because people simply don't take shots against him. he's top 10 in the country in block rate. Slightly shorter guys will end up with a higher block rate as people think they can sneak one by. ain't nobody delusional they're getting one by kong.He doesn't realy Block a ton of shots when you compare him to Husky rim protectors of years past, but his rim presence is about equal to any of them. Outside of that monster dunk near Clingan, Oso Ighodaro really wanted no parts of him in the paint.
I'm not exactly sure if that logic works, to be honest. Thabeet was 7'3" 265lbs in college and averaged 3.6 blocked for his career. My point is his presence, which includes redirection of shots is some of the best we've seen.because people simply don't take shots against him. he's top 10 in the country in block rate. Slightly shorter guys will end up with a higher block rate as people think they can sneak one by. ain't nobody delusional they're getting one by kong.
Karaban has a lot less trouble guarding those types of 4’s with Clingan on the floor.I will just cool the enthusiasm slightly. Purdue is playing Ohio St. now, and OSU has been so bad that they fired the coach. The game is 3 pts in the 1st half at the under 4. OSU has some athletes and shooters, notably Thornton and Middleton.
But Purdue runs good sets on offense, runs and finishes well opportunistically, Smith is a solid and creative PG, and the 4 man, Kaufman-Renn is a strong postup 4, the kind that can give Karaban some trouble. If we were to meet (and that by now can only be in the Final Four) if K-R and Edey were to get Clingan and AK both in early foul trouble simultaneously that’d be the only situation that gives a little pause with them.
They don’t scare me. Our passing is so good I’m not scared of their super aggressive trapping off ball screens. That won’t work as well against big guards like Castle and Newton. And Castle has shown he can hit those skip passes to the corners with ease.Houston scares me
Well, maybe not. 35-30 OSU at home at half
He could have taken a dozen 3 pt shots yesterday and it wouldn't have made a differenceIt’s late February. That ship has sailed.
Couple of quotes from AP game story:We have 5 straight games against dangerous teams. I am confident that Hurley will not let them
think they are unbeatable. But they are darned tough.
You can’t tell me they weren’t ready for that game. They were playing number 1 and wanted it BAD. If you tell me it was home cooking and the refs that was the difference, I didn’t see it. We shot 3’s poorly in the first half too. Our players are better than theirs, that simple. Next game prob be a bit closer though if they get some breaks or Clingan gets a couple early fouls.Couple of quotes from AP game story:
“You play elite offense, you play elite defense and you’re a great rebounding team and you play harder than the opponent, it doesn’t give them a lot of places to go,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
“What we need to do better the next time we play UConn? It’s like Santa Claus’ list that unfolds,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “But I think starting with that we have to play with more of a level of violence and toughness about us. They had that edge today.”
Next meeting at Marquette should be memorable.
Seems like he was saying that they just didn't perform (Santa Claus List of things they had to do better). I didn't see anyone say anything about home cooking. I think he was being complimentary about Uconn's ferocity. It seems that with Clingan at full strength and playing smart we are a much better team. Also, having our 1-2 lockdown defenders (Hassan and Stephon) on Kelok took them out of their offensive flow. When we are firing on all cylinders no one in college hoop can stay with us it seems up to this point. The final road games against Marquette and Creighton should tell us a lot.You can’t tell me they weren’t ready for that game. They were playing number 1 and wanted it BAD. If you tell me it was home cooking and the refs that was the difference, I didn’t see it. We shot 3’s poorly in the first half too. Our players are better than theirs, that simple. Next game prob be a bit closer though if they get some breaks or Clingan gets a couple early fouls.
I can promise you we won’t steam roll either on the road. They’re too good. Marquette specifically is too good to let us do that to them againSeems like he was saying that they just didn't perform (Santa Claus List of things they had to do better). I didn't see anyone say anything about home cooking. I think he was being complimentary about Uconn's ferocity. It seems that with Clingan at full strength and playing smart we are a much better team. Also, having our 1-2 lockdown defenders (Hassan and Stephon) on Kelok took them out of their offensive flow. When we are firing on all cylinders no one in college hoop can stay with us it seems up to this point. The final road games against Marquette and Creighton should tell us a lot.
