That's better

[Fishy]

Ollie probably could have crowd-sourced today's game plan after the Bahamas' trip - shorter bench, more Adams.

The substitutions were much less hectic and much less by rote.

I think Jalen Adams has arrived. He got 29 minutes today after getting 26 against Maryland - I think he's 28-32 going forward. He's just too good to keep off the floor and his minutes should mirror Sterling/Rodney.

He helps push Hamilton off the ball which is good for both players. Hamilton didn't bring the ball up nearly as often today and everything clicked nicely. They shot 60% - not sure what else they could have done.

The shorter rotation is addition by subtraction. I'd like to see Enoch get more time when he can simply because he needs it and I think there's a place for him given the cluster f--- that so often describes our rebounding efforts. But if he doesn't, he doesn't.

Cassell and Nolan are good players at some level, but things move too fast for both of them to be constant contributors. Bringing Adams in for 30 minutes a game and then getting Omar and Kentan on the court as needed is a better idea than putting in players just because they're on the roster. If Ollie has settled on a top eight, so be it.

I thought Omar's first basket was just what I wanted to see out of him - an athletic move to to the rim. And then he spent the rest of the game turning the ball over on drives and hitting threes from wherever he wanted. The threes were nice, (not going to get used to them), but the best part was how hard he played on D and how active he was in general - Omar's good.

In a nutshell, lots of stuff was good.

One thing, in particular, was frustrating.

Ah, Amida.

I've given up worrying about his rebounding.

He was handled so easily by whichever freshman or sophomore Ohio State put near him. He wasn't pushed around so much as he just doesn't know he needs to be and doesn't have the instinct to fight to get to wherever that might be - he tends to put on some histrionic display to make it look like he was beaten for a rebound, but too often, he just doesn't even contest them.

If you watch today's game, watch how often there are three or four Buckeyes closer to defensive rebound than Amida is to an offensive rebound. On one Shonn Miller offensive rebound in the second half, Amida actually runs past him on his way downcourt - UConn retains the possession with Amida a good 30' down the court sprinting for the other end.

On another, he was dutifully standing on the wrong side of the defense on an offensive rebound attempt...so he stood flat-footed and stone-still with his arm outstretched towards the rim...palm up. He looked like Juliet reaching towards the moonlight in a bad Shakespeare revival.

He scored 11 points, but fumbled another six points out of bounds or off his feet.

He's still so raw - the only thing I'm hoping is that the typical improvement some kids start showing in their sophomore year eventually catch up to him later in his junior year.

In summary - short rotation...good. Jalen, good. Omar, good.

We'll see what Zymurg's recipe is for this game.

 

[Jimdish255]

It's nice when you're hitting shots but it's anybody's guess whether Omar continues to do that consistently. Assuming he doesn't the other guys need to continue to hit more open shots. Adams and Purvis did exactly what they needed to and even fed the beast a few bunnies for good measure.

 

[tykurez]

Give me more Shonn Miller. His dunk made my Chief's briefs expand.

 

[8893]

Felt the exact same when Dispatch hit that drive to the rim as his first shot and you could see it in his step as soon as he made it. He didn't miss, literally.

The only thing that stuck out to me glaringly as not better was Gibbs. It's like he's a half step too slow or something is off with his calibration as I've suggested recently. He remains an enigma to me and I'm getting less optimistic.

At one point I wondered about an Adams, Omar, Hamilton, Miller, [Brimah/Enoch/Facey/Nolan] lineup, if it's another "on" game for Omar.

It was good to see more time again for Jalen and I liked what I saw, but I would like to see him run the offense more when he's in there, and he could probably take a couple less shots in favor of assists in that role.

Was at the game so I didn't hear what's up with Hamilton. Is something up with his leg? He spent a lot of time on the bench in the second half and it looked like something going on with his leg.

Loved Miller's rebounding today.

Liked the balanced scoring too.

