The Offense

[nelsonmuntz]

So many on this board are stuck in the 90's mentality of "give the ball to the best player and get out of the way". You wonder why so many of those old-time coaches are retired (Larranaga, Boeheim, Hamilton) or should retire (Calipari)? Because those offenses were woefully inefficient and can't keep up with modern offenses.

McNeeley is a great player, and he had a monster game against Creighton playing ISO ball. And we are also 1-2 since he is back after having beaten Marquette the game before he returned. Just about every other player is shooting worse since McNeeley returned. If you are a glutton for punishment, re-watch all three games since McNeeley returned, and focus on McNeeley. He can do amazing things, but he is not playing in the system, while everyone else is playing in the system, and after two seasons of being dominant, our offense suddenly sucks, as the Seton Hall game showed.

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The last three games are the three of the five worst offensive efficiency games of the season (unadjusted), with the other two being Dayton in Maui and the win over Georgetown when most of the second half was garbage time. UConn is not a good enough team defensively to win playing ISO ball.

Hurley and Murray have designed an incredible offense that exploits the analytics' oriented defenses that so many teams play today. It is complex, but it generates a ton of open shots and is very efficient. I don't know why they are not making McNeeley play it, but the team looks like it is playing two different offenses when McNeeley is on the court. Hurley has to get McNeeley to play the offense. That is the Head Coach's job.

The first thing I would do is have McNeeley stop bringing the ball up the court. The second thing is to get him moving on the curl screens that worked so well for Spencer and Castle last year rather than staring down defenders in ISO ball. We need to return to the UConn offense.

 

[upstater]

People stop moving when McNeeley has the ball. Why? Is it McNeeley? Is it the players? Coaches need to solve it.

 

[RuffRuff]

A part of this could just be that they are giving a lottery pick the platform to show his goods as a OAD, to ensure attracting future pro level recruits. That said, it hasn't helped that Solo & AK have been horrible from the floor on the many open looks they've gotten, so some of this may just be bad luck. AK 2-19 from three and Solo is 14-40 from the field in his games back are well below their averages.

The point forward concept was miserably bad against SH. They pressured McNeeley high with a big defender and he really couldn't do much with it. The book is out there, so now have to go back to hoping Hassan's knee is touched by God.

 

[Dove]

People stop moving when McNeeley has the ball. Why? Is it McNeeley? Is it the players? Coaches need to solve it.

Ohhh. Coaches need to solve it. Writing this down...

 

[upstater]

Ohhh. Coaches need to solve it. Writing this down...

OK, I'll solve it myself. Maybe someone here will pass my advice onto the coaches.

That's what I usually read on this board.

 

[uchusky32]

This team doesn't run the motion like the last 2 teams. They don't set strong picks. They don't wait for the pick. They aren't a threat to drive to the rim. And there is only Liam to give the ball to when all else fails.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

People stop moving when McNeeley has the ball. Why? Is it McNeeley? Is it the players? Coaches need to solve it.

I think they are not sure what to do, because McNeeley does not seem to be playing the same offense they are. McNeeley also tends to crowd Ball and others away from the ball. When he is at point forward, he doesn't look for the open player, especially on the break. Mahaney was wide open on the wing a couple of times against Seton Hall and Creighton in those games and McNeeley took it to the hole instead.

As for promoting McNeeley as a OAD, a Big East Title and deep run in the NCAAT while shooting 5 points higher would be worth quite a bit of money on draft day.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This team doesn't run the motion like the last 2 teams. They don't set strong picks. They don't wait for the pick. They aren't a threat to drive to the rim. And there is only Liam to give the ball to when all else fails.

"all else fails" happens way too often with this team, and also seems to happen 10 and 15 seconds into the shot clock quite a bit. They need to run the offense. Most of the key picks are off ball, so they don't need to be perfect. There is way too much bailing on the offense and descending into 1-on-1.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

This team doesn't run the motion like the last 2 teams. They don't set strong picks. They don't wait for the pick. They aren't a threat to drive to the rim. And there is only Liam to give the ball to when all else fails.

Was just writing out something similar. Yes 7 NBA players will help things run much better but the number of shot clock violations and desperation heaves when it’s winding down is simply awful execution. Granted we’re getting grabbed and held on every cut but it looks more like our motion(less) offense of 3-4 years ago than 1-2 years ago.

 

[jibsey]

Not quite as much player movement as the past. It takes a lot of energy to run screen after screen trying to get players open and with Hass injured it’s pretty much Solo. Is Richard Hamilton on our bench somewhere?

 

[RuffRuff]

I think they are not sure what to do, because McNeeley does not seem to be playing the same offense they are. McNeeley also tends to crowd Ball and others away from the ball. When he is at point forward, he doesn't look for the open player, especially on the break. Mahaney was wide open on the wing a couple of times against Seton Hall and Creighton in those games and McNeeley took it to the hole instead.

As for promoting McNeeley as a OAD, a Big East Title and deep run in the NCAAT while shooting 5 points higher would be worth quite a bit of money on draft day.

Have to consider McNeeley is still adjusting to coming back, and in one of those games they needed him to be Zeus out there to even have a chance. He may have rolled that mentality into SH. He was passing the ball great before he got hurt, 4.5 assists/pg the 4 games before DePaul. That was before Hassan was banged up and now they're throwing him into a new role, so he's probably just figuring it out himself. Creighton didn't game plan for it either, SH did. It's all getting late and it sucks that this team is still trying to figure out its identity, is what it is.

