Sitting Adams in the first cost is that game

[methodology]

He didn't pick up another foul until the final minute.

I never understood sitting your guy due to fouls. All you're doing is imposing upon yourself the penalty that you're hoping to avoid later in the game.

Tell That to Calhoun when he sat Okafor vs duke in the final 4 and he did it 100% of the time.

You leave your guy in he either picks up 3/4 or starts playing soft so they don't foul

 

[Excalibur]

He didn't pick up another foul until the final minute.

I never understood sitting your guy due to fouls. All you're doing is imposing upon yourself the penalty that you're hoping to avoid later in the game.

It's a reasonable argument with 2 fouls, though my preference is to sit the guy unless it starts to get away from you. With 3, it's objectively a bad move to even think of it.

 

[gtcam]

Seriously? He proved to you when he went back in with 2 he couldn't keep his hands in his pockets. No way do you keep him in. They had a chance to tie in the 2nd half, that doesn't even happen if he gets his 4th in the first half. I think you're being sarcastic and the people that "liked" your post are hammered?

Not hammered only Mau, the KO doubters
The only one to blame for JA sitting at hat point is JA - a ridiculous foul - probably one of the only obvious ones the zebras got right today

 

[joober jones]

Facey should not have been put in to pick up #3 in the first half. I was screaming at KO to play Durham instead during that stretch because with the way that game was going, I knew foul #3 on Facey would be called before the end of the half if he played.

 

[Mr. French]

He didn't pick up another foul until the final minute.

I never understood sitting your guy due to fouls. All you're doing is imposing upon yourself the penalty that you're hoping to avoid later in the game.

Ya... That's kinda the point.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Ya... That's kinda the point.

If you sit the guy, you definitely incur the penalty of fewer minutes for your top player.

If you let him play, there's a chance he fouls and plays fewer minutes, but there's also a chance he doesn't foul out and gets to play more minutes.

Sitting him is a 100% chance of losing minutes. Playing him is <100% chance of losing minutes.

This shouldn't be that hard to grasp.

 

[Vuce]

I would LOVE for some of you to actually coach basketball and do some of the things you talk about here

 

[Tenspro2002]

I would LOVE for some of you to actually coach basketball and do some of the things you talk about here

To be honest, I think coaches are more afraid of looking stupid than they are of hurting their team's chances to win. It's most egregious in football, but is true in basketball as well.

Letting a guy play through 3 first-half fouls probably improves your chances to win. But you look stupid if they guy fouls out early.

 

[ASweet3781]

Of all the hundreds of fouls that were called tonight, Jalen's 3rd was the easiest to call. He simply has to be aware that he can't pick that foul up. This is not on Ollie at all.

 

[champs99and04]

If you sit the guy, you definitely incur the penalty of fewer minutes for your top player.

If you let him play, there's a chance he fouls and plays fewer minutes, but there's also a chance he doesn't foul out and gets to play more minutes.

Sitting him is a 100% chance of losing minutes. Playing him is <100% chance of losing minutes.

This shouldn't be that hard to grasp.

Thank you. Notice also that I never said it was the wrong decision - I think with three, and that much time left, it is arguable. But the point is that it undeniably cost us.

The capes come out fast here for Ollie. I'll be the first to say I thought he did a bad job this year. But this thread isn't about him. Every coach in the country would have done the same thing here.

This is about being a slave to an idea somebody else developed. We'll just sit a guy with two fouls or three fouls or four fouls because that's the way it's always been and Calhoun did it once back in 2004 and then we needed a miracle to beat Duke because of it, but hey let's not let logic get in the way of our ability to romanticize about stuff.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I know everybody will disagree but it's true.

That was way down the list of reasons they lost. Including the fact that Adams' first foul was an offensive foul called on the D. Ollie had no choice but to sit him.

 

[Jaker]

What amazes me is that JA was in foul trouble and our bigs were terrible, yet we were still in the game.

 

[Woof 101]

I know everybody will disagree but it's true.

I would have played him and risked it.
It probably would have ended badly, but I would have felt I had to.

No personal attack here, just a line to say I am so glad neither of you are coaches of the game at any level. If you have children in the sport let others take care of their basketball acumen.
Not sure of who could have possibly thought Adams should stay in the game at that point. There may be some but it is a loosing strategy for sure...

 

[NielsisGood]

I think there's a chance Ollie might have left him in if JA were a senior as opposed to a sophomore. JA was clearly very frustrated after that 3rd foul and there was at least a decent likelihood that he wouldn't completely have his head in the game at that point. Sitting with 3 fouls in the first half is something that's ingrained into the players just as much as the coach.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Two critical points were both (senseless) could by Facey in the second half. We cut the lead very quickly (I believe to four) in the second half and Cincy was down to one second on the shot clock on an inbound after a TV timeout. I imagine our players were instructed two things: a) don't foul and b) beside the man you're guarding has to be moving g away from the basket to get open, so he can't just catch & shoot. The foul bailed them out where we could have gotten them to crack.

The second was late (I believe a little less than four minutes left & he fouled out on the play) and Cincy missed a long three at a point where a stop and a score would have made it a two score game with more than enough time left. He gave up position for the rebound (should have been an easy rebound for him) and then grabbed his man.

He was a solid player for us most of the last half of this season but he was in some mental funk this tournament. He was lost for all but about four minutes in the three games; three minutes late against Houston and about one, early in the the second half against Cincy. Beyond that he was lost.

 

[mauconnfan]

Two critical points were both (senseless) could by Facey in the second half. We cut the lead very quickly (I believe to four) in the second half and Cincy was down to one second on the shot clock on an inbound after a TV timeout. I imagine our players were instructed two things: a) don't foul and b) beside the man you're guarding has to be moving g away from the basket to get open, so he can't just catch & shoot. The foul bailed them out where we could have gotten them to crack.

