St. John's Post Game Thread

[JungleLobo]

Didn't get to hear last night's call but yea Gus is washed, was one of my favorites back when he was on CBS but he became a cartoon character when he signed with Fox. Can't just call a game straight, he has to put this zany schtick on for the entire duration of a game.

He said “Don’t touch that dial”. Enough said.

 

[JungleLobo]

You can’t win a national title if you turn the ball over 18% of the time and miss 1/3 of your free throws.

Too much fouling. The percentage doesn’t matter when the other team has 3x the opportunities.

 

[Marat]

Now watch SJU struggle vs Xavier on Monday. It was a very big win for them.

 

[RuffRuff]

RuffRuff logic.

I would say I wouldn't weigh it that much because it was Pitino's first year in from Iona. Did you expect him to put a roster together that cold beat that Uconn team?

We are weighing wins with Mike Anderson and Pitino's first year in.

 

[Travelman6]

No way UConn was going 20-0 and with how January went, hopefully the wake up call they need, best possible team to lose to as well. How they respond will be very telling, especially in the rematch. I think they might even lose one more before the BET but hopefully beat StJ in the rematch. I think StJ loses once or twice more too, hope @Nova.

 

[aboogieee]

Do they switch to the blue UConn jerseys now?

 

[BFieldHusky]

No way UConn was going 20-0 and with how January went, hopefully the wake up call they need, best possible team to lose to as well. How they respond will be very telling, especially in the rematch. I think they might even lose one more before the BET but hopefully beat StJ in the rematch. I think StJ loses once or twice more too, hope @Nova.

St Johns already won @Nova.

 

[Kemba15]

I would say I wouldn't weigh it that much because it was Pitino's first year in from Iona. Did you expect him to put a roster together that cold beat that Uconn team?

We are weighing wins with Mike Anderson and Pitino's first year in.

This is fair but you should also consider UConn coming off B2B ships was due for a bit of a roster turnover last season when we went 0-2 against them. Works both ways

 

[FfldCntyFan]

This St. John's team is better equipped than last year's squad to make a tournament run.

They won't make it out of the first weekend.

 

[freshler40]

UConn was right there to win the game tonight but credit St. Johns, they made plays when they needed to and UConn was unable to stop them in critical spots. The Zuby offensive rebound on the missed free throw was the killer play. He is so good and plays so hard. He is certainly a unique player with his ability to put in on the deck, shoot, and play so physically. Not many are like him thankfully. With that being said, St. Johns played a B+ game and UConn played probably a C game and was still there to win it. That's a good thing. When you play as poorly as UConn did but have a chance to win, it tells me how good a team you can be. Some other observations:

I agree with most posters. Solo Ball is a no-show in a lot of big games. Unless and until he commits to putting the ball on the deck, using his three point shot as a weapon to drive aggressively to the basket, he becomes too easy a cover for well coached teams. They defended him on the 3 point line, and he could nothing. He needs to start playing better as the stakes rise.

Reed got absolutely out physicaled, out hustled, and out played by Zuby. He needs to start playing with more physicality and has to be much more tenacious. This was a tough game for Riebe (he will grow from it), but you need Reed to be better (especially on the foul line). 6 rebounds in 35 minutes is a joke for someone his size.

UConn has to work on press break. They can't rely on Demery going 36 minutes and being forced to be the primary ball handler the entire time. You can play he and Smith together, use Mullins more, whatever, but Hurley has to figure out better press break strategy. Demery was gassed at the end of the game, as he went 36+ minutes. You gotta get him more of a blow in game like this.

One thing on Hurley. He is a great coach. I love that he is here, and think the world of him. With that being said, he has to consider working on some form of a zone for teams like St. Johns who are physically more gifted than UConn. It's just a fact. They aren't a great shooting team, so zoning them at least for parts of the game can disrupt their flow and perhaps keep them off the foul line. I disagree strongly with several posters who point the finger only at UConn. Many times, St. Johns played similarly defensively with their hands and were overtly physical and no call was made. Yes UConn fouls, but so does St. Johns yet they are given a longer leash by the officials. Just my thought. As I have said consistently, I still think this is a Final 4/National Championship contender and nothing tonight diminished that feeling.