 

[auror]

Sha admitted that Seton Hall spent extra time preparing for UConn and then they had the full rest week. And their guys gave a crap instead of their general apathy (plus 2 came back from injury). Literally their Super Bowl. Their defense was far, far better than usual.

And before that we played two top 30 defenses in the other 2 games since he's been back. And those defenses are really different from each other and required totally different approaches to attack.

We shot like and were still up 7 with 30 seconds left.

 

[REB1094]

Newton and Cam were the guys that could go get a bucket when the set broke down

Right now that guy is McNeeley, and the sets break down a LOT more often now than they used to

If my options at that point are an iso from Diarra, McNeeley, Karaban, or Solo, then I’ll take McNeeley every time

Just wish it got to that point every 5-7 possessions, not every 2-3 possessions

I think Solo could do really well in the Cam Spencer role of curling off a screen in the midrange and making something happen. But if it’s not a three, he panics when the clock is low

 

[Waquoit]

This team is gonna have to win with offense. It’s been that way all year.

 

[pj]

Diarra being hurt probably has more to do with weak offense the last three games than any defect in McNeeley's game.

 

[boog204]

Diarra being hurt probably has more to do with weak offense the last three games than any defect in McNeeley's game.

Even with Hass healthy guard play and creation was pretty weak. It’s basically non existent now. Couple that with our bigs not being great screeners (another thing DC did exceedingly well) and opposing defenses knowing that most of our guys inability to put the ball on the floor, you have an offense that at times is very stagnant.

I mean in some ways we’ve replaced Hass hoisting desperation 3’s with Liam trying to go 1 on 5. Either way it’s a result of not having great all-around offensive players.

 

[superjohn]

Great post from Waylon! McNeeley is clearly the problem.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I’m not blaming anyone who looks off Mahaney at this point.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Newton and Cam were the guys that could go get a bucket when the set broke down

Right now that guy is McNeeley, and the sets break down a LOT more often now than they used to

If my options at that point are an iso from Diarra, McNeeley, Karaban, or Solo, then I’ll take McNeeley every time

Just wish it got to that point every 5-7 possessions, not every 2-3 possessions

I think Solo could do really well in the Cam Spencer role of curling off a screen in the midrange and making something happen. But if it’s not a three, he panics when the clock is low

We didn’t have a lot of offensive breakdowns that turned into ISO offense last year. In the offense, players have the freedom to break into an ISO play if they have an advantage, but we seem to start there now.

Solo has been lighting it up most of the season. This offense is great for a player like Ball.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Sha admitted that Seton Hall spent extra time preparing for UConn and then they had the full rest week. And their guys gave a crap instead of their general apathy (plus 2 came back from injury). Literally their Super Bowl. Their defense was far, far better than usual.

And before that we played two top 30 defenses in the other 2 games since he's been back. And those defenses are really different from each other and required totally different approaches to attack.

We shot like and were still up 7 with 30 seconds left.

Marquette is a pretty good defense too, and UConn lit them up offensively without McNeeley. In fact, UConn's offense has been pretty good all season, and I will go out on a limb and say that every team is spending extra time on UConn's offense. Why was Seton Hall the first one to solve the puzzle?

 

[superjohn]

Sha admitted that Seton Hall spent extra time preparing for UConn and then they had the full rest week. And their guys gave a crap instead of their general apathy (plus 2 came back from injury). Literally their Super Bowl. Their defense was far, far better than usual.

And before that we played two top 30 defenses in the other 2 games since he's been back. And those defenses are really different from each other and required totally different approaches to attack.

We shot like and were still up 7 with 30 seconds left.

Seton Hall was our Super Bowl too. Hurley even lined up all our wide outs on the line of scrimmage at the end.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Diarra being hurt probably has more to do with weak offense the last three games than any defect in McNeeley's game.

Diarra's injury is definitely a factor, but McNeeley at point forward is not that answer.

 

[auror]

Marquette is a pretty good defense too, and UConn lit them up offensively without McNeeley. In fact, UConn's offense has been pretty good all season, and I will go out on a limb and say that every team is spending extra time on UConn's offense. Why was Seton Hall the first one to solve the puzzle?

Yeah we made an unsustainable amount of shots against Marquette. Covered up those pesky 25 turnovers.

 

[Mots010]

Even with Hass healthy guard play and creation was pretty weak. It’s basically non existent now. Couple that with our bigs not being great screeners (another thing DC did exceedingly well) and opposing defenses knowing that most of our guys inability to put the ball on the floor, you have an offense that at times is very stagnant.

I mean in some ways we’ve replaced Hass hoisting desperation 3’s with Liam trying to go 1 on 5. Either way it’s a result of not having great all-around offensive players.

We were something like top 15 offense in Kenpom and damn near leading the country in assists when McNeeley sprained his ankle. Hass now looks like an old man out there and he was the engine for our team.

 

[Viet Vet]

People stop moving when McNeeley has the ball. Why? Is it McNeeley? Is it the players? Coaches need to solve it.

Why? Because Newton, Castle and Spencer are gone.