The next four games are a true test of Hurley"s abilities

[Palatine]

Each of the next four games is a second game of a two games series. UConn lost three of these games and won the fourth on a miracle comeback.

What adjustments will Hurley make to change the outcomes? It's unlikely he changes the starting line up as he is loathe to do. Will he just run out the same game plans and hope home court advantage (three of four at are at home) is enough to win this time? He knows the opponent and the opponent knows him. Small wrinkles could have big effects. So buckle up. It's fair to say these next four games wil define the season.

 

[6xChamps]

I view the Marquette, Xavier, and St John’s games in one group of 3, and the Seton Hall, Xavier (home), and Nova games in a second group of 3. Go 2-1 in each of those groups of three is a success. Lose to St John’s and this week was a bust.

 

[ArizonaHsky]

I view the Marquette, Xavier, and St John’s games in one group of 3, and the Seton Hall, Xavier (home), and Nova games in a second group of 3. Go 2-1 in each of those groups of three is a success. Lose to St John’s and this week was a bust.

Seton Hall vs Nova today will tell me a lot about the Hall. I think they are better than what people think. They are better than Xavier, my opinion.

 

[auror]

Each of the next four games is a second game of a two games series. UConn lost three of these games and won the fourth on a miracle comeback.

You have it backwards. We were up comfortably in that St. John's game and they had the miracle comeback. We were 97% chance to win with 3 minutes left up 6. And then they bombed 3 3's in a row. And we still had a 40% chance to win on the last possession down 1 and then Sanogo missed the FT to win it at the end. And we dominated OT.

 

[connVA]

Will he just run out the same game plans and hope home court advantage (three of four at are at home) is enough to win this time?

Yes.

 

[HeGotGame]

Each of the next four games is a second game of a two games series. UConn lost three of these games and won the fourth on a miracle comeback.

What adjustments will Hurley make to change the outcomes? It's unlikely he changes the starting line up as he is loathe to do. Will he just run out the same game plans and hope home court advantage (three of four at are at home) is enough to win this time? He knows the opponent and the opponent knows him. Small wrinkles could have big effects. So buckle up. It's fair to say these next four games wil define the season.

No it is not.

 

[Mike Honcho]

You have it backwards. We were up comfortably in that St. John's game and they had the miracle comeback. We were 97% chance to win with 3 minutes left up 6. And then they bombed 3 3's in a row. And we still had a 40% chance to win on the last possession down 1 and then Sanogo missed the FT to win it at the end. And we dominated OT.

Good context -- miracle comeback is not the right label, but we definitely stole one. We had no timeouts and needed that very fortunate deflection off a 3/4's court AJax pass with a few ticks on the clock to draw that foul at the end of regulation and tie it back up.

 

[gtcam]

We are almost 75% through year 4 of Dan Hurley's tenure
Of course one would give him high marks for recruiting. His last name and the NBE opens doors that some coaches wouldn't/haven't had that luxury but still he has taken advantage of that and brought in some nice players - kudos to him.
What he does with that talent and his in game strategies are very much a growing concern.
He will continue to be the UConn basketball coach but as time goes on and there is no marked improvement in success (beating the top NBE teams, those with winning records, the close games, winning multiple NBE tournaments, advancing beyond the 1st weekend in the NCAAs) I see many fans looking for a change. There are quite a few coaches who will do so at that $2million plus per year price tag.
No more crap about him just starting out as a coach at a high level, etc. He was brought here to win and to quote AD David Benedict at the Rent in April 2018 when he introduced Dan Hurley to the UConn Club and invited contributors, he hired Dan Hurley to turn the program around and return to one of the top programs in the country in the immediate future. Five years is the immediate future. The clock is ticking.

 

[auror]

Good context -- miracle comeback is not the right label, but we definitely stole one. We had no timeouts and needed that very fortunate deflection off a 3/4's court AJax pass with a few ticks on the clock to draw that foul at the end of regulation and tie it back up.

Yeah we had 1 fortunate thing happen for us and they had 4 or 5 fortunate things for them (them making 4/5 3s at the end of the game and Sanogo missing 2 FTs in last minute). On balance, we should have won comfortably and it was only close because they were fortunate.

 

[mauconnfan]

Yeah we had 1 fortunate thing happen for us and they had 4 or 5 fortunate things for them (them making 4/5 3s at the end of the game and Sanogo missing 2 FTs in last minute). On balance, we should have won comfortably and it was only close because they were fortunate.

No difference in the Marquette game. Yet another pattern of our Huskies who are somehow allergic to leads.

 

[NowInStorrs]

What about the last four games?