The second was late (I believe a little less than four minutes left & he fouled out on the play) and Cincy missed a long three at a point where a stop and a score would have made it a two score game with more than enough time left. He gave up position for the rebound (should have been an easy rebound for him) and then grabbed his man.

He was a solid player for us most of the last half of this season but he was in some mental funk this tournament. He was lost for all but about four minutes in the three games; three minutes late against Houston and about one, early in the the second half against Cincy. Beyond that he was lost.

Big turning point agree. Kentan was just getting into the game mentally and physically , made couple nice plays and was active around the hoop which was what we needed. Then he pulls his usual, which still puzzles me, holding a guy off from a rebound with his back to the basket? Just turn and shove your butt against KF and you're still playing, and maybe your senior year isn't over. An active KF was what we needed and at the point of his 4th foul he was finally there. Too bad

 

[msgordon]

If you sit the guy, you definitely incur the penalty of fewer minutes for your top player.

If you let him play, there's a chance he fouls and plays fewer minutes, but there's also a chance he doesn't foul out and gets to play more minutes.

Sitting him is a 100% chance of losing minutes. Playing him is <100% chance of losing minutes.

This shouldn't be that hard to grasp.

To be honest, I think coaches are more afraid of looking stupid than they are of hurting their team's chances to win. It's most egregious in football, but is true in basketball as well.

Letting a guy play through 3 first-half fouls probably improves your chances to win. But you look stupid if they guy fouls out early.

these are correct

 

[willie99]

Jim Calhoun would never give Adams a chance to pick up his third foul in the first half, he played for halftime adjustments and the 2nd half.

I'm not knocking Ollie for playing Adams with 2 fouls either, but he absolutely had to sit him with 3 fouls. There is no room for debate.

We came within 2 with the ball in the 2nd half, we gave ourselves a chance despite playing 7 vs 5 (1 ref wasn't horrible)

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Adams absolutely needed to sit after picking up his third foul and KO should have smacked him for the play where he picked up #3. That was out and out stupidity on JA's part (as was Purvis undercutting a Cincy player in the second half.

 

[EBonz30]

The whole situation just goes to show you that this team was totally under manned all season.

You have someone getting on coach Ollie for not playing someone in the first half with 3 fouls??

Is this real life?

You can't make it up!!

Please get real with your expectations, injuries cost this team a season, JC, excuse me John Wooden wouldn't have got this team to the NCAA tournament this year with this roster.

 

[huskyrob1]

I agree, refs were bad, but we lost because of terrible play from Brimah-Facey-Enoch-Durham

Brimah was a wasteland as usual

Thank him forever for the St Joe's play, but he can't leave fast enough


M

He had no clue on what to do with the ball when he had it in the paint. Not once did he ever think to kick the ball back out to an open RP or JA or CV standing just beyond the arc. Instead he gets happy feet trying to put the up after double pumping three times. His ineptness at catching a pass under the basket was only matched by his inability to pass it back out. Just pathetic.

 

[JSM1970]

UK, Duke, 'Cuse, KU, SMU, 'Nova all play 6-7 guys 90% of their minutes in non-blowouts

So it's not the #s alone

To me it was the 3 and loss of Larrier. They were forced to play either CV or VJ for extended minutes there and would have been hugely improved with Larrier.

Vance had a few good moments, but he is an awful defender and very inconsistent offensive player. He was a huge liability last night.

The whole situation just goes to show you that this team was totally under manned all season.

You have someone getting on coach Ollie for not playing someone in the first half with 3 fouls??

Is this real life?

You can't make it up!!

Please get real with your expectations, injuries cost this team a season, JC, excuse me John Wooden wouldn't have got this team to the NCAA tournament this year with this roster.

 

[JSM1970]

Also, I should have added VJ to this. He was awful.

Brimah did kick one out early for a CV 3, but yes, he must have had 4-5 just flubs.

He had no clue on what to do with the ball when he had it in the paint. Not once did he ever think to kick the ball back out to an open RP or JA or CV standing just beyond the arc. Instead he gets happy feet trying to put the up after double pumping three times. His ineptness at catching a pass under the basket was only matched by his inability to pass it back out. Just pathetic.

 

[methodology]

To be honest, I think coaches are more afraid of looking stupid than they are of hurting their team's chances to win. It's most egregious in football, but is true in basketball as well.

Letting a guy play through 3 first-half fouls probably improves your chances to win. But you look stupid if they guy fouls out early.

You're video game philosophy doesn't work in real life.

UConn was called for a foul every 1:15 of game time. During the first half Adams committed 3 fouls in 12 minutes. Ollie gave him his chance and trust to play through the half with 2 fouls and he blew it.

You leave him in with 3 you are doing a disservice to the team. Jalen would not have been aggressive on offense or defense from that point forward for fear of picking up #4. What's the point in playing 4 vs 5 for 8 minutes?

Also Cronin would have instructed all his players to attack jalen to get #4 on him. If Jalen didn't foul then they are getting easy layups or dump off for dunks or 3s because uconn would have been selling out to help Jalen and protect him from getting #4.

Simply put you are completely wrong with your philosophy and it giving uconn or any team a better chance at winning

 

[BlueDogs]

Adams never should have taken the chance he did to get that third foul. The ref was just waitin.

The ball was a 50-50. He had equal right to the space to contest for the ball. At worst it was a no call. No. They were gunning for hiM and looking for an opportunity to call something. Im telling there is something very unusual that went on.