I hope we steamroll them both.
I agree. Just wishful thinking.I can promise you we won’t steam roll either on the road. They’re too good. Marquette specifically is too good to let us do that to them again
Strange takeaway from that quote, brother.You can’t tell me they weren’t ready for that game. They were playing number 1 and wanted it BAD. If you tell me it was home cooking and the refs that was the difference, I didn’t see it. We shot 3’s poorly in the first half too. Our players are better than theirs, that simple. Next game prob be a bit closer though if they get some breaks or Clingan gets a couple early fouls.
Maybe Thabeet was challenged more. It looks to me that opponents just don’t bother to challenge Clingan.I'm not exactly sure if that logic works, to be honest. Thabeet was 7'3" 265lbs in college and averaged 3.6 blocked for his career. My point is his presence, which includes redirection of shots is some of the best we've seen.
The game was a bit different then too. This was before the 3 point revolution we're in now. Shots were as close to the basket as you could get, regardless of shot blockers.Maybe Thabeet was challenged more. It looks to me that opponents just don’t bother to challenge Clingan.
Meh, as you said "Maybe", but anecdote is not as solid as Statistical significance.Maybe Thabeet was challenged more. It looks to me that opponents just don’t bother to challenge Clingan.
Even with DC in foul trouble Purdue doesnt scare me. That team has spent the season living off of a win over ARizona who beat an overrated dook team at Cameron. They have played close games agaisnt lesser teams all season and have lost 3 times to unranked teams. OSU is not a good team who just fired their coach! Uconn without DC fought its way to #1. Without Edey Purdue isnt even a top 25 team!!! His supporting cast is not like DCs.His #1 focus the rest of the regular season and Big East Tournament should be defend without fouling. If he can do that, I'll be very confident for the NCAA Tournament. Him sitting on the bench is the biggest risk factor. We can win with him on the bench against most teams, but if it happens against the wrong team like Purdue, it could be an issue. I wish Singare was able to give us something.
There is absolutely ZERO need for DC to start shooting threes. If its there every now and then fine but we dont need it. He needs to stay out of foul trouble, defend the rim, rebound, Score in the post a couple times, get put backs and hit 60% on free throws at minimum. And most importantly stay healthy. He does that and we are gold.When did Adama start shooting 3s last year? My guess would be early Feb.
I agree with you though that it is probably too late to add that to Clingan's game. That said I'd love for him to drill or one two against Creighton as that would mentally destroy their faux-tough guy center Kalkbrenner who got similarly physically & mentally abused by Adama last season.
Sanogo was 5-12 from 3 in his two against Creighton--41.6%.When did Adama start shooting 3s last year? My guess would be early Feb.
I agree with you though that it is probably too late to add that to Clingan's game. That said I'd love for him to drill or one two against Creighton as that would mentally destroy their faux-tough guy center Kalkbrenner who got similarly physically & mentally abused by Adama last season.
Any team that would have their 5 and 4 in foul trouble would be at a disadvantage. Imagine if we play Purdue and Edey gets into foul trouble? It could be a massacreI will just cool the enthusiasm slightly. Purdue is playing Ohio St. now, and OSU has been so bad that they fired the coach. The game is 3 pts in the 1st half at the under 4. OSU has some athletes and shooters, notably Thornton and Middleton.
But Purdue runs good 4-out sets on offense, runs and finishes well opportunistically, the D has Edey backing it up so they’re aggressive, Smith is a solid and creative PG, and the 4 man, Kaufman-Renn is a strong postup 4, the kind that can give Karaban some trouble. If we were to meet (and that by now can only be in the Final Four) if K-R and Edey were to get Clingan and AK both in early foul trouble simultaneously that’d be the only situation that gives a little pause with them.
But if Clingan gets in foul trouble, which is more likely, then we’ve got a problem to deal with.Any team that would have their 5 and 4 in foul trouble would be at a disadvantage. Imagine if we play Purdue and Edey gets into foul trouble? It could be a massacre