role with his play, but we need guys who can be a threat to put the ball in the bucket. Put him out there and let him shoot it. I really don't want to watch this team score 15 points in the first half.

Not a chance in hell this actually happens, but I would love to see it. We will be behind by at least 10 by some point in the first half for sure.

 

[CL82]

I'm thinking more about not letting Villanova throw two guys at Sanogo.

Then you kick it out on the double, but you start with your strength, and Sanogo is our strength.

 

[GHSWolverines]

I had a dream last night. During the first half DH summoned Sool off the bench to give RJ a breather. Being a Philly product the place began rocking. Remember this was only a dream.

 

[Psolo12]

Offense looked great against Creighton, huh? Let's keep rolling with what's not working. Maybe we can beat Villanova 45-43.

Like I said, Hawkins has not been good recently but it's disingenuous to suggest that Jackson is a better shooter or more of a threat to score the ball, which is what this team needs. Reasonable minds can disagree, I guess.

Ah yes, because Jackson hasnt taken part in any of our high scoring games. Only this past one against Creighton.

 

[Umami Zen]

Need to control the boards .. Make some threes.. Seeing the possibility of AJax being X-factor forcing pace off of D rebounds and moving ball up floor. Need some bench points esp. from Polley/Hawk

If we can use our speed and athleticism.. Like our chances. They have to believe they can seal the deal.

 

[UConnDad]

We need to run Nova off the 3 point line. They can shoot from deep too but let’s make it difficult.

 

[jdb50]

I would be really surprised if DH changed his lineup before a game this important. No way he does this and then has to answer questions afterward "is this change going to be permanent?" etc. Especially if it did not work out. Logically if there was a change in the starting lineup you would go with the veteran Polley. I would bring Martin in off the bench and start to put more pressure on Jackson valuing the ball more and not make risky passes. It is the point in the season where throwing the ball away has to stop or we are not going to improve our halfcourt offense such as it is.

 

[Jbirdp5]

In theory putting polley in the lineup should open things up but in actuality did the offense get any better with him in the game vs Creighton? I don’t think so

 

[Umami Zen]

Nova will try to negate Sanogo's impact so that they can dictate mismatches/pace of play/small ball. Need him to play smart D so that he can stay on the floor and do his thing.

 

[lange10]

I know I’ll 100% be in the minority here, but the lineup change I’d make is bringing Whaley off the bench.

Staggering his minutes with Sanogo will give more opportunities for Sanogo down low since it forces the defense to guard out to the perimeter. Also, the bench needs an influx of energy and you know Whaley will always bring it.

I know he just had his best game of the year but a starting lineup of Cole, Jackson, Polley or Hawkins, Martin & Sanogo to start would be something I’d love to see.

 

[OkaForPrez]

In theory putting polley in the lineup should open things up but in actuality did the offense get any better with him in the game vs Creighton? I don’t think so

That had a lot to do with O'Connell

 

[navery12]

But that's exactly what UConn wants to do, UConn wants to get out and run on offense and force the other team to use a ton of the shot clock on defense. The goal of running in transition isn't always to speed the other team up, it's that UConn's half court offense struggles so transition shots are their best looks

 

[CL82]

I had a dream last night. During the first half DH summoned Sool off the bench to give RJ a breather. Being a Philly product the place began rocking. Remember this was only a dream.

Dream or psychic vision? Who can say?

 

[navery12]

You're completely missing my point, so I'm just going to give up after this if you're still not getting it. The 198 defensive tempo alone does not mean teams are fast breaking, but when combined with the fact that 24% of the FGA against them are in transition which is 83rd most in the country, it does.

Yes, Nova likes to play slow on offense and UConn likes to play slow on defense, so I'm saying on that side of the court I would expect a ton of shot clock to be used. On the other side, UConn likes to speed up the pace on offense and teams have done that effectively against Villanova this year. I hope and expect to see more of that tomorrow

 

[UConnDad]

I know I’ll 100% be in the minority here, but the lineup change I’d make is bringing Whaley off the bench.