Oh, and WHUS doesn't do game broadcasts any more? Tuned in on the drive to Willi Brew in hopes of hearing post-game and it was a music show.

 

[Fishy]

With Omar, I think Ollie just needs to play him and make sure he gets the all-around effort he got today...while trying to keep the reigns on so that Omar doesn't have too many of those 2-8 from three types of box scores.

On Gibbs; I almost look at him like a free agent signing. Six months ago, he was playing in Seton Hall's system, so I think it's natural that there be some period of adjustment. He's talented - it'll show up.

 

[David 76]

A win we needed, completed in dramatic fashion. I was nervous the 2nd half was going to turn into our typical first half. But they righted the ship.

 

[SixRings]

Omar looked healthy today for the first time that I can remember. When he is driving to the basket and playing good defense he can be an excellent player. He lapses too often into the shooters role running down the sideline with his hand up and staying outside the arc. When he gets involved in the complete game he is a better player.
Miller played tough. Rodney played really well and I couldn't believe his ups on that rebound. Adams and Hamilton both had those moments where you say; that's unstoppable, that's nba.

 

[RipCity]

I hope we keep Omar on a short leash just because when he's bad, he's really bad.

We went stagnant for about 6 or 7 minutes in the second half where we didn't attempt one entry pass the entire time and just took jumper after jumper. That's gotta stop. If we aren't shooting well, we need to run some plays for Miller inside. The guy shoots like 60%, he needs more touches IMO.

I really hope Gibbs' cold streak ends soon. We're a much more dangerous team when he offers volume scoring. Lately, he's passive out there. We didn't really need him today with Adams playing well though.

 

[intlzncster]

The shorter rotation is addition by subtraction. I'd like to see Enoch get more time when he can simply because he needs it and I think there's a place for him given the cluster f--- that so often describes our rebounding efforts. But if he doesn't, he doesn't.

I said this in another thread, but what the hell: the team needs time to find it's rotation and get guys into the flow (gel). It's more valuable to get a solid rotation going than it is to develop players (even w the potential of Enoch) atm. Don't need to play everybody right now.

Omar had another nice play when they were struggling on O for a stretch, a drive and dish into the lane.
The pass wasn't the greatest, and resulted in a turnover, but it was a nice piece of offense when everyone else on the perimeter had their finger in their ass.

Another good: the board isn't an apoplectic mess tonight.

 

[Matrim55]

The only thing that stuck out to me glaringly as not better was Gibbs.

Gibbs through 3 or 4 skip passes that completely changed the game - he's the one who got Omar two of those looks.

Fine, his shot was off. But I don't know how people can watch that game and think it was the same Gibbs we saw down in the Bahamas. Dude played with purpose once he created a little separation, and Ohio State paid for it.

 

[intlzncster]

Gibbs through 3 or 4 skip passes that completely changed the game - he's the one who got Omar two of those looks.

Fine, his shot was off. But I don't know how people can watch that game and think it was the same Gibbs we saw down in the Bahamas. Dude played with purpose once he created a little separation, and Ohio State paid for it.

My only knock on him today was for being lackadaisical getting around screens. His shooting will come.

 

[B1GEast]

I think Brimah's not as assertive as he'd like to be because he doesn't want to get into foul trouble. His presence is big around the rim and just by being on the court instead of on the bench helps keep the other team honest.

Looks like they played more zone today.

Enoch needs more minutes in a game like today, 20 point blowout, but I think KO really wanted that large margin of victory as he kept most of his starters in the game when it was obviously out of reach for O State. I think the selection committee will look at this game favourably.

Not expecting Omar to consistently produce these numbers, but it's good to know it's potentially there, he may be the X factor sixth man for this team, another Giffey, who knows.

I'm not sure if there's another talented trio in the nation as Hamilton, Purvis and Miller, they are a legit 3.

This was a typical Uconn style whoopin, good three point shooting, solid transition scoring and good D, this is a JC team type of victory that we were so used to seeing and it's so refreshing. Still two big out of conference games to hopefully win, Texas and G Town. We have to take care of business in the AAC.

