Single Most Important Factor to a Deep Run

[jibsey]

Luck. It seems like every championship team has at least one thing they don't deserve go right for it somewhere along the way. And it's better early. Like something inexplicably bouncing your way in a 2nd round game against a pesky mid major or mediocre P6 team that is hanging in there and making you miserable.

I agree, at some point you need this.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

My first thought is that we have to be able to get off our schneid of not being able to win a close game, but that's more of an effect than a cause.

While a lot of other things come to mind, the most obvious answer is the simple one. Donovan Clingan played the first 40% of the season as if he was the next Zach Eddy, but way ahead of where Eddy was as a frosh. When a ball came within his wingspan in the paint, he caught it and did something positive with it. He was unbelievably dominant. Which, rightfully, led to the debate as to whether him being on the floor was more valuable than having Sanogo on the floor, and if that didn't mean they had to have minutes on the floor together. Then DC disappeared in conference play. Many on here have attributed that to Big East refs not being willing to call fouls. I don't doubt that that has happened, or that it's relevant, but I don't think that's the primary cause. To me, he no longer is a vacuum cleaner catching every catchable ball in his area. I don't understand why -- whether it was hitting a freshman big wall, confidence shattered, being told he wasn't going to keep taking Sanogo's minutes or something else -- but my eyes tell me that, refs aside, he is not the same player.

When DC was the dominant DC, we were literally as good as anyone in the country. While we've been a very good team since having hit bottom in late January, we're not at that level. The 4 seed line is roughly how we've played the last month and a half -- maybe a little generous. We should get to the Sweet 16, and we certainly could get to Houston, without DC reverting to who he was in November and December. But if there is one key to a deep run, it's the early season DC coming back to us. Because that's the difference between a really good team that could do something special, and a great team that should do something special.

Very insightful post, but I think he’s the same Donavan Clingan. I mean will Aaron Judge still be Aaron Judge the next time he goes 0-30? Call it the freshman wall if you want, my only worry is Hurley giving him less minutes. We definitely needed him on the floor for a lot more than 10 minutes against Marquette. Maybe an early round in the NCAA is a good time for Hurley to try Sanogo and Clingan on the floor together and see how it effects UConn’s ability to get shooters open and how UConn might dominate the boards.

 

[Umami Zen]

Avoid turnovers on offense --Create turnovers on defense and convert to made baskets

 

[MuchoDogYears]

NCAA tournament teams that have a uniqueness to them make deep runs.

It can be a special player (a Patrick Ewing swatting everything) or a unique style of play (Arkansas full court press under Richardson).

Either way, the opposing team has never seen or experienced playing against that talent, or style, or height, or speed, or whatever. In a pressure packed one and done game that uniqueness becomes a huge advantage.

Sanogo, Hawkins, Karaban , Newton, the bench…good players all, but none unique.

But DC and AJax are both unique. Most teams in the tourney won’t have experienced playing against a 7’2” skilled center like DC or an athletic freak like AJax.

So I agree with BusinessLawyer. DC, along with AJax, are what UConn brings to the table that no other team we play will have experienced dealing with before.

The rest of the team must do their part for UConn to win. But DC and AJ are the “secret sauce”.