Staggering his minutes with Sanogo will give more opportunities for Sanogo down low since it forces the defense to guard out to the perimeter. Also, the bench needs an influx of energy and you know Whaley will always bring it.

I know he just had his best game of the year but a starting lineup of Cole, Jackson, Polley or Hawkins, Martin & Sanogo to start would be something I’d love to see.

Hmmm. Bring our best 3 point shooter off the bench.

 

[QDOG5]

If we beat Villanova in Philly, I don’t care if we beat them 15-13.

UConn is 17-1 scoring 70 points or more and 1-4 scoring 60 or less. 15-13 is probably a loss for the good guys. We have to find a way to win the low scoring games.

 

[Pudge]

If past is prologue this game is going to be played at Villanova's pace. I don't see us finally forcing a team to play our preferred style against a team this well coached. So. Long possessions, they're going to have to score in the half court. I'd like to see Hurley start one of Hawkins or Polley and bring either Jackson or Martin off the bench. I know Hawkins has been bad and he hasn't "earned" a starting role with his play, but we need guys who can be a threat to put the ball in the bucket. Put him out there and let him shoot it. I really don't want to watch this team score 15 points in the first half.

The surprising thing is ... we will spend 8 minutes trying to deliver the pass into Adama Sanogo. That can happen in flow and easily which equals we scored and RJ Cole provides an alternative; and that is a good start. More often lately, the passes are forced/flubbed or Sanogo gets the ball where he is not able to try his patented few moves to get the easy score. He might just be too far out. One less used early alternative is Martin who can play off Sanogo and take a matchup - depends on who they play on him. I do like Polley into change the mindset and give us a chance to boost that early malaise.

The other thing. Villanova has no depth and is not developing any over the last 7 games. The three that come - other than Daniels - are weak in defensive positioning as well. So play with confidence and intensity may give us a comparative advantage.

I don't know what you get with Hawkins. Probably just let him take 2 and see if you get the most graceful threes and come what may good flow towards the hoop; or Bricks. Whaley plays off all that.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Not at all but I've seen the movie before and know how it ends. Ideally Nova fouls in that scenario but, per always, they're one of the most well-disciplined teams in the country. Hope I'm wrong about all of it.

If you really want to be wrong, DM me and we can set up that over/under bet about shots not hitting the rim.

Not offered as a put down of you; simply attempting to stoke the mojo.

No matter how unlikely the OP's suggestion is to be followed, I'll book any bets against its implementation resulting in fewer than the 2 bench points recorded this past Tuesday if DH decides, "What the heck, let's shake things up."

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Need to control the boards .. Make some threes.. Seeing the possibility of AJax being X-factor forcing pace off of D rebounds and moving ball up floor. Need some bench points esp. from Polley/Hawk

If we can use our speed and athleticism.. Like our chances. They have to believe they can seal the deal.

Closing games, especially against experienced coaches, is Danny's growing edge. This has been phrased many other ways, and I offered in November that I regard this season as one in which my overall patience is at a level where it would normally apply to "Season 3 of a total rebuild," having adjusted my POV due to combination of COVID and the shift in conference affiliation and opponents.

This 'winning close games' challenge has always been the season's theme, because it was last season's theme, and the year before's too. I see more pessimism than optimism here that the hurdle will be cleared this year. It's pretty much my focus in every game I watch.

I have an opinion on every shot taken, as to whether it's a good shot or a bad shot. It's a simplistic, unsophisticated, binary lens. The team takes many rushed, off-balance, ill-advised, poorly-chosen, and unfocused shots. Each player demonstrates their own version of this. An alarming number of dhots look like unforced errors. Sometimes the shots go in, which masks how troublesome the larger pattern is.

I still believe that we have every piece needed to nudge things up to a pretty high level.

The point-guard, leadership, and game plan components are really a three-part description of a single triad where the team is most insecure. This most will be a constant challenge.

I'll continue to count syllables in the haiku thread in dedication to the 'little things' that can make a big difference. As far as I can recall, I was not at all present in the haiku thread during the Creighton game, so that loss might be on me.