 

[Kemba15]

We are almost 75% through year 4 of Dan Hurley's tenure
Of course one would give him high marks for recruiting. His last name and the NBE opens doors that some coaches wouldn't/haven't had that luxury but still he has taken advantage of that and brought in some nice players - kudos to him.
What he does with that talent and his in game strategies are very much a growing concern.
He will continue to be the UConn basketball coach but as time goes on and there is no marked improvement in success (beating the top NBE teams, those with winning records, the close games, winning multiple NBE tournaments, advancing beyond the 1st weekend in the NCAAs) I see many fans looking for a change. There are quite a few coaches who will do so at that $2million plus per year price tag.
No more crap about him just starting out as a coach at a high level, etc. He was brought here to win and to quote AD David Benedict at the Rent in April 2018 when he introduced Dan Hurley to the UConn Club and invited contributors, he hired Dan Hurley to turn the program around and return to one of the top programs in the country in the immediate future. Five years is the immediate future. The clock is ticking.

Posts like this confuse me. Do most fans really believe that this UConn team is that talented? It’s a solid, hard-nosed group but we just lost a lottery pick game-changing talent and are still likely going to win 20+ games in a top conference.

Dan Hurley has his flaws but roster construction and in-game coaching are bigger ones than underachieving relative to talent IMO

 

[UCfor3]

Why is it always about Hurley and not the team too? Every game is a test for both the coaches and the players.

 

[Kitaman]

Why is it always about Hurley and not the team too? Every game is a test for both the coaches and the players.

These are all his players (Whaley and Polley to a lesser extent). He built this team around his plan/goals and strategic play.

If he inherited another coach's team then the players could be charged, but I see this as the team Hurley built. He built it (I hope) with the Big East conference in mind.

So yes the players have some accountability but they are still his players which he controls, directs, influences, develops, etc.. However its mostly about our head coach when it comes to his teams' performance.

My big issue is that this team does not need a cheerleader coach, but a leader coach who does not accept poor decisions, bad shot selection, shoddy/lazy defense and most importantly marginal play. This becomes evident in our late game failures. Our coach is not putting a foot up their butt or even challenging them to play better and smarter. Its as if the unacceptable play has become acceptable play. An example is careless turnovers result in Hurley shaking his head in frustration instead of pulling that player and getting in his ear about his mistakes and explaining how to correct them (in-game).

So does Martin disappearing in games become his fault or the coaches? Does AJ's continual unnecessary highlight passing a fault of AJ or the coaches? Does Sanogo continually failing to pass out of double teams, Sanogo's fault or the coaches? I could go on, but every game the same mistakes occur with no correction or improvement. Its frustrating and predictable when watching.

 

[MTBingNinja]

We’ve been saying the next four games for the past ten games

 

[UCfor3]

These are all his players (Whaley and Polley to a lesser extent). He built this team around his plan/goals and strategic play.

If he inherited another coach's team then the players could be charged, but I see this as the team Hurley built. He built it (I hope) with the Big East conference in mind.

So yes the players have some accountability but they are still his players which he controls, directs, influences, develops, etc.. However its mostly about our head coach when it comes to his teams' performance.

My big issue is that this team does not need a cheerleader coach, but a leader coach who does not accept poor decisions, bad shot selection, shoddy/lazy defense and most importantly marginal play. This becomes evident in our late game failures. Our coach is not putting a foot up their butt or even challenging them to play better and smarter. Its as if the unacceptable play has become acceptable play. An example is careless turnovers result in Hurley shaking his head in frustration instead of pulling that player and getting in his ear about his mistakes and explaining how to correct them (in-game).

So does Martin disappearing in games become his fault or the coaches? Does AJ's continual unnecessary highlight passing a fault of AJ or the coaches? Does Sanogo continually failing to pass out of double teams, Sanogo's fault or the coaches? I could go on, but every game the same mistakes occur with no correction or improvement. Its frustrating and predictable when watching.

Too many assumptions about what our coach does and doesn't do or accept. Unless you are at practice, none of us know. Perhaps his demeanor during games, where you draw all your conclusions from, is completely different during practice. Also, while I have been as hard as anyone about Hurley's roster construction, he is not solely responsible for every bad moment or game an individual player has. Players for great coaches have bad games and stretches too. Bad games happen. He could do his best to recruit hard workers but he can't make every player work on his own time like Ray Allen. I doubt he knew 3 years ago when he recruited Gaffney that he would regress his junior year. Yes, Hurley is the captain of the ship and deserves criticism. Goes with the territory. With that said, these are college kids. The variance in their performance on a game to game basis is not 100% on the coach. He could do everything right and players could still come out flat or play lousy.

 

[Bonamassa]

I hate to lose too. Hurley's recruiting has been excellent and continues to trend upward. His won/loss percentage has improved every year. Looks like an NCAA Tournament bid for the second year in a row is on the way. The program was circling the toilet bowl when he got here. I have a hard time trashing Hurley's tenure at this point in time.

 

[freescooter]

I hate to lose too. Hurley's recruiting has been excellent and continues to trend upward. His won/loss percentage has improved every year. Looks like an NCAA Tournament bid for the second year in a row is on the way. The program was circling the toilet bowl when he got here. I have a hard time trashing Hurley's tenure at this point in time.

This is UConn, not Seton Hall. Just making the tournament isn’t the goal.

 

[Bonamassa]

This is UConn, not Seton Hall. Just making the tournament isn’t the goal.