Hope this team doesn't let off the gas pedal

 

[Drame]

Brimah kills me.. One rebound that typifies this stuff... AB and miller were in the same area.. Ball came off the board..Brimah mistimed his jump and was nudged off balance. Miller waited then sprung for the board. It should have been AB's...
AB has a great personality and is a good shot blocker.. but neither are my favorite things in a basketball player.............. He scored that St Joes 3 pt play so he frankly gets a pass his whole career but still..

 

[djct1999]

Sadly, as much as I like the kid, our offense is stagnant with Brimah in there. This team is athletic, excels in transition, and simply plays far better with a smaller line up. UConn is a way better team than Ohio State so not much to take from the victory other than how they would respond. That question was answered on our first two offensive possessions. Loved the effort, the aggressiveness, the intensity..............and how good will Adams be come March? My god.

 

[imno1]

Regarding Amida and fouls. I've watch a bit of college bb lately and in the other games touch fouls are called on the players guarding the ball handlers but the refs let a lot go inside. It might be my husky blue glasses bit to me Brimah gets a lot more questionable fouls called on him than other aggressive bigs. I know I'm in the minority but I think AB many good things.

 

[Gurleyman]

Sadly, as much as I like the kid, our offense is stagnant with Brimah in there. This team is athletic, excels in transition, and simply plays far better with a smaller line up. UConn is a way better team than Ohio State so not much to take from the victory other than how they would respond. That question was answered on our first two offensive possessions. Loved the effort, the aggressiveness, the intensity....and how good will Adams be come March? My god.

A little bit of coincidence, perhaps, but we made 12 shots in a row after we gave up on the small lineup and put Brimah back in after probably going 0-5 playing small ball.

Not a big enough sample size to draw conclusions from, but not the right day to make the point.

 

[MexicoHusky]

A little bit of coincidence, perhaps, but we made 12 shots in a row after we gave up on the small lineup and put Brimah back in after probably going 0-5 playing small ball.

Not a big enough sample size to draw conclusions from, but not the right day to make the point.

Like others, I have wished for the small lineup. But i have not really seen it work effectively as of yet.

 

[mauconnfan]

Thank you Fishy for beginning the truth on AB. I didn't get into it because everyone think mau's the only one who sees these things. He got a couple dunks late, made a jumper and stuff but he was killed on the boards. He dropped 3 passes, actually one went by him without a finger, hands are never ready. He can't shoot a jump hook from anywhere other than the ground while his knees are bent - physically awful. He had a very stupid goal tend on a play the guy was going to miss the shot. There is little doubt in my mind Facey should get some of his minutes if for nothing other than he actually jumps and gets his hands on rebounds. Love blocked shots, but there aren't enough there for me to want to see 25 minutes of this guy anymore.

 

[mauconnfan]

Like others, I have wished for the small lineup. But i have not really seen it work effectively as of yet.

Haven't seen enough of it to know actually. But there are times it may not work anyway, there's a lot pretty big teams out there for sure!

 

[B1GEast]

I think KO knows better than we do, who the starting center should be. I don't think anyone here will admit that Uconn could have won title number 4 wihout Brimah.

 

[David 76]

Ab gets a pass, except for never getting a pass. Ever

 

[Greathusky]

Ollie probably could have crowd-sourced today's game plan after the Bahamas' trip - shorter bench, more Adams.

The substitutions were much less hectic and much less by rote.

I think Jalen Adams has arrived. He got 29 minutes today after getting 26 against Maryland - I think he's 28-32 going forward. He's just too good to keep off the floor and his minutes should mirror Sterling/Rodney.

He helps push Hamilton off the ball which is good for both players. Hamilton didn't bring the ball up nearly as often today and everything clicked nicely. They shot 60% - not sure what else they could have done.