I offer that I did watch the game in a long-sleeved Husky t-shirt, and that this was my outfit when on that day I was photographed holding my granddaughter for the first time. For all I know, somebody wrote a Haiku that predicted that Hawkins would have his best game of the year, without specifying whether it was a reference to Ryan or Jordan.

Let us all regroup, rededicate, and perform at our highest level tomorrow - coaches, players, and fans.

 

[Umami Zen]

Closing games, especially against experienced coaches, is Danny's growing edge. This has been phrased many other ways, and I offered in November that I regard this season as one in which my overall patience is at a level where it would normally apply to "Season 3 of a total rebuild," having adjusted my POV due to combination of COVID and the shift in conference affiliation and opponents.

This 'winning close games' challenge has always been the season's theme, because it was last season's theme, and the year before's too. I see more pessimism than optimism here that the hurdle will be cleared this year. It's pretty much my focus in every game I watch.

I have an opinion on every shot taken, as to whether it's a good shot or a bad shot. It's a simplistic, unsophisticated, binary lens. The team takes many rushed, off-balance, ill-advised, poorly-chosen, and unfocused shots. Each player demonstrates their own version of this. An alarming number of dhots look like unforced errors. Sometimes the shots go in, which masks how troublesome the larger pattern is.

I still believe that we have every piece needed to nudge things up to a pretty high level.

The point-guard, leadership, and game plan components are really a three-part description of a single triad where the team is most insecure. This most will be a constant challenge.

I'll continue to count syllables in the haiku thread in dedication to the 'little things' that can make a big difference. As far as I can recall, I was not at all present in the haiku thread during the Creighton game, so that loss might be on me.

I offer that I did watch the game in a long-sleeved Husky t-shirt, and that this was my outfit when on that day I was photographed holding my granddaughter for the first time. For all I know, somebody wrote a Haiku that predicted that Hawkins would have his best game of the year, without specifying whether it was a reference to Ryan or Jordan.

Let us all regroup, rededicate, and perform at our highest level tomorrow - coaches, players, and fans.

Congrats on the Grand-Bambina--Will be a wild ride.. Lets make her proud tomorrow.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Ah yes, because Jackson hasnt taken part in any of our high scoring games. Only this past one against Creighton.

Yeah, like I said, if you want to take the position that Jackson is a scoring threat, reasonable minds can disagree. My only thought is that it's tough to beat a team like Villanova when you're dependent on your 5-10 point guard to do the scoring. We can agree to disagree. Maybe Martin will have one of his nights when the shots go in. Here's hoping.

 

[Umami Zen]

Yeah, like I said, if you want to take the position that Jackson is a scoring threat, reasonable minds can disagree. My only thought is that it's tough to beat a team like Villanova when you're dependent on your 5-10 point guard to do the scoring. We can agree to disagree. Maybe Martin will have one of his nights when the shots go in. Here's hoping.

Andre can help our guards with secondary ball-handling and initiating the break off of defensive rebounds... Getting the ball to them in their spots. He is disruptive on D and on the Boards.. And provides great entry passes into Sanogo once he's established position. Any points he can give us is gravy as he impacts the game in other ways.

Concerned about his ability to not bite on every up-fake that he gets from shooters. If we can get the game played in the 70's or above.I like our chances. His play will be critical to the outcome.

 

[August_West]

Yeah, like I said, if you want to take the position that Jackson is a scoring threat, reasonable minds can disagree. My only thought is that it's tough to beat a team like Villanova when you're dependent on your 5-10 point guard to do the scoring. We can agree to disagree. Maybe Martin will have one of his nights when the shots go in. Here's hoping.

I said this in another thread where I made same point as your opening premise a couple days ago. It should be Martin off bench ( and getting starter minutes he’s a vital cog, but we are talking about first 6 minutes a game) But out of Whaley, AJ and him I think ( just an opinion) that martin is the least equipped to handle that “demotion” . Interesting conundrum .