Totally agree with the zone possibilities. Make the other team change what was working for 40 minutes. Make them play through two players and not just beat one. When the Saint John's center has the most assists, something is wrong with our defense! In these tough physical games, we need another policeman on our side. We don't come with that toughness at some positions.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

View attachment 116833

Time to retire this idea.

 

[Kolumbo]

Agenda against Reed/UConn - During the 2nd half Reed and I believe Ejiofor were battling for rebound position and the ref blew the whistle. Pitino jumped out on the court in protest because he assumed it was called on Ejiofor. They called it on Reed. That's how bad the refs are. It was physical but if there was a foul, it should have been on Ejiofor because he was clearly initiating more contact. Of course UConn will win most of these games anyway but in a game like this, too big a handicap.

 

[freshler40]

It's an issue for sure. How many top teams struggle like we do with this? Did SJ have trouble inbounding the ball? Sounds like you won't acknowledge the problem until it actually costs us our season. At that point it will be too late. I'm calling for a proactive approach.

The inbounding issue also results in our delaying setting up, what usually is a long offensive effort. The impact is far worse than just getting the ball in play.

 

[Ripper32]

They won't make it out of the first weekend.

Depends who they draw. Not having a traditional PG is going to limit them. They let Hopkins be point forward a lot.

 

[uh-no]

Duke playing in Chapel Hill against a top 10 type team is a much more daunting task than playing a fringe top 25 team in your home away from home. Duke will handle business tho and prove again why they are Duke and no one else comes close.

"top ten type team"

lolololol

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think Pitino owns Hurley's jock if you give them both equally matched up teams. Pitino also recruits teams that he knows will be able to shut the water off on Dan Hurley's actions with lenght and athletecism and the ability to switch 1-5. I'm honestly not even feeling that great about the next matchup - it felt like StJ could have won by more if they hit a couple of their open threes.

Imagine if Pitino was coaching Michigan or Arizona.

 

[The Viking]

St Johns is definitely more athletic than we are and every time they made a basket, the crowd was buzzing, absolutely going wild. The pace was hectic. I thought we were at least ok with inbounding. If you want to get on the coaching staff about something, how about we start with making the team take a million free throws each practice. I cannot comprehend how you can be this bad at free throw shooting at this level, particularly Reed.

It's every game with the inbounding when a team brings heat. it seems every inbound is flipping a coin

 

[Ripper32]

Next time we meet, Dan will need to play multiple ball handlers together (even at the expense of defense) to slow down SJU's perimeter assault. Also, Stewart and Ross need to elevate their games. They are athletic enough to stem the tide against a team like SJU.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Duke playing in Chapel Hill against a top 10 type team is a much more daunting task than playing a fringe top 25 team in your home away from home. Duke will handle business tho and prove again why they are Duke and no one else comes close.

Comes close to what?

 

[alphasigko]

Since when is using your butt to block out a foul?

Also, trying to pass an Ally Oop to Reed is a fools errand.

 

[RitzLuce1]

I love Silas, he's our best player and a money player but he had 9 turnovers and missed critical ft's. You don't win with that from your point guard.

Silas competed, had some straight line drives and had a really nice line if you don't look at turnovers. He was terrible. He will be better but the Johnnies have his # for now.

Well when your backup point guard is unplayable I would expect Silas to have more turnovers and be tired at the end.

 

[Marat]

Since when is using your butt to block out a foul?

Also, trying to pass an Ally Oop to Reed is a fools errand.

Never throw an oop to Reed, period. Smith must stop this.

 

[boog204]

Aside from the game, how awful was Gus to listen to last night?

He’s awful - which sucks, bc I used to really like him. Still, would rather Gus and JJ than Fanta and Donny any day of the week.

 

[The Viking]

Since when is using your butt to block out a foul?

Also, trying to pass an Ally Oop to Reed is a fools errand.

I miss the days where Oop-ing to our big would get us 10 points a game easy. Every drive to the lane you thought it my be an alley oop to a big. Now it's virtually never.

 

[B1GEast]

If you can't get a fair game called in your own league, Hurley was absolutely right about the refs

Maybe they just wanted to give St John's a quality win.

I don't think this is a bad loss, but I'd hate to see this loss affect seeding in the tournament