The shorter rotation is addition by subtraction. I'd like to see Enoch get more time when he can simply because he needs it and I think there's a place for him given the cluster f--- that so often describes our rebounding efforts. But if he doesn't, he doesn't.

Cassell and Nolan are good players at some level, but things move too fast for both of them to be constant contributors. Bringing Adams in for 30 minutes a game and then getting Omar and Kentan on the court as needed is a better idea than putting in players just because they're on the roster. If Ollie has settled on a top eight, so be it.

I thought Omar's first basket was just what I wanted to see out of him - an athletic move to to the rim. And then he spent the rest of the game turning the ball over on drives and hitting threes from wherever he wanted. The threes were nice, (not going to get used to them), but the best part was how hard he played on D and how active he was in general - Omar's good.

In a nutshell, lots of stuff was good.

One thing, in particular, was frustrating.

Ah, Amida.

I've given up worrying about his rebounding.

He was handled so easily by whichever freshman or sophomore Ohio State put near him. He wasn't pushed around so much as he just doesn't know he needs to be and doesn't have the instinct to fight to get to wherever that might be - he tends to put on some histrionic display to make it look like he was beaten for a rebound, but too often, he just doesn't even contest them.

If you watch today's game, watch how often there are three or four Buckeyes closer to defensive rebound than Amida is to an offensive rebound. On one Shonn Miller offensive rebound in the second half, Amida actually runs past him on his way downcourt - UConn retains the possession with Amida a good 30' down the court sprinting for the other end.

On another, he was dutifully standing on the wrong side of the defense on an offensive rebound attempt...so he stood flat-footed and stone-still with his arm outstretched towards the rim...palm up. He looked like Juliet reaching towards the moonlight in a bad Shakespeare revival.

He scored 11 points, but fumbled another six points out of bounds or off his feet.

He's still so raw - the only thing I'm hoping is that the typical improvement some kids start showing in their sophomore year eventually catch up to him later in his junior year.

In summary - short rotation...good. Jalen, good. Omar, good.

We'll see what Zymurg's recipe is for this game.

Agree with everything you said but have to say a few of those passes to Amidah were at his ankles.

 

[Chief00]

I really like Amida as a person and as a teammate - but I am just baffled why a guy who has been in Storrs 3 summers working hard is still getting pushed around like a rag doll.
Ollie always says such great things about the strength coach but why are the results so bad with Amida and apparently not due to effort - Ollie made him a Captain last season.

 

[gtcam]

I think KO knows better than we do, who the starting center should be. I don't think anyone here will admit that Uconn could have won title number 4 wihout Brimah.

yeah yeah we all get what AB did vs St Joes with a certain play
Does that mean he gets a free pass?
The guy is usually the tallest guy on the court yet least likely to grab a rebound
Unless its a perfect ally-oop pass, his offense is zero - I don't care how many pts he scored last December vs a crap team
He plays a position where rebounding is vital yet he grabs less than 3 a game
Most big guys set some nice screens, AB has no idea how to
Most big guys battle for position underneath, AB is usually no where near the scrum
So yes, he most likely won that 1st round match but his performances in many big conference and non conference match-ups may have cost games.
He is, at this point, in my opinion, an under achieving center.

 

[B1GEast]

yeah yeah we all get what AB did vs St Joes with a certain play
Does that mean he gets a free pass?
The guy is usually the tallest guy on the court yet least likely to grab a rebound
Unless its a perfect ally-oop pass, his offense is zero - I don't care how many pts he scored last December vs a crap team
He plays a position where rebounding is vital yet he grabs less than 3 a game
Most big guys set some nice screens, AB has no idea how to
Most big guys battle for position underneath, AB is usually no where near the scrum
So yes, he most likely won that 1st round match but his performances in many big conference and non conference match-ups may have cost games.
He is, at this point, in my opinion, an under achieving center.

This isn't just about the St Joes game, it's all the way to Kentucky, FL, Mich St and the rest. I'm not suggesting Brimah shouldn't be criticized, only that KO knows more than we do, who should start at center.