Of course not but there is steady improvement. Demanding a championship at this point is quite an ask.

 

[cohenzone]

How about a test of our players’ ability? That’’s sort of counts too. Could Calhoun or Dean Smith make Jackson a better shooter and decision maker or Polley or Hawkins more consistent or stop a 7’1” kid from causing Sanigo problems? None of us know if maybe one of those coaches has us losing twice to Marquette and getting crushed by Auburn but beating MSU and Providence. Maybe Hurley isn’t as screwed up as some think. No such thing as a perfect coach, totally consistent player and in our BE few inept opponents, and fewer critical fans who could coach a rec league middle school team. Hurley makes some choices that are fun to debate, but personally I think the lack of reliable shooters is the biggest issue and Cole has helped a lot to mask it at times. He’s reallly good.

This year outside of Nova we haven’t had a single game where we had no chance with less than a minute or two left. That includes some ranked teams. Maybe all ranked teams but I don’t recall. Hurley’s coaching has been tested all year.

 

[djct1999]

What about the last four games?

Go back and watch the last four games. Other than the Nova game, where he was badly outcoached, the other two losses weren't on Hurley. They both really were about a recipe of bad luck and extremely poor execution by our guys on only a few possessions. People on here make it out that we are being thoroughly out played. Thats not what is happening. Creighton had two really bizarre 3s(not on Hurley) and Xavier had the buzzer beater at halftime, a few lucky loose balls and our inability to score on multiple 3 on 1s. (not on Hurley)
This criticism of Hurley is bizarre to me. Its year four of taking a broken program and rebuilding it. He has the team ranked in the top 25, has a top 10 recruiting class, and is going to the tournament. Is that not progress? People on here are simply unrealistic.

 

[businesslawyer]

Why is it always about Hurley and not the team too? Every game is a test for both the coaches and the players.

Casual fan obviously. When a team wins, it’s because of the players. When it loses, it’s because of the coach. Isn’t that clear?

 

[UCfor3]

Casual fan obviously. When a team wins, it’s because of the players. When it loses, it’s because of the coach. Isn’t that clear?

On here yes, crystal.

 

[Huskybass]

This is UConn, not Seton Hall. Just making the tournament isn’t the goal.

Did you miss the part about the winning % going up in each of Hurley's four seasons? Your negativity is never ending.

 

[UncleSpliff]

The reality is that he needs to start winning some tournament games. Just squeeking into the tournament on the bubble and losing in the first round like last year won’t cut it yearly. I have a bad feeling that history might repeat itself next month. Now certainly that’s a major upgrade from the nightly 30 point embarrassments that Kevin Ollie helmed but for me (and for all of you) that just shouldn’t cut it. I’m not sure why the fan base is so accepting of mediocrity. Basically this is what providence is the past decade.

 

[YoungFree]

This is UConn, not Seton Hall. Just making the tournament isn’t the goal.

It's the goal when u weren't even in the conversation a few years ago. We were never going to go from trash to #1 in the country overnight. People, in general, are inpatient.

Do I know the right year to say enough, no. Are we improving every year, yes. Once we flatline or start regressing, then let's talk bye bye Hurley. This isn't the NBA where u can buy championships.

 

[Rico444]

The reality is that he needs to start winning some tournament games. Just squeeking into the tournament on the bubble and losing in the first round like last year won’t cut it yearly. I have a bad feeling that history might repeat itself next month. Now certainly that’s a major upgrade from the nightly 30 point embarrassments that Kevin Ollie helmed but for me (and for all of you) that just shouldn’t cut it. I’m not sure why the fan base is so accepting of mediocrity. Basically this is what providence is the past decade.

I've been critical of Hurley and want to see some improvement, but UConn is nowhere near the bubble this year.

 

[UncleSpliff]

I've been critical of Hurley and want to see some improvement, but UConn is nowhere near the bubble this year.

We’ll it starts today then They absolutely cannot lose to St Johns if they want a halfway decent tournament seed.

 

[aburks41]

This year is whatever at this point. The roster construction is terrible and if we win a game or two in the tournament then that’s great. Next year is the real test for Hurley. He needs to hit the portal hard and get 2 impact guards. Gaffney cannot be trusted to lead this team if Cole is gone, and we don’t even know what we have in Diggins or CFjr.

He sees the holes this year, he has to go fix them this offseason or else the entire fanbase will start running out of patience.

 

[UCfor3]

This is UConn, not Seton Hall. Just making the tournament isn’t the goal.

It's still the goal but we haven't been that UConn in a while. We all want to be but it is obvioisly not a snap your fingers process. We are not entitled to going from losing at Tulane to dominating the Big East in a couple years. We are making progress. It's not like we are Indiana or Georgetown and it's been 20+ years of this. Hurley chose against the quick fix of running guys off and a multitude of yearly transfers. He opted for slower but hopefully more easily sustained process. He now has 3 full years of his own recruits and like most coaches there were a few misses in crucial areas. Now we have to see what he does to fill in those gaps. Let's see what happens. The grass isn't always greener...