The only thing this team doesn't have

[EdgewoodNHV]

An elite ball handler.

We don't have someone like Kemba or Shabazz who can beat anybody one-on-one and safely bring the ball up no matter what. Even a Khalid El-Amin type who might not necessarily be the best scorer on the floor but is a floor general.

It's literally the only weakness I see on this team in March, where if we come up against elite ball-defenders, we will sometimes have issues, like we did against ISU.

We still won the game, and hey, you probably don't need and A+ in every category. Just something I've noticed.

 

[REB1094]

The only thing this team doesn’t have is a loss

 

[Tyler2Rings]

Not even that much of a weakness when you consider the team's elite movement off ball and passing.

 

[husky429]

An elite ball handler.

We don't have someone like Kemba or Shabazz who can beat anybody one-on-one and safely bring the ball up no matter what. Even a Khalid El-Amin type who might not necessarily be the best scorer on the floor but is a floor general.

It's literally the only weakness I see on this team in March, where if we come up against elite ball-defenders, we will sometimes have issues, like we did against ISU.

We still won the game, and hey, you probably don't need and A+ in every category. Just something I've noticed.

I don't think that kind of elite ballhandler is really a necessity. We need to limit our TOs versus pressure--you do that with good decision-making and passing, not the dribble. I suspect that some of these TOs versus pressure from our guards is just because we're still early in the season. It's one place our chemistry is lagging behind. Alleyne and Newton might just be the kind of guards that make riskier passes

If anything, I'd say the one piece we're missing is an elite 1v1 scorer for late shot clock situations. Newton is fine, but not great. Again though, that type of shot is low % anyways. We don't need a Bouk on this team because we have 3-4 shooters on the floor at all times.

 

[XLCenterFan]

We have multiple PG's that are more than capable of running the show.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

The only thing this team doesn’t have is a loss

 

[RedStickHusky]

that shot clock bail out shooter...

 

[HuskyHawk]

As I tried to point out all summer when people were insisting we didn't have a point guard, it's not a critical skill in the modern game. You beat teams with ball movement, not one on one ISO skills. We want the ball moving through the air, not through the dribble. I've been impressed at how well this team has been able to do that so far.

That being said, Diarra is a very good ball handler, and Newton doesn't have a great first step, but he has elite ability to protect the ball, which means he doesn't need one. Jackson is actually flashing some slick ball handling, but we need to see him put it to use.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

We have several guys that can bring the ball up 1 v 1. We just need to get better at supporting the ball handler when they are trapped. That'll be easily fixed.

 

[Kitaman]

The only thing this team doesn't have is a fan base who can't wait even one day without fault finding, after being crowned Champions.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

The only thing this team doesn't have is a fan base who can't wait even one day without fault finding, after being crowned Champions.

How many days after a game am I allowed to point out any weakness in the game? Just let me know. two, three days? What's the statute of limitations?

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

The only thing this team doesn't have is a fan base who can't wait even one day without fault finding, after being crowned Champions.

And winning 3 games by an average of 18 points against some very good (P5) teams.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Posh and Curbelo will be the test.

 

[Kitaman]

How many days after a game am I allowed to point out any weakness in the game? Just let me know. two, three days? What's the statute of limitations?

No worries bro, just stating a fact. Relax and always remember, we fam.

 

[husky429]

As I tried to point out all summer when people were insisting we didn't have a point guard, it's not a critical skill in the modern game. You beat teams with ball movement, not one on one ISO skills. We want the ball moving through the air, not through the dribble. I've been impressed at how well this team has been able to do that so far.

That being said, Diarra is a very good ball handler, and Newton doesn't have a great first step, but he has elite ability to protect the ball, which means he doesn't need one. Jackson is actually flashing some slick ball handling, but we need to see him put it to use.

Exactly. It isn't the ballhandling that was causing our guards to turn it over... it's decision-making. And that is something we can improve with film work and in practice as we build chemistry.

 

[Jay-Bone]

The only thing this team doesn't have is a fan base who can't wait even one day without fault finding, after being crowned Champions.

I don't think its so bad. There is plenty of positivity to go around. I thinks its more of realizing a championship is very possible and what are the few aspects that may deter us from being perfect.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The late, great Johnny Mercer wrote a theme song for UConn fans.

 

[Tenspro2002]

We don't have a guy who we want to iso 20 possessions a game, but who wants that kind of offense? Quite frankly, in 2014 we won on the back of our defense, FT shooting, and hero ball, and the latter is not something you can count on in a championship formula.

What we do have is 3-4 guys who you're comfortable having the ball in their hands in those (hopefully) rare situations where the shot clock is running down and you need to make something happen. And that's good enough. Hell, we even had a few occasions where we just threw it up on the rim and Clingan, Jackson, Karaban, or Newton just went and got it for an extra possession.

 

[polycom]

In college elite ball handlers are more rare than anything else. There are prob like 20 elite ball handlers in the country. Newton is a very good ball handler. He might not have Steph Curry handle but he handles the ball very well. The issue with his TOs tonight is he didn't know what to do with the trap, it didn't have anything to do with ball handling.

 

[lonsharkin51]

I kind of agree with the OP. A team with small, quick guards (like Bazz and Boat) could be a problem for this team

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Newton, AJax, and Diarra are all more than capable of handling on-ball duties for at least spurts. Joey C has shown an ability to chip in, Hawkins has at least looked much steadier with the ball in his hands than last year, and Karaban has the size, hands, and passing to help break the press.

We don’t have an all-world guard but we don’t need one with the balance of this team.

 

[HailUConn]

To quote my favorite TV show band of brothers:

Nuts!

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Newton, AJax, and Diarra are all more than capable of handling on-ball duties for at least spurts. Joey C has shown an ability to chip in, Hawkins has at least looked much steadier with the ball in his hands than last year, and Karaban has the size, hands, and passing to help break the press.

We don’t have an all-world guard but we don’t need one with the balance of this team.

Yeah one thing that's amazing about this team is how many B+ ball handlers we have. Even AJax can bring the ball up the court, which is really impressive, that we can move the ball around and forward like that.

Perhaps the game has moved on to a point where you simply don't need an elite PG or you can have enough other skills that it doesn't really matter and you can find other ways to win.

 

[Huskybass]

that shot clock bail out shooter...

Diarra says hello! Splash!

 

[Justin M]

They also don’t have Corey Floyd, Rashool Diggins, Akok, and Gaffney. Which at one point was the end of the universe!!

Calcaterra, Newton, Diarra and Alleyne are all guys who could’ve been a 1 or 2 option somewhere but we’re okay sacrificing personal gain for betterment of the team.

It’s crazy what you can do to accelerate a culture and mentality overnight when you have a plan.